Translator: Nox

Chapter 77

“I’d find it easier to imagine flying through the sky. What if you fall doing something like that?”

Ian was displeased with Laura's risk-taking behavior.

“That’s the only way to earn George and Daniel’s respect. George and Daniel need an adult to control them, like a hunting dog needs a master to train it. Miss Pendleton realized that immediately after arriving here.”

“You mean, to teach those kids anything, you have to be a zookeeper, not a teacher.”

“Exactly.”

Mrs. Fairfax laughed.

“Now Daniel and George are completely under Miss Pendleton’s thumb. They gather flowers and berries every day and bring them to her. Just like puppies chasing after their owner.”

Ian chuckled.

“Olivia, too, pretends she isn’t, but she’s completely smitten with Miss Pendleton. Her French pronunciation is said to be no different from Miss Jeanne’s. She acted like a snob at first, but now she subtly imitates Miss Pendleton. She even closes her eyes and pounds on the piano keys, saying she’s going to play the piano like Miss Pendleton.”

Ian suddenly asked,

“Then, what about you, Mother?”

Ian stared intently at his mother’s face.

“What do you think of Miss Pendleton, having seen her in person?”

Mrs. Fairfax paused, as if deep in thought. Ian didn’t think his mother was pondering Miss Pendleton. The mother he knew wasn’t one to hesitate and weigh things when it came to liking someone. If she liked someone, she liked them; if she didn’t, she didn’t. That was all there was to it.

Soon, she answered clearly,

“Miss Pendleton spends all day running and tumbling, and sometimes even climbs trees like a squirrel. She’s completely different from the usual young ladies who just sit and do needlepoint. With that much stamina, she could have five children.”

“That’s quite the assessment, as if she were a broodmare. What about her other qualities?”

“Well, as I said before, she’s a smart woman. She’s also kind-hearted and understands you very well. That should be enough.”

“She understands me?”

“Yes.”

Mrs. Fairfax smiled.

“She knows you well. That you can’t lie, that you’re prickly, that you have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, and that you have an obnoxious personality. But that you’re not really a bad person. If I were you, Ian, I would never let this opportunity pass. Women like Miss Pendleton are rare, especially for you.”

“You’ve already said that.”

Ian quietly took out his silver cigarette case from his pocket and gently stroked the embossed pattern. It was a habit unique to smokers, needing to fidget with something related to cigarettes even when he couldn’t smoke.

“She will be mine.”

“You sound quite confident, judging by your certainty?”

Ian smiled faintly.

“I brought Miss Pendleton all the way here. I played the role of Don Juan, something I never imagined doing, and even committed fraud against my will. Do you think I went through all that trouble just to make her a teacher for the children?”

He opened the lid of the cigarette case. Filter-tipped cheroots lay neatly in a row. He ran his finger over them once.

“She must become my bride. And she will.”

“But how? I sense friendship from her towards you, but not love. And above all, she knows her own position too well. Even if her heart is moved, she’s the kind of person who would leave for your sake, rather than accept you.”

Ian frowned. His mother was usually carefree and obsessed with absurd superstitions, but surprisingly, she could be sharp when it came to seeing people. He smiled bitterly.

“I’ll have to make her love me. To the point where she’d rather die than leave me.”

* * *

Around the time Laura reached her first month at Dunville Park, several changes occurred.

First, Laura began to have proper lessons with Daniel and George. Laura would hide notes with the names of various English kings in the forest all morning, and the children would find them and the person who arranged them in order on the ground would win. The boys, wanting Laura's attention, would spend all day scouring the forest for notes, and began to find the English kings in Laura's books and match the order.

While having lessons in the forest with the children, a new guest would occasionally come. It was Mr. Dalton. He mainly visited Dunville Park to sketch, and since his main interest was in natural objects, they often ran into each other in the forest.

Laura was both happy and embarrassed every time she ran into Mr. Dalton. Her clothes were always a mess from running around in the forest with the children all morning. Her clothes were covered in dirt and dust, and no matter how tightly she fixed her hair in a hairnet, a few strands always stuck out.

He always appeared suddenly, so there was no time to check her appearance in advance. She could only meet him defenselessly, like a squirrel suddenly appearing while passing through the forest.

Mr. Dalton was always a gentleman, no matter what state she was in. Perhaps he sensed that she was ashamed of her appearance, so he acted even more nonchalantly.

Whenever the boys disappeared to look for the notes of the English kings, he would wait alone by her side and ask about her daily life. Whether there was anything uncomfortable, whether the nephews were misbehaving. Laura always gave the same answer, that there was nothing uncomfortable, but he always asked the same thing. As if her convenience was his only concern.

They would sit together on a stump or rock while the children looked for the notes and have conversations. In the forest, where all that could be heard was the clear, sharp chirping of mountain birds like the sound of a flute and the rustling of forest animals, they quietly had everyday conversations.

They had a common interest. Dunville Park. The Fairfax family. Country life. Especially for Laura, the feeling of country life was fresh. She had hardly experienced a life living with the forest. She had lived in the Pendleton Estate's Country house for a short time as a child, but she had not had the leisure to enjoy anything there. She wanted to talk to someone about the fresh emotions she was feeling these days.

There was no one suitable in the Fairfax family. The children were too young, and the Fairfax couple treated her with respect, but they were employers.

But Mr. Dalton was her friend. She told him about the feelings she felt in the forest as much as she wanted. The joy of stepping on dirt and leaves every day and the sense of liberation she felt while playing with the children.

Ian listened to all the stories. Throughout the story, his eyes were filled with understanding. He was a man who had lived surrounded by the forest throughout his childhood and had loved the quiet and beautiful nature all his life.

Occasionally, Laura was unable to express the overwhelming sensations she was feeling in words. Ian told those words in accurate language. Laura was able to organize her feelings through Ian's words. In addition, she realized that he was feeling exactly the same way as her. Awe of the trees, mountain birds, spring water, fruits, and all other members of the forest.

Sitting on a stump in the forest with Ian, breathing in the air, and talking, the wall against him strangely disappeared. It was a different feeling from the exchange in London.

The two were very close there as well. It was always interesting and enjoyable to have tea together, take walks, and talk. But there was a line between the two. The social etiquette that gentlemen and ladies had to observe became an invisible hurdle that dominated the relationship.

At this time sitting together in the forest, there were no lines between Laura and Ian. The feeling of sharing the same feelings in a new space removed the wall between the two. Laura put down the formality. Ian revealed gentleness instead of cynicism. The forest made it possible.

One day, Laura asked Ian to show her the sketches he had made so far. He readily showed her his sketchbook. The sketchbook had D written on the cover. It meant that he brought it when he came to Dunville Park.

Laura opened the sketchbook and soon found the Elm tree she had climbed, the bushes where George had picked butterbur fruits, the swamp where she had observed gnats, and the small burrow where a fox had given birth and was feeding her cubs. Laura smiled and said that all these places were the ones that Daniel and George had told her about. Ian said.

“Look at the dates.”

Laura widened her eyes and looked at one corner of the picture. The dates on which the painting was completed were written in one corner of the sketch. All the dates were from 15 to 20 years ago.

“These are paintings you drew as a child.”

“That’s right.”

“Is this where you played with Mr. Fairfax?”

Ian nodded.

“The two gentlemen’s childhood playground has now become the playground for little Daniel and George.”

“That’s right. Fortunately.”

Laura looked through the pictures again one by one.

“The description of the trees and leaves is wonderful. Even though it was when you were a child. I also learned to paint when I was in girls’ school, but when I finished, it always turned out to be an obvious result. What’s the secret?”

“I only draw what I’m interested in.”

“And?”

“That’s all.”

Laura laughed.

“Don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking. When I draw something I’m not interested in, I only get boring pictures. Technical and obvious pictures. My childhood art teacher taught me to draw what you like if you want to get good results. The more I painted, the more I realized that was true.”

Laura looked at the picture again. Interest and sincerity were revealed in the description of the picture. Laura thought to herself. If you want to know what this person loves, you should look at the pictures this person draws.

Rough footsteps were heard in the distance. Daniel came running, covered in sweat.

“Teacher, I found all five verbs!”

The child rummaged through his pants pocket and poured something onto Laura’s skirt. They were pieces of paper covered in dirt. The notes were full of Latin words.

Laura looked at the words. She was checking to see if there were any nouns or adverbs mixed in the notes. Luckily, they were all verbs. It seemed that he had diligently memorized the verbs from the Latin textbook that Laura had shown him before starting.

“Well done, Daniel! You won today!”

“Hooray!”