Chapter 79
<79> My Dear Miss Laura (1)
Lydia spoke with a sarcastic tone.
Olivia was flustered. She didn't know what Lydia was talking about regarding Laura's birth, so she didn't know how to respond. She couldn't very well ask Lydia what she meant now.
Fortunately, the other friends were just as ignorant as Olivia. Rebecca couldn't contain her curiosity and asked Lydia,
"What's the problem with Laura Pendleton's birth?"
The friends asked Lydia. Lydia, once again the center of attention, chuckled inwardly and said,
"Christine told me. There's a spinster from a Count's family named Miss Laura Pendleton, and she's beautiful and perfect in every way, but sadly, she has a major flaw that prevents her from marrying. The Pendleton surname she uses is, well, her mother's! Her father is American, and they eloped when she was young, had a child without getting married!"
The ladies gasped in unison.
"So, she's a bastard!"
The ten or so girls gathered there buzzed with excitement. Amidst the atmosphere, Olivia was bewildered. It was the first time she'd heard such a story. But what was even more disconcerting was that the expressions of her friends were gradually changing to pity.
"No matter how elegant and educated she is, she's still a bastard."
"How could you hire such a person as a governess?"
Her friends voiced their concerns towards Olivia. The situation was turning in a direction Olivia didn't want. Olivia had become an object of pity rather than admiration. Olivia racked her brains to overcome this situation. Soon, she gathered all the courage she had and straightened her neck.
She decided to brazen it out.
"I don't care about that. Our family hired her for her abilities. Do you know how amazing she is? She's a brilliant graduate of the best girls' school in London. She speaks French, German, Greek, and even Latin."
Lydia retorted.
"But isn't it a bit unsettling? If her mother is such an immoral person, her child will have those tendencies too. Blood is thicker than water. Won't you be influenced by being taught by such a person?"
Olivia raised her head even higher and countered,
"That's ridiculous. That's completely prejudiced. Miss Pendleton is a very wonderful Lady. She's smart, dignified, and so kind. Besides, she's very pretty. I've never seen such a pretty woman."
"That pretty?"
Lydia asked back in surprise.
"Like an angel descended to earth. She was courted by countless men in London, I heard? Besides, even if she's a bastard, she's from the great Pendleton family, so she has many friends and a wide network. You know my uncles, right? Ian Dalton, the owner of Whitefield Hall."
They buzzed at the mention of Ian Dalton. Olivia smiled triumphantly.
The atmosphere changed among the girls. They all knew Ian Dalton. There wasn't a woman in Yorkshire who didn't know him. He was the heir to the oldest family in Yorkshire and a gentleman who owned the most land and property.
In Yorkshire, no matter how rich or noble, no family had more tradition and land than the Daltons of Whitefield. He was so reclusive that not much was known about him, which only increased the interest in him.
"Really... she's a friend of Mr. Ian Dalton?"
"Yes. Miss Pendleton came through my uncle's introduction. What better guarantee of identity could there be? So, please refrain from speaking ill of her in front of me. She's now one of our precious family members."
The tide had completely turned in Olivia's favor. The girls had almost forgotten that the governess, Laura Pendleton, was a bastard. The title of being as beautiful and intelligent as an angel, and a friend of the mysterious Ian Dalton, had made it so.
Olivia, relieved that she had regained control, spent the rest of the time boasting about how charming and wonderful Miss Pendleton was. By the end of the birthday party that day, everyone envied Olivia for having such a Lady as a governess and went home.
However, on the carriage ride home after the gathering, Olivia's mind was complicated. The shock was immense. Miss Pendleton was a bastard. Did her uncle know this fact?
As the carriage stopped in front of the Dunville Park mansion, Olivia quickly jumped out of the carriage. And immediately ran to the living room. Her mother was startled by Olivia's presence and covered the side table she was sitting at. But all the colorful cards arranged between her arms were visible. She had been holding back well these days, but she had fallen back into her pagan pleasures.
"Oh my, I thought it was the teacher!"
Mrs. Fairfax recognized that it was Olivia who had come to the living room and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Olivia, if you're not busy, can you stand there and keep watch? When the teacher comes, I have to quickly clean up and pretend to be embroidering as usual. Sigh, what kind of play is this in my own house? It's hard enough to manage my image in front of my future sister-in-law."
Instead of keeping watch, Olivia plopped down next to her mother. And pulled on her mother's clothes, who was focusing on the cards again.
"Mom, Mom, Mom."
"What?"
"Mom, did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That the teacher is a bastard!"
Mrs. Fairfax looked at her daughter.
"Who did you hear that from?"
"From Lydia. Lydia heard it from her cousin. So, it's reliable information. Her teacher's parents eloped, didn't have a wedding, and had a child? Pendleton is actually her mother's surname!"
Mrs. Fairfax looked at her daughter without a word. Olivia tilted her head, wondering why her mother wasn't surprised.
Mrs. Fairfax sighed. And looked towards the entrance of the living room to see if there was anyone around, and said in a low voice.
"Don't let anyone else know this fact. Not your brother, not your father. Not any of the servants."
Olivia immediately realized her mother's attitude.
"Mom, you know too!"
"Yes."
"Who did you hear it from?"
"Your uncle."
Olivia covered her mouth in surprise.
"Your uncle told me everything before Miss Pendleton came here. He asked me to take good care of her because she had such circumstances."
Olivia muttered, covering her mouth.
"Uncle knew everything... but still, he's going to marry her?"
"It's not much of an obstacle for your uncle."
Olivia was speechless. Olivia thought that her uncle couldn't possibly know this fact while coming back after hearing the story. It was a fatal flaw in anyone's eyes. How could the head of the 400-year-old Dalton family marry a bastard?
But, her uncle already knows everything. Everything. Olivia shook her head.
"No way."
"That's not for you to judge."
"Why aren't you stopping him, Mom? Uncle is marrying a bastard. Besides, the teacher's father is American. American. Uncle is trying to marry a woman with American blood."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Mom!"
"Oh my, you're going to make my ears ring."
"Mom should stop this. Say it's absolutely not allowed, that you can't help it! Mom, no matter how much Whitefield needs an heir, this is ridiculous. Uncle will definitely regret it."
"Olivia."
"If Mom doesn't stop him, I'll stop him. I'll go to the teacher and tell her not to even dream of marrying Uncle..."
"Olivia."
Olivia looked at her mother. Her mother was looking at Olivia with a frown.
"If you do such a thing, Olivia, it will ruin your uncle's happiness forever."
"But Mom. Uncle is making the wrong decision. What will people say? It's not just the Dalton family. It's a great disgrace to our family too. When I get married, the groom's side will definitely ask about our family, what should I say?"
"Tell them your uncle married a beautiful bastard Lady, honestly."
"Mom, really...!"
Olivia was angry at her mother's attitude, which lacked seriousness even about her own marriage. But Mrs. Fairfax found her daughter's attitude even more amusing.
"You always have too much imagination. If you want to marry such a great man that you even check the lineage of your wife's in-laws, you'll probably have to catch a member of the royal family. Maybe you've thought about such a possibility more than once, or maybe even several times, with your vanity. Imagination is free, but should your uncle give up the marriage he wants because it might interfere with you marrying a prince?"
Olivia flinched.
"I, I never thought of that!"
Mrs. Fairfax snorted at her daughter, who was stuttering. She was a carefree woman who strictly adhered to laissez-faire in raising her children, but she was also a smart mother who knew her daughter to the bone.
Olivia's face turned red with embarrassment at having her inner thoughts exposed. As her mother said, Olivia had secretly dreamed of going to London society and marrying a member of the royal family. Once, or rather, several times. Even though she knew it was a foolish dream, she couldn't help but imagine it from time to time.
Mrs. Fairfax said sternly to her embarrassed daughter.
"Even if you only think about your uncle's happiness, it's the same. Your uncle's choice is his responsibility. It's absolutely not something you should interfere with. Your uncle loves Miss Pendleton. And Miss Pendleton is flawless in character and health. She's sincere, smart, and healthy. That's all that matters."
"But, is Mom okay with it? Uncle will definitely hear gossip. The children they have will be called children of a bastard. The Dalton family will be disgraced."
Mrs. Fairfax stared at her daughter.
"Olivia, didn't you tell Mom a while ago? You don't want to admit it, but honestly, the teacher is a good person. Maybe Uncle didn't choose the wrong woman. Isn't that right?"
"......"
"You're not going to deny what you said yesterday, are you? I hope you don't. I don't want to live with a daughter who changes her words depending on the situation. You've clearly started to evaluate the teacher correctly. But now you despise her like a bug that crawled into the house. Just because Miss Pendleton's father is American and her parents didn't become husband and wife in front of a pastor."
