Chapter 84
<84> Whitefield (1)
After breakfast, Laura asked Mrs. Fairfax for permission regarding it. The woman, who had always been consistent with a 'do as you please' attitude regarding her child's affairs, for some reason refused outright.
"That fellow disappears once he goes to Whitefield. He says he has paintings to copy, so he stays for two days, he's invited to the Parsonage, so he stays for three, he's supposed to play chess with his uncle in the evening, so he stays for four, and the length of his stay increases indefinitely. The art and music teachers I painstakingly arranged for him are always stood up."
"Oh, dear."
Laura sighed and looked at Olivia.
"Do you really want to go to Whitefield that much?"
"Yes! Yes! Teacher!"
Olivia clenched her fists and shouted with thunderous force. Laura was startled and flinched.
Mrs. Fairfax raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. Olivia quickly lowered her clenched fists and looked at Laura, gauging her reaction.
Laura sensed a certain signal passing between the two and looked back and forth between them with a puzzled expression.
"Anyway, Olivia, you can't go to Whitefield alone. Wait until you visit with the family next time."
Olivia then dropped her head with a forlorn expression, as if she were about to cry. With that, Olivia's small shoulders also drooped.
Laura forgot the strange feeling she had just felt and felt sorry for Olivia. She thought for a moment and then said to Mrs. Fairfax.
"Then, I will accompany Miss Fairfax."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly trouble you like that, Teacher..."
"It's no trouble, Mrs. Fairfax. When we were in London, Mr. Dalton often attended tea parties even on bad days to fill empty seats. I'm happy to have the opportunity to return the favor."
Mrs. Fairfax smiled gracefully.
"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."
She said that and immediately shook the small bell on the side table next to the sofa. Soon, a servant in uniform opened the door and entered.
"Prepare the carriage outside. Olivia and the teacher will be going to Whitefield."
The servant bowed respectfully and retreated.
Laura was surprised and looked at Mrs. Fairfax.
"M-Madam."
"Yes, Teacher?"
"I didn't expect it to be so immediate... I thought it would be next week at the earliest. I also need to ask for Mr. Dalton's permission..."
"Permission? Are we strangers?"
"That's right. My uncle would welcome you anytime, if you are, ah, no, if you are family!"
Olivia said that and took Laura's hand. She was going to help her teacher choose the dress to wear to Whitefield. A dazed Laura was dragged to the second floor before she could even suggest postponing the visit.
At Olivia's recommendation, Laura wore a brown dress that she wouldn't normally wear. It was a luxurious silk dress that a noble would wear, so she hadn't worn it since coming to Dunville Park.
Olivia found ruby earrings in her jewelry box and put them on Laura.
When the carriage was ready, the two adorned ladies went downstairs.
As Laura descended the stairs, she belatedly thought that things had progressed too hastily. She hadn't even thought she would be going to Whitefield when she woke up this morning, so how did things turn out this way?
'I feel like I've been helplessly swept up in the whirlwind caused by Mrs. Fairfax and Miss Fairfax.'
Mrs. Fairfax was waiting for them on the first floor, wrapped in a shawl. It was to send off the two ladies. The three went out to the front of the mansion.
"Have a good time, Teacher. Have dinner before you come back."
"I can't possibly impose until late. I'll be back before sunset."
"Hmm, I wonder if it will rain..."
Mrs. Fairfax muttered. Her voice was filled with hope rather than worry.
As the two ladies got into the carriage, the coachman soon flicked the reins, shouting, "Giddy up!" The carriage departed, and Olivia and Laura leaned out the window. Mrs. Fairfax waved to them. The ladies waved back at her until they could no longer see each other.
The carriage sped along the forest path of Dunville Park. Even though the windows were closed, the sound of branches and leaves brushing against the carriage windows echoed inside. Laura listened to the sound and remembered that this was the first time she had left Dunville Park since coming here. It had already been two months since she had arrived.
Olivia, sitting across from her, was humming with excitement.
How cute. Is she that happy to visit her uncle's house?
Laura smiled inwardly, but she also admitted that she was starting to feel a little excited. She had hesitated to go when she was at the mansion, but now that she was in the carriage, she was looking forward to it. An unexpected outing. Whitefield, which would be waiting for her. And Mr. Dalton, the owner of that place, whom she would meet in Whitefield.
'What will he be like in his own home?'
As the carriage left Dunville Park, an open landscape unfolded on both sides of the window. Green mountain peaks and verdant fields. Flocks of sheep grazing and shepherds tending to them. A lake sparkling with the brilliant sunlight of late summer. It was a beautiful driving course.
The carriage traveled for a long time, passing over a gently sloping hill and an arched bridge over a stream. Laura occasionally chatted with Olivia, but mostly sat quietly, taking in the scenery outside the window. The untouched natural scenery that had not yet been reached by the hands of modernization fascinated her.
Yorkshire was a beautiful place. It was not as sophisticated as cutting-edge London, but it had a pure and perpetual power of primordial nature. Laura felt she understood why Mr. Dalton wanted to return to his hometown so much, even while he was in London. Compared to the magic of nature, the entertainment of the city was just a worthless pleasure.
The carriage traveled for about an hour and entered a village. It was a cute village with small shopping streets, houses, several spires, and mills, all clustered together.
Olivia, sitting across from her, said.
"We'll be at Whitefield soon, Teacher."
Laura nodded. The carriage soon passed a church in the center of the village and a large cemetery adjacent to the church. But Olivia, who was looking out the window, suddenly shouted at the coachman to stop the carriage. And she leaned out the window.
"Mrs. Star!"
Soon, a woman walking towards the church with a bouquet of flowers in her arms turned her head towards the carriage. She was a slender woman wearing a chiffon dress with colorful floral embroidery. She seemed to recognize the person who had called her from inside the carriage and soon smiled brightly and trotted towards the carriage.
"Miss Fairfax!"
Mrs. Star stood next to Olivia and bowed slightly.
Miss Fairfax asked Mrs. Star about the Parsonage. Through that, Laura easily realized that Mrs. Star was the wife of the pastor of the Whitefield parish.
She was a woman with sky-blue eyes and abundant, sleek red hair. She had a simple impression, but her skin was clear and her expressions were varied, making her look attractive. She seemed too cheerful to be a pastor's wife, but her speech was dignified, and her smile was bright, making her likable to others.
"Mrs. Star, this is my governess, Miss Laura Pendleton. Miss Pendleton, this is Mrs. Olivia Star, the wife of the newly appointed pastor."
"Oh, you have the same name."
Olivia nodded.
"Thanks to that, we became friends."
Laura bowed slightly towards Mrs. Star. Mrs. Star smiled at her. Olivia added.
"Ah, and ma'am, she is also a friend of my uncle."
"By uncle, do you mean Mr. William Fairfax?"
"Both William and Ian. She came to our house through Ian. We are both formally invited to Whitefield Hall today."
Mrs. Star looked at Laura with wide eyes. It was different from the gaze that had been only friendly a moment ago. It was a look of respect.
"I'm so glad to meet a friend of Mr. Ian Dalton. If you are his friend, you are also a friend of our couple. Please come and have tea with Miss Fairfax sometime. Our housekeeper makes a fantastic berry cake. You won't be disappointed."
"If you invite me, I should definitely go, Mrs. Star."
"Then, I'll send you both an invitation within this month, you must attend, you must!"
Laura nodded. Mrs. Star said a few more pleasant words, bowed, and turned away.
Laura smiled at Olivia.
"She's a very sociable person."
"Right? She probably won't let you go for half a day if you visit. She likes my uncle very much. Ah, but not as a man. The pastor and his wife love each other passionately. Their love is so excessive that it's the laughingstock of the people."
Olivia, who was excited about going out with her teacher, chattered about the gossip of the neighboring village even though Laura didn't ask.
"I heard from Miss Copfield of the choir that she was picking strawberries with her friends in the strawberry field by the lake in the spring. Then she saw the Star pastor and his wife taking a walk nearby. Miss Copfield was about to approach them to say hello to her friends. But just before she was about to call out to them, guess what, they suddenly hugged each other and gave each other a French kiss! You know, with tongues and tongues..."
"Miss Fairfax."
Laura calmly warned Olivia. Olivia realized that she had made a mistake and coughed awkwardly, perhaps embarrassed.
"Anyway, Mrs. Star respects my uncle very much. In fact, there's no one in this town who doesn't."
"Mr. Dalton seems to have a very good reputation."
"Of course. My uncle is a very diligent landowner. He often interacts with the villagers and helps them. People say he's a gentleman among gentlemen."
The carriage started down the road again. As the village receded, fields, farms, and cottages attached to the farms came into view. Olivia pointed out each of the farms and told her what crops were grown there and what livestock were raised. Laura was surprised and asked how she knew all that.
"My uncle told me."
"Ah, now that I think about it, Mr. Dalton said he was close to the farmers."
"Close is not enough. They're practically his family. He knows all the major and minor events of every family. He's often invited to farmhouses, he attends baptisms without fail, and he often gives farmers advice for investment or business purposes."
While Olivia was chattering, the carriage passed the farms and entered a tree-lined road with lush trees lined up on both sides. The carriage was darkened as if a curtain had been drawn due to the dense vegetation. Laura smiled as she looked at the small streams and bushes that were faintly visible beyond the trees.
'This is a really pleasant place.'
However, as the road ended and she entered a forest area after passing a small field, the smile disappeared from her face. At the same time, her gray eyes widened and her plump pink lips parted slightly.
Birch trees lined up densely, covering the entire area.
