Translator: Nox

Chapter 134

#<Episode 134>

Laura chuckled faintly, feeling a complex mix of admiration and absurdity.

‘Miss Rotis, like a flame. Miss Hyde, like a free bird. Yes, those two would never hesitate. Unlike me.’

Laura's smile faded. Mr. Dalton came to her mind.

While bedridden, Laura had thought of Mr. Dalton in Whitefield. Him working in his study, strolling among the apple trees smoking a cigar, sitting by the window sketching.

Whenever she did, Laura's heart would clench as if it were ill.

Laura felt she could no longer suppress her feelings for him. She was desperate to confess her heart to him, this overflowing love that no obstacle could stop, even if it was through a letter.

But Laura was sick with a cold and constantly surrounded by people taking care of her. She couldn't find the energy to write a letter pleading for love, nor could she find time alone.

Above all, Laura was a person with a soul like a gently flowing stream. She needed some time to flow towards him.

Having lived cautiously since she was seventeen, when her elopement with a lover ended in a brutal heartbreak, Laura needed more determination and will than the average person when it came to courage, especially courage in love.

‘If only I could become a bird and fly to him right now. If only I could reveal my fiery heart to him.’

Laura was mature enough to understand and accept her nature, but when it came to love, she envied Miss Hyde and Miss Rotis.

She shook her head and got up from the sofa to return to her room.

Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door of the suite.

"Come in."

A uniformed servant bowed politely.

"I came up because someone is looking for Miss Laura Pendleton downstairs."

Laura glanced at the clock. It was almost 10 p.m.

"Who is looking for me?"

"Mr. John Ashton."

Laura's expression instantly turned cold.

"Tell him to just go back."

"He has a note he asked me to deliver."

"Send him away."

The servant bowed again and left the suite.

Laura returned to her room. She knelt in front of the bed and closed her eyes. She was about to pray before going to sleep, as she always did.

Laura wished for the happiness of her loved ones. Her grandmother in heaven, her teachers from her school days, her friends scattered throughout England, Miss Hyde and Miss Rotis, and Mr. Dalton, wherever he might be.

‘And… Cecilia.’

Laura felt guilty for having given Cecilia such a callous farewell. At the time, she had been angry and had no room to consider anyone's feelings. It must have hurt the child's heart.

But she couldn't go and apologize. It would inevitably mean meeting John Ashton again. She felt sorry for Cecilia, but she had no desire to see him again.

To ease her guilt, Laura prayed at length for Cecilia.

Just as she finished praying and was about to get into bed, Laura heard a thumping sound from outside the door, someone pounding on the front door.

Laura was startled and jumped out of bed. She went to the living room to check if the door was properly locked. Oh dear, the latch was unlocked. She had gotten into the habit of not locking the door because the cleaning staff and servants bringing meals came in and out frequently.

Laura quietly approached the exit. And quickly locked the latch.

Click.

At the same time, the knocking stopped.

"Laura?"

Laura held her breath. It was John Ashton's voice.

"It's Laura, isn't it?"

Laura backed away from the front door.

"Laura, open the door. I'll stay here until you open it."

A chilling fear ran through her mind. How had Miss Rotis's legs been ruined? Her suitor had shot her because she wouldn't accept his love, and that's how it happened.

‘Could this man be…?’

Laura moved towards the doorbell to call the security guard. Meanwhile, John Ashton outside the door was rambling in an agitated voice.

"I'm sorry. I know you're upset that I came so late. But please, just open the door… I'm not trying to court you again. I've come to my senses. I've come to my senses… Please…!"

Just as Laura reached for the doorbell, he shouted.

"…Our Cecilia is dying!"

Laura stopped moving.

She could hear him sobbing beyond the front door. A desperate wail. A heart-wrenching sound like a beast that had lost its cub.

Soon, the door creaked open, and Miss Rotis, disheveled, came into the living room.

Annoyed at having her good time interrupted, Miss Rotis exclaimed irritably.

"Damn it, what crazy bastard is making a racket in front of someone else's suite!"

She spotted Laura, frozen in front of the doorbell.

"Miss Pendleton, what are you doing? Ring the bell."

"…Miss Rotis, I'm sorry. That person is my guest."

"Who? Ian Dalton?"

"Mr. Ashton."

"Are you going to meet him?"

"……."

"Call security if you don't want to end up like me."

"He says his daughter is dying."

"Don't believe him even if he says his great-grandfather is dying. The guy who did this to my legs even barged into my house, citing family ties between our parents."

"He's not the type to sell his daughter for a woman."

Miss Rotis stared at Laura for a moment, then told her to wait. She went back into the room and came out again. She was holding a pistol in her hand.

She hid the gun behind her back and nodded.

Laura walked to the front door and opened it.

John Ashton was standing in front of the door. His face was a mess of tears and snot as he sobbed.

As soon as he saw Laura, he immediately knelt down.

"Laura, I was wrong. Please, come with me. Our Cecilia, my only daughter, has a Fever. The doctor says to bring someone to say goodbye. She's been sick often, but I've never heard them say this before! Laura. Please!"

"How did the child get like this?"

He choked back a sob.

"…She said she was going to find the hotel you were staying at… She secretly took some medicine and went out… She wandered around the city of Bath and got caught in the rain…"

He slammed his head on the floor.

"If I hadn't said such terrible things to you… You would have had enough time to say goodbye to the child! It's my fault! It's my fault…!"

He huddled up, trembling and crying.

Laura slowly turned around. Miss Rotis, who had been hiding the gun, seemed to have decided that John was harmless and was playing with the gun, pulling the safety on and off.

"I'll, uh, be back in a bit."

"Not a very good idea."

"I'll bundle up warmly. I won't be able to bear the guilt if the child passes away like this."

"Jane won't be able to bear it if you die of a cold."

Laura smiled sadly.

"Well, I doubt it'll be as bad as a father losing his daughter."

Miss Rotis shrugged.

"How can I stop someone who wants to go? Wear Jane's velvet coat. I'll lend you my sable scarf too."

Laura nodded.

Bundled up in thick winter clothes, Laura left the hotel with John. The late autumn weather was now almost early winter.

The carriage was chilly. White breath came out when they exhaled. Laura huddled as much as she could, feeling the cold seeping into her thick clothes.

When the carriage stopped in front of the Pulteney Hotel, the two immediately went up to the suite.

The child was lying unconscious on her father's bed. Her face was covered in sweat, and she was panting repeatedly through her small lips.

"Honey."

John Ashton went to the bed and took her small, sweaty hand.

"Aunt Laura is here. Your friend is here."

The child didn't respond. He kissed her hand.

"Open your eyes. We have to finish the story of A Study in Scarlet. And I have to play the Beethoven you've gotten so good at. Honey, please. Please, open your eyes."

"Mr. Ashton, the child can't hear you."

A middle-aged man standing in the corner of the room with Mrs. Chelsea said. Mr. Ashton protested.

"She was talking just fine earlier, wasn't she? She even asked me to bring Aunt Laura to her, didn't she?"

"Her fever spiked while you were out. The fever has completely taken over the child's consciousness. We'll do everything we can for now. But I can't guarantee anything. Perhaps, a small coffin for the child may be needed."

John Ashton's knees buckled. He rubbed the child's hand against his face and began to wail.

Laura quietly went out to the living room. Even in the living room, his sobs were vividly loud enough to hurt her ears.

Laura sat on the sofa and covered her ears with both hands. Her heart felt like it was being torn apart.

She couldn't forgive the insulting things John Ashton had said. She also had no doubt that his foolishness had driven his wife to her death. But at the same time, he was a father. A father who loved his daughter, who cherished her as much as his own life.

‘God, he is a sinful man. But please don't punish him like this. The child is innocent. Please. God,’

Laura closed her eyes and prayed to God to forgive John Ashton. It was the first time in a long time that she had prayed for John.

* * *

John came out of the room at dawn. His face looked like he had aged ten years.

Laura, who had stayed up all night in the living room, noticed from his face that Cecilia's condition hadn't improved.

She slumped her shoulders and stared blankly at the dying fireplace. Because servants were prohibited from entering due to the risk of infection, there was no one to put firewood in. As a result, the living room was terribly cold.

He sat down on the edge of the sofa with armrests, away from Laura.

Laura couldn't bring herself to offer him words of comfort. He was a pathetic sight. Even when Mr. Dalton had broken his ribs and messed up his face, he hadn't looked as miserable as he did now. He was a man who knew how to smile charmingly in any situation.

But now, he looked like a vagrant barely clinging to life.

"Laura."

At the sound of his cracked voice calling her, Laura turned back to him. He was listlessly drooping his neck.

"I have something to confess."

"…Go ahead."

"…I lied to you. Ian Dalton didn't punch me out of the blue. It's true that he told me to stay away from you. But he acted with dignity. He was polite and gentlemanly. If I hadn't been sarcastic and said insulting things about you, he would never have hit me."

"……."

"I'm a lawyer. I'm used to using any means necessary to win a case. I did the same to get you back. I omitted facts, changed nuances, sought sympathy to lure you in, and used persuasion and insults. It's because of love, but what does that matter? My methods were dirty."

"…Why are you making a confession?"

John Ashton smiled, grimacing.

"I thought God might perform a miracle if I repented of my sins."

Laura nodded.

"Then keep going. I'm hoping for a miracle too."

He smiled bitterly and confessed to Laura all the sins he had committed in his life.

From a piece of bread he had stolen as a child because he was hungry to the countless trials in which he had to inflict the pain of defeat on the weak who were pleading for damages in order to win his client's case.

But what he was most ashamed of was his petty jealousy of Ian Dalton.