Chapter 81: Possessing a Treasure
Lacey is not well.
The Cape Colony was very large, but to many people, it was also very small, especially Cape Town, a place the size of a palm. Any scandal or secret history could quickly become a hot topic in the city. It was no secret that Henry was kicked out of the army by General Hopkins. Anyone who was interested would know the real reason if they took a closer look.
The director of the Cape Bureau of Mines, he was also an official in the Cape Colony. The marriage between Swift and Hopkins was a strong alliance. Now that Lacey and Henry were having an affair, Swift was of course very unhappy. But it didn't matter. Marriage was a normal thing. Both sides were pursuing each other's political resources. The feelings of the children were not important. The most important thing was that the two families were closely united.
The key is Lacey's attitude. No one knows what kind of magic potion Henry gave Lacey. According to Ada, Lacey cried all day at home and postponed the wedding twice. Although she didn't say that she would marry Henry, it was obvious that she was resisting this marriage.
"I'm going to find Lacey." Henry couldn't hold back any longer after knowing Lacey's current situation.
Ada looked at Henry with interest without saying anything. All Cape Towners were very interested in this upstart who was rising like a rocket.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You have already determined Lacey's attitude, so what you should do is not to comfort Lacey, but to act like a man and go find General Hopkins and have a manly conversation with General Hopkins." Rock didn't approve of Henry going to find Lacey, as that would make Henry seem inadequate. If he wanted to find someone, he should go find Hopkins and tell Hopkins that Henry could give Lacey a bright future.
Ada turned her gaze to Rock again, and even through the veil one could feel the burning heat of Ada's eyes.
"You just asked me to find Lacey, and now you ask me to find Hopkins. What do you want me to do?" Henry was going crazy. Rock moved too fast and Henry couldn't keep up with the pace.
"I asked you to go find Lacey just now so that you can determine Lacey's attitude. If Lacey is ready to accept General Hopkins' arrangement, then don't disturb Lacey's life anymore. Now that you know Lacey's attitude, then go directly to General Hopkins. If General Hopkins agrees to your marriage with Lacey, that would be the best. If General Hopkins disagrees, at least Lacey won't be disappointed after seeing hope!" Rock cares most about Lacey's feelings. As for General Hopkins and Henry, they are both pigs and have no feelings.
"Locke, you still don't understand women—" Although Ada said this, her eyes clearly didn't mean that: "Henry, if I were you, I would go directly to General Hopkins's house and snatch Lacey away."
Women’s way of solving problems is still the simplest and most brutal!
"What are you talking about?" Phyllis also appeared by the swimming pool. The girl was obviously dressed up. She was wearing a lavender corseted long skirt that Rock had never seen before, and a colorful long-sleeved shirt with fluffy floral patterns on top. She had a little blush on her face, and her hair was simply tied up with a silver hairpin inlaid with diamonds. This outfit was very casual, fully showing off her age advantage. Ada didn't dare to dress like this.
"Please allow me to introduce--" Rock tried to introduce Ada to Phyllis, but when the words came to his mouth he didn't know how to say it.
How to say?
Should I introduce her as Henry said: This is the most beautiful and richest widow in Cape Town, and my lover - no, more than a lover, but less than a lover -
I guess Ada would throw the coffee in her hand on Rock's face.
"Ada - Ada Capet" Ada took the initiative to introduce herself. She used her original surname instead of her ex-husband's surname.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Phyllis Matilda." Phyllis didn't need Rock to introduce herself, and Rock also helped Phyllis pull out a chair.
"Phyllis, what do you think? Should I go find Lacey or Lacey's father? " Henry was now at a loss and began to ask Phyllis for her advice.
"I think you should go home to your father and try to get his support first." Sure enough, Phyllis offered a completely new possibility.
"God, save me!" Henry wailed and jumped into the swimming pool without even taking off his clothes.
Well, drowning yourself is also an option, to put an end to it all.
When Ada left Rock's house, she did not take a carriage, but chose to walk with Rock.
"I thought you wouldn't come--" Of course Rock was going to send Ada off.
"I thought you wouldn't come back--" Ada gently held Rock's arm, looking exhausted.
Rock could understand. Ada's ex-husband died in the last war, and Ada was afraid of the ropes after being bitten once. That's why Ada reacted so violently when she knew Rock was going to the front line.
"Tell me about your story on the front line. I want to know what you went through." Ada was very curious about Rock's experience. Ordinary people only knew that it was Henry who killed Jubert, and only a few people knew the role Rock played in it. Ada was one of those few people.
"You don't want to know about those - endless battles - bloody charges - every fallen figure - behind them is a family member who misses them -" Rock is not being sentimental. Only after experiencing the excitement of walking on the edge of life and death will one yearn for an ordinary life: "In fact, the Boers are not as greedy as the legend says. Their weapons are very simple, and some even use flintlock rifles. Some people wear British military uniforms, not because they want to do so, but because the Boer coalition is unable to provide them with uniform clothing -"
Rock suddenly realized that saying this might bring back Ada's bad memories, so he immediately changed the subject.
"It is the British government that is greedy. What does it have to do with the Boers? They are just a bunch of pitiful creatures." Ada also knew the twists and turns here. Although the Second Boer War was initiated by the Boers, it was the British who deliberately created this situation.
In fact, the First Boer War was also initiated by the British.
If the Boers are guilty, it is because they are in possession of a treasure. Cape Town's geographical location is too important, so the British drove the Boers away and occupied Cape Town.
The Boers, who were unable to defeat the British, migrated inland and finally settled down. Unexpectedly, they discovered the Rand gold mine on the Boer territory, so the British provoked a war again. This time they wanted to completely annex the country established by the Boers, because there was no room for the Boers to survive in the whole of southern Africa. To the north was the Portuguese territory, to the west were the German colonies, and to the east was the Indian Ocean.
