Chapter 53
~Chapter 53~
The phrase on the poster, quoting a Bible verse—“Wash away your sins, and you shall find salvation”—blended in with a strangely perfect harmony.
People stopped in front of the shop, gazing at the poster. Some burst into light laughter, but others looked genuinely impressed.
“Soap that washes away sins? Haha!”
“For women, rough skin must be a sin, huh.”
“Really? Should I buy some for my wife?”
Even middle-aged men who usually had no interest in beauty products bought several bars as gifts for their wives.
Of course, most of the customers were women.
“They say this soap is really good. Even Miss Kailas uses it!”
“People who’ve tried it sent their servants first thing this morning when they heard the shop was opening today. We’d better buy some before it sells out.”
“A portion of the proceeds goes to helping the orphans at the monastery.”
Having the shop assistants wear uniforms reminiscent of nuns’ habits was a brilliant idea.
Harriet’s guess that customers would feel like they were making a church donation even as they paid had been spot on.
Thanks to that, all the soap sold out well before closing time.
“What? It’s already sold out? It’s only three in the afternoon!”
“We’re sorry. We didn’t expect it to sell this well. We’ll secure more stock this evening, so please come back tomorrow.”
When something becomes hard to get, people start craving it even more.
They grew obsessed with figuring out just how good this soap could possibly be.
That day, everyone was talking about St. Clarissa Soap & Herb, the soap they sold there, and their model, Harriet.
The Cheslow family’s ballroom was filled with extravagance.
Electric lamps shaded with glass domes, abundant flowers and fruits, fine champagne in delicate glasses, and even an expensive indoor orchestra.
It was the perfect autumn evening party.
And the most dazzling person there was Bella Listerwell, standing at James’s side, holding his hand.
Even though they weren’t married yet, she acted like the lady of the house for the party.
It was behavior that could have drawn criticism, but she was so goddess-like in her beauty that no one dared complain.
“What a splendid party.”
“Thank you for coming. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
Standing beside James, she greeted the guests with a bright smile.
Parties like this for young people on this scale were rare. No one would remember Harriet’s pathetic little tea party now.
In truth, Harriet’s tea party had been a small gathering of just a few close acquaintances. It was commonplace in the empire.
So strictly speaking, Bella didn’t need to go to such extremes to compete.
But the very idea of Harriet trying to reclaim her position or reputation or anything at all was utterly intolerable to Bella.
She should have just stayed holed up in that monastery. I’ll make sure she realizes that for good.
Bella was determined to show everyone just how different she and Harriet were.
No engagement date had been set with James yet, but the Cheslow family already treated her like a daughter-in-law, and James was still utterly smitten with her.
The dress she wore tonight was a gift from James—likely the most expensive one she owned.
Her plan was to bask in everyone’s admiration throughout the party and then, toward the end, distribute gifts far more lavish than Harriet’s.
Bribing people’s hearts with gifts might seem a bit low-class, but Bella’s goal wasn’t to win favor—it was to make Harriet’s gifts look shabby by comparison.
After they see this La Bonanza cream, no one will remember that stupid soap.
She’d spent a fortune preparing the gifts, but she believed it was worth it.
But inside the ballroom, something utterly unexpected was unfolding.
“Did you manage to get the soap?”
“Barely. My maid almost missed out if she’d been a little later.”
“Wow, lucky you. I bought ten this time—I should’ve gotten more.”
“You were fortunate. After one o’clock, they limited purchases to a certain number per person. My maid only got three.”
Everyone was buzzing about St. Clarissa Soap & Herb, which had opened its doors that day.
And it wasn’t just the soap.
“Did you see that poster? Miss Harriet looked absolutely stunning!”
“The company that has an exclusive contract with St. Clarissa Monastery picked her as their model the moment they heard she’d gifted the soap.”
“It was a brilliant choice. Her skin used to be so bad, but that soap made it flawless. Who could be a better model?”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Many said they were seeing Harriet in a new light now.
“The soap she gave me really helped with my acne.”
“Oh? Come to think of it, Lady Viviana, your skin looks so much better!”
“It’s not just me. Everyone who went to her tea party saw results. And I think we all misunderstood her. Once we actually talked to her properly, she was so kind and easy to get along with.”
Viviana had come to genuinely like Harriet. Not only had Harriet given her extra soap as a bonus, but she’d later sent a letter with advice on managing her diet.
Harriet, who knew all too well how agonizing acne could be, recommended cutting back on oily foods, eating more vegetables, and taking daily walks. That thoughtful letter had deeply touched Viviana’s heart, as she’d been secretly struggling with her skin troubles.
Even though she’d risked criticism by giving such frank advice, people found her words relatable and kind instead.
“I thought the same. I met her for the first time at Annabelle’s tea party, and she was so polite and fun to talk to. I don’t know what she was like before, but she seems changed now.”
“Who hasn’t made mistakes when they were young? Miss Harriet lost her parents in an accident, so it’s only natural she wandered for a while. But now she’s mature and considerate in every way.”
“Come to think of it, I can hardly remember what she used to look like. Probably because we didn’t cross paths much.”
The image of “ugly Harriet Listerwell” that Bella had so painstakingly built up in people’s minds was quickly fading away.
All it had taken was a year’s absence and a few small changes.
About an hour after the party started, Bella finally realized that everyone around her was talking about only one thing: the soap shop and Harriet.
“Did you know, Miss Bella? Your cousin became their model.”
“Huh? Their model? What do you mean…?”
“Oh, you must have been too busy with party preparations to hear. A soap shop called St. Clarissa Soap & Herb opened on Sevior Street today, and your cousin, Miss Harriet, is the model.”
“What?”
Bella’s eyes went wide.
While she stood frozen in shock, the people around her kindly filled her in on all the details: lines forming from early morning, sold out by three in the afternoon, how popular the poster with Harriet’s face was.
That soap shop opened officially today? Of all days, today?
Bella felt like she’d been struck hard in the back of the head.
Only then did the words that had been floating around her ears click into place. Soap, Harriet, Sevior, skin, tea party, gift, monastery…
Everything pointed to that shop.
Then someone spoke up again.
“If you’d been the model, Miss Bella, the soap would have sold even better.”
It was said almost as if to console her.
Bella barely suppressed the urge to grab the woman by the hair and forced a smile.
“But being a model is just selling your face, isn’t it? Noble families usually wouldn’t approve of their daughters-in-law doing that sort of thing. I worry if Harriet will even be able to marry properly now.”
“That’s true.”
“Even without the modeling, marrying into a noble family won’t be easy for her. I hate to say it since she’s your cousin, Miss Bella, but her past behavior wasn’t exactly ladylike…”
That was the reaction Bella had been hoping for.
But instead of showing pleasure, she frowned and said,
“Harriet is a kind and innocent girl. Falling in love easily just means she’s sincere. Yes, she made a few wrong choices, but I believe it was simply because she was scared.”
Now she waited for someone to say, “Heavens, to defend her after all that? Miss Bella, you truly have a noble heart.”
But the response this time… was different.
“She must have been really hurt, then. They say no men will even accept her these days.”
“Oh, you mean Julian Pace?”
“He follows her around like a lost puppy. It’s almost pitiful, really.”
At the mention of Julian’s name, Bella’s expression twitched.
She still hadn’t gotten over the shock of seeing him holding Harriet’s umbrella and trailing after her at the Earl of Lilburn’s charity bazaar.
She’d thought she’d buried that memory, but now it resurfaced, ruining her mood.
But the people around her didn’t stop there.
“Julian Pace is just the beginning. He doesn’t show up to parties often, but when he does, he turns down every dance request. He says he doesn’t want to get involved and draw criticism for no reason.”
