Wingless Bird
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As for plain Jane, she was ready to follow Vivian to the ends of the earth, into fire or water, as soon as she saw the lady she had been fortunate enough to serve. From the moment the guest came into her sight, this angelic-looking girl became her idol. What was the cause of this adoration? Vivian's beauty? Her melodious voice? Her enchanting smile? Oh, no! The reason was simple: Jane's keen eye, which had seen the upper classes of London and England every day, recognised from the first glance at her guest that she was poor. Vivian's dress was simple, elegant, but poor, too poor by London standards. Jane's heart filled with sisterly love for this beautiful but alas, poor relative of the rich and noble Dowager Countess Lady Cranford, a woman like an ice statue.
– You must be hungry, my dear," said Lady Cranford to her niece. – 'Fortunately, there will be lunch soon, but surely you can have sandwiches and tea now. c
– Thank you, dear auntie, you are so kind! But I would prefer to share a meal with you. Don't worry about me. Could you order my luggage to be taken to my room? – Vivian answered her in a calm tone. She was not frightened by her aunt's coldness, nor deceived by the deliberate nobility of this beautiful lady, nor disturbed by the thought of what her rich relatives thought of her and her poor attire. She only continued to smile, for she knew that there was no weapon stronger than a beautiful smile.
She could see the admiration in the blue eyes of the handsome young man standing beside her aunt: he was tall, trim, dark-haired. There was no mistaking it: he was Lady Cranford's son. But which one? Thanks to her father's stories, Vivian was aware that she had two cousins in London. One was the heir to the vast Cranford fortune, the one who had inherited the title of Earl; the other was the younger son, who had also received his share of the inheritance, but had neither the title nor even a quarter of what his brother had inherited. Vivian knew the bitter truth: her mother, married for love, had lost everything. All her relatives seemed to have forgotten about her existence, and enraged by the disobedience of his eldest daughter, Vivian's grandfather had rewritten his will, in which he, though he had no title, but was one of the richest men in the kingdom, left everything he had to his youngest daughter, Beatrice, who submitted to his will and became the wife of the man he had chosen for her. And as the Earl himself was immensely rich, his marriage to Beatrice only doubled his fortune, and at his death this fortune passed to his eldest son. Lady Cranford, on the other hand, was content with a widow's share, which did not in the least induce her to change the luxurious life to which she had been accustomed.
– You must be my cousin? – Vivian addressed Anthony politely. – Your features are unmistakably those of my dear aunt.
– Exactly, my dear cousin," he smiled, and, taking her gloved hand, kissed it gently, causing Vivian's neck and cheeks to blush against her will.
"What impudence! Only just arrived, and already she's flirting like a skilful minx… And with whom? With my son! And Anthony himself? He keeps his eyes on her! – Lady Cranford thought angrily as she watched the young people smiling at each other. – This must stop!"
– "Vivian, let me introduce you to my youngest son Anthony," she said to her niece in a still but simply icy tone, this time not bothering to hide her true feelings behind an insincere 'darling'.
"Junior! What a pity… But the eldest must be coming to see his mother, even if he doesn't live with her," ran through Vivian's mind, and her sympathy for her young cousin immediately diminished.
– My eldest son Richard lives in a separate house. He and his wife have recently purchased an estate in the north, but they visit us quite often. Richard knows that I miss my grandchildren terribly," Lady Cranford said, as if she had read her mind, and deliberately mentioned that her eldest son was married, had children, and lived far from London.
– Oh, I shall be delighted to meet him and my little nieces and nephews! – Vivian exclaimed, folding her arms on her breast in a touching gesture, but the news that her cousin the Earl was married upset her feelings.
– My brother has been hunted to the very heart of the matter. But now he is married to a charming young woman, and is the father of a mischievous boy and two rosy-cheeked daughters," Anthony explained, admiring her beautiful face. He could have stood like that all day long, forgetting about food and water and just looking at his angelic green-eyed cousin. But when he caught himself at this thought, the young man was horrified and hastened to dismiss the obsession that had seized him: well aware of his position as the youngest son, he knew that the only way he could gain wealth was to marry one of the heiresses of a good fortune, or a girl with a rich dowry. In return, he could offer himself, his respect and his care. And after all, he was not some petty nobleman, but the son of an earl, which gave him an advantage over many potential suitors.
– They must be real angels," Vivian smiled at her cousin.
"I bet they'd be hunting him! After all, he is the owner of such a vast fortune!" – she thought. But she did not dare to say this phrase aloud, for she was afraid of offending the feelings of her aunt. And what would those pompous Cranfords think of her?
– They are angels," confirmed her aunt. – But now back to your luggage. Anthony, have the footmen take your cousin's bags up to her room…" But when she looked at the carriage in which Vivian had arrived, and saw the single suitcase tied to the roof, she asked, with difficulty suppressing the mockery in her voice: – Is that all your luggage, dear?
– Yes, auntie. I did not wish to carry many things with me: I shall order dresses after the latest London fashion, and purchase everything worthy of being worn by a true London fashionista. – Vivian understood perfectly well her aunt's allusion to her poverty, but again hid her pain behind a smile.
And what could she say? Having struggled to raise the money for the journey to London, London tailors and fashionable shops, she had arrived at Greenhall, at her rich aunt's house, like a beggar, like a beggar. Vivian knew she should have been grateful that she had been allowed to come and even taken into her care. She would live in this huge, beautiful house, walk on those long great balconies, and eat with the Cranfords in their what must have been a large sumptuous dining room. Her aunt had promised her mother to take Vivian out into the world and give a reception in her honour (that was what Beatrice Cranford had written to her dying sister), which would probably help Vivian to make a good party.
After all, the only purpose for which the penniless niece came to London and was prepared to endure the ridicule and coldness of her relatives was to find and marry a rich groom.
– Well, then you should go shopping, and as soon as possible," Lady Cranford replied, but she was not unmindful of the thought that her niece was counting on her aunt's generosity, which was so unfortunate: to tolerate this insolent woman in her house? Yes, in memory of her sister. But to renew her wardrobe, and at London prices? No, that's not going to happen! – But I must warn you that London prices are very different from what you are used to in your little town. Be very careful how you spend your money," she added, to let her niece know that she would have to pay for the cost of her wardrobe.
– Thank you for your concern, Auntie. I will," said Vivian, with another sweet smile, but with anger in her heart. It irritated her to the core that her aunt considered her a sponger and a beggar (which was hard not to notice). She had no intention of begging her aunt for money for new dresses! Vivian had her own means! Did her "good aunt" really think that pride would allow her, Vivian, to come empty-handed?
– You can go shopping with Jane," Lady Cranford told her with satisfaction when she heard Vivian's reply. – Jane is nineteen, like you. She will be your personal maid.