Chapter 67
He spat the words out.
“I was kicked out.”
“What?”
“I was kicked out of the Pendleton Estate.”
Mr. Fairfax looked at him with a stunned expression.
“What are you talking about? Kicked out? Miss Pendleton, who has been Lady Abigail’s caretaker for twelve years, was kicked out? Does that even make sense?”
“It doesn’t make sense. But that damn Gerald Pendleton, the head of the Pendleton Estate, did that ridiculous thing. Not only is he trying to sell his niece to an old man old enough to be her father, but he also trampled on her until her hands were bruised to accept the proposal, and even forged a will to kick Miss Pendleton out with nothing! That damn bastard!”
Ian Dalton shouted, grinding his teeth. Fairfax saw his expression turn almost bestial.
“Look, calm down first. Let’s find Miss Pendleton first. Does that maid know where Miss Pendleton went?”
He shook his head. Mr. Fairfax’s liver shriveled with worry for Miss Pendleton.
“Maybe she went to a friend’s house…”
“She must have hidden somewhere no one knows. She’s a principled lady who would never cause trouble for others, no matter what. She’s probably accepting her situation silently right now. Damn it. Where should I start looking…”
As Ian passed a bookstore, he stopped the carriage. He went inside and came out with a London travel book. William, seeing Ian walking briskly instead of riding in the carriage, quickly got out of the carriage.
“Are you going to start looking for accommodations?”
Ian was silent.
“Hey, let me help you. There must be over a hundred places, how are you going to find them all alone?”
“You have something else to do. Find Lady Abigail’s executor and lawyer. Find out if what I heard is true.”
“Hey, then at least take my carriage. Huh?”
He ignored Fairfax’s words and immediately hailed a passing rental carriage and disappeared.
William returned home and used his various connections from his business to track down Lady Abigail’s lawyer and executor. Lady Abigail had always handled things discreetly, so it wasn’t easy.
But eventually, he found them. Richard Royden of Royden Law Firm. And Paul Nayes, a close friend of Lady Abigail’s, who was once a Baron but had fallen due to bad investments.
Mr. Fairfax learned that their financial situations were very bad. Mr. Royden was a seemingly respectable lawyer, but he had been addicted to gambling for the past year, and Mr. Nayes had been living in the commercial district with his wife and children since his family’s downfall three years ago, barely making a living by writing and selling all sorts of articles for low-quality newspapers, including social gossip and terrible novels.
Mr. Fairfax gathered information by frequenting gentlemen’s social clubs to find out if there had been any recent changes in their financial situations.
Meanwhile, Ian went out almost from morning till night to find Miss Pendleton, going to all sorts of places. He left at dawn and didn’t come back until after midnight, sometimes not coming back at all.
Then, one afternoon a few days later, he suddenly burst into his office and shouted abruptly.
“Where does Miss Hyde live now?”
“What?”
“Where does she live!”
“Oh, a ladies’ boarding house near Fleet Street. But why?”
Ian thought for a moment and then asked.
“What’s the name of the publishing house where Miss Hyde works?”
“Hey, why are you suddenly asking about Miss Hyde? Tell me the reason first.”
“I found Miss Pendleton. She’s living alone in a ridiculously shabby inn. I’m going to ask Miss Hyde to let her stay with her. Tell me quickly!”
Mr. Fairfax quickly told him the publishing house where Miss Hyde was. He rushed out of the office like a gust of wind again.
After that, what happened was what he heard from Miss Hyde while taking a walk earlier. He came to her, told her about Miss Pendleton’s situation, and politely asked her to take her to the boarding house and live with her. Miss Hyde realized through that incident that Mr. Dalton had feelings for Miss Pendleton.
Thus, after a series of events, Ian, who had found Miss Pendleton, succeeded in creating a non-existent governess position and taking her to his sister’s Estate.
Mr. Fairfax asked his determined friend Ian across from him.
“Now, let’s say Miss Pendleton is taken care of. What about Gerald Pendleton’s matter? The lawyer and the notary?”
It was clear that both Lawyer Royden and Mr. Nayes had suddenly acquired a large sum of money. Mr. Nayes had moved to a much better house, and Mr. Royden had recovered the carriage and house that had been seized due to debt. But what about the evidence that the money came from Gerald Pendleton?
“I’m going to investigate the source of their funds more closely. And if it’s money they got in exchange for helping to steal Miss Pendleton’s rightful share, I’m going to make them pay the price.”
“How? Are you going to sue them?”
“I’m not going to come forward publicly. Miss Pendleton wouldn’t want me to get too involved in her affairs.”
“Then?”
“I’m going to make it impossible for them to make a living anywhere, including the legal and publishing worlds. They were swayed by a few coins and stole a woman’s legitimate rights, so they should experience having their own paths blocked.”
Mr. Fairfax nodded. It was a brutal plan, but Mr. Fairfax was relieved. He thought it was fortunate that his friend didn’t shoot them. They had committed a crime that could have landed them in jail, so that much was a merciful price.
Now, Mr. Fairfax’s gaze shifted to a more serious matter.
“What about Count Gerald Pendleton?”
Ian was silent. Mr. Fairfax couldn’t read his friend’s expression.
He became uneasy. Ian was a chronically irritable person who couldn’t stand things that made him angry, but he had no expression like that when he was really angry. He was furious to the core.
“…You’re not going to kill him, are you?”
“That’s too easy.”
“Then?”
Ian looked out the window for a moment and then quietly opened his mouth.
“William. What do you think of the nobles of this country?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Don’t you think they enjoy disproportionate privileges compared to their obligations?”
“…Well. I don’t think so. Nobles all have great ancestors who contributed to England. I admit they’re a bit arrogant and indulgent… Still, if privileges aren’t passed down to descendants, who would sacrifice for the country?”
“If you want to inherit the achievements of your ancestors, you must also bear the obligations to society. Nobles, as leaders of society, ignore their proper service and do nothing but use their titles to continue their debauchery and misdeeds. The British aristocratic society is a garbage dump where trash that ruins the country rolls around. Gerald Pendleton is the most foul-smelling trash I’ve ever seen among the nobles. The Pendleton family should disappear for the sake of this country.”
Mr. Fairfax realized what he meant and was stunned by the shock.
The Pendleton family was a prestigious Count family. But his friend Ian was now saying that he would destroy that family. As a conservative Mr. Fairfax who had always held respect for the aristocratic class, it was very shocking.
But Mr. Fairfax didn’t feel like stopping his friend. If his sister Janet had experienced the same thing as Miss Pendleton, he would have felt the same way as Ian.
He was a gentleman who was as faithful to the principle of respecting ladies as he was to respecting the privileged class. The atrocities that Count Gerald Pendleton had committed against Miss Pendleton were the kind of things that only a beast who had given up being human would do.
Mr. Dalton, having arrived at the Townhouse, immediately packed his bags. Mr. Fairfax provided him with a carriage and coachman and sent him off. He didn’t say a word about not ruining the Pendleton family to him.
Mr. Fairfax visited Miss Lance with his sister the next afternoon. It was to tell Miss Lance, whom Ian had abandoned and left behind, that he had returned to Whitefield.
He coordinated with his sister. It was decided to fabricate a story about Ian’s urgent circumstances that forced him to return to Whitefield so as not to upset Miss Lance. Mr. Fairfax wanted to protect his friend’s reputation (although he himself wouldn’t care in the slightest).
His sister, Miss Janet, willingly agreed to her brother’s plan, but her desire to comfort the disappointed Miss Lance was much greater than her desire to protect Ian Dalton’s reputation. As an ardent fan of Miss Lance, she was prepared to tell any lie for her goddess.
As expected, Miss Lance seemed disappointed when she heard that Ian Dalton had left London. How unpleasant it must be for a close acquaintance to leave without saying goodbye. Mr. Fairfax quickly made up a story to soothe her feelings.
“The land agent suddenly quit, so Ian couldn’t help it. He’s a friend who’s very responsible for his Estate. He asked me to convey his regards to Miss Lance instead. The time he spent with Miss Lance in London was so precious that he will never forget it, and he is eagerly waiting for the day he can see her again.”
Miss Lance’s damp expression brightened a little.
“Really, did he leave those words for me?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Mr. Fairfax nodded with a smiling face, feeling a slight pang of conscience. Miss Janet, who was next to him, chimed in.
“He talked about Miss Lance several times as he left. ‘I have to see Miss Lance before I go, I have to kiss her beautiful little hand and say goodbye in person.’ He also said that he was tearfully resentful that he had to leave the most beautiful flower in London behind because of the heavy responsibilities of the head of the family. And he asked me to tell you. He will return to London as soon as he finishes his Estate work and visit Sir Lance’s house first!”
Mr. Fairfax thought his sister had gone too far, but when he saw Miss Lance’s face, which had brightened up in an instant, he couldn’t bring himself to correct her. Miss Lance treated the Fairfax siblings with a face as rosy as a May rose and escorted them to the front door after tea time.
The Fairfax siblings left the Baronet’s house and looked up at the sky, feeling a little ashamed, but still thought they had done their duty to their friend. They had no idea that their lies had blown away Miss Lance’s chance to regain her senses.
The white lie sweetly soaked Miss Lance’s heart, which was caught in delusion, like honey.
As a result, she wasted the golden time to suppress the rumors that were spreading like wildfire in every corner of London, idly imagining a romantic reunion with Mr. Dalton and the proposal diamond in his hand.
