Translator: Nox

38 - Chapter 38

“When did you get back?”

Mrs. Suberton, who had returned home after chatting at a neighbor's house, approached Eloise, who was arranging her shawl at the table.

“A little while ago.”

“How did things go?”

“Everything went well. But I think we should reconsider doing business with Mr. Keynes in the future.”

“Oh, I knew it. I just heard from Mrs. Ruson that Mr. Keynes has been frequenting gambling dens lately. People who go to such places never end well. He’s clearly neglecting his store, and instead of trying to earn money through work, he’s entrusting his life to luck.”

She was about to launch into another bit of village gossip she had heard from Mrs. Ruson, but then she saw the living room table, laden with goods, and her eyes widened.

“What is all this?”

Just before she left, the table had been nearly empty except for a few odds and ends, but now it was so piled high with things that there was hardly room to put anything else.

Mrs. Suberton went closer and examined what was on the table, shaking her head.

“I don’t even need to ask. How many people did you meet while going to Cambon?”

“Um… how many was it?”

As Eloise started counting the people she had met, using both hands, Mrs. Suberton waved her hand as if to say, enough.

“That’s enough. Everyone certainly holds onto things for a long time. Your father is too nice for his own good.”

Mr. Suberton always went out of his way to help the people of Feltham when they were in trouble.

He would simply read letters from afar or help with calculations on the days when the Cambon marketplace was open, to prevent them from being cheated by cunning merchants from out of town.

But sometimes, things would happen that required a lot of money and time.

Usually, people would balk and back away, but Mr. Suberton never turned a blind eye and always did his best to help.

How many university requests had he turned down because of that?

It would have been worth it if everyone had been grateful for Mr. Suberton’s help, but sometimes, if the outcome wasn’t good, some people would resent him.

Mrs. Suberton would often beat her chest and feel upset whenever that happened.

“It’s a relief that there are still people who know shame.”

Mrs. Suberton gathered the various crops that filled the table, sighing lightly.

She simply wished her husband had a little more of the cunning that others had in abundance.

Even so, the reason she, who was from the capital, continued to live in this rural village was ultimately because she liked that aspect of her husband’s character.

If that weren’t the case, she would have already moved back to the capital to live on her own.

Mrs. Suberton looked at the vegetables that people had given, making sure to give the best ones, and then noticed a fancy paper bag among them.

“What is this?”

It looked expensive at first glance. A paper wrapping with gold leaf and elaborate patterns printed on it.

Wasn’t this something you only saw in the capital?

Wondering what it was, she took out what was inside and found a glass bottle tied with a pretty ribbon and even a paper tag.

“Oh, that. Sergeant Thornton is giving it to his mother as a gift. Mr. Wilson brought the tea from the capital, and it’s from a very distant foreign land. The scent and taste are so good that it will be used as the new tea for guests at Blissbury. Would you like to try a cup if you’d like?”

Mrs. Suberton sniffed the tea fragrance seeping through the glass bottle cap and nodded.

“Yes, I’m curious what it tastes like. I’ve never smelled such a strong and flamboyant scent before.”

It was captivating, but she doubted whether the taste would be good with such a scent.

Eloise went into the kitchen, prepared teacups and hot water, and then put the tea into the teacups and poured hot water, as Mr. Wilson had instructed.

“You don’t strain it separately?”

“No. Just wait a little longer.”

As the hot water was poured into the teacups, a strange fragrance that she had never smelled before spread throughout the house. It was unfamiliar, but not unpleasant.

It was a scent similar to the flower scent from a country that Mrs. Suberton had smelled in the capital, a country that only had summer.

“Look closely at the teacup.”

“What is it that you’re making such a fuss about?”

Seeing the look in her daughter’s eyes as she looked back and forth between the teacup and her face, as if she was anticipating something, Mrs. Suberton looked at the teacup with a bit of tension, wondering what was going to happen.

A moment later.

“Oh my!”

Mrs. Suberton’s face brightened at the sight of the flower blooming beautifully inside the teacup.

“I’ve seen Flower Tea a few times, but this is the first time I’ve seen one bloom so beautifully.”

“Try it. It smells good, it’s beautiful, and it tastes great too.”

At her daughter’s urging, she picked up the teacup, enjoyed the scent once more, and then slowly drank the tea.

As Eloise had said, a fragrant, sweet, and clean taste enveloped her tongue. It was flavorful enough without adding sugar or milk.

After taking a few sips of tea, Mrs. Suberton shifted her gaze to the glass bottle filled with tea.

She, too, was in charge of the household. In particular, tea for when the ladies visited was one of the things she had to pay the most attention to as the mistress of the house.

It was no exaggeration to say that the quality of the lady of the house was determined by what kind of tea she served and how she served it.

Of course, that was more prevalent among the ladies in the capital, but it was not something that could be ignored in Feltham either.

Therefore, Mrs. Suberton was always careful about buying tea, and she was not satisfied with what she could get from Mr. Wilson’s store, so she would ask her relatives in the capital to buy it for her.

That was why the ladies of Feltham enjoyed coming to Mrs. Suberton’s house.

“It’s rude to put a price on a gift, but… this must have been very expensive.”

“Yes. I don’t know the price either, but Mr. Wilson was so happy that he didn’t know what to do, so it must have been expensive. Sergeant Thornton bought it all, so now this tea is only available at Blissbury and our house. Oh, and it was so expensive that no one else bought it except Sergeant Thornton.”

Eloise thought that her mother would be very pleased with what she said.

But contrary to her expectations, Mrs. Suberton’s expression hardened.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m wondering if he bought too much of something so expensive at once. Of course, it’s right to bring in something precious for the sake of Blissbury’s reputation, but this might put a strain on the budget…”

Eloise realized what her mother was worried about when she trailed off.

“Oh, this tea. It wasn’t bought with Blissbury’s budget. Sergeant Thornton bought it separately, personally.”

“This? You said he bought quite a lot, didn’t you?”

“Yes. He bought everything in the big tea container that Mr. Wilson showed him, so it must have cost a lot.”

Probably, what I received alone would be worth as much as a farmer’s monthly salary. Isn’t tea originally such a luxury item?

“It’s a relief, but I’m sure Sergeant Thornton must have been under a lot of pressure.”

It seemed that Mrs. Suberton was even worried that Sergeant Thornton had spent too much money due to the typical boasting of gentlemen.

“I heard that he received many medals in the military and received a lot of prize money, so you don’t have to worry too much. And he doesn’t seem like the type to show off with things like this.”

“How do you know that?”

Eloise paused for a moment at her mother’s words.

“Um… well, since we work together at Blissbury, we have a lot of things to talk about, right? So, naturally, there are things that you come to know.”

“That’s true, but this is unusual. I think this is the first time I’ve heard you say something nice about a gentleman. You were always busy finding flaws in the gentlemen around you.”

“If you say that, it makes me sound like the most rude woman in Feltham. And have you forgotten that those people were the ones who said rude things to me first? I was the one who was insulted.”

When Eloise’s voice became sharp, Mrs. Suberton quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, we received a precious gift, so I think we should give something in return.”

“I’m working every day as a thank you for that.”

Eloise deliberately drooped her shoulders and pretended to be tired.

Mrs. Suberton looked at her daughter’s actions in disbelief.

“What can I do since your father is not here? You should help a lot. Besides, who was the one who said they were bored if they stayed at home? Don’t pretend to be tired when you go out early in the morning on your own.”

As her mother said, it was much more enjoyable to go to Blissbury than to stay at home all day.

Besides, it was also fun to be able to decorate Blissbury more freely than when her father was around, thanks to Sergeant Thornton, who entrusted the decisions entirely to her.

Just then, the goose Lancelot’s cry was heard from outside, and soon Emily came in with her arms full of eggs.

It seemed that Lancelot thought she was taking his eggs.

“I’m here. I also brought the eggs I asked Mr. Ruson for on the way.”

Emily hurriedly put down the eggs and said.

“And I heard from Mr. Ruson that a deserter was caught!”