Chapter 50
Vanessa’s eyes widened as she pulled her shawl tight. Wyatt was standing in the dim entryway. Beside him, the butler, who was holding a lantern to light his master’s path, slightly raised an eyebrow at her disheveled appearance.
“Uncle.”
She tried to respond calmly, but her voice trembled. She couldn’t quite remember what expression she usually wore when facing him. Ever since that terrible suspicion took root—the thought that her uncle might be involved in her parents’ deaths, even though nothing had been proven yet…
Right. It had to be a delusion. Vanessa steadied her racing breath.
“Stand over here. Let me see your face.”
She approached her uncle with quiet, measured steps. On the outside, she betrayed nothing, but inside, she harbored a lingering question. Where could he be going at such an early hour? Normally, her uncle rarely left his bedroom before noon.
It was because of that habit that she had found the courage to go out to the garden, even knowing he had returned to Gloucester yesterday.
‘And why does he suddenly want to see my face?’
Usually, he would ignore her even if their eyes met. Vanessa anxiously crumpled her skirt in her hands. As she drew near, he used the handle of his umbrella to tilt her chin up slightly.
Vanessa kept her eyes submissively downcast while her uncle scrutinized her. Wyatt acted like a merchant carefully checking a precious piece of porcelain for cracks. After looking her over for a moment, he pulled back.
“Your face looks a bit haggard.”
“Perhaps it was the long carriage ride… I think I’m still a bit carsick.”
“I heard. They said you weren’t feeling well.”
“Yes.”
To an observer, she might have seemed perfectly composed, but her voice broke at the end of her sentence, unable to fully swallow her shock. She could hardly believe she was having such a conversation with her uncle. It was as if they were an ordinary niece and uncle exchanging pleasantries, as if they had done so all their lives.
In the past, such attention would have been welcome. She would have wagged her tail like a dog that had been beaten but still craved affection. Now, however, it only filled her with dread. Why was he acting like this? Did he know she was investigating the will?
While she agonized over his inscrutable motives, Wyatt scanned her with sharp eyes.
“Word came from the Earl of Essex’s estate. The Countess was looking for you.”
“The Countess?”
“She said she was worried about your health and told me to look after you.”
“I’m all better now. I’ll write her a letter apologizing for causing her unnecessary worry. I simply couldn’t make it yesterday. I was afraid I would be more of a burden if I went in that state…”
Vanessa replied, her voice pitched high in a forced display of cheerfulness. She didn’t even realize that her alarm—the desperate need to hide her secrets—was creating a glaring disconnect between her words and her actions. The butler frowned slightly, but fortunately, Wyatt didn’t seem to be listening to her in the first place.
He gave a satisfied smile, patted Vanessa on the shoulder, and took his hat from the butler.
“Fine, then… I’m sure you’ll handle yourself properly.”
‘Properly,’ and ‘fine.’ In all the years they had lived together, had her uncle ever been this lenient? As far as she could remember, it was a first. Vanessa squeezed the shawl in her trembling hands.
Had he found out something after all? Perhaps the lawyer had told him, or a clerk at the provincial court had given him a tip. Maybe everything from the vagrants to the constables had been a trap—a test to see how devoted she was to her family…
Once they started, her negative thoughts grew without limit. She couldn’t tell if her concerns were rational or if she was just being paranoid because of her own guilt. She was on the verge of being suffocated by the weight of it.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
Wyatt, who had already stepped down from the porch, suddenly turned back and pointed a finger. Vanessa forced a smile reflexively.
“Yes, Uncle?”
“Your wedding has been postponed for the time being.”
This was utterly unexpected news. Her heart hammered against her ribs with sudden joy.
“Is that true?”
“Yes. It won’t be possible until next spring, or perhaps… even the spring after that. Various circumstances have overlapped, and it’s become quite a headache.”
Good heavens. Vanessa gripped her shawl with trembling hands to hide her elation. She couldn’t believe such good fortune had arrived so suddenly.
Of course, it was a shame the engagement wasn’t canceled entirely, but at the same time, this was for the best. As long as the marriage talks remained active, no more ‘guests’ would be coming for her.
“Anyway, keep that in mind. Don’t worry, the engagement hasn’t fallen through completely.”
“……”
“As long as you aren’t keeping any other secrets from me, that is.”
Wyatt’s gaze as he peered at her was stranger than usual. It was as if he were looking at a piece of livestock that had unexpectedly produced a litter he hadn’t anticipated.
‘Does he know I contacted the lawyer? Or, surely not, about River Ross?’
Vanessa met his gaze, seized by intense fear. With every breath she took, a wave of guilt-ridden terror washed over her.
When her uncle reached his hand toward her head, Vanessa flinched. Wyatt let out a short laugh at the sight of his niece reflexively shrinking away.
“In any case, I plan to stay in Linden this winter. Now that I have a solid backing, it won’t be long before we re-enter the capital’s social circles. It’ll be good for you, too. If you’re lucky, you might snag a man even wealthier than Rawdon.”
He patted Vanessa’s shoulder twice and turned away. Amidst the confusing conversation, only one thing was clear: her uncle didn’t know about her rebellion yet. And it seemed he intended to put her back on the auction block, expanding his reach beyond the south and into the capital.
‘The capital’s social circles.’
As her mind cleared, a thought suddenly occurred to her.
‘This might be my chance.’
Vanessa hurried down the steps after Wyatt.
“Um, Uncle.”
Wyatt, who was about to climb into the car, turned back with an annoyed expression. Vanessa spoke quickly before he could snap at her.
“Would it be possible for me to accompany you to the shipboard party in a few days?”
“…A shipboard party?”
“The launch ceremony for the new cruise ship built by Chantal Corp.”
He clicked his tongue. It was a habit of his whenever something displeased him. At such times, his temper could turn tyrannical in an instant.
It had happened shortly after she first came to live with him. A young maid had been beaten so badly her arm was broken, all because of Vanessa. The reason had been that the maid hadn’t been ‘respectful’ enough to Wyatt.
Just for one instance of talking back. That maid was left with a permanent disability in her right hand. Since then, Vanessa had gone to great lengths to avoid upsetting him.
She smiled even when he hurled abuse at her, and she killed her own emotions. If she had to go out, she reported every detail, no matter how trivial. Perhaps it wasn’t the best way to act. Once Wyatt realized how effective it was at controlling her, he stopped hitting her and started hitting the maids and servants instead.
She couldn’t understand why wanting to bring flowers to her parents’ grave made him so angry, but she didn’t dwell on it. Everyone just wanted her to stay still like a doll. And yet, despite that.
“I saw the guest list in the newspaper. Our family’s name was on it, so I assumed you were going.”
Her efforts to love and understand him earlier this year had been her last; she was on the verge of letting go of the last shred of affection she held for him.
“If you’re too busy, I can go with Rosalyn.”
“……”
A long silence followed. She could tell Wyatt didn’t care for her suggestion, but she couldn’t back down now. According to the newspaper, the list of invitees included a certain Viscount B. Dawson.
She desperately needed that lawyer. He was the only one associated with her parents whom she could still reach. The others were too old, had moved abroad, or were already in their graves.
‘I should have looked at the will immediately after my parents died.’
But after the funeral and moving into Gloucester Castle, she had been too busy to even think about the will.
Under the guise of educating her, Wyatt had sent her to a local convent, where she studied ancient languages, arithmetic, and literature. It was only thanks to the Mother Superior’s persistent persuasion that she had been allowed to attend Saint Louis.
Even after that, her uncle had monitored her surroundings with an almost eerie thoroughness—with the exception of two people, the Winchester twins, who were of such noble standing that even he couldn’t touch them.
The thought of Blair brought a wave of unbearable bitterness, but Vanessa stayed calm and brought up a topic she knew would pique Wyatt’s interest.
“Since it’s the largest cruise ship in Ingram, they say many gentlemen will be attending.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I recall. I did receive an invitation.”
“There are even bets being placed on whether the Duke of Battenberg or His Majesty the King will attend.”
At her words, Wyatt suddenly burst into a boisterous laugh. Vanessa flinched at the abrupt change in his demeanor. After a moment of thought, Wyatt patted her shoulder with a pleasant look on his face.
It was unclear whether he was telling her to do as she pleased or if he was saying no. Nevertheless, the fact that he hadn’t refused outright gave her hope.
“Take Mary with you. And behave yourself while you’re there.”
He spoke as he climbed into the car. Vanessa was truly shocked, as she hadn’t actually expected him to grant permission. She hurriedly clasped her hands and bowed.
“I will. Thank you so much for allow—”
Before she could finish, the car door slammed shut in her face, as if he didn’t have a second to spare for further chatter.
“……”
Vanessa stood there for a long time, watching until her uncle’s car was nothing more than a speck in the distance. Her firm resolve, made the moment she first met him—to never hate another person—was difficult to keep at times. But…
As much as she resented him, she hoped he was innocent. It was a contradictory truth.
