Chapter 60
<Chapter 60> Departure (2)
The attire of a governess. It was something ambiguous. It had to be more elegant than the maids' uniforms but look more modest than her employers. Flashy jewelry was not allowed, and dresses that revealed the collarbone or emphasized the hips were, of course, forbidden.
Ann was perplexed. Miss Pendleton was more frugal than other socialites, but she was still a noble young lady who frequented London society. Most of her clothes were formal attire commonly worn in aristocratic circles.
Formal dinner dresses, Ball evening gowns, dresses for tea parties or outings. There wasn't a single item, be it a hat or gloves, that wasn't luxurious. Out of Miss Pendleton's twenty dresses, Ann could only find three that were suitable as a governess.
A gray gauze dress with black vine embroidery on the edges. A plain green tartan dress. And a brown silk dress that would look decent if worn with a somewhat precarious but modest cape.
She folded those clothes into the trunk. Half of the trunk was filled. Miss Pendleton filled the remaining half with bundles of letters and her books, a Latin Bible and a collection of epic poems in Greek, a German philosophy book, and a few essays in French.
Miss Pendleton instructed Ann to burn all unnecessary documents and letters, then went to the dressing table. She folded her favorite hairnets and packed them in her pocket, then poured all the jewelry she had into a small cloth bag and placed it deep inside the trunk.
Then, she packed plain gloves, shoes, and shawls into the trunk. After much deliberation, she included a pure white lace shawl.
Soon, Ann returned after burning all the documents. Miss Pendleton was looking around the room to see if anything was missing.
"Then, you will come to the funeral, won't you?"
Miss Pendleton shook her head.
"Then, when the will is read?"
Miss Pendleton smiled.
"There will be no property for me to inherit."
"Why?"
"Uncle changed the will. Or rather, he forged it. All I have now is what's in this trunk."
Ann rushed to Miss Pendleton.
"That's impossible! You even called a lawyer. There was a notary too."
"They became rich from this. Uncle gave them 10,000 pounds each."
"That's absurd. How could he be so wicked!"
Miss Pendleton silently went to the desk and gathered a notebook and some writing utensils. Ann approached Miss Pendleton and said,
"Sue him, Miss!"
"Sue?"
"Yes, Miss. Sue him. You know my fiancé is a lawyer, right? Of course, he's only been at the firm for less than a year, but he's capable and smart. He's already won three trials. He hasn't lost once. If he knows this situation, he will fight for you!"
Miss Pendleton stared at Ann. Then she put her hand on her shoulder and stroked it.
"Thank you, Ann."
"Don't mention it. You have always been warm and kind to me. You always overlooked my mistakes when I first started serving you, and you gave me extra salary as a congratulatory gift every time my sisters, whom you've never even met, got married... Well, first, after the will is read, I'll testify about what I heard..."
"Ann."
Ann looked at her. She shook her head.
"Miss! We can't back down like this. Forging a will is clearly illegal! You will definitely win! Don't you want to get back your grandmother's last inheritance?"
"I want to get it back. Of course. But I can't sacrifice so much for something that's impossible."
"Impossible? Do you mean there's no evidence? I have ears! And what else is there to sacrifice?"
"Your marriage."
"Pardon?"
"Our uncle never loses. He's not someone who will ever lose. If you think about the legal battle between Grandmother and Uncle 20 years ago, you'll understand. He bought dozens of lawyers and dragged it on for years, exhausting Grandmother. For a full seven years. Even Grandmother, who was so wealthy, eventually gave up. I believe your fiancé is capable, but he will miss opportunities to take on other cases because of this. And that much, your marriage will be postponed indefinitely. 5 years, or maybe even 10 years."
"I'm fine with that. I'll postpone my marriage if it means clearing your name, Miss."
Miss Pendleton shook her head.
"No matter how I think about it, this is a loss. Ann. Even if we win, there won't be anything left for me after paying the legal fees. It's better to focus on teaching children during that time. And it wasn't originally my money anyway. Forget it. Let's forget about it."
Ann stamped her feet, shouting, "But, but," and then burst into tears.
"It's so unfair!"
Miss Pendleton stared silently at Ann, who was sobbing. Ann, who had always been more concerned about her affairs than she was. Ann, who vented the emotions she always suppressed. She was her precious friend. More precious than the relationships she had made in society.
"I'm okay. I'm okay. I have some savings that I've been accumulating. And I have knowledge in my head. There won't be a governess in London who knows as much as I do. I can live on my own, Ann. So stop. Stop crying. Don't break my heart."
Miss Pendleton comforted Ann. By the time Ann stopped crying, there were only about 10 minutes left.
Miss Pendleton asked Ann to give away the expensive dresses, hats, gloves, and shoes that she couldn't take with her to the maids as farewell gifts. And she handed her a paper bag, asking her to give one pound each to the male servants inside. Ann burst into tears again because of her Miss, who was doing her best as an owner until the very end.
Miss Pendleton went downstairs wearing a black cape over her mourning dress and a plain, flat black hat. There were no servants in the house, each trying to soothe their sorrow. Miss Pendleton was able to go down the front steps without being noticed by anyone.
Miss Pendleton, standing at the entrance, suddenly stopped. It felt like something was holding her back. She stood there for a moment, then asked Ann.
"Can you bring me the Whitefield painting in the drawing room?"
Ann hurried to the drawing room. At that moment, she heard footsteps coming from the stairs. It was Gerald Pendleton.
"It's been an hour. Get out now."
"There's something I haven't packed yet. Uncle."
"I don't care. Get out now. Before I call the servants to kick you out!"
Miss Pendleton stood still. Soon he loudly called the servants. The servants came out in a hurry.
"Drag that woman out."
The servants were confused by Gerald Pendleton's order.
"You won't even allow me a minute of dignity. I understand your intentions, Uncle. I won't ask for mercy anymore."
Miss Pendleton picked up the trunk as it was. The heavy weight painfully strained her shoulder muscles. Miss Pendleton struggled to drag it out.
A servant approached to help her.
"Anyone who helps that woman will be kicked out barefoot!"
The servants' movements stopped all at once. At that moment, Ann, who had brought the painting from the drawing room, saw the scene and hurriedly approached Miss Pendleton, grabbing the trunk.
"Give it to me. I'll carry it. Miss."
"No, Ann. It's okay..."
"Get your hands off that luggage!"
Gerald Pendleton's thunderous voice continued. Ann glared at Gerald with bloodshot eyes and shouted.
"You're going too far! You're really going too far, sir!"
"Ann! Stop!"
Ann looked at Miss Pendleton with tears in her eyes. Miss Pendleton shook her head at her. Insubordination was not allowed. Given his temper, she would be fired immediately.
Miss Pendleton took the painting from Ann's hand, dragged the trunk, and left the Pendleton Estate.
Thus, Miss Pendleton, the de facto mistress of the most splendid Townhouse on Grosvenor Street, London's wealthiest neighborhood, was kicked out after 12 years. Without the help of the servants, without anyone seeing her off.
* * *
Miss Pendleton held the trunk with both hands and walked step by step along Grosvenor Street. The darkened Grosvenor Street was quiet and deserted. She walked towards Grosvenor Square in the distance.
There was no one in the park at night. Miss Pendleton put down the trunk she was carrying and sat on a bench. It was deep night. No one was walking around.
Miss Pendleton crouched on the bench. And felt the awkward sensation of the mourning dress that wrapped her body. It was the first time she had worn mourning clothes. Clothes she had prepared thinking she would wear them someday. And finally, that day had come.
The day she had become alone in the world had come.
Miss Pendleton had her grandmother, the servants always waited for her instructions, many people in society knew her, and she had many friends. But looking back, she always felt like she was alone.
A feeling like floating dust. A feeling of being there but not being there. A feeling that she always had to prove her usefulness to someone.
Living in tension for 12 years, she always suffered from nervous headaches and couldn't gain weight no matter how much she ate. She never had a single day of complete comfort. The only time she could fully rest was when she imagined the future of living away from the Pendleton Estate, but even that was only for a brief moment.
But when that day finally came, she felt like she had fallen into a well. Into a long darkness with no end, even if she fell.
Her grandmother, who had made her live as a Pendleton, had passed away, and she had been kicked out of the Pendleton Estate, where she had lived for 12 years. She had broken up with the social circles she had been trapped in until now, and now she couldn't even use the Pendleton name. It felt like she had become stateless. It felt like a plant that had been uprooted from the soil.
Miss Pendleton curled up even tighter. Her stomach felt empty and cold, as if all the intestines inside had run away. It was difficult to support her body as if all the tendons inside had been cut.
She thought that the wall that had confined her might have been the fence that had protected her until now. She had wanted freedom so much, but when she was completely free, she felt suffocated like a fish pulled out of the water.
Miss Pendleton took a deep breath. The fresh air of June permeated her stomach. She thought it was fortunate that she had left the house in June. If it had been winter, it would have been even more daunting than it was now.
She crouched like that for a while. The strength that had left her body showed no sign of returning. She didn't even have the energy to shed tears. It felt like all the vitality had drained from her body.
She was just immersed in an empty feeling. She raised her head and looked at the park. At Grosvenor Square, which was submerged in pitch-black darkness.
Hehehe. A weak laugh came out. She found it funny that she had naturally come to this place, which she had been reluctant to even pass by for the past 12 years.
That incident 12 years ago. Her first love. A trivial scandal in society that had already disappeared from everyone's minds.
But it was as vivid as yesterday in her mind. It came out in her dreams whenever she was about to forget it, hindering her oblivion.
That memory, along with the pearl pendant around her neck, served to firmly close Laura's heart.
