Chapter 19
<19> Picnic (1)
Miss Lance stopped her with a loud voice. Only then, Miss Wilkes, realizing the situation, blushed and shut her mouth. Miss Daisy Orson, who was next to her, quickly changed the subject.
"Wow, look at that river!"
Soon, four carriages arrived at a wide lawn by the river. The gentlemen who had been acting as coachmen all got down and took the ladies' hands to help them out of the carriages. Miss Lance was embarrassed by her friends, making it difficult to look Mr. Dalton in the eye, but he politely assisted her.
The schedule for the day was to first enjoy a boat ride and a meal, and then freely enjoy a walk and tennis. Of course, the gentlemen were the boatmen, and the groups who rode in the same carriage were organized into the same boating group.
The gentlemen took turns getting the ladies into the boat. The ladies, upon stepping into the boat, screamed like ladies because of the swaying, acting as scared as possible.
The gentlemen got into the boat last. And slowly rowed along the river's current.
The ladies enjoyed the boat ride, admiring the grass and scenery hanging over the river, or bending down to put their hands in the water. One lady made a dangerous attempt to pluck a lotus flower floating in the river, almost falling into the river, causing all the ladies to scream for real.
Meanwhile, Miss Lance stood at the bow, quietly watching Mr. Dalton's back as he rowed. His sleeves were rolled up, and his black hair fluttered in the wind. The occasional glimpse of his profile was literally like a painting. A bubbly feeling rose in her chest.
The boat, having circled the river once, returned to the mooring. There, Miss Lance's family's servants, who had followed in advance, had spread out picnic mats and plenty of food in a quiet spot under the trees.
Because there were so many people, the mat space was divided into four, and the group that had come in the first carriage continued to the picnic spot as it was. Miss Lance's wish and her friends' intentions coincided, and Mr. Dalton continued to be with Miss Lance's group.
Mr. Dalton sat among the ladies without saying much. He seemed to be lost in thought since earlier. Miss Lance watched him carefully to read his expression and soon noticed that his gaze was on Miss Pendleton.
Miss Lance remembered what her friends had said earlier. It must have been because of that.
Miss Lance felt embarrassed and examined his expression. He looked serious. Miss Lance tried to piece together her thoughts to figure out why he was looking at Miss Pendleton like that.
Even if he was a close friend of Miss Pendleton, it was a bit strange to make such an expression because of her birth issue. It wasn't just light worry or curiosity; his expression was really deeply sunken. Miss Lance thought a little deeper and soon found the answer.
He knew that there was a flaw in Miss Pendleton's birth and was feeling uneasy about their association so far.
Miss Lance felt a little disappointed in him but soon changed her mind and took his side. Considering his family and lineage, it was definitely something to feel uncomfortable about. Bloodline-ism was still a common way of thinking in England.
She quickly regained her liking for him and steeled her heart.
Even if he breaks off his relationship with Miss Pendleton, I shouldn't be disappointed in him. He's just acting according to common values.
After the meal, they each took their tennis equipment and parasols and went out into the field. And they each took a walk or exchanged balls, starting to enjoy a peaceful afternoon.
Miss Lance was agonizing over creating an atmosphere where she could take a walk with Mr. Dalton, but unexpectedly, Mr. Dalton asked Miss Lance to take a walk with him first.
Miss Lance blushed and followed him. It was obvious how much the three ladies would have fussed after the two disappeared.
Miss Lance and Mr. Dalton walked quietly along the lake. Miss Lance was just looking at his profile, which seemed to be lost in thought.
"Miss Lance."
Soon, Mr. Dalton quietly called her.
"Yes. Mr. Dalton?"
"There's something I want to ask you, but I don't know if you can answer it."
Miss Lance anticipated his question and said it was okay to ask.
"I have a question about the conversation you had about Miss Pendleton earlier. It's about Miss Pendleton's mother."
Miss Lance looked at the ground without saying a word. It was a situation where she would look shameless if she didn't show hesitation.
"I'm very sorry to ask you this question. I know that Miss Lance is very close to Miss Pendleton. Asking you about Miss Pendleton's family is a hardship for you. However, I value my friendship with Miss Pendleton, which has continued from London, as much as Miss Lance does. I think it's an issue that I need to know for the sake of our future relationship."
At Mr. Dalton's words, Miss Lance thought, "I knew it." Mr. Dalton is reluctant to be friends with Miss Pendleton. Well, it's understandable. In British high society, family and parents' reputation are as important as wealth. If there is a flaw in her birth, it would be unpleasant to have been in contact with such a person for a long time. No one can blame him.
Miss Lance paused for a moment before starting to speak.
"I don't know the details either. I've only heard stories from the adults around me. Miss Pendleton's mother was a daughter of the Pendleton family. She was like a jewel of high society, and countless suitors were lined up waiting for her choice."
"……."
"But, unexpectedly, she disappeared at the age of seventeen. After that, she never appeared in high society again. Because she ran away with an American painter who came to her house to paint her portrait."
Miss Lance glanced at Mr. Dalton's face. His expression was stiff.
"The two of them lived together somewhere without even having a proper wedding, but she died giving birth to Laura. The painter left his granddaughter to Ms. Abigail Pendleton and disappeared. It seems he abandoned his young daughter and started a new life. In the end, poor Laura abandoned her father's surname and was formally registered into the Pendleton family."
Miss Lance couldn't help but feel sympathy for Miss Pendleton's situation as she told this story.
If she had been born properly, she could have lived in a high position that no one could point fingers at. Due to her parents' mistakes, she became an ambiguous noble who followed her mother's surname. Her birth issue was as fatal a flaw in the marriage market as her lack of dowry.
Mr. Dalton stopped in his tracks after hearing the story. And he looked at the distant river for a while. Miss Lance couldn't see his face, so she couldn't know what his expression was like. But she could tell from his demeanor that he was in a very bad mood.
Ah, Mr. Dalton is feeling unpleasant about Miss Pendleton's birth after all! Miss Lance was overwhelmed with a burst of sympathy and a desire to protect poor Miss Pendleton.
"Mr. Dalton, Miss Pendleton is a perfect fit for the upper class in terms of character and family. You know. How kind and elegant she is. She is the biggest victim of her birth. The reason why she doesn't have a dowry is all because of her bloodline."
Miss Lance continued in an excited voice.
"Miss Pendleton's uncle, Mr. Pendleton, was so strongly opposed to her being registered as a Pendleton that it was eventually accepted on the condition that all of Ms. Abigail Pendleton's assets would be inherited by Mr. Pendleton's son. That's how Miss Pendleton ended up with no money of her own. Miss Pendleton will really have nowhere to go when Lady Abigail passes away. So……."
Miss Lance composed her trembling voice.
"So please don't think of Miss Pendleton in a bad way."
Mr. Dalton turned his head to look at Miss Lance at her words.
"What are you talking about?"
"Even though she has commoner blood mixed in, please look at her inner self, Mr. Dalton!"
Miss Lance pleaded once again. Mr. Dalton looked at her strangely, then laughed and shook his head.
"No, Miss Lance. You're misunderstanding. Would I ever look down on her for such a trivial matter? I'm just…… surprised. That Miss Pendleton had such circumstances……."
Mr. Dalton closed his mouth for a moment and looked back at the river. And he muttered to himself as if he were talking to himself.
"……so she's always been like that……."
The two looked at the river in silence. Miss Lance didn't think he really didn't feel uncomfortable with Miss Pendleton. It would be embarrassing for him to say it outright, so he must be making excuses. If that wasn't the case, there would be no reason for him to be so serious about Miss Pendleton's birth.
Miss Lance thought that his complicated expression revealed his inner self fighting with his conscience. He was trying to maintain the right direction between the friendship that had continued until now and the discomfort with her bloodline.
Miss Lance felt a great sense of kinship with him as his heart was fighting to protect his nobility. She herself had been working hard to hide the discomfort she felt from her bloodline whenever she saw Miss Pendleton.
After a while, Mr. Dalton finished thinking and told her to go back to the people. They turned around and walked slowly towards the people.
"I've heard a lot of praise for Miss Lance from Miss Pendleton. She said you are a lady with a kind heart. Miss Lance, I now know how reliable Miss Pendleton's assessment is."
Miss Lance blushed and smiled.
"Don't say that, Mr. Dalton."
"I'm relieved that Miss Pendleton has many good friends."
Miss Lance felt very good at his words. It felt much better than the common compliments of being beautiful or elegant. She had even received his recognition as a reward for acting in a good way.
She felt pride in her conscience and decided to take today's events as a lesson, reflecting on the fact that protecting poor Miss Pendleton was ultimately the right thing to do.
As they got closer to the group of people, friends who were playing tennis in the field invited Miss Lance to join them. Miss Lance wanted to be with Mr. Dalton a little longer and looked up at him, but he just told her to have a good time and walked away somewhere before she could even grab him.
Miss Lance felt a little disappointed, but she decided to be satisfied with the walk earlier and took the racket her friend handed her.
