Chapter 71
<71> A New Life (2)
Mrs. Fairfax, who was beside her, clicked her tongue.
"Daniel must have scared his brother again. Teacher, George is so innocent."
Laura chuckled involuntarily. Only then did George realize the situation and his face turned red. Daniel, who was next to him, giggled.
"Fool, do you believe that?"
George glared at his brother. Daniel stuck his tongue out at his younger brother. Then George rushed at his brother. The two began to throw punches at each other.
What if one of them gets hurt? Laura looked at Mrs. Fairfax anxiously. But Mrs. Fairfax was only watching her sons' fight with a nonchalant expression.
Daniel and George exchanged blows several times, and eventually, the fight ended with the smaller George getting his arms and back beaten by his brother and whining.
"Have you fought enough? Then both of you go back to your rooms. As punishment for fighting, you both get no afternoon snacks today."
The two boys' faces contorted as if they were wronged. Especially George.
"But, Mom! My brother teased me first!"
"And you rushed at your brother and punched him. I didn't know you would do this in front of your new tutor. What would your uncle say if he knew?"
George's expression turned pale at the mention of his uncle. Mrs. Fairfax said calmly.
"Go to your rooms quickly. Or you'll be starved until dinner?"
They hung their heads and returned to their rooms. Mrs. Fairfax smiled at Laura.
"My sons are very well-behaved, aren't they?"
Being in a position where it was difficult to answer, she quickly changed the subject.
"The uncle the children are afraid of is probably Mr. Dalton, right?"
"How did you know right away?"
"I didn't think the children would be afraid of Mr. Fairfax."
"Haha, that's right! William is their plaything. My brother is like Satan."
Laura smiled.
"But Mr. Dalton is actually a very good uncle, isn't he?"
"That's right. The only reason those rascals who just left listen to me is because of Ian. If only those kids were as gentle as Henry, Ian wouldn't have to be so strict."
"Henry, is that your eldest son?"
"Yes. The eldest who is at Cambridge now. He has a gentle nature, so Ian didn't need to play the villain. Ian cherished him a lot until he entered college. He used to give him horse rides every day when he was young, visit him every vacation, and send him gifts every month when Henry entered public school so he wouldn't feel lonely. In some ways, he took better care of him than his own father."
"I knew it when I interacted with him in London. That he's a good person."
"Hmm, I thought he had a very bad reputation in London."
Laura smiled gently.
"Mr. Dalton is a very hard person to find in London."
"In what way?"
"Honesty is rare in London society. Mr. Dalton's words and actions often surprise people. But that's why I became friends with Mr. Dalton. I prefer vice to hypocrisy."
Laura said that Ian was a hard man to find, but in Mrs. Fairfax's eyes, she was a rare maiden. She had never seen a lady who recognized her younger brother's true nature, because most approached him for his looks and wealth, and soon ran away from his words and actions.
'Oh dear. I'm already starting to give her a good score?'
Mrs. Fairfax advised Laura to rest in her room for the afternoon because she was tired. Laura bowed slightly to Mrs. Fairfax and left the living room.
The butler was waiting in front of the living room. Laura followed the butler to the room assigned to her. But Laura and the butler encountered a girl coming down to the first floor while climbing the stairs. She was a pretty girl with fine blonde hair and a fancy dress, about a head shorter than Laura. Laura recognized her as Olivia Fairfax as soon as she saw her.
The girl stared at Laura. It was a questioning look.
"Who are you?"
Laura said with a smile.
"Hello. I'm the new tutor."
Olivia widened her eyes and stared at Laura. She looked very surprised and even embarrassed. Laura was puzzled.
'Didn't she hear that a new tutor was coming?'
Olivia seemed to have come to her senses and soon nodded.
"I'm Olivia Fairfax."
It was a rather haughty tone. Laura suppressed a laugh inside. It was hard to resist the cuteness of a girl who still had baby fat acting like a haughty noblewoman.
"I've heard a lot about you from Mr. Dalton. That he has a dignified little lady niece. I hope we get along well in the future."
"There's no need for me to get along with you. I'm not your student."
"Still, we live in the same house, so it would be nice to be close. Maybe there's something I can do to help Miss Fairfax."
Laura said kindly. Even though the only children she was in charge of were Daniel and George, she intended to pay attention to Olivia as long as she was a child of the Fairfax family. As a lady who had already experienced society, there must be something she could do for a lady preparing for her social debut.
But for some reason, Olivia seemed to be upset by her words. Olivia said sharply.
"I already have teachers who take care of me. Don't meddle and just teach my brothers well."
Olivia turned around and went downstairs. It was a hostile attitude. Laura couldn't understand why. Had she made some kind of mistake?
Laura tilted her head once and followed the butler to the second floor. There were corridors on both sides, and Laura was guided to the last room on the right corridor.
Laura was very surprised when she entered the room. The room was much larger than she had expected. It was about the size of the living room where she had just met Mrs. Fairfax. But what was more surprising than the size was the furniture that filled the room.
A large bed, a sofa with elaborate decorations and a pretty wooden table, a large fireplace and a desk. Windows long enough to reach the high ceiling. And there was a separate dressing room on one side of the room.
Her trunk was placed next to her bed. The shabby bag felt out of place.
Laura asked the butler who was standing next to her.
"Is this really my room?"
"Yes. The mistress designated it herself."
"I can't believe this room was provided for a tutor. Did the other educational instructors who were here before also stay in this room?"
"No. This room is the best guest room in our mansion. It's a room for VIPs."
Laura sent the butler away for now. And she slowly looked around the room alone.
She went to the window and opened the glass door. There was a terrace with stone railings. When she went out to the terrace and stood in front of the railing, she could see the garden of Dunville Park at a glance. Her eyes were refreshed for a moment by the chilling greenery. It was a room with a great view.
That wasn't the only surprising thing. She returned to her room and was organizing her luggage when there was a knock on the door.
When she answered, a maid carrying a large tray came in. The maid bowed politely to Laura and placed the tray on the table. There was a glittering porcelain teapot and teacup, and plenty of cookies and cakes. When Laura looked at her questioningly, the maid put her hands together and said politely.
"The mistress said you must be hungry from the long journey, so she told you to eat and rest comfortably. She said you'd need something to eat because there are more than four hours left until the formal dinner."
"Thank you. Please tell the mistress I'm grateful."
The maid bowed slightly and left. Laura sat on the sofa with a grateful feeling and ate hot black tea and cake. She felt like she was dreaming. If she pinched her cheek, she felt like she would wake up from dozing off in the carriage she had just ridden in. Such generous treatment. It was unheard of for a tutor. Moreover, the fact that she was told the time of the formal dinner meant that she would be eating at the same table as the family. That was also something she could not have imagined as a tutor.
Since she was planning to become independent, she had been watching the tutors in the mansions she visited for social gatherings. Most of them had no presence at all. That was because the employers did not allow them any presence.
They were more respected than the maids, but they could not mix with the family. They quietly taught or arranged flowers in the study in the corner of the mansion, and always ate the meals brought by the maid alone. It was a life of not being able to join the family and being on the outside.
A tutor having formal dinner with the family? It was something she had never seen or heard of.
Four hours later, the maid brought her. She checked her appearance and followed the maid to the dining room downstairs.
All the members of the Fairfax family were gathered in the luxurious dining room with bright candlelight. There, Laura met Robert Fairfax, the head of the family. The stout middle-aged Mr. Fairfax had heard that the new tutor was a friend of his son-in-law, Ian. He quickly ran to Laura, shook her hand, and greeted her enthusiastically. He shook her arm so vigorously that Laura's slender body staggered.
She was treated like a VIP at the formal dinner. She sat not at the end of the table, but in a seat close to the host and hostess, and was constantly offered soup, meat, and dessert by Robert Fairfax. Whenever he saw Laura resting her mouth, he reflexively pushed any food around her in front of her. Laura ate all the food he offered with a mixture of embarrassment and gratitude.
During the meal, George and Daniel bothered the servants by asking them to cut the barbecue and asking if there was lemon cake. In contrast, Olivia was quiet. She ate with neat table manners and was silent except for occasionally asking the servant for more water. But Laura was strongly aware of Olivia. Olivia had been scrutinizing Laura throughout the meal to the point of being brutal.
Laura wasn't particularly uncomfortable with Olivia's behavior. She was used to the countless glares she had received in society. Having been the subject of gossip by dozens, hundreds of London socialites, she was no longer bothered by the gaze of a young girl.
However, Laura was curious. What did Olivia not like about her? If there was anything she was misunderstanding, she wanted to clear it up. Laura wanted to get along well with Olivia. Because Olivia was the daughter of the Fairfax family and Mr. Dalton's niece.
