Chapter 34
Mrs. Lance chuckled.
"You don't know it yet, dear. Many couples live like that."
"That's absurd. It's truly disgusting. You can't call that a normal marital relationship."
"Yes, it's disgusting. And not normal. So, if you don't want to end up like that..."
But Miss Lance wasn't even listening to her mother.
"Mom, isn't it awful? Even if she's living under her mother's name, not her father's, she's still a Count's daughter. And she has to entrust herself to such an uncultured, pot-bellied old man from America. How does English society even work?"
"Well, it is awful. Awful indeed. So, if you don't want to end up in that situation, keep your wits about you and make sure you catch Mr. Dalton. Time is never on a woman's side, you know. Miss Pendleton doesn't realize that, and that's why she's still a 'Miss' to this day. It's fortunate for her that Mr. Price has appeared, even now."
Miss Lance, who had been shuddering with sympathy for Miss Pendleton, widened her eyes at her mother's words.
"Mom, do you think Miss Pendleton should accept Mr. Price's courtship?"
"Of course. What other clever solution does Miss Pendleton have besides catching Mr. Price?"
Miss Lance replied with disgust.
"Is that Miss Pendleton's only option? If that's true, Miss Pendleton would be better off dead!"
"Don't talk nonsense, dear. Mr. Price is incredibly wealthy. If she becomes his wife, she can live grandly in New York society as Mrs. Price. That's better than dying, and much, much better than living as an old maid like she is now. If she misses this opportunity, Miss Pendleton will literally end up on the streets. That's what I'd call a situation where dying would be better."
However, even if Mrs. Lance said this, it wouldn't resonate with Miss Lance, who had never known the meaning of poverty. She responded to her mother's views with endless contempt and denial, grating on Mrs. Lance's nerves.
Eventually, frustrated by her daughter, who closed her ears to her teachings and spoke her mind, Mrs. Lance flicked her cute daughter Miss Lance on the forehead to shut her up.
But that only fueled her resentment towards her mother. And in proportion, her sympathy for Miss Pendleton grew even larger in Miss Lance's heart. She desperately wanted to confide in someone and seek empathy.
However, her friends had already been brainwashed by their respective mothers and believed that Miss Pendleton should rightfully accept Mr. Price's proposal. She felt quite unpleasant when her friends, who generally agreed with her, opposed her opinion on this matter.
She needed someone who would agree with her opinion. She thought for a moment and soon decided to visit Miss Fairfax, who always agreed with her no matter what.
Under the pretext of taking a walk, she put on a pretty outdoor dress, took a parasol, and went to the Fairfax residence. Miss Janet was receiving piano lessons from her piano teacher, and Mr. Fairfax was working in his study, so he greeted Miss Lance in the drawing room.
The two exchanged simple greetings and updates while drinking tea. Soon, Miss Lance confided in him the thoughts in her heart.
"Everyone seems to think that Miss Pendleton should accept Mr. Price's courtship. It's a really unfair situation for Miss Pendleton. Don't you think?"
Mr. Fairfax sighed. He felt bitter about the topic as well.
"Indeed, Miss Lance. Miss Pendleton is in a very difficult situation. It's an absurd courtship, but he's a friend of her uncle and a person with much more authority than her, so it won't be easy for her to refuse him outright."
"Besides, he's incredibly old! Twenty-four years older!"
"Yes. The age difference, that's the biggest problem, really. This is a humiliating situation for Miss Pendleton."
Miss Lance sighed. It felt like a weight had been lifted from her chest to have someone agree with her. She looked at Mr. Fairfax, who agreed with her story, with affectionate eyes and chattered in an excited voice.
"If Miss Pendleton's circumstances were just a little better, she wouldn't have to suffer such humiliation. It's really unfortunate. Is it so difficult for Mr. Pendleton to show his niece some mercy?"
"Well..."
"Considering how much Miss Pendleton has taken care of Mrs. Pendleton, he could certainly create a dowry for her."
"That's a family matter, so I can't say anything."
"But it's so heartless. If Miss Pendleton had at least 5,000 pounds in her name, she could marry a young man her age. Of course, he'd be a rising gentry or a middle-class professional, but he'd still be better than Mr. Price."
Mr. Fairfax thought for a moment before speaking.
"It's certainly true that Miss Pendleton is in a disadvantageous situation because she doesn't have a dowry. But, I don't think that's the biggest problem. It's unfortunate that people are unfairly judging her based on prejudice. People don't know Miss Pendleton well."
However, Miss Lance was so excited about this issue that she was already hearing the other person's words in her own way.
"Yes, that's what I think too. That Miss Pendleton is in an unfair situation because she has no money and is hated by her head of household. She was originally an impeccable young lady from a Count's family and originally had a large dowry to return to, but she's being pointed at because of her bloodline. If Miss Pendleton's mother had married a proper aristocrat, this would never have happened. It's not like Miss Pendleton wanted to be born to such parents..."
Mr. Fairfax stopped her gently.
"Miss Lance, I think we're delving too deeply into Miss Pendleton's personal matters."
Miss Lance stopped talking. And soon, her face flushed with embarrassment.
"I hope you know that I didn't mean to speak ill of Miss Pendleton."
Mr. Fairfax smiled kindly and said soothingly.
"Of course. I know that Miss Lance has good feelings towards Miss Pendleton. But it would be better to stop talking about Miss Pendleton. Miss Pendleton is in a disadvantageous situation, but she is still someone who can create a good life for herself. The entire social circle doesn't need to gossip in the name of concern."
Mr. Fairfax's tone was gentle but firm. Miss Lance's pride was hurt when she realized that her words were being evaluated as 'gossip,' and she felt no less ashamed. If Mr. Fairfax was saying this much to her, she must have really acted foolishly just now.
She thought of Mr. Fairfax as a wise gentleman, so she quickly admitted that her behavior was wrong and decided not to speak carelessly in front of him anymore.
However, apart from her shame, she was taking this situation practically in her mind. Her intention was to be careful so that Mr. Fairfax would not describe her negatively in the letter he sent to Mr. Dalton.
Of course, Mr. Fairfax did not describe her 'gossip' in the letter he sent to Mr. Dalton. Mr. Fairfax was not the type to speak ill of a lady, and Miss Lance was completely unaware of how men sent letters to each other.
Letters exchanged between men were often replaced by the wonderful invention of the telegram, and when they had to write a letter, they tended to save each word as if each letter cost money, reducing it to the bare essentials.
There was no room in Mr. Fairfax's extremely concise letter to Mr. Dalton to include Miss Lance's foolishness.
Then, what kind of letter would Mr. Fairfax send to Mr. Dalton? It was mainly a concise report on the recent situation of himself, his sister Janet, and Miss Pendleton, who could be considered Mr. Dalton's only acquaintance in London.
This was because Mr. Dalton had asked Mr. Fairfax to briefly inform him of Miss Pendleton's recent situation immediately after leaving London. He lightly dismissed it, thinking that Ian had become quite close to Miss Pendleton, and regularly sent stories about Miss Pendleton to Whitefield.
However, Mr. Fairfax could not accurately tell him about Miss Pendleton's recent situation these days. The courtship of an old gentleman that was exhausting her mind and body. This was a very personal matter and a humiliating thing to be known.
Thinking of Miss Pendleton's honor, Mr. Fairfax simply wrote that her uncle's friend had come to London and was interacting with her frequently, and sealed the letter. Then, he called the butler to have the letter sent.
At that time, the butler happened to bring him a letter. It was from his sister-in-law from Dunville Park.
He gave his letter to the butler and received his sister-in-law's letter to read.
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Dear Mr. Fairfax. How have you been? Miss Janet must still be going crazy because she loves London so much, right? Well, there's no point in asking about that. There's no gentleman who can take care of himself as well as Mr. William, and there are few young ladies who can enjoy London life as much as Miss Janet.
The reason I'm sending this letter isn't to convey trivial greetings. It's to complain to you.
Mr. Fairfax, how could you do this to me? You didn't tell me that a suitable match had appeared for our Ian (not little Ian, but the troublemaker who's of marriageable age and stuck in the Estate, picking his ears)? You know that Ian's marriage is my top priority, even more than my health problems and even my children's future!
Ah, maybe I was just oblivious. I didn't realize sooner that the lady who often appears in Mr. William's letters, Miss Laura Pendleton, was the main character.
Since Ian doesn't seem to want to say anything himself, Mr. William will have to answer. How old is that lady? What is her family relationship? How tall is she? Are there any consumptives or harelips in her immediate family?
Mr. William, you must write down everything you know and send it to me. Because you have willingly taken on the role of the London branch manager of the 'Ian Dalton Marriage Committee' for me.
Well, I'll be waiting for your reply.
Feeling a slight sense of betrayal,
Still your friend,
Mrs. Robert Margaret Fairfax.
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Mr. Fairfax was so flustered that he felt like his brain had stopped. What is this? A person who will be Ian's match has appeared? And that the main character is Miss Pendleton? Did I read that correctly?
He put down the letter and pondered for a moment about what he had missed in Ian Dalton's London life. And soon, he smacked his forehead.
'What an idiot! How could I not have noticed until now! Why else would Ian Dalton, who hates socializing, have been visiting the Pendleton residence so often!'
He immediately called the butler and had the letter he had asked for returned. Then, he tore the letter to shreds, picked up paper, and began to write a new letter. It was about the difficulties Miss Pendleton was recently experiencing.
He wrote in detail but did not exaggerate. If it was clear that Ian Dalton was in love, it would be a situation where his blood would run cold even without exaggeration.
Mr. Fairfax instructed that the letter be sent by express mail, and thanks to this, the letter flew to Yorkshire Whitefield in less than two days.
Ian wondered what was going on that the letter was sent by express mail and tore open the envelope to look at the letter.
And as he read the letter, his face hardened. As soon as he finished reading the letter, he put it down on the desk. And then he fell silent for a while without saying anything.
His eyes were staring at each letter in the letter.
