Chapter 59
<59> Exit (1)
The next day, Ms. Abigail Pendleton passed away.
Her final moments were heartbreaking. After conveying all the words she wanted to say to her granddaughter, Lady Abigail lost consciousness, and thereafter, her awareness flickered on and off.
Like her body, her consciousness was no longer fully hers. However, as soon as the lawyer and notary arrived early in the morning, she had a servant bring ammonia to forcibly regain her senses and added a new clause to her will.
While her grandmother was newly consulting with the notary and lawyer about the will, Miss Pendleton, despite being exhausted from nursing her grandmother all night, sent swift servants to find her uncle.
No matter how strained their relationship had become again, it was unacceptable for the head of the family to be absent when she might be facing her imminent death.
After the lawyer and notary left, Miss Pendleton returned to her grandmother. Her grandmother was unconscious. She moaned and then flickered her eyes open again.
Sometimes she looked for her deceased husband, sometimes for Dolores, and sometimes she called Gerald's name. But the name she called most often was Laura.
Miss Pendleton sat by her grandmother's side, kissing her hand and praying and praying. To her mother in heaven, asking for a miracle to make her grandmother rise again. To miraculously recover.
But the miracle did not happen. That afternoon, Ms. Abigail Pendleton passed away. She was 72 years old.
After Mr. Webster's death diagnosis, Miss Pendleton went into her room in tears. And she curled up and cried for a long time.
There were times when she resented her grandmother and wanted to escape. She had even thought that her grandmother was obsessed with her deceased mother, making her live in an unsuitable place and making her life unhappy.
But even in that moment of thinking that, she loved her grandmother. She had never not loved her. The grandmother who had given her the love she had never received from her own mother and who had protected her more than her own father. She had truly loved her.
But now her grandmother was gone. As she had vaguely dreamed, she was now free, but the love that had supported and embraced her had now disappeared forever.
Miss Pendleton struggled and sobbed for a while. But the disposition she had worked to make her own gradually dried her tears. A disposition that values judgment over emotion.
She had things to do. Now she had to call the undertaker, embalm the body, prepare for the funeral, and write letters to relatives to inform them of the death. All of those things were what she should do.
Miss Pendleton struggled to get up. And she sat down at the desk in the corner of the room that she used for writing letters. And she took out her address book and began to look for the address of the relative who came to mind first.
But then, there was a knock. A servant came in and said that Gerald Pendleton was looking for her. The uncle she had been looking for had returned.
Miss Pendleton immediately got up, changed into mourning clothes, and went to the study.
Gerald Pendleton was looking out the window in a gray suit. Miss Pendleton approached him.
"Uncle. Did you call for me?"
Gerald Pendleton said nothing.
"We need to prepare for Grandmother's funeral. Do you have any undertakers or pastors in mind? May I proceed at my discretion?"
Gerald Pendleton turned to his niece.
"You have nothing to do now."
"What..."
"I'll give you an hour. Pack your bags and leave this house immediately."
Miss Pendleton flinched. She felt the hatred pouring out of his eyes towards her. It was colder and greater than when he had trampled on her hand last time.
"It's best not to go near any place related to the Pendleton Estate. Unless you want to float as a corpse in the Kem River."
"...I'll have the oldest maid in the house take charge of the funeral arrangements. But, Uncle. You're not going to keep me from even attending the funeral, are you?"
"I clearly told you to get out of the Pendleton Estate forever within an hour, Laura Pendleton."
Miss Pendleton bit her lip.
"I'm Grandmother's granddaughter. I have the right to attend Grandmother's funeral."
"Yes, I've had enough of how well you know your rights. Even if our family is on the verge of ruin to protect your rights, you don't care."
"..."
"Tom Price withdrew the funds he was going to invest in my eldest son's business. And he left for America. He must have been humiliated to be rejected by you."
Gerald Pendleton gritted his teeth. As Miss Pendleton had expected, he was blaming her for Mr. Price's withdrawal from the business.
"You can't come back to the Pendleton Estate again. I can't even tolerate you using the Pendleton name. Live with your father's name now. Not Laura Pendleton, but Laura Sheldon."
Miss Pendleton was chilled by his cold attitude. He had always despised her, but this was the first time he had acted like this. He had never been so filled with hatred for her.
But she had one last thing to do, something she had to do.
"Uncle, I have no lingering feelings for the Pendleton Estate. No affection, no greed. My only wish is to repay the grace Grandmother gave me until she passed away and to leave this place after seeing the sand covering her coffin. That's all I want. So, please allow me to attend the funeral."
Miss Pendleton bowed her head.
"I'll give up five thousand pounds. I'll ask to be removed from the list of heirs. It wasn't my money in the first place. So please, allow me to pay my last respects."
Gerald Pendleton looked at his bowed niece.
"Anyway, there's no property for you to go to."
Miss Pendleton raised her head and looked at him. He raised one corner of his mouth and smiled.
"The lawyer and notary are both very responsible. But not more than 10,000 pounds."
"...Are you saying that you arbitrarily changed Grandmother's will?"
"I didn't change it. I just asked them to pretend they didn't hear the nonsense your grandmother was spouting in her delirium just before her death."
Miss Pendleton bit her lip.
"Uncle, that's illegal. You know that. Above all, it's something that tarnishes the Pendleton family."
"I don't want to be lectured by someone like you. Get your body out of this house quickly. You've already contaminated our family beyond repair."
Despite the humiliating words, Miss Pendleton was just dumbfounded. Her uncle, who valued his family so much, was trying to drive her out penniless, even doing things that he should never do as the head of the family. It was a ridiculous act.
"You really hate me, Uncle. To give out 20,000 pounds to take away the 5,000 pounds that would come to me. Amazing."
"Don't be surprised, Laura Pendleton. And let me give you one piece of advice, just know that it's no use going outside and shouting that you've been robbed of your property. The will was written a long time ago. It's been widely known that Charles Pendleton inherits everything. Everyone will think you're crazy, not suspect me."
Miss Pendleton knew that was true all too well. Miss Pendleton became cold. That property was nothing. She had no regrets because it wasn't hers in the first place.
"Don't worry. Charles Pendleton will have everything. I don't have the money to hire a lawyer, and even if I did, you'd drag out the lawsuit in every way possible to make me give up. Just like you did in the legal battle with Grandmother."
"You know it well."
Miss Pendleton smiled.
"Until now, I've never really understood my mother. I only resented her. But now I understand. Why my mother desperately ran away from the Pendleton Estate. Why she abandoned all wealth and fame and took the hand of my penniless father. Uncle, you're a terrible person. I'd rather sleep under cobwebs in a leaky shack than be under your protection."
Gerald Pendleton's face hardened. Miss Pendleton knelt down and bowed politely.
"Thank you for putting up with me so far. Please faithfully protect Grandmother's last moments."
She turned around. Gerald Pendleton's resolute voice was heard behind her as she opened the door to the study.
"Exactly one hour. If you're still in this house after an hour, you'll be dragged out by the servants you've been using until now."
"Don't worry, Uncle. Being under the same roof as you is terrible for me, not just an hour, but even thirty minutes."
Miss Pendleton closed the study door.
* * *
Ms. Abigail Pendleton's death brought deep sorrow not only to her family but also to the servants who had been her hands and feet.
The death of the kind, thoughtful, witty, and affectionate noblewoman was enough to sadden the servants who had become deeply attached to her. They each soaked their handkerchiefs with tears and mourned her death to the fullest.
Ann, who was sobbing with the other maids in the kitchen, received a call from her mistress. Ann quickly rubbed her eyes and went upstairs. Thinking that Miss Pendleton would give instructions for the funeral.
She would surely be faithful to her duties even while being immersed in sorrow. Because that's the kind of person Miss Pendleton is.
Ann climbed the stairs, thinking about how to offer words of comfort to Miss Pendleton.
But when she opened the door, a scene that Ann could not have imagined unfolded. Her mistress's room was a mess. The closet, drawers, dressing table, and every drawer were all open. A large trunk bag was spread out on the bed, and next to it, all kinds of clothes were piled up like a mountain.
Ann barely found Miss Pendleton in the chaos. She was rummaging through the books and documents in the bedside table next to the bed. Ann approached her.
"Miss, what are you doing?"
Miss Pendleton said without taking her eyes off the documents.
"You've come at the right time, Ann. I have a lot to ask of you. Among those clothes, pick out clothes that are suitable for a governess to wear."
"Ah, Miss, but it's too early. Why are you already... when we haven't even held the funeral yet?"
"My uncle told me to leave right away. He said he'd call the servants and kick me out if I didn't leave within an hour. He's a great person, isn't he?"
Miss Pendleton retorted in a bitter voice. Ann was dumbfounded.
"Now, you're saying that he's going to kick you out without even properly holding Ms. Pendleton's funeral?"
"Yes. Within an hour. 10 minutes have passed now. But I haven't even been able to pack my clothes or documents properly, what am I doing? Hurry up and move."
Ann was dumbfounded, but she knew well enough how cruel Gerald Pendleton's personality was. Ann couldn't bear to see her mistress being dragged out. She quickly began to sort the clothes.
