Chapter 69
<69> The Women of Dunville Park (2)
Mrs. Fairfax thought for a moment, then said quietly.
"If you just get married, what more could I say? I'll treat her like family, so just bring her here quickly."
A smile finally bloomed on Ian's face. He went to his sister, who was like a mother to him, and kissed her forehead.
"Thank you, Sister."
"You're so transparent. You haven't even hugged me, let alone kissed me, since you were ten."
Ian laughed and immediately left the room, eager to send a letter to London.
Was he really that happy? That boy is still a man, after all. Mrs. Fairfax snorted.
As he left, Olivia entered. Mrs. Fairfax beckoned her daughter over.
"A new governess will be coming soon, Olivia."
Olivia sat next to her mother, her face brightening.
"A new governess? Did you finally find my French teacher?"
"No, not your teacher, but one for Daniel and George."
Olivia's expression faded.
"What's the point of getting a teacher for those blockheads?"
Mrs. Fairfax replied calmly.
"That's true."
"Invest in me instead, Mom. I only have three years left before my debut into society."
"I know. You only have three years left before your debut. You follow me around chirping about it as if I'll forget in a day, so how could I forget?"
Mrs. Fairfax readjusted the child with a weary expression.
"Mom, my friend Lydia went on a French vacation and mastered her conversational skills. Lily and Rebecca talk to a French teacher every day, and their pronunciation is just like a native speaker. I'm the only one lagging behind. Wouldn't you be anxious if you were me?"
Mrs. Fairfax felt a headache coming on from her daughter's whining. Ever since Jeanne, the French governess she had hired two years ago, got married and left, Olivia had been nagging her every day to find a new French teacher, insisting that it had to be a native speaker.
The Fairfax family was one that would do anything for their children if they wanted to study. That's why they hired an educational mentor for their eldest son, Henry, who wanted to go to university like his uncles, and fully supported Olivia by hiring dance, art, and literature teachers as she desired.
But Olivia was never satisfied. Her eagerness to study was encouraging, but it was really because of her pride, as she hated being behind her peers.
"What if you're a little behind in French? You've already learned everything you need to know. Dancing, painting, instruments, literature."
"Oh, Mom. How many times have I told you? The most important thing in society is French. Aunt Janet said that French is the barometer of culture when you debut in London society."
"I married your father and live so well without knowing a word of French, dear."
"That's because Grandpa got Mom and Dad engaged early. My dad isn't interested in my future. I have to find a husband myself. To find a good husband in London society, you have to stand out among the many young ladies. Janet said that you can't survive there with just beauty. It's a war zone without guns. If I debut with my current skills, the other Ladies will definitely laugh at me."
"Okay, I understand. I'll find someone quickly. I'll find someone, so stop it and listen to me. I have something else to tell you."
"What is it?"
"The new governess, she might marry your uncle."
Olivia stared blankly at her mother.
"The governess might marry our uncle?"
"Yes."
"What does that mean?"
Olivia still didn't understand. It seemed that Olivia's common sense couldn't bridge the gap between 'governess' and 'a woman who might marry uncle'.
"It's a bit complicated to explain, but simply put, your uncle is courting a maiden who is looking for a governess position, so I introduced her to our house. You're quick-witted, so I'm telling you in advance so you don't make a fuss about something between the governess and Ian. Keep it a secret. Understand?"
"Ah, I understand. But what kind of woman is she? If she's working as a governess, she can't be from the middle class. Is she perhaps a fallen noble?"
"Do you know the Pendleton Estate?"
"I saw it in a magazine last time... Oh, right. They're a great aristocratic family from Cornwall."
"She's from that family. Miss Laura Pendleton."
Olivia was startled.
"Ah, I think I've heard of her. Laura Pendleton! My friend Lydia's cousin is in London society, and she said that she often went to the Pendleton Estate's tea parties. The lady of the house is Ms. Abigail Pendleton, but the granddaughter, Miss Laura Pendleton, does all the work as the real lady of the house. Oh, but I heard that Lady Abigail passed away recently."
"That's right."
"Is she working as a governess now because there's no one to take care of her? Why would a young lady from such a great aristocratic family do that? Is it because she didn't inherit any property?"
Mrs. Fairfax just shrugged. Mrs. Fairfax had no intention of telling her daughter all the details about Laura's background. It was partly out of respect for Miss Pendleton, but mostly because it was a bother.
Olivia asked questions, but only vague answers came from her mother's mouth. These vague words only fueled Olivia's curiosity even more.
She couldn't help but be interested in the woman her uncle, who had been her prince since childhood and who she still believed was the most handsome man in the world, was going to marry.
She asked what she was most curious about regarding the unknown woman.
"Is she pretty?"
"Who knows? It only matters if she's pretty in your uncle's eyes, doesn't it?"
"Then do you know her age? How old is she?"
A shadow fell over her mother's face, which had been indifferent until now, when the topic of age came up.
"...She's twenty-nine."
"What?"
Olivia jumped up.
"Twenty-nine? She's a complete old maid!"
Mrs. Fairfax nodded.
"Indeed."
"I don't understand. Uncle can marry a young lady who has just entered society."
"He always hated stupidity, so he's finally meeting someone his own age. I should be thankful that he didn't fall for a woman older than him."
Olivia closed her mouth. She was confused because she couldn't understand her uncle's choice at all.
If she was twenty-nine, she was an old maid who had missed her chance to marry, and if she had set out to earn money with her own hands, she must be a woman without property. Why would a perfect man like Uncle Ian court such a woman?
She thought for a moment and then clapped her hands.
"Ah, I get it!"
"What do you get?"
"The reason why Uncle is going to marry such a woman! Uncle Ian is protesting against Mom!"
"What?"
"Mom nagged him so much that Uncle brought such an absurd bride. Out of rebellion."
Mrs. Fairfax dismissed it as nonsense. As if your uncle would bring a woman in for such a childish reason.
Olivia eagerly presented her logic.
"Even though she's from such a family, if she hasn't married by twenty-nine, she probably doesn't have good looks. Since she didn't inherit any property, her behavior must have been so reckless that she was disliked by the elders of the family. Why would Uncle bring such a woman into our house? It's a threat that if Mom keeps nagging, he'll marry this woman."
"Oh, my daughter, you're so smart."
Mrs. Fairfax sneered.
"It's true. Believe me? Uncle always got angry because Mom treated him like a stud. He must think that Mom's nagging will be an obstacle to his future single life, so he's trying to eradicate Mom's nagging altogether. Mom, tell Uncle right away. That you'll never bother him about marriage again. Then Uncle will call it off."
"Olivia, you'll get hurt if you mistake wishful thinking for the truth?"
"Wishful thinking? What wishful thinking?"
"You've always wanted your uncle to stay single, haven't you?"
Olivia flinched as if she had been hit right on the mark.
"Wh, what are you talking about? Mom, really. I never did."
Mrs. Fairfax slightly raised the corner of her lips.
"You still stutter when you're flustered."
"No, I'm not. I've always been hoping that Uncle would get married soon. It's just that in this case, Uncle is trying to marry the wrong woman...!"
"The only person in our family who would believe that is our innocent Ian Fairfax. Because the only person in our family, including the servants, who doesn't know that your first love is Ian Dalton is Ian Fairfax."
"Mom!"
Olivia's face turned red. Mrs. Fairfax chuckled as she looked at her flustered daughter. Mrs. Fairfax, who made it a small pleasure in her daily life to tease her young children, was thrilled as if she had caught something just as she was bored.
"I still remember it vividly, dear. When you were six years old. Uncle, who was at university, stayed at Dunville Park for a short vacation. But as the vacation was coming to an end, you woke up late and found that Ian had already left to return to Cambridge. As soon as you realized that Uncle was gone, what did you do?"
Recalling that time, Olivia's face turned as red as a tomato.
"Oh, right, you hung on an Elm tree branch and cried loudly! Saying to bring Uncle back. That you would never come down until he was brought back. Even though the whole family pleaded with you to come down from under the tree, you didn't budge. I wonder how a young child climbed up there."
"Eeeek...!"
"Eventually, Uncle, who was on his way to the train station, came back and climbed up the tree himself and carried you down. He even gave up his train time. At that time, you told Uncle that you would marry him when you turned twenty as a condition for coming down from the tree, right? Your uncle said that he was very honored to receive a proposal from a Lady for the first time in his life?"
Olivia clenched her skirt tightly, embarrassed by the shameful memory, and snapped.
"I really hate Mom when you do this! Teasing me with things that happened when I was a child until now!"
"How can I forget such an interesting event? I have to tell your future husband about it later. And your future grandchildren. Hoho!"
"Mom!"
Olivia stomped her feet, embarrassed and annoyed. Mrs. Fairfax continued to tease her daughter for a while, thoroughly enjoying herself. Olivia, who was in the midst of puberty, was very annoyed and snapped back, but to the mischievous Mrs. Fairfax, that sight itself was a thrill.
After a while, when the fun had worn off, Mrs. Fairfax returned to her usual prudent self, as if nothing had happened.
"But no matter how much your heart rejects it, Mrs. Dalton is now decided. Your uncle is completely in love. So you must not do anything disrespectful to her. It's a secret from your younger siblings too. Let's keep it a secret between the women. Oh, and from your father too."
Olivia pouted. She still couldn't believe that her uncle was courting an old maid, and therefore had no intention of cooperating, but she thought she would be teased again if she showed it.
She got up from the sofa, shook off the skirt she had been clutching, and grumbled.
"Of course. If Dad finds out, he'll put up a banner on every tree from the entrance of the Dunville Park Estate every 100m to welcome our future brother-in-law."
Olivia left the room.
Mrs. Fairfax felt a little better after spending a pleasant time with her daughter (actually, only she had a pleasant time).
She called the nanny to send little Ian, who had fallen asleep in her arms, to the nursery, and then took out the cards and started telling fortunes for the first time in a while. It was Ian's marriage fortune, which she periodically looked at.
This time too, the fortune clearly said that Ian would get married within this year. The same fortune had been repeated only this year. She thought of Miss Pendleton and shuffled the cards again and spread them out.
The clear result that Miss Pendleton was the person involved in the marriage was revealed before her eyes.
Mrs. Fairfax put away the cards and thought. Maybe all of this was already destined. But she couldn't completely abandon the hope that the destiny would be averted and a younger woman would appear.
She folded her hands on the table and prayed to the Christian God to fulfill her wish. It was something that God would be very offended by if he really existed.
