Translator: Nox

37 - Chapter 37

Eloise and Ryan's carriage exited the entrance of Cambon.

Before long, the well-paved stone road ended and a dirt road began. This caused the carriage to shake from side to side.

Eloise looked back at the carriage's rear.

The back of the carriage was more loaded with luggage than ever before. So much so that she thought it would have been better to bring a baggage wagon instead.

'Of course, Mother would never have allowed it.'

Even in Feltham, her mother would almost cry, begging her to have Emily or other servants do such things rather than taking a baggage wagon out.

If she were to take a baggage wagon to Cambon, she might faint on the spot.

'Especially if she met Mrs. Greenwood today...'

Then she would hear her mother's tearful lament.

<How long do you expect me to tolerate that woman ignoring you? You are qualified to enter the high society of the capital right away. Don't forget that your social status is much higher than that woman who acts like a queen in this rural town.>

As Eloise recalled her mother's words from some time ago and breathed a sigh of relief, Ryan spoke in a voice full of displeasure.

"How could you leave that gathering alone?"

At his resentful tone, Eloise shrugged and replied.

"It's not like I could die with you, could I? And wouldn't I just be a hindrance there? Besides, it's bound to last for hours, so it's better for me to do something useful in the meantime."

Every word was true. Ryan fell silent.

He couldn't understand why he felt so betrayed when she was right.

"Besides, most of the ladies who come to the Banquet don't usually come to the Summer Ball... I guess they'll all be attending this year because of you, Lieutenant."

The Banquet and the Summer Ball were different. Broadly speaking, the Banquet could be said to be included in the Summer Ball, but the biggest difference was in the number and status of the attendees.

The Summer Ball was an event that Lord Stanford held for the residents of Feltham.

Many of the residents of Feltham would drop everything and rush to Blissbury if they needed help.

That was how much pride the residents of Feltham took in Blissbury, and Lord Stanford, the owner, was grateful to them for it.

However, it wasn't just the residents of Feltham who cherished Blissbury. Even just in terms of business, Cambon had overwhelmingly more transactions, didn't it?

There were many in Cambon who cherished Blissbury as well.

As a result, the Summer Ball was attended by numerous residents from both places. Because it was an event that welcomed even young children, Blissbury during the Summer Ball was, to put it nicely, full of energy, and to put it badly, too noisy.

Naturally, the people of Cambon society didn't really welcome that atmosphere.

Farmers who worked in the fields from morning till night conversing with them in the same place?

But occupation was said to be without distinction by God. They couldn't openly show their displeasure.

And Lord Stanford understood the concerns of the Cambon socialites as well.

So, two days before the Summer Ball, he created a Banquet as a pre-event.

It was an event for those who wanted to come to Blissbury but found it difficult to attend the Summer Ball.

The number of people from Feltham who could attend that event was not very large.

First and foremost, Mr. and Mrs. Suberton and Eloise, Reverend and Mrs. Harrison, and the Ogilvy family.

Apart from them, most of the attendees were figures from Cambon society.

So, it would be easier to continue conversations with the people she had greeted today without introductions.

"I'm just asking in case, but is there a lady you'd like to have sitting across from you?"

"No, there isn't."

He answered firmly to Eloise's question.

"I thought so. I was just asking in case."

Then Eloise stared at him, who was still grumbling, and asked.

"Do you perhaps have someone promised to you in the capital? Or someone you have in mind?"

At her question, Ryan paused for a moment and looked at her. His face, looking at her with a pathetic expression, seemed to say, 'Do you think there would be someone like that?'

"I'm sorry for asking. Then perhaps... are you a bachelor? I've heard that there are many more of those in the capital these days."

All he had to do was answer yes.

He had no intention of marrying anyway, and he didn't think he would have any thoughts of marriage in the future.

But strangely, that answer wouldn't come out of his mouth.

Eloise seemed to have taken his lack of response as a sign of affirmation.

She made a face as if she understood something and opened her mouth.

"It's a shame, if you were a woman, Lieutenant, you could join our group."

"Group?"

"Well... should I call it a group of people who have left the marriage market? But it's just Abigail and me."

Then Eloise smiled and held out her hand to him. It was a gesture to ask for the reins he was holding.

When Ryan handed over the reins, Eloise familiarly grabbed them and urged the horses on.

At the familiar urging, the horses began to pick up speed.

As they picked up speed, the carriage shook from side to side. No matter how good the carriage was in Feltham, it was impossible to drive smoothly on such a rural road.

The two of them bounced lightly and swayed from side to side. As a result, their arms bumped into each other several times.

Ryan kept looking at Eloise, bothered by it, but she didn't seem to mind, as if she was used to it.

So Ryan stayed still. It wasn't like he was unpleasant or anything either.

Once the horses had picked up some speed, Eloise continued what she had been saying earlier.

"Come to think of it, our positions are a bit different from yours, Lieutenant. Abigail and I have essentially been kicked out of the marriage market, while you've walked out on your own."

"Abigail?"

Ryan was curious about the name Eloise had been mentioning since a while ago. He felt like he had heard it a few times before, but she seemed to be very close to her to be talking about her like this.

"Yes, she's my best friend. Abigail Ogilvy. She's also Julia Ogilvy's older sister."

"Ah, Miss Julia Ogilvy's..."

"I'll tell you in advance, even though they're sisters, their personalities are very different. I can promise you that Abigail won't bother you. You'll be meeting her at the Banquet anyway..."

Eloise, who had said that much, suddenly asked him as if she had just remembered something.

"By any chance, Lieutenant, are you the kind of person who looks at people with disabilities and thinks they are lacking?"

At Eloise's words, Ryan said firmly.

"I am a soldier. Do you think I wouldn't have seen people who have physically suffered the horrors of war around me?"

Many of his comrades had lost their hands, feet, and eyes in the ensuing shelling and shooting. As a result, the capital, where soldiers were concentrated, was full of people with disabilities caused by the war.

They were all noble traces of sacrificing themselves for the country.

If anyone were to call them deficient, he would throw a punch when no one else was looking.

Perhaps Eloise noticed the faint anger in his voice. She smiled brightly.

"That's a relief. The lady who said that in front of me was never invited to Blissbury again. If you had said that, I would have been wondering how to get rid of you from Blissbury."

Then Eloise explained why she and Abigail were subtly ostracized among the village ladies.

Both of them had 'flaws' in the marriage market. But they both had inheritances that allowed them to make a living on their own.

"So sometimes there are men who approach us looking for money. Do you know what the easiest way to send them away is?"

"What is it?"

"Just keep saying things that the other person hates. Men should be at least 6.1 feet (185cm) tall to be attractive, I prefer men who don't smoke, I don't want them to hang out with their friends too much, and I want to go out as a couple at least once a week after marriage, etc... Besides that, I'm going to buy at least 5 pounds worth of books a month, and never interrupt me when I'm talking... If I say this much, they'll go away on their own."

Eloise said that she preferred to be perceived as a so-called 'high-maintenance woman' and told him other conditions she had.

Listening to those conditions, Ryan thought.

I think I meet all those conditions?