Chapter 131
#<Episode 131>
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A lady in a velvet coat with her hair elegantly styled walked into the café.
She possessed a unique charm that couldn't be expressed with commonplace words like pretty or elegant.
She was intelligent yet wild, sharp yet sensual. It was a rare charm not easily found, which meant no one could forget her once they saw her.
She took off her stifling lambskin gloves and scanned the tables. The café was about half full, but the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.
'Not here yet.'
She slowly sat down at an empty table. A waiter in uniform approached, and she ordered a cup of coffee.
Lately, she had been enjoying coffee more than tea, influenced by someone she lived with.
When the coffee arrived, she sipped the black, bitter liquid without adding sugar, watching the exit and waiting for the person she was supposed to meet.
A gentleman slowly walked towards her table.
"Good afternoon, Miss Hyde."
Miss Hyde looked up at the gentleman. He was the gentleman in the Early Autumn Dragon Frock Coat who had been sitting in the corner of the café, drinking tea. She blinked in confusion, then quickly stood up.
"Mr. Dalton, I didn't recognize you at all! What on earth has happened since last summer?"
Mr. Dalton gave a bitter smile without a word.
They shook hands and sat down. The waiter moved the tea from Mr. Dalton's table to theirs.
Miss Hyde had received a note that morning. Surprisingly, it was from Mr. Dalton, asking to meet for tea at the 'Morrison' café, two blocks from the Laurelia Hotel, at 3 p.m.
He had asked her to keep it a secret from Laura at the end of the note. She had told Miss Pendleton and Miss Rotis that she was going out for a while and left the hotel.
Miss Hyde took a sip of her coffee, staring intently at Mr. Dalton across from her. His face was a mess.
When she first saw him in London, he had been quite the handsome man. His face was beautifully sculpted, as if an aesthetic sculptor had spared no time, even sleep, to complete it.
Miss Hyde, who wasn't particularly interested in men's appearances, could understand why all the young ladies in London were head over heels for him. It wasn't that she lacked an aesthetic sense, just that she wasn't interested in men.
But the Mr. Dalton before her now was completely different. His complexion was unsettlingly pale, and there were dark shadows under his eyes that looked like they belonged to the dead.
He couldn't be said to be unattractive in that state either, but Miss Hyde was primarily concerned about his health.
"You're a far cry from when we were Stone skipping in the suburbs. Have you been ill recently?"
Mr. Dalton shook his head.
"Don't worry about my health, Miss Hyde. I hardly ever get sick, even if I don't eat or sleep."
"Sounds like you haven't been eating or sleeping lately?"
He lowered his eyes silently, looking only at the table. His long eyelashes cast shadows, making the darkness under his eyes even more pronounced.
She decided to get to the point.
"What's the reason you called me here?"
"I assume you know that I was the man who embarrassed your party at the Mineral Water Hall two months ago."
"Yes. And that you followed Miss Pendleton when she was alone, which led to her meeting her old flame. Why did you do that? Miss Pendleton rarely goes out except for our scheduled activities, so the chances of her running into that man were zero."
"I wish I could go back to that time and trip myself up."
He frowned.
"After that mistake, I decided not to obsessively follow her around. Because of that, I have no way of knowing if she is continuing to meet John Ashton. Miss Hyde, is Miss Pendleton seeing John Ashton?"
Miss Hyde had noticed Mr. Dalton's feelings since her days running a publishing house in London. After Lady Abigail passed away, he had searched all the lodging houses in London for Miss Pendleton, who had disappeared, and had asked her to inform him of Miss Pendleton's whereabouts so he could take her to a safe boarding house.
Therefore, she couldn't help but hesitate to tell him the truth, as it would surely distress him.
However, she was inclined to pursue the truth rather than be considerate.
"...She visits Mr. Ashton once a week to check on him. She stays there for over three hours."
Mr. Dalton's face crumbled rapidly. He frowned as if he had a headache, covered his head with both hands, and bowed deeply towards the table.
Miss Hyde felt like she knew why he looked like a consumptive. What man could properly take care of his basic needs when the woman he loved was with her first love?
"...Does it seem like her love has been rekindled?"
"I don't know. She's such a reserved person when it comes to expressing her emotions. But she did say a few words about Mr. Ashton's daughter. She said she was a bright and lovely girl, and that it was heartbreaking that she was so weak."
Mr. Dalton groaned softly, as if Miss Hyde's words had intensified his pain.
"Such a kind person. Miss Pendleton is already feeling a mother's affection for his daughter."
"Don't jump to conclusions. She just likes children and has a lot of sympathy."
"That's the problem."
He gnashed his teeth as if in agony.
"For two months, she has been taking care of a sick man and his young daughter once a week. The patient is even her first love and still loves her. What situation could be more conducive for a compassionate lady to fall in love?"
Miss Hyde tilted her head.
"Mr. Dalton, why are you so anxious? She knows how to distinguish between sympathy and love. Your biggest problem seems to be that you don't trust Miss Pendleton."
He sighed.
"I admit it. I can't easily relax when it comes to Miss Pendleton. She is an independent and strong woman. That's one of the reasons I love her, but it's also a source of fear."
He looked up at Miss Hyde.
"I heard she started working as a translator. Is that correct?"
"Yes. She recently finished a book and received 100 pounds. She seems to have found another calling after teaching."
"She will soon be rich."
"That's right. She works quickly and accurately. She's already receiving offers for her next job from several places."
Miss Hyde spoke only the plain truth. It was what Mr. Dalton wanted, but each word was like a dagger.
She clicked her tongue inwardly as she watched Mr. Dalton's suffering. Miss Hyde had a certain fondness for him. There was no one who could Stone skipping as well as he could. Also, he was Mr. Fairfax's friend.
Seeing him fumble in love and burn with heartache was too pitiful to bear.
"Mr. Dalton, don't be so impatient. It will only make things worse. Let Miss Pendleton decide her own future, whether it's with you, Mr. Ashton, or as a single translator."
"If that were possible, I wouldn't have been glued to the window for the past two months, waiting for her to appear. I love her. This love is driving me to my death. If I had known love was so painful, I would have decided to hand Whitefield over to one of my cousins and declared myself a bachelor long ago."
Miss Hyde's eyes held a strange emotion that wasn't pity (she wasn't a compassionate person), but wasn't animosity either. If she had to put it into words, it would be empathy.
However, she respected Miss Pendleton so much that she could call her a spiritual mother. She couldn't tolerate his love going too far and blocking Miss Pendleton's path.
"Mr. Dalton, you are slowly dying of love. It's very romantic. Tragic and beautiful like Romeo and Juliet. But, we live in reality. Remember that Miss Pendleton is her own master."
Miss Hyde continued coldly.
"The direction she takes in life is her own decision. Even if you wither away from love, Miss Pendleton has no responsibility. If you truly love Miss Pendleton, tell her. Tell her that you will follow her decision alone. It will look much better than begging for love miserably."
Having finished speaking, Miss Hyde gestured to the waiter to pay for the coffee and tip.
"Oh, by the way, Miss Pendleton won't be leaving the hotel for a while. She's caught a cold."
Mr. Dalton, who had been staring at his teacup with a troubled expression, suddenly looked up.
"How did that happen?"
"Yesterday, she walked home for an hour in her Silk Dress. She lost her coat outside. It's not like her to make such a mistake, it's very strange."
"Is it serious?"
"She has some body aches, but not much. The doctor said she'll be fine if she gets plenty of rest for a week."
But Mr. Dalton's face looked as if Laura had been given a terminal diagnosis.
"Is there a nurse?"
"Yes. There's a nurse, and there's me, and there's Miss Rotis. We're a team, taking care of Miss Pendleton. She's our precious friend."
He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Hyde."
As she was leaving the café, Mr. Dalton said, with his hand in his Frock coat pocket.
"I've been constantly worried about how Miss Pendleton is doing in Bath. Whether she's comfortable, whether she's suffering among unpleasant people. Meeting Miss Hyde puts my mind at ease. I'm glad she has someone like Miss Hyde by her side."
Miss Hyde smiled faintly.
"The kindness I show Miss Pendleton is not even 1/100th of the grace she has shown me."
Mr. Dalton extended his hand. Miss Hyde placed her hand on his.
"Then, please continue to take good care of Miss Pendleton. Goodbye."
He kissed the back of Miss Hyde's hand formally.
'It's a procedure that always has to be done when saying goodbye to gentlemen, but it's so cheesy.'
Miss Hyde nodded lightly and turned to walk in the opposite direction from him.
She wanted to get away from Mr. Dalton quickly. Meeting an acquaintance from her socialite days after so long made her feel like she had returned to that time. A time of unhappiness and suffocation. Like a bird trapped in a cage.
Miss Pendleton was the one who took her out of that cage. She was now spreading her wings and flying high in the sky.
