Chapter 53
“Hmm?” The prompting voice was sweet and soft, even to his own ears. It seemed the situation of someone asking her to accept a gift was entirely foreign to her. Sometimes, looking at Vanessa gave him the illusion that she was a person who had popped out of a stiff, century-old world all on her own.
Perhaps that was why she often felt like a fairy from a story or a girl who knew nothing of the world. To think there was a woman who followed the social etiquette learned in school so literally.
“…Fine. But only this once. I won’t accept anything this extravagant ever again.”
As if confirming his suspicions, Vanessa laid down the law firmly. ‘Extravagant.’ He wondered if receiving a single outfit bought from a rural dress shop was really worth such a fuss, but if she was a fairy from a hundred years ago, it was possible.
With that innocence of hers, believing the world still turned according to the schedules she set.
“Then is it alright as long as it’s not extravagant?”
“If it’s flowers you grew yourself, a letter, or perhaps a novel you’ve finished reading. Things like that are perfectly fine.”
That was the answer she produced after a long moment of deliberation. Even then, it was a modest list that carefully excluded anything that might cost money. Theodore smiled as he took Vanessa’s hand in his and unraveled the ribbon.
“So, as long as it isn’t burdensome. Then I suppose the person giving the gift can decide that standard?”
Vanessa’s lips stiffened just as she was about to reflexively agree. Her eyes went round like a startled rabbit’s as if she had sensed the hidden motive behind his words. She replied cautiously, wary of any other traps she might have missed.
“That… no. Of course not.”
She’d faint if I handed her a diamond necklace from Dr. Muers, he judged cleanly and let go of her hand. Since the ribbon was already untied, her psychological resistance would be lower from here on.
Just as he calculated, she looked a bit more at ease as she finished undoing the loosened ribbon. As she peeled back the wrapping and opened the box, a faint glimmer of admiration appeared in her fine eyes.
“Oh, my.”
He wasn’t curious about the clothes inside the box; he had checked them when ordering and when bringing them. His focus was solely on Vanessa.
The surprise slowly spreading across her pale face, the trembling of her clear light-gray eyes, and the unavoidable joy and shame flickering at the corners of her troubled mouth. After a moment of hesitation, she reached into the box and carefully pulled out a dress with a pale blue tint and a lady’s hat of the same color.
If nothing else, she seemed to recognize that it was a dignified and formal outfit suitable for a grand occasion.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Do you like it?”
“Of course…. Thank you so much. When did you even prepare this?”
Who knows? Originally, his intentions had been a bit more clinical. He had planned to send an invitation to the autumn ball hosted by the royal family under the name ‘Battenberg.’ He had intended to reveal his identity after this contract ended.
He had planned to gift her a wonderful day, provide appropriate compensation, and make it clear that their relationship had concluded cleanly. So that when they reunited in their respective positions in the future, she wouldn’t be caught off guard. So that neither of them would harbor delusions or create awkward situations.
When he first ordered these clothes, his feelings had been that lukewarm.
“There’s no need to try it on now. It will fit perfectly.”
Instead of answering her question, he opened a deep blue velvet box. Vanessa, who had been visibly anxious since the box was placed on the table, now looked pale, as if the blood had drained from her face.
“It will go well with the dress. If it’s too much to accept, I’ll lend it to you.”
Her eyes shook pitifully as she checked the contents of the box. A necklace featuring a large, delicately teardrop-cut blue diamond surrounded by a dense chain of smaller diamonds—it was one of Dr. Muers’ signature pieces.
Ever since this necklace was featured in newspaper advertisements, necklaces mimicking its appearance had become sensationally popular. Ironically, it was currently the most distinctive yet ubiquitous piece of jewelry. This innocent lady probably wouldn’t even dream that this was the genuine article.
“River. This is…”
And yet, for her to be so distressed.
“I want you to be the most beautiful person wherever you stand. Wherever that may be.”
“But this is… too much.”
“You said you wanted to draw the gazes of other men. To protect my honor.”
The woman’s flushed cheeks turned pale for a moment before the red color returned.
“Of course, I… intend to, but…”
“Men are simple creatures; they crave what looks expensive.”
Especially the fools who don’t know what a Dr. Muers diamond signifies. Theodore’s lips curved into a charming smile as he held back the words he couldn’t say aloud. This was, in a sense, a brand. A mark that she was a woman associated with the Battenbergs.
Poor Vanessa wouldn’t be able to achieve her goal easily while wearing this necklace. Unless the men, feeling guilty for no reason, tried to avoid her…. A secret tryst, of all things. On a ship where one could simply drop a body into the sea if someone happened to die, she was being so fearless.
Vanessa looked into the box with an anxious, restless face and looked at him with pleading eyes.
“I can do well even without something like this.”
“It’ll be easier if you have it.”
He took off her glasses and tilted up her white chin. Her gray eyes, which had sunk deep with complicated thoughts, wavered slightly as they met his. If there were too many thoughts, he could just erase them. He bit her small lips as if swallowing her next words of refusal. He opened her startled, flinching lips and tangled his tongue with hers to soothe her.
Sweet, soft, and supple. Every time their breaths mingled, a sense of fulfillment and relief overwhelmed him. The sensation that he had finally returned struck him deep. Just having this woman in his arms. Being able to feel this warmth again.
As he picked her up, her legs wrapped around his waist with practiced ease. They collapsed onto the bed as the kiss deepened. Pressed together without a gap for a single breath to escape, they felt each other through their sensitive skin.
“Nng…”
Theodore bit her lower lip painfully as if giving her a moment to rest, then lifted his head. Gripping her smooth thighs and spreading them apart, he curled one side of his mouth into a smirk. His cool gaze held a warmth he didn’t even realize was there.
“As I thought, you’re most beautiful when you’re completely naked.”
Only good things had happened since River Ross returned. She didn’t want to believe her luck depended on someone else, but it was true.
On the afternoon she recovered the pendant, she received word from the police that Blair’s gift had also been found. Subsequently, the pristine cufflinks were delivered via the postman. A new benefactor appeared for the hospital where Mary’s brother was admitted, and the entire south was buzzing with excitement over the horse racing business the Battenbergs were investing in. Even those who had left for the capital were returning amid vague hopes that a new railway might be constructed.
Her uncle rarely returned to the castle due to his new business ventures, and she was granted that much more freedom.
“I’m so nervous.”
Dressed in her blue gown, Vanessa stood close to Rosalyn, clutching her fan tightly. The departure ceremony for the passenger ship, which had been so magnificent and grand it left her speechless, was over. Now, it was the start of the ball that would continue until midnight.
Blair escorted them only as far as the vicinity before disappearing into the crowd with Cissy. Vanessa watched the direction they had vanished with anxiety, biting her lip out of habit, forgetting she shouldn’t. In this massive crowd where one could lose even someone they knew well in the blink of an eye, could she really find someone she had never met?
She had only seen Viscount Dawson’s face in a photograph. And it was a small photo printed in the corner of a newspaper at least ten years old.
Rosalyn, perhaps interpreting that bleak expression in her own way, laughed and pulled her arm.
“There’s no need to be so nervous. You haven’t had a proper debut anyway, so they’ll understand if you act a bit inexperienced. Men actually tend to like that.”
“What am I supposed to do now?”
“When men approach you, accept them with a smile. You have to dance and converse.”
“Accept them…”
“It would be even better if a man who likes you appears. Still, you have to check the family name before starting anything.”
Rosalyn, who had been whispering quietly while covering her mouth with her fan, suddenly tilted her chin up slightly. A man was walking straight toward them. The shipboard party had truly begun.
