Chapter 15
<15> Who is the Woman of Destiny? (1)
Miss Pendleton walked alongside Mr. Dalton, lost in thought for a moment. Just then, she heard someone calling her from behind.
“Miss Pendleton!”
Miss Pendleton and Mr. Dalton turned around to see a dazzling, luxurious four-wheeled carriage parked on the bridle path. Soon, the carriage door opened, and Miss Dora Lance slowly stepped out.
Miss Lance’s attire was radiant. The net of a splendid outing hat cast a delicate shadow over her lovely, peach-tinted face. And the striped dress perfectly accentuated her slender figure.
Miss Pendleton inwardly praised Miss Lance.
‘Goodness, Miss Lance looks especially beautiful today. Just like Venus painted by Botticelli.’
Miss Lance trotted over to them and curtsied slightly. Miss Pendleton and Mr. Dalton each offered their respective greetings.
“My goodness, isn’t the weather just wonderful? I imagine you both were drawn out by it as well?”
Miss Lance seemed more excited than usual for some reason. The two responded with appropriate agreement.
“I feel the same way. I simply couldn’t bear to stay home and play the piano on a day like this. Shall we take a walk together?”
“Of course, Miss Lance.”
Miss Pendleton readily welcomed her to join them.
The three strolled along the path side by side. Miss Dora Lance was wedged between Mr. Dalton and Miss Pendleton. Miss Lance naturally linked arms with Mr. Dalton.
“The weather is simply lovely, Mr. Dalton. And it’s just before the peak of the social season, so there aren’t too many people around.”
“Ah, yes.”
“The height of the social season will be here soon. All my friends who are still at resorts or in their country Estates will be back in London within a month. I’ve planned balls, Tea parties, picnics, and all sorts of things with them. It will be so much fun. Mr. Dalton, if you’re in London for the entire social season, won’t you join us for a picnic? We’ll go boating and bring lots of delicious food to eat. What do you say?”
“Well…”
Miss Lance, who had been gazing at Mr. Dalton, turned her head toward Miss Pendleton.
“Miss Pendleton will be there too, won’t she?”
“If I’m invited, I’d be delighted.”
“Miss Pendleton, let’s have lots of fun together this summer. We’ll swim, go boating, and eat lots of cookies. I’m sure many other gentlemen will join us as well.”
Miss Pendleton smiled quietly.
“Mr. Dalton will come too, won’t you? Won’t you?”
At Miss Lance’s urging, Mr. Dalton nodded.
“Alright. I’ll go.”
Miss Lance clapped her hands in delight.
After that, Miss Lance chattered on about her plans for the summer. Most of her words were directed at Mr. Dalton. Mr. Dalton seemed a bit taken aback at first but soon listened to her calmly and responded politely.
Thanks to this, Miss Pendleton had the opportunity to observe them.
Miss Lance was far more ardent and excited than she usually was. Miss Pendleton found it puzzling.
Miss Lance was a lady introduced through Bess, and they had occasionally had tea together at the Viscount’s tea time before Bess got married. They had also shared minor kindnesses, such as fixing a torn hem of a dress or lending gloves at a ball, building a friendship that wasn’t deep but made them feel more like allies than strangers.
Because she knew Miss Lance to some extent through this acquaintance, Miss Pendleton found Miss Lance’s current attitude even stranger.
Miss Lance was treated like a star in society as soon as she made her debut. Every word, every action of hers was followed by praise. Not only men but even women were her fans.
Why wouldn’t they be? She was beautiful and intelligent. She was elegant and talented. And she knew it well herself. So she tended to be aloof to others’ attention, and her pride was so great that it almost seemed like arrogance.
In short, she was not a lady so desperate for men that she would cling to a gentleman who was indifferent to her.
So what was this behavior now? Had there been some emotional exchange between Mr. Dalton and Miss Lance?
She knew that they had shared a Formal dinner after their first meeting at the ball. Had they shared their hearts enough in those two meetings to become close to being lovers? Or had there been some other meeting after that?
Otherwise, it didn’t make sense. For the Dora Lance to cling to a man who wasn’t interested in her and chatter away like a simpleton. Miss Pendleton looked at Mr. Dalton with a puzzled expression.
Mr. Dalton was responding calmly to Miss Lance, who was clinging to him. Anyone could see that he was dignified and graceful. From a distance, they might have looked like a wonderful couple, with the man accepting his cute lover’s behavior.
But Miss Pendleton had observed Mr. Dalton for the past fortnight, and she couldn’t come to the conclusion that he had fallen in love with Miss Lance.
He had grumbled about how much trouble his young nephews caused, but his eyes were filled with affection whenever he talked about them. But now, as he looked at Miss Lance, there wasn’t even a hint of that in Mr. Dalton’s eyes.
A little later, Miss Lance remembered that her mother had told her to come home early and hurriedly got into her carriage, which had been following behind. She extracted another promise from the two to attend the picnic with regret and then sped off toward her house.
Mr. Dalton sighed and asked Miss Pendleton if her legs were sore. Miss Pendleton admitted that her calves were starting to ache from the long walk.
Mr. Dalton immediately decided to turn back.
Miss Pendleton looked at Mr. Dalton. He had one hand in his pocket and was walking slowly to match Miss Pendleton’s small steps. His expression was impossible to read.
Mr. Dalton broke the silence that hung between them.
“Miss Lance is a lovely lady.”
“She’s a lovely lady. She’s also talented and intelligent.”
“A lady with beauty, talent, and intelligence. It would be difficult for any gentleman to refuse her. I regret not having had the chance to dance with her last time.”
There was no heat in Mr. Dalton’s voice, but his tone was sincere. Miss Pendleton said a few more words praising Miss Lance, and Mr. Dalton agreed with each word, adding his own thoughts on her good qualities.
It was the first time he had praised someone so enthusiastically.
“Having met Miss Pendleton’s friends so far, it seems that William is the only lacking person in Miss Pendleton’s circle.”
Miss Pendleton burst out laughing.
“Mr. Fairfax is the most precious person in my circle, Mr. Dalton.”
“The most precious?”
“Yes.”
“Why ever is that?”
His voice sounded genuinely puzzled.
“He has the kindest heart of any gentleman in London. I respect that kind of heart.”
“He also has a soft and weak personality. He’s the kind of guy who would get down on his hands and knees and imitate a goat if his niece Olivia asked him to. He’s also taking the lead in spoiling the other nephews. I don’t understand how he succeeded in business.”
Mr. Dalton used the sarcastic tone that naturally came out when he talked about people he liked. Miss Pendleton suppressed a laugh.
“Don’t be so harsh on Mr. Fairfax. He was the one who begged me to introduce him to your bride.”
“…That’s kind of him, I suppose.”
“By the way, aren’t you looking forward to the picnic with Miss Lance? I should ask Miss Lance to invite Mr. Fairfax as well. I’m sure he’ll enjoy boating.”
Mr. Dalton was a gentleman who never missed an opportunity to be sarcastic.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s use William as a coachman when we move and as a boatman when we go boating. He’s just the guy for that.”
Miss Pendleton was unsure whether to laugh or not, so she simply laughed.
The conversation continued on the topic of the picnic all the way to the Pendleton Estate. Accordingly, there were many opportunities to bring up Miss Lance. Mr. Dalton faithfully agreed with Miss Pendleton on the praise of Miss Lance. And he added praise as if building a tower with his opinions.
Miss Pendleton felt good listening to the praise for her friend. One of the things she liked was hearing praise for her friends. Just as Mr. Dalton had discerned.
When they arrived in front of Miss Pendleton’s house, Mr. Dalton politely declined her offer to come in for tea.
“Thank you, but I have a letter waiting for me, so I must be going.”
“It’s urgent, then? You should hurry.”
“Then.”
Mr. Dalton took off his hat and bowed, then turned to leave, but soon turned back to Miss Pendleton.
“Has William Fairfax ever courted you?”
“Pardon?”
Miss Pendleton was horrified. Mr. Dalton waited seriously for her answer.
“Haven’t you heard the story of Miss Hyde and Mr. Fairfax?”
“I have.”
“You also remember that Miss Hyde is doing typing training at my house, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’m surprised that you’re asking me this question even though you know all that! How could I possibly, no, this whole idea is inappropriate. Are you trying to ruin my friendship with Mr. Fairfax?”
When Miss Pendleton showed signs of agitation, Mr. Dalton smiled as if he was pleased.
“That’s a definite attitude. That’s a relief. Then.”
