Chapter 159
Laura smiled and stroked Olivia's back.
"You're here just in time for tea, so I suppose you're planning to have tea with your aunt."
"Yes. On the rose garden terrace."
"Let's go down. I'll have them bring out your favorite fig jam."
Olivia, as if proving that she was still a girl despite her height, squealed and jumped up and down.
The two of them went hand in hand to the terrace by the rose garden. As instructed, muffins and toast with fig jam were served. While Olivia spread a napkin on her lap, Laura poured black tea into Olivia's cup. Olivia thanked her in French. Her pronunciation was accurate, and her tone was elegant.
"Our niece will be rumored to be royalty from France when she debuts in society."
Olivia, who had been fidgeting with her fingers while looking at the jar of fig jam, blushed.
"Really?"
"bien sûr(Of course)."
Olivia put her hands on her cheeks and squealed. Laura burst into laughter.
As Laura poured black tea into her own cup, Olivia poured milk into Laura's cup. Laura thanked her in French, just like Olivia. Her pronunciation and tone resembled Olivia's. No, it would be more accurate to say that Olivia resembled Laura. Olivia's accurate and elegant French skills had been taught by Laura.
Laura offered Olivia jam and toast. Olivia took a small amount of jam with the tip of her spoon and spread it thinly on the toast.
"Isn't that too little?"
"I can't gain weight."
"You're thin enough, Olivia."
Olivia shook her head.
"I'm going to reduce my waist by two inches by the time I debut. If I succeed, I'll be able to wear an 18-inch dress with the help of a corset."
Laura smiled bitterly.
Olivia had been granted permission by her mother to debut next spring. In just one year, she would be able to become the London Lady she had so longed for.
All the preparations were complete. Dancing, French, grooming skills, and etiquette. Olivia was a sophisticated lady who would be presentable anywhere.
"Mother said I could take the dresses she inherited from Grandmother. She's going to formally pass them down to me. All those dresses have 18-inch waists."
Laura sighed and cut a muffin with a knife.
"They are very beautiful dresses. But you don't have to fit your body to the clothes. You can ask a tailor to increase the size."
Olivia shook her head.
"I'm going to wear them as they are. Definitely."
"Is there a reason why you're so insistent?"
"You wore that dress when you held a hunting party at Whitefield, Aunt. I can see you in that dress. You looked like a goddess from Greek mythology. You looked as elegant as Hera, as dazzling as Venus, and as dignified as Athena. If Paris had passed by Dunville Park and found you, he would have knelt before you and offered you the golden apple."
"You're flattering your aunt like an Italian man."
Laura laughed heartily.
Olivia sometimes showered Laura with such lavish praise. Laura regarded it as nothing more than her niece's mischievous prank. But there was not a grain of falsehood in Olivia.
Olivia was the next person after Laura and Ian to be delighted by their marriage. As soon as she heard the news that Laura had accepted the proposal (Mrs. Fairfax slightly modified the details to save Laura's face), Olivia screamed so loudly that the birds living in the Dunville Park forest were startled and flew away.
During the short engagement period, Olivia danced even in her sleep, and at the wedding, she cried as if she were Laura's birth mother. And for the past year, she had been visiting Whitefield so often that the threshold was wearing out.
The more time she spent with her aunt, the deeper her affection for Laura grew. With admiration and longing combined with familial love, Olivia's heart was about to burst with affection for Laura.
Olivia sometimes wanted to steal her aunt from her uncle. She wanted to chat all day in the same house, eat three meals together, and sleep in the same room.
Girls made friends like they were in love. Even though the age at which British society allowed marriage was approaching, Olivia, who was still far from being a true adult, loved Laura like a girl in first love.
Olivia ate only half of her toast and put it down. Then she wiped her mouth and hands with a napkin. It meant she was done eating.
"When you wore that dress, Aunt, you were more beautiful than all three goddesses combined. If I can imitate that beauty, I can endure giving up my favorite foods."
"Your mother must be worried."
"Not at all. She just tells me not to rummage through the cupboards at night. She says crumbs will attract mice."
"That's true."
Laura did not actively stop Olivia. Girls of that age resisted by doing even worse things if they were prevented from doing things for beauty. If they were urged to eat, they would stop eating altogether.
Instead, Laura told the servant to bring walnuts, almonds, and dried figs. The servant immediately brought what the mistress had ordered.
"Body management is important, but so is skin care. If you don't get enough nutrients, your skin will become rough and your face won't glow."
Olivia blinked.
"Is that so?"
"Of course. Here, have some of this."
Olivia looked down at the plate with an uneasy gaze.
"It's fattening."
Laura shook her head.
"When your aunt wore that dress you covet, she only had a little help from the corset. It's all thanks to eating fruits and nuts."
Olivia's eyes sparkled as if she were tempted.
"Really?"
"Yes."
She whispered secretly, as if telling a secret.
"This is my own method, so only you should know, Olivia."
Olivia nodded diligently. And she nibbled on walnuts and dried fruit. She must have been working hard on her diet, because she ate very eagerly.
Of course, that was Laura's white lie. She had never tried to manage her figure in her life. Her life had been so hectic that she had no time to gain weight.
Laura thought back to the dress she had worn on the day of the hunting competition.
'Can I wear it now?'
It would be possible. If she starved for a day and tightened her corset to the limit. But was there any need to do that? Clothes were just clothes. There was plenty of beauty to be gained without enduring pain. Olivia would not agree, though.
Tea time was over. The two of them linked arms and walked together in the garden.
"Aunt, is something wrong with Uncle?"
Olivia, who was fondling Laura's hand as if it were her lover's, suddenly asked. Laura was startled inside, but she didn't show it much.
"Why?"
"I stopped by Uncle's study for a moment before coming to your study. But he didn't look well. He answered me perfunctorily when I asked how he was doing, and he didn't seem very happy even when I told him some good news."
Laura lowered her eyes and looked only at the ground.
"Is he worried about something?"
"No. He doesn't have anything like that."
"Then why is he like that? He seemed to be out of his mind. And he looked bad."
"…He looked bad?"
"Yes. He looked like someone who hadn't eaten or slept for days. Could he be sick? He's not made of iron, considering he had tuberculosis before, our uncle."
While listening to Olivia's story, Laura's face also turned pale. Her eyes trembled and her lips quivered slightly.
'Ian's face has gotten that bad?'
She forced herself to calm her dizzy mind. She had to think of something to say. If Olivia went back to Dunville Park with questions, she would tell her family, and then they would worry about Ian.
Laura made up a suitable excuse for Olivia, who was tilting her head repeatedly.
"He just started quitting smoking. It must be because of the withdrawal symptoms."
"Ah! That's right, that's right! Mother told me not to go near Uncle if possible because he started quitting smoking. Why didn't I remember? I'm an idiot."
Olivia gave herself a flick on the forehead.
Laura racked her brains to get away from the topic of Ian. She felt like she would lose her composure in front of Olivia if she kept talking about Ian's condition.
"By the way, what was that good news that Olivia brought?"
Olivia was startled.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, Aunt. Aunt, you know my eldest brother, Henry. You know Henry, right?"
Laura nodded. Of course, she knew him well.
Ian's cute first nephew, who was born when Ian was only eight years old. Even before their marriage, Ian always mentioned Henry first when talking about his nephews. Unlike his habit of speaking ill of people he liked, he was full of praise.
According to Mrs. Fairfax, Henry Fairfax looked a lot like Ian. Not only in appearance, but especially in personality. Introverted and romantic temperament. Intelligent and sharp mind. Also, he was quite good at drawing, and he was a born artist with excellent taste and sensitivity.
Everyone cherished their first nephew, but it was no wonder that he regarded Henry as special since he resembled himself so much.
He was currently on temporary leave from Cambridge and studying art in France.
It had been a year and a half since he left England, but the Fairfax couple did not try to call their son back. He was a man destined to inherit Dunville Park as the eldest son. Now that his father was still healthy, it was the only time he could wander around as he pleased.
"Yes. I know. Why that child?"
"He's finally coming back. Around autumn!"
Laura was startled.
"Oh my, that's really good news. Your parents must be very happy."
"Yes. Mother is more worried that he might have contracted a sexually transmitted disease from a French woman. She says if you get something like that, your groin will rot."
"Olivia."
Olivia realized that she had made a slip of the tongue and quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, it's really strange. I thought Uncle would be very happy, but he just nodded and didn't say anything. He was just buried in his chair the whole time, as if all his energy had been drained. He was like a paper doll. Does he really have to quit smoking? If he keeps doing that, I think he'll be blown away by the wind and fly into the forest."
