Chapter 53
Miss Pendleton turned to him.
“Thank you, Mr. Price. I know it would have been much easier for you to speak directly to Uncle Gerald. You could have easily put pressure on me through him. You spared me the pain.”
At Miss Pendleton's soft voice, Mr. Price bowed his head deeply.
“Miss Pendleton, I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Joan berated me late into the night yesterday, but still… Really, have you never, not even once, had any feelings for marrying me?”
His voice was almost tearful. Miss Pendleton steeled her weakening heart.
“Yes, Mr. Price. I’m sorry, but it’s true. I’ve never thought of you as anything more than Uncle Gerald’s close friend.”
At Miss Pendleton's words, a distant shadow fell over his face.
“I’ve been acting in an unimaginable, disgraceful way towards Miss Pendleton all this time.”
Miss Pendleton started to say something but then closed her mouth.
“Miss Pendleton, I am utterly ashamed. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I always thought you had feelings for me but were just refusing because you are a discreet person. I never imagined that it was because you genuinely didn’t want me. How awful my behavior must have seemed all this time…!”
“Mr. Price, don’t blame yourself. It was all a misunderstanding, just a small incident. Forget it. I’ve already forgotten it all.”
“No. I won’t be able to forget it. I’ve never been so rude to a lady in my life. Not even when I courted Eleanor. I waited three years as she asked and finally won her over. But I couldn’t do that with Miss Pendleton. I thought there was no reason to wait. I thought your mind was already made up, so there was no need to waste time.”
“Mr. Price…”
“No, Miss Pendleton, I won’t trouble you again after today, so please hear me out to the end. Give me time to excuse myself. Otherwise, I’ll be too ashamed to live.”
Miss Pendleton calmly closed her mouth. Mr. Price bowed his head, gripping the terrace railing.
“I was thoroughly deceived. By your Uncle Gerald Pendleton. Gerald Pendleton was trying to secure investment for his eldest son’s business ventures, and I was the bait. Coming to England, I realized it for sure. Gerald’s eldest son is a useless fool, a weak simpleton. Just like Charles Pendleton. He’s already ruined several businesses, drastically shrinking the family’s fortune, and now he’s embarking on another venture. A business that’s fundamentally flawed from the start. Yet, I was going to invest in it.”
Mr. Price pounded the railing with his fist as he spoke.
“The thought of winning you over made me lose my mind. To fall for such a trick after living for over 50 years. But I was desperate. Especially after seeing you. The truth is, I was so worried that Gerald wouldn’t give you to me that I did everything he asked.”
Mr. Price raised his head and looked at Miss Pendleton. Tears welled up in his large, cow-like eyes.
“Miss Pendleton, at first, I just wanted someone to warm my seat. I thought it would be even better if it was a beautiful maiden from my homeland. But, after meeting you, I genuinely fell in love with you. Most of my actions were sincere. And what I can’t bear the most right now is not that I can’t have you, but that I made things difficult for you.”
Miss Pendleton just looked at Mr. Price quietly. She could feel the sincerity in every word he spoke. She believed that he genuinely loved her, and that he did love her. It was unfortunate. She could never accept those feelings.
“Please forgive Uncle Gerald. And forgive me, too, for only being able to refuse your feelings. I hope you don’t suffer from this for too long. I will only feel gratitude for Mr. Price’s courtship.”
Mr. Price looked at Miss Pendleton for a moment. Her compassionate expression and soft eyes filled his vision. Regret began to mix with his brimming sorrow.
“Miss Pendleton, I will leave for America tomorrow. And I will never return to England. I am an American man. Born in England, but American to the core. So, before that, for one last time, just once more, I will ask.”
He turned away from the railing. And stood facing her.
“Miss Pendleton, forgetting everything that has happened, won’t you take a ship with me?”
“Mr. Price. That’s an impossible request.”
“Not as my wife, but as my friend. I won’t ask for anything. Just, be my companion for one hour each day. In exchange, I will give you everything I have. I, I… I simply cannot leave you under the protection of a scoundrel like Gerald!”
“Thank you for your concern. But, I won’t be under Uncle Gerald’s protection forever. I plan to become independent, even to protect myself. So please, help me to leave Mr. Price with only gratitude.”
Miss Pendleton politely cut off his proposal. Mr. Price’s shoulders slumped.
Feeling that there was no hope, he bowed respectfully to her.
“Please forgive my rudeness until now. Miss Pendleton. I hope you are always happy.”
Mr. Price left the spot.
She was left alone on the terrace. Miss Pendleton looked at the empty space where Mr. Price had stood and thought.
‘Now, it’s all over.’
Completely over. Mr. Price, too. And life as a Pendleton, too.
When he leaves for America tomorrow, Uncle Gerald will know that she has completely rejected the proposal. She couldn’t even imagine how Uncle Gerald would react, but one thing was certain. Her life as the daughter of a Count was now completely over as of today.
Mr. Price’s words that the Pendleton Estate’s finances were dwindling. Hearing those words, the pieces of Uncle Gerald’s actions fit perfectly.
Going all the way to America to find an fiancée for his second son. Trying to offer his niece to Mr. Price to get an investment. Being mindful of Miss Jenson. It was all because of the Pendleton family’s financial situation.
Perhaps Mr. Price would be very angry about this and cancel his investment decision. The Pendleton family’s finances would worsen, and then Uncle Gerald would blame her for everything.
Miss Pendleton recalled Uncle Gerald’s appearance when he trampled on her hand yesterday.
“Ugh…”
She clenched and unclenched her throbbing hand, remembering the incident. The swelling had gone down completely, but the throbbing pain continued throughout the day. She looked at her right hand and thought. Something worse than what had been done to this hand might be waiting for her.
Thinking that, she felt a twisting fear in her stomach. Uncle Gerald’s anger, shouting, violence. All of them were traumas that she couldn’t overcome.
Nevertheless, she did not regret rejecting Mr. Price’s proposal. Accepting his proposal was never on her list of options in the first place.
Tap-
Miss Pendleton, lost in thought, heard footsteps. The heavy sound of a gentleman’s shoes. She looked towards the sound without much thought. And froze in place.
Beside that thick banner, Mr. Dalton was standing.
Miss Pendleton’s heart beat rapidly. How long had he been standing there? Had he perhaps heard the conversation between Mr. Price and her?
“You were here. I’ve been looking for you.”
“Wh, what brings you here…”
Mr. Dalton approached her with a bright, unfeigned expression.
“I was wondering if I could get a lesson before asking another lady to dance later. It would be a disaster if I stepped on her foot while dancing with a lady I like.”
Mr. Dalton stood in front of Miss Pendleton and looked at her face in a friendly manner.
“Please help me, Miss Pendleton.”
Mr. Dalton’s expression was full of playfulness. There was no hesitation in his tone at all. Miss Pendleton thought that he clearly hadn’t heard what had just happened with Mr. Price.
She was relieved. As the tension disappeared, she was also quite pleased with Mr. Dalton’s presence. After being immersed in bad feelings, seeing him cleared her mind.
She smiled softly.
“The terrace happens to be spacious. And there’s no one here. But the music…”
Just then, waltz music began to play from the hall. Miss Pendleton smiled.
“Alright. Give me your hand.”
Mr. Dalton extended his hand to her. She placed one hand on his and the other on his shoulder. Mr. Dalton wrapped his arm around Miss Pendleton’s slender waist.
The music filling the ballroom echoed out to the terrace. The two slowly moved their feet to the music. Miss Pendleton paid attention to Mr. Dalton’s steps.
“You haven’t forgotten a thing, Mr. Dalton.”
“Nor have I progressed any further.”
“If you progress any further than this, the ladies will misunderstand. They’ll think you’re a playboy who loves to dance.”
Mr. Dalton chuckled softly. But his eyes were not smiling. They were fixed on Miss Pendleton’s face.
“Tell me, Miss Pendleton. Tell me that I’m not following the music at all. That if a lady dances with me, all the affection she had for me will disappear. That my sense of rhythm is terrible, and if I want to dance with any lady other than you, I should first become a student and learn only to dance from you for a few days.”
Miss Pendleton shook her head at Mr. Dalton’s playful words.
“It’s the opposite. I don’t know which lady you have in mind, but she will fall even more in love with you as she dances with you.”
Miss Lance came to Miss Pendleton’s mind.
‘Perhaps she is already so deeply in love with you that she couldn’t possibly fall any further.’
