Chapter 57
She could feel it instinctively. This was the extent of the information she could extract from Benjamin Dawson through mere goodwill. Prying beyond the line he had drawn would not only be pointless but would also inevitably provoke unnecessary resentment.
Vanessa stepped back slowly from the invisible boundary Benjamin had established. She gathered the will that had been lying on the table and tucked it safely back inside her hat.
“Thank you for listening to my story.”
“…I am sorry I could not be of more help.”
“Not at all. You’ve helped me enough.”
Even though she had essentially been denied what she desperately wanted, there was hardly a trace of disappointment on Vanessa’s face. Instead, she wore a faint smile, as if considering his feelings. Benjamin faltered for a moment at her dignified composure.
Vanessa appeared to be searching for something inside her sleeve, her face clouding with a flustered expression. She bit her lip and looked over at him hesitantly.
“By any chance, could I borrow a fountain pen or a ballpoint pen for a moment?”
“Of course…”
Benjamin readily pulled a fountain pen from his breast pocket. For a while now, the image of a young five-year-old girl had been flickering over Vanessa’s face, and compared to his uneasy conscience, this was a trivial and easy request. Having spent a lifetime signing documents, he still carried a fountain pen filled with ink as a matter of habit, even years after his retirement.
Vanessa took the pen carefully and began to write something on a napkin on the table. Just as he was thinking that her handwriting was remarkably seasoned and elegant for a young lady, Vanessa capped the pen and looked up.
“It’s embarrassing, but this is the best I can offer.”
The eyes of the woman pushing the napkin toward him sparkled with a clear, steady light.
“I need an advisor to provide legal counsel regarding the inheritance. I would like to hire you, Mr. Dawson, for that position.”
On the napkin, simple terms of employment and an amount were neatly written. The sum wasn’t vast, but it wasn’t meager either. It looked as though she had meticulously researched the standard market rates before meeting him.
Benjamin swallowed a hollow laugh. Contrary to her gentle impression, she seemed to possess a quite bold and shrewd character.
“An old man like me, who has been retired for over five years?”
“Are the terms insufficient?”
“They are standard. Except for the fact that the payment date for the retainer is in the somewhat distant future.”
Vanessa met Benjamin’s gaze head-on as he watched her.
“I need someone experienced who knows inheritance law well. Specifically, a lawyer skilled and trustworthy enough to begin work without my uncle finding out.”
“……”
“As I mentioned before, I believe the will was modified in some way. I can’t stop suspecting that I might be missing something.”
Vanessa clenched her hands in her lap. The more she examined the will, the stronger the sense of dissonance became. Her biological father had been a far more thorough man than she remembered, and he had specified every minute detail in his will regarding the businesses he operated at the time. Only one thing was missing from that vast document: her own treatment.
Upon her parents’ death, everything—down to a single blade of grass and a single brick in Gloucester—had been transferred to her uncle. In Ingram, which inherited the laws of the ancient Salic Empire, women were not recognized as successors to a family line, but it was difficult to understand why she had been completely excluded even from areas that were neither land nor titles.
To think that not even the white pony she had received as a birthday gift could be hers. That pony, which had been left at a ranch in Delta, was eventually sold off to another ranch without a word. How heartbroken she had been when she first discovered that.
“When I checked, the names of the businesses my father had personally written into the will were all erased. I was told that when investment relationships are settled, the other party can request such a removal. However, looking at the ledgers from that time, there were no records of large sums of money changing hands.”
“……”
“So I searched the newspapers and found five companies that Somerset had invested in. Two of them have gone out of business, and two are ignoring my messages. One did send a reply, though. They said if I contacted them one more time, they would notify my legal guardian.”
Benjamin gazed at Vanessa with deepening eyes. It was pointless to suggest that she visit them in person if they ignored her. Would they even take a girl who had just come of age seriously? They were already so defensive over mere mail.
Even if the Earl of Somerset had made other arrangements for his daughter, the fact that no one had reached out first led to only one conclusion. Whatever it was, those who feared the truth coming to light might have conspired to keep the secret.
‘Perhaps her uncle is blocking it from the middle.’
Benjamin watched Vanessa, lost in thought. Though this setting must have been uncomfortable for her, she maintained a straight, unwavering posture. Even as the fists she held beneath the table trembled so violently, the part of her visible above remained calm.
She was a sensible young lady, a rarity among the youth. It seemed she had learned somewhere that it was best not to show all one’s cards when proposing a deal, though her lack of social experience meant her emotions couldn’t quite keep up with that lesson—a minor flaw.
“……”
If Lady Vanessa had been truly wicked, he would have feigned ignorance and played the fox. If she had been truly stupid, he would have ignored her. But it was hard to turn away from her desperation, her sincerity, and the steadfast integrity she had maintained despite her loneliness.
He let out a sigh and pulled the napkin toward himself.
“Very well. Let’s give it a try.”
Vanessa stepped onto the deck, cooling her flushed cheeks with the back of her hand. It was only after feeling the cool river breeze that her sense of reality slowly returned.
She thought she would be purely happy if she managed to persuade Benjamin Dawson, but ridiculously, a strange fear was the first thing to strike her. Now, she was truly on a path of no return with her uncle. Whether there was a misunderstanding or not no longer mattered. That was the nature of suspicion. It left wounds on a relationship that could never be healed.
“My Lady.”
Vanessa, who had been lightly gripping the railing, turned at the sound of Mary’s presence. The maid, who had somehow managed to weave through the crowd so dense there wasn’t a single space to step, held out a small plate she had fought to protect. On it were bite-sized pieces of fruit, cookies, and chocolate.
“I brought some refreshments.”
“Thank you, Mary. I was so distracted I didn’t even think to eat.”
“I could have been here sooner, but the navy men delayed me. They were completely blocking the stairs up to the deck.”
Vanessa was about to bite into a succulent-looking grape when she paused at Mary’s words.
“…The navy?”
“They said they’re the heroes who led the Battle of Potsdam to victory. Apparently, the Santal Company invited them personally.”
At those words, Vanessa reflexively looked toward the stairs. If they were the heroes of Potsdam, could River Ross be here too? People said River Ross was a direct non-commissioned officer under the famous Duke Battenberg.
“If you aren’t going to attend the ball, you should go back to the cabin and rest. Lady Rosalyn left the key with me.”
Her pensive expression must not have looked very good. To Mary’s eyes, it seemed like a sign of exhaustion, and she hurriedly pressed a hand to Vanessa’s forehead to check for a fever.
“Fortunately, you don’t have a high fever.”
Since childhood, she had suffered from motion sickness whenever she spent a long time on a moving vehicle. It was common for her to run a high fever or feel nauseous, and sometimes she would be bedridden for days as if she had the flu. Considering that, today was one of the rare days when she felt quite alright. Aside from a slight fever, she even felt light, as if her constitution had changed.
“Mary, what about you?”
“I… should stay by your side, My Lady.”
Unlike her answer, which was that of a faithful maid, her pale gaze drifted into the distance. It was as if she had spotted a familiar face in this crowded space.
