Chapter 44
<44> Jealousy (1)
Soon, the two approached the group, arm in arm. The ladies all rose at once and curtsied. Ian Dalton, removing his hat and bowing politely, soon spotted Miss Pendleton. He stared intently at Miss Pendleton for a moment. But he soon averted his gaze and gave a light bow.
"It's been a while, Miss Pendleton."
Miss Pendleton smiled slightly and quickly introduced Miss Jenson to him.
"This is Miss Joan Jenson. She is engaged to my cousin, Charles Pendleton. She is the goddaughter of Mr. Price, a friend of my uncle."
He glanced at Miss Jenson at the mention of 'Price'. Then he looked at Miss Pendleton with an uncomprehending look. But the expression passed too quickly for Miss Pendleton to notice.
Mr. Dalton greeted Miss Jenson with a curt expression, then looked over Miss Lance and her friends.
"I was looking for you all. May I join you?"
The ladies all agreed. Mr. Dalton joined the ladies.
After he joined, the conversation centered on Miss Lance and Mr. Dalton. This was because Miss Lance's three friends created an atmosphere that pushed the conversation towards the two of them.
Mr. Dalton occasionally paid attention to Miss Lance's three friends, Miss Pendleton, and Miss Jenson, but he mainly talked with Miss Lance. It wasn't that he was deliberately excluding the other ladies, but rather that he wasn't going against the flow.
This was fortunate for Miss Pendleton. She was inwardly very flustered as soon as she encountered Ian Dalton. She had expected to meet him again someday, but she hadn't expected it to be so sudden.
She worried that his feelings might be the same when they met again. However, Mr. Dalton's current actions dispelled her concerns at once. He had no interest in her.
It didn't seem like he was deliberately ignoring her either. She didn't feel like he was angry with her or holding back his emotions. He seemed very comfortable.
'Why? He seemed like he was about to propose in the forest?'
At first, she suspected that he was acting, conscious of what had happened in the forest last time, but Miss Pendleton soon felt ashamed of her suspicion. His behavior was natural. The only difference from the past was that the object of his comfort had changed from herself to Miss Lance.
Miss Pendleton began to think that he either had a clean break, or she had misread Ian's feelings in the forest. At first, she was sure of the former, but gradually, the possibility of the latter began to weigh more heavily.
Strictly speaking, he never properly expressed his feelings. She had only jumped to conclusions based on non-verbal expressions such as his eyes, expressions, and voice. What if he had been persistently visiting her since the picnic to clear up her misunderstanding?
Thinking that, she couldn't help but feel ashamed deep down. She began to focus on Miss Jenson, who was talking to her, to hide her embarrassment.
Therefore, Miss Pendleton did not notice Ian Dalton's gaze that occasionally lingered on her face.
From the moment he knew that Miss Pendleton was in the same space, Ian had been using all his self-control to suppress the attention that kept trying to focus on her. But no matter how hard he tried, his gaze kept drifting towards Miss Pendleton without him realizing it.
It had been a while. She was still the same as he remembered. Neat auburn hair arranged in a hairnet. Deep gray eyes in gentle eyes. Long eyelashes. A small and neat nose. But he immediately noticed. That her skin was paler than before, and her jawline was more defined because she had lost weight. As soon as he noticed that, he felt restless and unbearable.
But none of them noticed Mr. Dalton's heart.
That the reason Mr. Dalton was sitting here was only because of Miss Pendleton. That he was already completely distracted by Miss Pendleton's every move, and occasionally missed the flow of the ladies' conversation. That he was restraining himself so much to not reveal his feelings for Miss Pendleton that all his muscles were stiff.
They were just looking at Mr. Dalton's handsome appearance sitting next to Miss Lance, and were only admiring how well the two looked together.
"Mr. Dalton!"
Miss Lance called him, who was lost in the side view of Miss Pendleton.
"Ah, yes. Miss Lance."
Miss Lance asked playfully.
"Guess which university we each bet on."
He regained his polite appearance and responded gently to Miss Lance.
"Well, Miss Wilkes and Miss Orson must have bet on Oxford. Their brothers graduated from Oxford. But, I have no idea about Miss Donovan and Miss Lance."
"Miss Donovan is also Oxford. Miss Donovan's maternal family are all from Oxford."
"Hmm, then Miss Lance is my only hope. Where did Miss Lance bet?"
"Guess!"
"I'll bet you bet on Cambridge."
"Why?"
"If everyone bets on Oxford, the bet won't be established. Also……"
"Also?"
"I hope there is at least one person on my side among the ladies. It would be an honor if Miss Lance would be on my side."
At Mr. Dalton's gentle reply, Miss Lance covered her reddened face with a fan.
Listening to the conversation between the two, Miss Pendleton felt her throat burning. She said she was going to get a drink for a while and left her seat.
Behind the VIP seats, a buffet tent with various refreshments was prepared. She drank a cold fruit drink there. But her stuffy heart did not improve at all.
It was etiquette to return quickly, but she didn't feel like it. She turned her back to the seats facing the Thames and began to walk towards the sparse lawn. She felt strange for some reason. An unpleasant feeling for an unknown reason. Was it because she went to a social gathering for the first time in a while? Or……
The image of Miss Lance and Mr. Dalton sitting side by side came to her mind again. She bit her lip. Her heart sank heavily. Why? In fact, she knew the answer.
Because she had admitted her feelings for him on the day he left London. However, she had tightly closed her feelings for him, thinking that they could not be reached. But what is this feeling now?
She suddenly realized that she was caressing the pearl pendant she was wearing around her neck. It was the answer to the question. That her heart was wavering. That the feelings for him were trying to force open the locked door again.
Miss Pendleton stroked the violet carving and calmed her heart.
His heart is already closed. That's a good thing. So let's close my heart again. A crush that doesn't know its place makes people miserable. I have already realized that fact to the bone through various experiences and observations. So calm down. Calm your heart, Laura Pendleton.
"Miss Pendleton."
Miss Pendleton was startled and looked to the side. Ian Dalton was standing next to her, she didn't know when he came.
"Mr. Dalton……!"
She looked at him with a surprised face. He was looking at her with an expressionless face. Miss Pendleton noticed that he had lost a little weight than she remembered. She was worried. Was he sick somewhere?
He looked at Miss Pendleton with his black eyes for a moment, then handed her what he was holding.
"Oh my."
Miss Pendleton's face turned red. The feather attached to her hat was in his hand.
"Don't worry. I caught it before it fell to the ground."
Miss Pendleton quickly took the feather. How could she make such a mistake? Miss Pendleton blushed. He saw Miss Pendleton's flushed face and gave a faint smile.
"It's been a while."
"Yes. Really."
"How have you been?"
Miss Pendleton nodded. They both knew it was a lie.
"That's a relief. The ladies are looking for Miss Pendleton because you haven't returned to your seat."
Running errands for the ladies. It was something that was hard to see from the previous Mr. Dalton.
"Oh dear. I bothered Mr. Dalton."
"No. Serving the ladies is a great pleasure for me. Didn't Miss Pendleton tell me that friendship with the ladies can be enjoyable?"
Miss Pendleton said nothing. He held out one arm to her, meaning to return. Miss Pendleton took his arm, and they began to walk back to the VIP seats where the ladies were.
"How was it while you were in Whitefield?"
"It wasn't a pleasant time. I was so busy with overdue work that I was out of my mind."
"There can't be only pleasure in duty. By the way, does coming to London like this mean that all the work is finished?"
"So-so. I somehow wanted to come to London. Whitefield didn't feel as comfortable as it used to be."
"Oh my. Why? You love Whitefield more than anything."
"Well. I think life in London had some influence on me. For example, interactions with people like the Morton couple that Miss Pendleton introduced me to. After meeting such a harmonious couple, Whitefield somehow felt unbearably lonely."
Mr. Dalton suddenly stopped walking.
"I have a request, would you like to take a walk over there with me for a moment?"
"But, the other ladies will be waiting."
"My business will be over in 3 minutes."
Miss Pendleton nodded. They walked away from the crowd for a while. A promenade with lush trees. Mr. Dalton paused for a moment and said.
"I kept repeating what Miss Pendleton said in Whitefield. Soulmate. Harmonious life between men and women. Yes, maybe I was impressed by those words. Whitefield needs a mistress. So, I came to London."
Miss Pendleton held her breath and listened to his words. She couldn't guess what words would come out of Mr. Dalton's lips. If it wasn't for his appearance a while ago, she would have guessed that he was going to propose again, but now she couldn't understand his heart at all.
He stopped. And he looked down at Miss Pendleton seriously.
"Miss Pendleton, through interacting with you, I finally realized that I am living a lonely life. I need a wife. And, you are the only one who can help me with that."
