57 - Chapter 57
The Banquet ended past 2 AM.
The guests admired the more diverse and splendid menu than last year, praising Mrs. Suberton's discerning eye.
Usually, most hostesses would have simply expressed their gratitude.
But Mrs. Suberton was honest.
"What did I do? Eloise and Mrs. Parker took care of all the cooking. And Emily from our house helped a lot too."
Emily, who had come up to help the kitchen maids clear the dishes, shrugged her shoulders at Mrs. Suberton's praise and went downstairs with a light step.
Ryan was greeting those getting into their carriages.
"It was a delightful occasion! I look forward to seeing you next year as well!"
People greeted him as if they believed Ryan would naturally continue to be the manager here next year.
Ryan and Mrs. Suberton were not the only ones seeing the guests off.
"Goodbye, Miss Patricia. I look forward to the day we meet again."
Richard, who had sat next to Patricia at the Banquet, naturally escorted her as she boarded her carriage and kissed the back of her hand.
Patricia's face reddened to the point where it was easily noticeable even under the dark night sky.
It wasn't just Patricia. Julia, who had sat next to Philip, as well as Noella, Liliette, Charlotte...
Richard saw off all the unmarried women who had attended the Banquet with polite and affectionate greetings.
And Eloise, Abigail, and Philip stood on the porch, watching the scene.
"He's very... sociable, isn't he?"
At Eloise's admiration, Philip ran a hand over his face.
"Yes. The problem is that his sociability is only displayed towards certain people."
Abigail, who was standing next to Philip, chuckled as if she found it amusing.
Eloise watched her, inwardly surprised.
When she was with Eloise, Abigail was very lively and fun, but when she was with others, especially men she didn't know well, she tended to keep her mouth shut.
It wasn't so much that she was afraid, but rather that she was wary and kept her distance.
Eloise couldn't blame her friend. Eloise, too, wasn't she considered an 'unsuitable person' in the marriage market along with Abigail?
At least Eloise didn't have much that was outwardly noticeable, but the moment Abigail used her crutches, there were quite a few people who cast glances of pity mixed with contempt.
So Abigail naturally avoided places where there were men of a similar age.
But to see her laughing so comfortably at Philip's words, whom she had only met today.
Just as she was thinking that anything could happen, Ryan returned after seeing off the last guest.
"Richard, Philip. It's been a while since we've met, let's have a chat."
If you just listened, you would think he was just trying to have a pleasant conversation with friends he hadn't seen in a while.
But Eloise could sense the coolness in his voice.
As if to confirm that she wasn't mistaken, Richard, who had been smiling and waving at the departing carriage, as well as Philip, both wore stiff expressions and followed Ryan into the mansion.
'Didn't he say they were friends?'
But looking at the way the two were treating Ryan now, it felt more like a superior and subordinates than friends.
'I thought their ranks weren't that different.'
But why did they seem so flustered?
"Then I'll go back to my room. My room is still available, right?"
At Abigail's words, Eloise came to her senses.
Most of Cambon's guests had returned home today. The Summer Ball, which would begin the day after tomorrow, was a place for socializing, but it was an event that even tenant farmers attended.
Because of that, the guests of Cambon society, who valued appearances, only enjoyed the Banquet and then returned.
But Mr. Ogilvy's family was not like that.
It wasn't that they didn't value appearances.
Wasn't it the most prestigious family in Feltham after the Suberton House?
But the Ogilvy family had been settled in Feltham for over 100 years, and if you were to define their identity, they were closer to being friendly neighbors of Feltham than a family that cared about appearances.
Therefore, Mr. Ogilvy's family always attended the Summer Ball, and Blissbury provided rooms for the family.
This year, they were heading to their rooms with the guidance of the maids. Of course, Abigail's room was also prepared.
"Of course. It's next to my room again this year."
At Eloise's words, Abigail smiled brightly. For Abigail, who had difficulty climbing stairs, Eloise had always prepared her room on the first floor.
She had thought that since she hadn't attended this year, she would have told the maids to prepare or clean that room for someone else, but it seemed they had left it as it was.
Eloise felt relieved at her friend's bright face.
'I was worried she might be very sick.'
Fortunately, Abigail was no different from usual.
While the two of them were having a separate meal in the Reception room, Abigail looked apologetic but also somehow relieved.
"Go in and rest first. I'll help with the cleaning and then go."
Eloise said that and headed to the Banquet hall.
The Banquet hall after the guests had left was a mess.
No matter how refined the people who had stayed there were, the traces of dozens of people eating were bound to be chaotic.
While the maids were clearing the dishes, Eloise carefully moved the fragile decorations on the tables to the display case.
Then she counted the number of silverware that the maids had wiped and brought back. Fortunately, nothing was missing this year.
Eloise called Mr. Palmer, handed over all the silverware, and then looked at the large table that had been almost completely cleared.
She had eaten with Abigail because of the seating arrangement, but Eloise was one of the hosts, so she couldn't avoid showing her face altogether.
Fortunately, an elderly woman wanted to rest during the meal, so Eloise sat in her place for a while.
As soon as she sat down, Eloise first observed the guests who had arrived just before the Banquet.
The man called Richard had already become friendly with those sitting around him and was having an animated conversation, while Philip seemed much more unfamiliar in comparison.
Still, he was talking to those around him appropriately, so she was relieved for the time being.
The next person Eloise observed was Ryan.
He was having a pleasant conversation with the people around him. But he would occasionally glance at the opposite side and briefly wear an expression mixed with annoyance.
But it disappeared quickly when someone spoke to him, so it seemed that others hadn't noticed.
'He wouldn't dislike his friends coming to visit.'
She had only heard a little, but she had heard that Richard and Philip had fought many battles with Ryan.
Since they were of similar rank, they must have been closer and always together. There was no way he wouldn't welcome such friends...
'Was he perhaps a little disappointed?'
She recalled the faces of Julia and Patricia, who had looked visibly disappointed.
At least Patricia seemed to have cheered up a bit while talking to Richard, but Julia, who was sitting next to Philip, had not. Richard had managed to improve things a bit by drawing Julia into the conversation as well, but it didn't seem like the disappointment of having to move away from her seat had completely disappeared.
So, in the end, the problem she had been worried about had ended absurdly.
Eloise ran her finger over the corner of her lips.
Shamefully, the moment she recalled the faces of Julia and Patricia looking disappointed, she had felt a little relieved.
"Haa..."
Knowing what this feeling stemmed from, her heart became even more turbulent.
It was truly a pathetic jealousy.
After confirming that the Banquet hall was almost completely cleaned up, Eloise left the place.
Looking at the clock, it was already past 3:30 AM.
'I should quickly change and go to sleep.'
Recently, while staying at Blissbury, she had tried to move according to the schedule of the Banquet as much as possible. Even so, she usually woke up and went to bed at a similar time as the farmers of Feltham.
Moreover, now that the Banquet, which she had been most concerned about, was over, she felt more tired than usual as her tension had been released.
Returning to the hallway, Eloise headed to her room. Then she suddenly stopped.
Next to her, she saw the door to the room that Ryan and his friends had entered a little while ago.
'Are they still talking?'
It had been a while since they had met, so they must have had a lot to talk about.
'Ah, I need to tell the guests about their rooms too.'
They were sudden guests, but fortunately, there were spare rooms, so she had asked the maids to clean the rooms before the Banquet.
They had said that the preparation was complete before the Banquet ended, so she would have to guide the guests to where they were.
Knock knock.
Eloise knocked on the door. After a while, Ryan opened the door and came out.
"Eloise? What's the matter."
"Well, I thought I should guide you to the guests' rooms..."
"Rooms?"
Ryan smiled coldly.
"The sturdy soldiers of Albion don't need cozy rooms. Just give me a key to an empty Shed."
