Chapter 30
<30> London (1)
He was officially the only person in London who corresponded with Mr. Dalton. If she interacted with him frequently, it would be nothing to slip in a greeting from her in his letters.
Miss Lance decided to establish a connection with Mr. Fairfax. As her first attempt, she persuaded her parents to invite the Fairfax siblings to a Formal dinner.
Her mother was reluctant to associate with Mr. Fairfax because, although he was a self-made businessman, his rural Estate and mansion were small. However, Miss Lance persuaded her by arguing that he was Mr. Dalton's in-law and that associating with Mr. Fairfax was necessary to catch Mr. Dalton, and she allowed the invitation.
Mr. Lance surprisingly readily agreed, because Miss Lance had cleverly informed him beforehand that the Fairfax siblings were descendants of a distinguished gentry family from Yorkshire.
A while later, the Fairfax siblings were invited to the Lance family's Formal dinner. The Lance family members were able to enjoy a more pleasant time than expected, thanks to them. The siblings were outstanding in appearance, pure in character, and vibrant people. Moreover, they were generous with praise and admiration, satisfying each of the Lance family members' pride.
The Lance family members became more fond of the siblings than ever before. In particular, Mr. Lance liked Mr. Fairfax so much that he even offered him his premium cigar after the meal.
Mr. Fairfax readily accepted his offer. Unlike Mr. Dalton, he was more tolerant of the aristocracy's self-praise.
Before they left, Miss Lance asked Mr. Fairfax, who kissed the back of her hand, to convey her regards to Mr. Dalton in Whitefield.
Mr. Fairfax gladly agreed and helped his sister into the carriage. Miss Lance watched the departing carriage with a satisfied smile, pleased that she had achieved her goal.
After that, Miss Lance frequently interacted with the Fairfax siblings. She would occasionally go to Mr. Fairfax's Townhouse for tea or invite them to Concerts or operas to watch performances together.
Although the purpose of this interaction was to inform Ian Dalton of her news, Miss Lance gradually began to enjoy spending time with them.
Miss Janet Fairfax was a lovely young woman and an ardent fan of Miss Lance. She admired Miss Lance's every action and agreed with every opinion, so Miss Lance couldn't help but feel good.
But Mr. Fairfax was an even more worthwhile friend to have.
Until then, Mr. Fairfax was just a nice and handsome gentleman to Miss Lance. But as they interacted more, she realized he was not just a kind man.
He was a man who was as considerate as he was serious. He listened carefully to Miss Lance and expressed his opinions thoughtfully. And each of his words was filled with consideration and wisdom.
Miss Lance had a good eye for people, so she quickly realized that Mr. Fairfax was a wonderful person. Miss Lance was very pleased to learn that Mr. Dalton's best friend was such a great person. So she enjoyed interacting not only with Miss Janet Fairfax but also with Mr. Fairfax.
While Miss Lance was making new friends and sharing the joy of interaction, London's high society was flourishing, reaching its peak day by day. Parties and Balls were held every day. In them, new people constantly flowed in and out like the tide.
Among them, another new person appeared in high society.
Tom Price. At first, he was not very noticeable. This was because he was an unattractive, middle-aged man with a stout stature, a protruding belly, and bulging eyes. But soon it became known that he was an enormously successful tycoon in the stock market from America, and he soon began to attract people's attention.
And before long, he became a subject of considerable interest in London's high society. It was because of his personal charm.
He was British but also very American at the same time. He always bet big in card games, won big, and never held a grudge even after losing big.
Like a businessman, he was always confident and stubborn, and he always looked people straight in the eye when he met them. And he had a broad view of the world and an excellent sense of humor.
Soon, information about him began to circulate at ladies' Tea parties. He was the third son of a British naval captain, and as soon as he finished college, he went to America, where the Civil War had just ended, and made a lot of money selling timber to the South, which was in the midst of reconstruction. With the capital he earned, he jumped into the stock market and is now one of the biggest tycoons in New York.
In the process of his success, he married a fallen Southern lady with outstanding beauty and elegance and lived happily with her for 25 years, during which they had seven children.
The first two were already adults and had either married or established their own businesses and become independent. The five others were young, ranging from thirteen to seven years old, and were currently being raised in America by nannies and tutors.
He was now visiting his homeland for the first time in over 30 years to attend his sister's silver wedding anniversary and was staying in London for an extended period to spend quality time with his family, whom he had not seen in a long time.
As his story was revealed, people began to whisper about whether Mr. Price was frequenting London's high society to find a second wife. Otherwise, there was no need for him to frequent high society so often.
Perhaps he had not forgotten his elegant noble wife, who was now deceased, and was trying to find another lady to fill the empty seat next to him?
It was an interesting story, and Mr. Price's story was brought up whenever the conversation ran dry at Tea parties. The people gathered at the Pendleton family's Tea party were no different.
But Miss Pendleton was not very interested. His wealth and outgoing personality, which were the reasons for his popularity, were not enough to attract her attention. They were such foreign elements to her that they aroused caution rather than curiosity.
But soon, an incident occurred that made it impossible for Miss Pendleton not to be interested in him. It started with a letter.
As usual, Miss Pendleton was sitting in the study, sorting the letters delivered by the servant who had returned from the post office. Invitations to events and notices about household expenses were placed on the left along with Miss Pendleton's personal letters, and letters from friends and relatives to her grandmother were placed on the right.
Having done this for the past 12 years, Miss Pendleton was working like a machine.
As Miss Pendleton placed a picnic invitation with a fancy outer envelope on the left, she checked the sender's name on the white envelope underneath and suddenly stiffened. She looked at the name she was seeing again. The letters in front of her were written so clearly that she could not doubt her eyes.
Gerald. Pendleton.
'Uncle...'
Miss Pendleton's back was covered in goosebumps. Miss Pendleton quickly checked the recipient.
Laura Pendleton. Her name was written there. It was from her uncle to her.
It would not have been so embarrassing if her grandmother's name had been written there instead. The goosebumps that had risen on her spine moved to her shoulders and arms. She shuddered without realizing it.
Miss Pendleton put it down on the bottom, close to her, neither left nor right, and finished sorting the rest of the letters she was holding. Then she checked if there were any receipts that needed to be processed urgently or any letters that needed to be answered immediately.
Fortunately, there were none. She pushed the letters aside for a moment and took out the letter from her uncle from the envelope and unfolded it.
Even as she unfolded the letter, she couldn't believe this situation. Her uncle, who had never even sent a postcard for Christmas or her birthday, was suddenly sending a letter. Miss Pendleton braced herself to see news of someone's obituary from the Pendleton Estate family as she opened the envelope.
The letter started directly without even a proper greeting. There was no courtesy or affection to be found. But Miss Pendleton, who did not expect any warmth from her uncle, thought it was fortunate that she had learned her uncle's intentions quickly.
Surprisingly, her uncle was mentioning Mr. Price in the letter. He was her uncle's college classmate.
Six months ago, her uncle and his second son, Charles, visited America and happened to meet Mr. Price. Mr. Price introduced them to his goddaughter, Joan Jensen, an heiress from a New York conglomerate, and soon love blossomed between Charles Pendleton and Joan Jensen, leading to their engagement.
After the engagement ceremony held in America, Mr. Price came to London first for his silver wedding anniversary, and her uncle was planning to leave later with his son and his fiancée, so the gist of the letter was to invite Mr. Price as a guest and treat him properly until they arrived in London.
At the end of the letter, he ordered her in a cold and overbearing tone to prepare everything without any problems so that Charles and he could stay at the Townhouse.
After reading the letter to the end, Miss Pendleton held her head in her hands for a moment and closed her eyes. She felt as if the neural circuits in her head were being pulled and tangled like a six-year-old child had played with them. All sorts of complicated memories and uneasy prospects tormented her.
Soon her uncle would be coming to the Pendleton family's Townhouse. It had been almost 20 years since she had left the Pendleton family to enter boarding school when she was ten years old. But no matter how much time had passed, the memories of her uncle were not easily forgotten.
She gasped for breath, feeling as if someone was pressing down on her solar plexus. Even though she was an adult, just thinking about her uncle made her feel like a frightened seven-year-old hiding in the nursery, waiting for her uncle's footsteps to fade away.
But she could somehow endure this feeling. Even if it wasn't as much abuse, she had been the target of constant ostracism and gossip for the past 20 years. She had a habit of maintaining her dignity and doing her job even in stressful situations.
No matter how afraid she was of her uncle, if she did her part well, he would surely know that she had become an adult. If so, even if he was cold and aloof, the same thing would never happen again.
In fact, what was most difficult for her was something else. Her uncle's visit would mean a reunion between her grandmother and her uncle. First of all, she didn't know if her grandmother would even let her uncle into the house, but if they did meet, she couldn't imagine what kind of situation would unfold.
The two had not exchanged a single letter of greeting for more than ten years after a messy legal battle. Their resentment towards each other must still be there, so what would happen if they saw each other's faces in this state? Her grandmother was now an old woman who had trouble even sitting down.
'What if they start fighting rashly and my grandmother becomes seriously ill?'
At that thought, Miss Pendleton's heart beat anxiously. Her fingers became as cold as ice. Miss Pendleton recalled what Mr. Webster, who had recently visited, had said.
'She will have a hard time getting through this year. She needs absolute stability, and you must not do anything that will upset her. Take care of her so that she is comfortable. And it is important to keep giving her hope. Tell her often that she will live a long time. Just like I do every time I come to visit.'
