Translator: Nox

39 - Chapter 39

Eloise and Mrs. Suberton's eyes widened at the word deserter.

"A deserter was caught? Where? When?"

Stories of deserters, which were heard from Cambon and all around, were the biggest concern for the villagers.

At first, they were just stealing potatoes from farmers passing by. Then, that behavior gradually worsened, and they harmed people and took everything they had.

After hearing the news that an old gentleman's clothes had been taken off and his horse had been killed, the Volunteer guard finally patrolled the surrounding forest and caught him.

"They say he was caught in the forest north of Cambon this afternoon. After being caught, he's denying that he ever did such a thing, but who would believe him?"

Emily was pleased, saying that such bad people should be hung upside down in the square. Then, she suddenly sniffed her nose and smelled the fragrance filling the house.

"But what is this scent? Did you buy new flowers?"

"Would you like to try some? Sergeant Thornton gave this tea to Mother as a gift."

Eloise took out new tea from a glass jar and poured water into a new teacup.

Emily was fascinated by the way it was brewed differently from the tea she usually drank and watched quietly.

Soon, a flower bloomed in Emily's teacup, and Emily carefully drank the tea.

"How is it? Delicious, right?"

"This is the first time I've ever tasted something so... pretty."

Eloise laughed, finding it cute that she expressed the strange taste she felt as "pretty" because she didn't know how else to describe it.

Emily hurriedly drank all the remaining tea and then poured more hot water.

"I'm so glad I'm a maid in this house."

Emily said, filled with pride.

Even if it's the same maid work, the difficulty varies greatly depending on which house you work in.

Of course, the place everyone in Feltham wanted to work was Mr. Suberton's house.

It wasn't just because it was the highest-ranking family in Feltham.

Other families in Cambon weren't far behind in that regard.

Besides, Cambon, which was more like a city than a quiet place like Feltham, was a place that girls from the surrounding rural villages envied much more.

Emily looked at the teacup in front of her. The tea, which even the employers liked and considered precious, was placed generously in front of her.

Even the maids in Cambon envied Emily for working at Mr. Suberton's house, and this was the reason why.

The Suberton family never treated maids carelessly.

Usually, maids were given rooms that were half-warehouse. In more remote rural areas, some maids even ate and slept in the Shed.

But when Emily first came to this house, Eloise was happy as if she had a younger sister and led her to a room on the first floor.

It wasn't a room with a leaking roof. It wasn't a room with broken windows either. It wasn't a room with rats running around, and it wasn't a warehouse.

A sturdy wooden bed with clean, sun-dried sheets that smelled of sunshine. And a chest of drawers, a display cabinet, and even a desk.

That day, Emily fell asleep in her own room for the first time.

Compared to the house where she had to sleep with more than ten siblings, it was like heaven.

That wasn't all. The Suberton family always gave generously to Emily and the others who worked in the house.

It was unthinkable to be slapped for eating a piece of dry bread without permission, as in other houses.

Mrs. Suberton never raised her voice, even when she was upset, and Eloise treated Emily really well, like a sister.

Since coming to this house, Emily had never gone hungry.

Moreover, here, Emily could freely use countless ingredients that she had never dared to touch before.

<Emily, you're very good at cooking. So don't worry too much and try all the ingredients.>

The people of Suberton House didn't get angry even if Emily failed to cook vegetables she was trying for the first time. Rather, they encouraged her, and Eloise would bring a cookbook and read about how they were cooked and eaten in the capital.

Thanks to this, Emily had not only become the best cook in Feltham but also had the skills to go to Blissbury and stand in front of the kitchen counter when there was an event.

"Emily, let's clean this up after you finish drinking."

"Oh my, what are all these? Potatoes? Carrots? There's even a sack of peas?"

"I received them on the way to Cambon."

Emily's face brightened at the sight of the fresh ingredients filling the table.

Emily put down the empty teacup and hummed with excitement as she moved the things on the table to the kitchen.

Then she said to Eloise.

"On the way, I heard from a friend who works at Mr. Ogilvy's house that Miss Julia has been complaining every day lately."

"Julia's complaining isn't a one- or two-day thing."

Eloise hadn't seen Julia recently. She didn't really want to see her either.

"Today, even Miss Abigail, who usually soothes her, was holed up in her room and didn't come out, so it was even harder. I don't know what she's so dissatisfied with every day, but when I passed by earlier, she glared at me fiercely from the second-floor window."

"At you?"

"Yes!"

Emily said emphatically, as if it were true.

Eloise thought she knew why Julia was so upset.

'She must have thought she could become the mistress of Blissbury...'

She wondered if Julia would receive an invitation from Sergeant Thornton while she was there, but no one else came after that.

Sergeant Thornton had also never asked about any of the young ladies in Feltham.

In that situation, the Suberton family, who had said they would be leaving Blissbury, were still going back and forth, so she must have been very sulky.

While Eloise and Emily were organizing the ingredients in the kitchen, Mrs. Suberton took some of the gifted tea and put it in a small tea can.

Even that alone made the room continue to be subtly filled with a summer-like fragrance.

Mrs. Suberton looked at the tea can with a satisfied expression and thought.

'As expected, Lord Stanford doesn't just cherish him as a subordinate.'

Although the position of sergeant was high, a soldier's salary wasn't that much.

One had to be born into a wealthy family or quickly rise through the ranks with their abilities to accumulate wealth.

In Mrs. Suberton's opinion, Sergeant Thornton seemed to be the latter.

'Besides the Lord, he seems to have many reliable friends or superiors.'

Her desire for Sergeant Thornton's acquaintances still didn't easily subside.

"Eloise!"

Mrs. Suberton called Eloise, who was finishing up the organization.

"Are any of the Sergeant's friends coming to this Summer Ball?"

"Well, he hasn't really said anything yet. I don't think he's invited anyone."

"Still, he might have someone to invite, so ask him once. Men always hesitate on these issues and then say they have more people coming as the schedule gets closer, you know?"

"I really don't think there is anyone?"

"How would you know all of the Sergeant's circumstances?"

Eloise closed her mouth at her mother's words.

Her mother was right. Although she had been going back and forth to Blissbury recently and had spent a lot of time facing him, she couldn't know everything about Ryan Thornton. But she didn't know why she had spoken with such certainty that there wouldn't be anyone, as if she knew him best.

Eloise, who had answered that she understood, came up to her room.

She had gone out early in the morning and met many people all day, so she felt tired late.

After washing and changing her clothes, she sat on the sofa and looked at the portrait hanging on the wall.

A man with blond hair and blue eyes was smiling.

The portrait of Ryan Wilgrave, whom she used to look at every day and talk to when she was alone.

But now, she felt like she was facing that painting after a very long time.

In fact, Lieutenant Colonel Ryan's portrait was like a friend to Eloise.

She used to look at that portrait and talk to it every day while sitting alone in her room at night. Of course, no answer came back.

The reason why she hadn't been looking at the portrait and talking to it recently was partly because she was tired from going to Blissbury, but there was another big reason.

'I'm talking to Sergeant Thornton all day...'

Sergeant Thornton was an interesting conversational partner, although he often acted annoying.

He often told her about the military, which Eloise was curious about.

At the same time, he answered her questions diligently without showing any signs of annoyance.

Until now, no one had answered her words as diligently as he did, except for her father.

He wasn't just talking. When Eloise explained about the ball, Blissbury, the surrounding villages, and the people, he listened without ignoring her, even though it probably wasn't very interesting to him.

At first, she thought he was listening vaguely, but when she talked about it later, he remembered everything so well that she was surprised several times.

Above all, what made talking to him enjoyable was that he never interrupted Eloise.

Even if they had different opinions, he waited for her to finish speaking before expressing his own opinion.

"Haa..."

Eloise went into the blanket and immediately turned off the lamp.

She didn't feel like dreaming of Lieutenant Colonel Ryan today.

These days, reality was more enjoyable than imagination.