Love England

Chapter 12 The Truth

Early the next morning, the assistant came to tell Mr. Thornton that the workers had arrived on time, which seemed to him a good omen to start the day.Mr. Thornton quickly finished dealing with the affairs of the factory, and came to the door of Hale's house with anxiety and nervousness, and knocked on the door of his house.

It was Dixon who opened the door, saying that he was glad to see Mr. Thornton, took him into the living room, and told him that Mrs. Hale was lying in bed because of her poor health, and Mr. Hale was going to ask Donaldson The doctor has gone, and Miss Addams has been looking after Mrs. "You can wait here for Mr. Hale, Mr. Thornton!" said Dixon.Mr Thornton said he could wait and wanted to see Miss Addams.Then the old Hale maid curtseyed him with dignity, and went upstairs to fetch Miss Addams.Mr. Thornton felt his palms sweating. For the first time, he felt that visiting Hale's house was so difficult. When he saw Cali walking into the living room, his face that was about to smile at her became tense instead. Stiffer and more serious than usual.

"Good morning, Mr. Thornton!" Cali greeted him first, and Mr. Thornton stayed on her face for three seconds: her face was much paler than usual, and her beautiful long brown hair covered the wound on her forehead. There was something erratic in her eyes, unpredictable and fascinating.His worries about Cali's body eased a little now, and then the thought of her hugging him for protection set his heart ablaze, like matches meeting fire.Mr. Thornton stood up and greeted: "Good morning, Miss Addams! I am relieved to see that you are all right!" Cali didn't continue the next greetings, she didn't even sit down, he watched her go to the window and stare out , I don't know what she was thinking at this moment, the atmosphere between the two of them suddenly became cold.

"I hope Mrs. Hale's body can recover as soon as possible. I don't know how she is now? I heard from Dixon that Mr. Hale went to invite Dr. Donaldson. My mother has always trusted him." Mr. Thornton thought he should Speak first to break the uncomfortable silence.

"Ms. Hale's condition is getting worse and worse, but Dr. Donaldson is very responsible and skilled in medicine, thanks to Mrs. Thornton's introduction."

Mr. Thornton looked at Cali lowering his eyes when he was talking, as if deliberately avoiding contact with his own eyes, and his tone seemed very polite, but it made people feel alienated. "Is she embarrassed by what she did yesterday?" Thinking of this, Mr. Thornton felt that Cali was very cute at this moment.The light from the window illuminated her face, and he could clearly see Cali's long eyelashes and water-colored lips when he lowered his eyes, just like the waves that Mr. Hale had shown him in the book. Fairies depicted in a painting by Ticcelli.How much he wanted to open his arms to hold her in his arms and cuddle her to his chest, just like she did yesterday in front of everyone indifferently, maybe he would be able to realize this wish in a little while.Mr. Thornton knew that he was a strong-willed person, but he still trembled when he thought of the words he had to say immediately. Maybe she would blush shyly after hearing it, throw herself into his arms in a panic, and give him a smile. The kiss he's dreamed of, the kind of dream that's been like a sinful sweet secret that's been around since Cali said she was his friend.Thinking of this for a moment, he felt his face was burning, but the next second he felt his cheeks suddenly turn cold - what if she refused?But he immediately stopped himself from thinking about it, because it was not the time to think about it at this moment, he had already thought enough yesterday.He picked himself up again, walked calmly but firmly to the living room door and closed it (Cali didn't try to close it when he entered), then he walked behind Cali and followed her to look out the window for a while.

"Miss Addams, I didn't have time to thank you yesterday..."

"You have nothing to be thankful for. Anyone in that situation would step forward. I actually knew that kind of thing would happen, but I haven't been able to stop it yet!" Cali didn't turn around when he said this. pass away.

"Anyone? Anyone?" Mr. Thornton suddenly felt that he was not so special.

"That may not be accurate, I mean you have nothing to thank me for. Any kind of thanks from you will make me feel guilty. I don't think I should be grateful because I did things that should not have happened. It happened to me, but it wasn't what I hoped..."

Mr. Thornton interrupted her: "Miss Addams, although your words sound sharp, you can neither prevent me from speaking nor avoid listening to me. I want to express my sincere gratitude. I-"

"No! Mr. Thornton! Please listen to me!" Cali finally turned around at this moment, and she touched his lips with a finger to tell him to stop talking, and when Mr. Thornton's lips The moment he touched her slender and graceful fingers, he felt trembling all over his body, as if struck by lightning, making him forget his own language, and he could only obey her orders obediently.Her eyes seemed to hold a pool of water, beautiful and full of unfathomable sadness. It was the first time he saw her expressing such a painful struggling expression, which made him feel pity and heartbreak at the same time.

"Mr. Thornton, I don't mean to avoid hearing what you have to say, because I know exactly what you have to say. I want you to know that what I did yesterday, another person will do, and will certainly do. Do, I'm just going to complete the mission instead of her and protect your safety." Cali said slowly removing the finger that was pressing on Mr. Thornton, and gently stroking his cheek.It was the first time Mr. Thornton heard Cali call his name, the first time he touched him with her tender hand, which made his heart jump like a deer, but at the same time, she was so confused that he couldn't help it. Can silently listen to her go on, "You should not be grateful to me, you should be grateful to that person, and your words should also be said to that person. This is the story between you and that person. I am just an accidental intruder. In order not to deviate from this story, I tried my best to maintain the world that that person should have maintained. Your feelings for me now are just an illusion. You should really love that person, not me! "

"Who is that person you mentioned?" Mr. Thornton finally couldn't help asking curiously.

"This person, whom I have often mentioned to you, is Mr. Hale's daughter—Miss Margaret Hale!"

"I don't expect you to say something like this, Miss Addams. If you were not as sincere as you are, I really think these words are insulting to me. This is the most bizarre way of rejection I have ever heard! I know you The daughter of a great manor may despise me, and put me in the company of a woman whom I hardly ever knew, so as not to hurt my pride. But I am a man, and I have a right to express my feelings." Then he paused and said, "You said imaginary or not - I don't ask myself, want to know - I'd rather think you saved my life - Yeah, whatever you think, think It's an exaggeration, but I think it is, because it adds a value to my life that makes me think of—oh, Miss Addams!" He lowered his voice to a tone of endearment, and he resolutely He held her hand so tightly that she could not help trembling in his presence, "It made me think that this is the case: From now on, whenever I live happily, I can say to myself, 'Life This joy in life, this honest pride in my work in the world, this strong sense of life, all thanks to her! The awareness got stronger, until I couldn't tell whether it was pain or pleasure, thinking that I owed it all to one person—no, you gotta listen, you gotta listen—" He didn't want Cali to walk away from him, Hold her face tenderly with a pair of fiery hands, "Thanks to someone I admire, I don't believe that anyone has ever loved a woman like me before!" (Note 1)

After listening to Mr. Thornton's words, Cali became more aware of the fact that she was a substitute, because Mr. Thornton's confession was exactly the same as his confession to Margaret in the novel. She still remembered where this confession came from. Which paragraph of a chapter. "I'm just an illusion, Mr. Thornton! Your love for me is only along the lines of your love for Margaret. As long as you see Margaret, you will definitely fall in love with her, not me!"

"Who was watching me at the banquet and singing for me? Who was arguing with me about black slaves at the first meeting? And who was visiting the factory with me and resolving the misunderstanding between me and Jack? No You speak of Miss Margaret Hale, but you, Calpernia Addams, so I know exactly who I am really in love with, and it is not fair for you to say that I must be in love with someone else! I love you is an inescapable and unavoidable fact, but even if I could, I would not do it, because I have never loved a woman as much as I love you before. If you want to hear me make it clear, I Will say - I love you, Calpernia Addams! It is you I love, my dear Cali!"

Hearing Mr. Sander's final confession to her, Cali looked at him with wide eyes. Did he really love himself?The joy in her heart was beyond words, overshadowing her guilt towards Margaret.

"John!" She jumped into his arms excitedly, she could hear his firm heartbeat, he hugged her tightly with his strong arms, and then he couldn't restrain himself from kissing her lips , the extreme softness and beauty made him indescribable, he felt that he was the happiest man in the whole world.But just as he was enjoying the joy of being at the height of happiness, Cali pushed him away again.

"What's the matter, my dear?" Mr. Thornton asked inexplicably, wanting to hug the body that made him fascinated again.

"No! I still have something to tell you, please listen to me patiently."

"Okay, dear." He agreed with a smile as he took her hand.

"What I'm going to say may not be fully understood or easily believed by you, but I will try to make it easier to understand. Because I don't want to lie to you, so when I finish talking, you can decide whether you really accept me. "

"I'm all ears, my dearest Cali!"

"Maybe you think what I'm going to say is crazy, but it's true. I'm actually from America in the 21st century. I've traveled from my locker to your world. I'm with you. Margaret also met at that time, and she also stayed in my time. My father's estate is in the 21st century, not now. The United States of the 21st century has long since abolished slavery, and I can tell you , 10 years from now, the United States will fight a war for the abolition of slavery, the United States will be divided from the South to the North, and finally the Northern Army led by President Abraham Lincoln will win and reunite the United States. As for the United Kingdom By then, in the industrial field, whether it's textiles, steel, etc., will take advantage of the embarrassment of the Confederacy. I think you will have more success in business then, Mr. Thornton!"

"Ha! It sounds weird, but I can accept it. I am really lucky to have a prophetess from the temple of Apollo marry me! Also, I prefer you to call me John, and you should call me John. "Mr. Thornton said with a smile. He was still immersed in the joy of love, and the overflowing sense of happiness made him a little absent-minded. To be more precise, he didn't concentrate on listening to Cali's speech. He just used his eyes to enjoy, greedily He admired Cali's beauty sincerely, and thought that she would marry him in the future to make him happy. Cali pulled his hand away from his to focus his attention, and said more seriously: "Well, Mr. Thornton—I mean John, please listen to me carefully, because I haven't really said What I'm about to say, please don't take what I say as a joke."

"Yes! Yes! My lady!" In order to please her sweetheart, Mr. Thornton sat back on the sofa solemnly, trying to make himself look serious, although the smile on his face was always involuntary. surfaced.

"As you already know, I was born in Tennessee, the only child, and my father had a modest farm, and I lived there until I was 19, when I joined the Army and became a I was a corpsman in the Marine Corps and worked as a nurse. I was officially discharged after three years, but instead of going back to Tennessee, I left and went to Campbell, Kentucky, USA to be an actor. I've lived there before this era, I've lived in Campbell for 2 years."

"I didn't expect you to have served in the army, and you were a nurse! It's really impressive. I didn't expect the United States to allow women to join the army!" Mr. Thornton couldn't help but interjected.

"In the next 100 years, the world will undergo earth-shaking changes, John! Beyond your imagination, women can have the same rights as men to join the army, and even have the right to vote. Humans have already landed on the moon. Nothing is impossible! "

"That's really uplifting!"

"Of course, I didn't join the army as a woman, I joined the army as a man."

"I don't get it, my dear, why are you pretending to be a man if women are already allowed to serve in the military?"

"I'm not faking my identity because I was a male until I was 21 - I'm now a transgender, John, a male transgender not yet fully female!"

"Cali, I don't understand! I—I'm confused!" Mr. Thornton looked at Cali's whole body more carefully in surprise: beautiful long brown curly hair, fair and lovely face, soft and elastic skin, A pair of lovers that contain a woman's secret - a woman who is more beautiful and elegant than his mother and sister stands in front of him, how could it be a man?Could it be that she wanted to tactfully reject her as a joke again? This was even more unbelievable than humans landing on the moon.He stood up nervously and said, "If you don't want to hurt my self-esteem and want to reject me, you can reject me directly, please don't joke with me that you used to be a man. I am not blind, I can I'm intellectually insulted by your subterfuge for relying on my own sight!"

"John, I am not lying to you, and I have absolutely no intention of trying to. I only look like a woman physically, but I am not a real woman physically. The future of medicine has the ability to Gender change through surgery, but surgery costs a lot of money, I can't afford sex reassignment surgery with my current financial capacity. If you want to know if I'm really cheating you, I can prove it to you !” With that said, Cali approached the stunned Mr. Thornton step by step, he looked at her with incredible eyes, she spread the palm of his right hand, and then grabbed the wrist of that hand, letting his hand touch her.

"No, no, I can't do this, Cali!" Mr. Thornton's moral sense would not allow him to do this to a woman, and he wanted to withdraw his hand from her chest.

"To prove myself, you have to do this, only then you can understand what I said! Only then can you really decide whether you still want to be with me, I love you so much, I can't lie to you, if The love words you just said to me are not deceiving me, please do it, John! Otherwise you will regret it, and I will regret it too!" Cali tightly grasped his wrist with both hands, not letting him break free , but Mr. Thornton's hand has been clenched into a fist, hesitating whether to continue, because he has indeed felt Cali's soft body, which makes him full of guilt and uncontrollably wanting to stop, he is even afraid of himself He would be unable to hold himself back, and there would be even more unpredictable situations. He didn't dare to look at Cali's face, and he lowered his head in shame.And Cali continued to pull his clenched hand down, through the thin dress, down, down...

"This is? This..." Mr. Thornton raised his head suddenly, he felt something, and he looked at Cali with wide eyes in surprise.Because he touched the same thing on her body as his own, he withdrew his hand in a panic. He finally understood what Cali just said.This is simply unbelievable, making him unable to accept the facts he has come into contact with.

"It seems that you have understood everything I said!" Cali's eyes were full of painful tears, and she had already understood his thoughts from his expression, but she still had her last hope, "Many people have lost their lives because they couldn't Accept and stay away from me, my family, my friends, and people who would try to get close to me, can't accept the real me! I have read about you since I was 12 years old and fell in love For you, you have always been a special existence in my heart, I never expected to meet you, but maybe God's arrangement or something, I came here. I always wanted to go back to my time, but somehow , I am stuck in this era, but I have no regrets at all, I am even glad that I can stay in this era, because I can meet you. When you express your love to me, I can't believe you Will really fall in love with me, as I said, you should belong to Margaret, but you fell in love with me, making me so lucky and so happy, even though that happiness was only a short moment for me , but I also die without regrets! I can’t complain about the decision you will make next, because it requires a lot of courage, and not everyone can understand it in my era, let alone at this time What about the 19th century? John, please allow me to call you this last—John, I want to ask you last, do you still love me? Do you still want to propose to me?"

"I...I don't know, I don't know! I don't know what I should do! Sorry, Cali, I..." Mr. Thornton lowered his head again, not daring to look into those tear-filled eyes, and he didn't know what he should do Answering, just saying "May God bless you", his mind was so confused that he felt that the only thing he could do was to get out of here.In the end, Cali was left alone in the living room, weeping silently with his face buried in his skirt.