第十七章

在公爵府邸住了幾日，一切都還在熟悉當中的莎拉，利用時間寫了幾封信，一封給自己的養父母伍德夫婦；一封給自己的姊妹淘伊蓮娜。

莎拉知道這些關心她的人，一定很開心莎拉終於和自己的親生父親相認了。這本來就不是容易的事，經過了三十年平平靜靜的鄉下生活，如今身份卻變成公爵的女兒，莎拉對於自己奇特的遭遇除了感慨命運之神的安排，也不能評論些什麼。

人生本來就很奇怪，有時會遇上意想不到的事，像自己本是平民兒女，沒想到搖身一變成貴族世家的一員－莎拉怎麼也沒料到，如此詭譎多變的世道，連自己的生命都有如此巨大的改變。

莎拉來到這兒的隔日，她的父親，就是公爵大人，就讓僕人將莎拉單獨請到他的房間去深談。老人家生病本來是一直躺在床上，那天是聽到莎拉優美的琴聲才下樓的，沒想到公爵一眼就認出失蹤多年的女兒。

而僕人將莎拉請到公爵的床前時，公爵虛弱的躺在床上但臉色帶著愉快，公爵跟莎拉說了她生母的事情，原來莎拉的生母，也就是公爵愛上的女僕帶著莎拉逃走後，公爵就已經即刻在追查她的下落。

一開始因為有介紹人可以問，但問到最後，她那些生母的窮親戚並不知道莎拉的親生母親到哪裡去，因為大家都經濟不佳，沒辦法幫助莎拉的生母，何況還要養一個嗷嗷待哺的嬰兒，莎拉的生母就帶著莎拉流落在外面。

後來，莎拉的生母生了重病，在她生母去世前，她寄了封信給公爵，說她生病之前因為無法負擔起養育莎拉的費用，已經將莎拉遺棄在倫敦的一家旅館一對夫婦的住房前，並說了旅館的名字，她很後悔丟下自己的親生女兒，請求公爵原諒，並要求公爵將女兒找回來。

莎拉讀著公爵拿給莎拉的那封泛黃的信，眼淚不禁掉了下來，她可以理解自己的生母丟下她的原因，當下她已經原諒她的生母，這時也更加感激能遇上伍德夫婦，受到他們的寵愛和良好的教育。公爵看著滿臉淚水的莎拉心疼的說：「孩子，都是爸爸不對，沒能好好保護你跟保護你媽，還好上天保佑，讓我還能見到你，你願意原諒你的父親嗎？」莎拉激動地握住公爵的手，此刻她能感覺到自己與公爵那陌生的隔閡已經卸去。

然後莎拉回房間去取出那件曾裹著她小小身軀的名貴毛毯，並取下身上的項鍊又來到公爵的房間。公爵淚眼看著這些信物，本來他就毫不懷疑莎拉是自己的親生女兒，如今看到這些東西，心裡更加感慨萬千，父女倆感傷了好一陣。

直到醫生進來要檢查公爵大人的身體，莎拉向父親說他先退下讓父親好好休息，公爵依依不捨看著莎拉走出房門，莎拉走出房門後，回到自己的房間。從此以後，這真的是她的房間了，房間內有華麗而有品味的傢俱，那張大床更是豪華得嚇人，昨天晚上還讓在忐忑不安的莎拉睡了一個好覺。

早餐時，安妮和威廉像前些天一樣給莎拉親切的笑臉，公爵夫人自從莎拉來了之後似乎就沒露過笑容，莎拉很擔心是不是因為自己的存在而刺激了公爵夫人，但安妮拉著莎拉談心時曾告訴她，公爵夫人的確很不快，但安妮說自己的母親是極好的人，她只是一時無承受這個事實才會繃著一個臉，相信時日一久，她會接受事實與莎拉好好相處。

莎拉希望如此，因為她是來見自己的親生父親的，並不是來擾亂其他人的生活的，雖則這已經是無可避免的了。

莎拉很努力取得公爵夫人的認同，一開始公爵夫人的確時時用懷疑以及憎恨的眼神在瞧莎拉這個人，慢慢的她知道莎拉心眼單純不占別人便宜，而且很樂於做事。莎拉從不整天無事般在享樂，她會像平日在養父母的莊園一般自己找事情做，雖然威廉跟安妮都跟莎拉說過了，這些事讓僕役來做就可以了，但莎拉還是改不了老習慣。

公爵夫人一開始雖認定莎拉這些行為很可笑，畢竟她是公爵的女兒，但是看著莎拉勤快地動手做事，慢慢的，對她也有所改觀要－獲得公爵夫人的認同如此不易，莎拉並不想用討好的方式討人喜歡，相反的，她用的是表現真誠的自己，這樣別人知道她並不是為了其他非分的念頭而來。

時日一久，不僅和自己的兄姊相處愉快，甚至公爵夫人也願意和莎拉聊天，讓莎拉很是驚喜。慢慢的，公爵大人因為找到小女兒，身心特別愉快，身體竟漸漸復原，不再有病懨懨的感覺，醫生興奮地宣布公爵大人接下來只要好好只需要好好調養就可以，這讓公爵所有家人都高興得不得了，原本以為會失去他們的父親及丈夫，沒想到因莎拉的到來也給這家人好運。

莎拉細心地照顧自己的父親，給他端湯藥，噓寒問暖，真誠的關懷也感動公爵夫人，這家人長久以來的陰霾也逐漸散去，而這都是莎拉真誠的表現自己，所得到的結果。不久之後，莎拉也收到養父母伍德夫婦的來信，他們很高興莎拉回到親生父母的懷抱，並為莎拉失去生母而悲傷，但他們為莎拉祈禱她能越來越好，能在自己的家受到喜愛。

至於朋友伊蓮娜的回信除了替莎拉高興與祝福且提到了格林伯爵即將訂婚的消息，莎拉原本高興著自己能回到真正的家，沒想到看完伊蓮娜的信後，再度讓她悲傷起來－安德魯，安德魯終於要娶適合他的對象了，是嗎？也好，也好，雖然她不能給他幸福，也只能給他祝福，傷心的莎拉將對安德魯的感情埋在心裡，對著家人笑著的她，那一絲藏得很好的傷心也不讓別人看出來。

待續~(107.10..6)

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Love in London 

CHAPTER XVII

After staying in the Duke's Mansion for a few days, and everything was still familiar, Sarah used the time to write several letters, one to her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wood, and one to her friend Elena .

Sarah must be very happy to know these people who care about her, and Sarah finally recognizes her biological father. This is not an easy task, after thirty years of peaceful country life, and now her identity has become the daughter of the duke, Sarah can not comment on her strange experience except lamenting the arrangement of the god of fate.

Life is inherently strange, sometimes unexpected things happen, like I was a commoner's child, but I didn't expect to become a member of an aristocratic family - Sarah never expected that such a treacherous and changeable world would even change her life so dramatically.

The day after Sarah's arrival, her father, the Duke, had the servants invite Sarah to his room alone for a deep conversation. The old man had been lying in bed when he was sick, and he went downstairs that day when he heard Sarah's beautiful piano, but he didn't expect the duke to recognize his daughter who had been missing for many years at a glance.

When the servant invited Sarah to the duke's bedside, the duke lay on the bed weakly but with a happy face, and the duke told Sarah about her biological mother, who turned out that Sarah's biological mother, the maid whom the duke fell in love with, fled with Sarah, and the duke was already tracking down her whereabouts.

At first, because there was an introducer to ask, but in the end, her poor relatives of her biological mother did not know where Sarah's biological mother was, because everyone was not financially good and could not help Sarah's biological mother, not to mention raising a baby waiting to be fed, Sarah's biological mother took Sarah and left her outside.

Later, Sarah's biological mother became seriously ill, and before her biological mother died, she sent a letter to the Duke, saying that before she fell ill, because she could not afford to raise Sarah, she had abandoned Sarah in front of a couple's house in a hotel in London, and said the name of the hotel, she regretted leaving her own daughter, asked the Duke for forgiveness, and asked the Duke to get her daughter back.

Sarah read the yellowed letter that the Duke had given to Sarah, tears could not help but fall, she could understand why her birth mother had left her, she had forgiven her birth mother now, and now she was even more grateful to have met the Woods, to be favored and well educated. The Duke looked at Sarah, who was full of tears, and said distressedly, "Child, it's all father's fault, I didn't protect you and protect your mother well, but fortunately, God blesses, so that I can still see you, are you willing to forgive your father?" Sarah shook the Duke's hand excitedly, and at this moment she could feel that the strange estrangement between herself and the Duke had been removed.

Then Sarah went back to her room and retrieved the precious blanket that had once wrapped her tiny body, and took off her necklace and went back to the duke's room. The duke looked at these tokens with tears in his eyes, and he had no doubt that Sarah was his own daughter, but now when he saw these things, his heart was even more emotional, and the father and daughter were sad for a while.

It wasn't until the doctor came in to check on the Duke's body that Sarah told her father that he should step back and let him rest well, and the Duke reluctantly watched Sarah walk out of the room, and Sarah walked out of the door and returned to her room. From then on, it was really her room, with its ornate and tasteful furnishings, the large bed was frighteningly luxurious, and it had given Sarah a good night's sleep last night.

At breakfast, Anne and William gave Sarah a kind smile as they had done a few days ago, the Duchess didn't seem to smile since Sarah came, Sarah was worried about whether she had stimulated the Duchess because of her existence, but Annie had told her when she talked to Sarah that the Duchess was indeed unhappy, but Anne said that her mother was a very good person, and she only kept a face when she couldn't bear the fact that she couldn't bear it, and believed that over time, she would accept the fact and get along with Sarah.

Sarah hoped so, because she had come to see her own father, not to disturb other people's lives, even though it was inevitable.

Sarah worked hard to get the Duchess's approval, and at first the Duchess did look at Sarah with suspicion and hatred all the time, but gradually she knew that Sarah was simple-minded and did not take advantage of others, and was very willing to do things. Sarah never enjoys herself all day long, she will find things to do by herself like she usually does at her adoptive parents' manor, although William and Anne have told Sarah that these things can be done by the servants, but Sarah still can't change the old habits.

Although the Duchess thought that Sarah's behavior was ridiculous at first, after all, she was the Duke's daughter, but watching Sarah do things diligently, slowly, she also changed her opinion - it was not easy to get the Duchess's approval, Sarah did not want to please people in a flattering way, on the contrary, she used to show her sincerity, so that others knew that she was not here for other non-trivial ideas.

After a long time, not only did she get along with her brother and sister, but even the Duchess was willing to chat with Sarah, which surprised Sarah. Slowly, the Duke was very happy because he found his little daughter, and his body gradually recovered, and he no longer felt sick, and the doctor excitedly announced that the Duke only needed to recuperate well, which made all the Duke's family very happy, originally thought that they would lose their father and husband, but they did not expect that the arrival of Sarah would also give the family good luck.

Sarah took care of her father carefully, served him soup and medicine, shh Soon after, Sarah also received a letter from her adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wood, who were happy that Sarah had returned to the arms of her biological parents and grieved that Sarah had lost her biological mother, but they prayed for Sarah to get better and better and be loved in their own home.

As for her friend Elena's reply, in addition to being happy and blessed for Sarah and mentioning the news of Earl Green's upcoming engagement, Sarah was originally happy that she could return to her real home, but she didn't expect that after reading Elena's letter, she would be sad again - Andrew, Andrew is finally going to marry a suitable person for him, isn't it?

To be continued ~ (107.10..6)

因為用中文創作,再翻譯為英文,所以英文上的正確用詞無法翻譯出來,夫人可以意指"你的淑女身分"(代表的是當代的一種地位稱呼),公爵大人,伯爵大人,男爵大人等,小說中都有出現,抱歉,因為請Google翻譯翻譯的,而本人沒有從事過英文寫作,只想嘗試用英文表達整部小說的內容,敬請原諒!!謝謝!!

Because it is created in Chinese and then translated into English, the correct words in English cannot be translated, Madame can mean "your lady" (representing a contemporary status title), Lord Duke, Lord Earl, Lord Baron, etc., all appear in the novel, sorry, because I asked Google Translate to translate, and I have not been engaged in English writing, I just want to try to express the content of the whole novel in English, please forgive me!! Thank you!!

本小說創作如有雷同,純屬巧合,而小說寫作的年代約略定在與作家珍．奧斯汀同一年代

It is a coincidence that the novel was written in the same era as the writer Jane Austen