"Thank you for the refreshments!" Diana curtsied to Charles again.
What Charles found amusing was that the little girl was small; when she stood up straight from the chair, she almost just tilted her body forward, pushed off with her legs, and stood steady.
And because her hand, which had been covering her chest, loosened, Charles even glimpsed a hint of spring, but what arose more in Charles's heart was pity.
Initially, he estimated the other party was an ordinary young girl, but now, after she was washed clean, he found she was a fair and tender little girl.
Thinking that those maids would treat a child like this, and that unknown steward who seized property, Charles was immediately filled with sympathy.
However, his reason was still intact; he knew this matter involved too much, and he couldn't handle it based on his sympathy.
After seeing the little girl's true face, and only chatting for a few sentences, Charles confirmed that her identity as an earl's daughter was unquestionable.
His feelings for her were even very difficult to pinpoint, encompassing both pity and fondness.
Seeing that the girl hadn't touched the water glass nearby, he turned and told Tom to bring out some of his precious tea to entertain this noble little darling.
"Noble…"
"Honest gentleman, my name is Diana Rogers, you can call me by my name Diana, or Rogers."
Diana? Charles raised his eyebrows.
This name easily reminded him of that princess in later generations, so he immediately chose the latter.
"Alright! Diana, my name is Charles Godfrey, you can also just call me Charles."
Tom quickly served the tea.
When Charles was selling tea, the merchants also gave him a set of not-so-high-end ceramic tea ware.
The black servant Tom, however, took it very seriously after encountering this tea set, and even specially prepared silver spoons to match it.
The tea was still black tea, but it was still prepared according to Charles' habit, with a little sugar added, and no other things like milk.
Bin, however, picked up a silver spoon and stirred it, acting like an adult, putting on those aristocratic airs, and took a shallow sip from the cup.
"Very good tea! Charles.
This should be green leaf tea, right?"
Charles quickly had an adjective for Diana: this was a picky little girl.
Of course, this might also be the influence of those aristocratic "bad habits."
Regarding Diana's question, he couldn't answer.
Although he had received tea from the Boston merchants, he hadn't asked them the name of the tea.
He could only conclude that the earl's daughter's tea ceremony knowledge was deeper than his own, and simply agreed:
"It should be true Wuyi tea.
I bought this tea from the most reputable tea merchant in Boston; they naturally wouldn't deceive me."
"It's a pity that all these teas were destroyed by the Independent Party; from now on, we probably won't be able to drink such good tea in America again," the little girl said in an old-fashioned manner.
"Haha! This is indeed good tea.
I've planted dozens of small tea trees in my Pittsburgh manor; perhaps in the future, a large tea forest can be propagated, and you can come to my manor to see it if you want to drink tea later," Charles responded with a smile.
The little girl's thoughts were easy to see through: first, she badmouthed the Independent Party to incite Charles's indignation, and then she would ask Charles, this nobleman, out of the morality between nobles, to help her, a noble offspring in distress.
Charles didn't laugh at the little girl for deliberately acting like an adult; instead, he enjoyed watching her pretend to be grown-up.
Normal conversation was always easier than coaxing a child.
Their conversation, moistened by the tea, became much warmer.
Charles had already met several nobles of this period, and interacting with them always felt particularly constrained.
But this little girl in front of him gave him a unique feeling.
After asking, he clearly knew that the other party was a little girl not yet fifteen, but during their conversation, she could act like a young woman in her twenties.
"I want to thank you again for your upright conduct, Li.
If you can help me reclaim my possessions, I will definitely repay you well."
This earl's daughter was young, but her behavior and actions were incredibly mature.
"You are too polite, Diana, the matter hasn't been resolved yet; it's too early to say these things.
I will try my best to help you, but this is not an easy matter…"
Charles was trying to find an excuse to delay, wanting to wait for the Biddle family's reply, when he heard footsteps outside the door.
"It really is the earl's daughter!" a surprised cry rang out at the doorway.
Charles and Diana turned their heads simultaneously and saw Biddle-Biddle, his face full of pleasant surprise.
He was already waiting for someone from the Biddle family, but now, seeing Biddle's surprised expression, Charles felt a sudden discomfort.
Of course, he wouldn't mind Biddle suddenly intruding into his home, nor could it be because his warm conversation with the little girl Diana was interrupted.
Charles, who had often experienced similar feelings before, knew very well that this was because he had regarded Diana as his own, and now suddenly discovering she had someone more familiar than himself naturally caused dissatisfaction.
"Oh! Hello, Mr. Biddle." Diana smiled and stood up.
The little girl's expression was calm, showing neither fondness nor surprise, displaying great poise.
"Hello! earl's daughter!
It's truly a pleasure to see you." Biddle rushed to Diana in a few steps, respectfully bent down, and kissed Diana's outstretched, tender little hand.
Charles's eyebrow twitched.
Damn it, when I wanted to perform the hand-kissing ritual, it was still a dirty little paw, but now that it's just turned into a tender little hand, someone else got to kiss it first.
"Ahem!" Charles spoke from the side, reminding Biddle, who was still holding Diana's little hand.
"Oh! Charles!
Thank you so much, do you know who you've found? This is earl Diana's daughter, earl's daughter Diana.
She is the owner of that beautiful castle we visited last time," Biddle said excitedly to Charles.
Charles frowned.
Based on those few sentences, he had already guessed that Biddle might not know about the steward's usurpation of the castle.
"Biddle, why did you agree to help sell that castle in the first place?"
Biddle was stunned, glanced at Diana beside him, and naturally said:
"Of course, it was based on earl Diana's handwritten letter, and the official documents and land deeds presented by the steward."
Bin, who had been calm, suddenly became agitated upon hearing Biddle's words:
"Impossible! You're lying, after we arrived in Boston, we were constantly besieged by Washington; my father had no chance to write letters to the outside.
The steward embezzled our castle and even drove me out of it!
You are all liars…"
By the last few sentences, Diana's eyes were already red.
She stared at Biddle for a long time, then suddenly turned, threw herself into Charles's arms beside her, and burst into tears with a "waa."
"Oh! earl's daughter, what's wrong?" Biddle hurriedly asked, one hand raised in mid-air, wanting to touch but not daring to.
Charles was also startled when Diana suddenly threw herself into his arms, but then he was very relieved; this little girl still trusted him more.
From what she had just said, she even suspected that Biddle and his family were jointly involved in the scheme to seize the property, which perfectly explained why she hadn't approached the Biddle family before.
As for her calm expression after seeing Biddle earlier, it must have been completely forced, perhaps for her demeanor, or perhaps for her dignity.
Actually, when he hugged the little girl just now, a trace of relief vaguely flashed in his heart, but it was immediately replaced by pity.
After all, this was just a little girl of about fifteen.
If it were in the 21st century, she might still be living a carefree life at school, but this little girl, Diana , was now enduring the hardship of unpredictable human nature.
"Biddle, the matter of selling the castle is not as simple as you think.
If you didn't receive formal authorization documents from the earl, then it might involve a case of property seizure.
Do you still remember exactly how you received the earl's letter?"
Charles helped Diana sit down while not forgetting to ask Biddle for details.
Biddle looked at Diana with concern, and hesitated slightly regarding Charles's question.
"I'm not very clear about this; it was my father who received the letter.
I just followed my father's instructions to sell houses and some other properties that were difficult to sell.
How could the steward embezzle the castle?
Our family and the earl's family have always had very good business dealings, and that steward has always been the intermediary agent."
"Other properties? You haven't already sold a lot of things, have you?" Charles became more worried.