Chapter 114

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: Aftermath of Sincerity (4)
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The following day, they arrived at a London station. It was a chilly dawn, the lingering darkness of night still clinging to the air. They settled in at a nearby inn for the time being.

After a simple breakfast, Ian spoke to his agent.

“We'll go to Grosvenor Square together after lunch. Have a carriage for hire waiting in front of the inn by one o'clock.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. By the way, where do you plan to spend your morning?”

“I'm going to Harrods to buy gifts for my nephews. They seem to be terribly disappointed that their beloved teacher has left.”

*As am I, of course.* He swallowed the unspoken thought, dressed in a well-pressed suit and a gentleman’s hat, and left the inn.

A cool autumn breeze was cleansing the thick London air, lending it a touch of freshness. With his hands in his pockets, he walked to Harrods department store.

The department store was still quiet. He walked toward the staircase, passing glass display cases filled with silver dinnerware, clerks smiling like mannequins beyond them, and mountains of assorted goods piled high behind the staff.

He had visited Harrods once before, during his university days, to buy a play set for Olivia’s birthday.

As he recalled, the toy department was on the third floor. He thought to himself as he climbed the stairs.

*Those boys want to join the navy, so a set of toy soldiers should do. If they liked books, I would buy them a whole collection, but the only person who could get those rascals to read has run off to Bath…*

Just as Ian was turning onto the staircase leading to the third floor, he came face-to-face with a couple. He moved to step past them, but the woman caught his arm.

“Oh, Mr. Dalton!”

Ian looked at the woman but did not recognize her. She had dark chestnut hair, black eyes, and delicate, freckled features.

“Do I know you?”

The woman let out a light laugh.

“It's me! Anne Steele!”

*Anne Steele…*

He mentally flipped through the pages of his memory. He soon recalled the maid with the face of a proud little sparrow who had greeted him each time he visited Laura’s home.

“Well, you look like a different person out of your maid's uniform.”

“What brings you to London?”

“Business. And you? What are you doing here this early? And with a man?”

Anne beamed and linked her arm securely through the man’s beside her.

“This is my fiancé. Darling, say hello. This gentleman is a friend of the young lady I served.”

The man removed his hat and dipped his head in a polite bow. He was quite handsome, with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes.

Anne chattered on.

“He's a solicitor at Jayden & Mez. He's only been there a short while, but he's already being recognized for his skill. We're getting married before the year is out. We've saved up all the money we need. Here, look!”

Anne thrust her left hand right under Ian’s nose. A silver ring adorned her fourth finger. In its center was a tiny diamond, so small one had to look closely to even notice it.

A bitter smile touched Ian’s lips. Happiness and pride bloomed on Anne’s face. He had proposed with a diamond more than ten times this size, yet he had never seen such an expression on Laura.

*It must be a matter of how she feels about the man,* he thought.

“Well. I wish you happiness. May you and your husband build a warm home together. Now, if you'll excuse me.”

He gave a brief nod and turned to leave.

“Wait, Mr. Dalton! Just a moment!”

Anne caught his arm again.

“There's something I need to tell you!”

“What is it?”

“It's not a short conversation. If you have no urgent business, please walk with me for a moment.”

“Is this about Laura?”

“Why else would I stop you, Mr. Dalton, while I'm out shopping for my trousseau with my fiancé?”

Anne unlinked her arm from her fiancé. She then cupped his face in her hands, caressing his cheeks with an embarrassingly tender touch.

“Darling, would you wait for me in the furniture department on the fourth floor while I speak with this gentleman? You can pick out a rocking chair, one for you to relax in with your pipe when you come home. Choose a sturdy one, something that won't break when I occasionally come to sit on your lap.”

The man planted a soft kiss on her palm.

“It will have to be sturdy enough not to break when you sit on my lap carrying our child. I shall choose well, my love.”

The couple gazed fondly into each other’s eyes, as if they had forgotten Ian was even there.

Ian was irritated. He’d never felt a twinge of envy, not even when observing the famously devoted Reverend Star and his wife, but fresh from Laura’s rejection, he found their cloying display of affection unbearable.

*Have they no shame, carrying on like that in public? Damn it. Couples are truly irritating creatures.*

Ian grumbled inwardly.

Soon, Anne’s fiancé departed for the furniture department on the fourth floor, and Anne and Ian began to walk through the womenswear department on the second.

“So, what is it you wanted to say?”

“Mr. Dalton, did you hear from Miss Pendleton about the gentleman who came to visit the townhouse some time ago?”

“No.”

“Then again, I suppose it's not something she would have told you. It seems you haven't won her heart enough to be privy to all her troubles. To take her all the way to your estate and still fail to win her love… if you had but half my fiancé's charm, our young lady would already be a happy, veiled bride by now.”

“Did you ask me to walk with you just to mock me?”

Anne giggled.

“Of course not, sir. This is a hard-earned holiday. Why would I waste it on something so pointless?”

“So, who was this gentleman who visited the townhouse?”

“Do you know the Ashton law firm in Cambridgeshire? He is the senior partner there. His name is John Ashton. I hear he is a well-regarded solicitor throughout England. Have you heard of him?”

“Of course. I once tried to retain him as my legal counsel, but he declined, stating he needed to focus on his business in London. So, he was the one who came to call?”

“Yes! And believe it or not, he was our young lady’s first love!”

Ian stopped in his tracks.

“…What?”

“Her first love. Her *first* love!”

“…”

“He asked after Miss Laura’s whereabouts, so I first wrote to her. Miss Laura instructed me not to reveal her location. So when he visited the second time, I sent him away quite coldly. But then he pressed thirty pounds into my hand and begged me to hear him out for just five minutes.”

“And?”

“That much money would be enough to decorate the church with fresh flowers for my wedding. So I listened to his story out behind the townhouse. He said he met our young lady twelve years ago and loved her dearly. They even planned to elope, but things didn't go according to plan. Then, just recently, his wife passed away from an illness, and as soon as his father-in-law gave him permission to remarry, he came running to find Miss Laura!”

“…What does the fellow look like?”

“Oh, you wouldn't believe it. I’ve never seen such a handsome man. Not as handsome as my fiancé, of course, but he could certainly hold his own against you, Mr. Dalton. More than anything, his devotion is extraordinary. He said he hasn't forgotten our young lady for a single day in twelve years. He said he wants to marry her at once, if only she will have him.”

Ian listened to Anne with a hardened expression. A handsome, wealthy solicitor, a first love from her past. The man who had taken her first kiss, with whom she had even planned to elope.

He clenched his fists.

“…But you said Laura refused to see him.”

“And for good reason. On the day they were to elope, Mr. Ashton never appeared, and without a word of explanation. He didn't even send a letter to explain himself afterward. Our young lady must have thought he had made a fool of her. But that wasn't the case. Mr. Ashton’s patron found out about their plan and had his menservants confine him. Then he arranged for him to marry the daughter of another solicitor, one with a large dowry. He refused to go through with it until the very end, but his parents wept and begged him, so he was practically forced into the marriage.”

“A pathetic story. If it were me, I would have beaten the servants senseless and gone to her.”

“Well, to each their own, I suppose. In any case, Mr. Ashton wishes to tell our young lady the whole story and atone for what happened.”

“So, did you tell him where she was?”

“No.”

“Why not? I'm sure he would have offered you several more pounds.”

Anne retorted with a hint of offense.

“A maid has her pride. How could I betray a confidence my mistress entrusted to me? I wouldn't do it even if he offered me enough money to buy a French wedding dress.”

“Good. If John Ashton appears again, do not tell him where she is. If you give me your word, I will buy you that French wedding dress myself.”

“That won't be necessary. I shall be wearing the dress my mother passed down to me.”

“As you wish. Is that all you had to say?”

“Yes. But is our young lady well? I'm worried to death not being able to see her.”

“She is doing well.”

“That's a relief. Oh, I almost forgot. I knitted her a pair of gloves and a scarf for the winter. Would you mind delivering them for me?”

“I'm afraid I can't do that.”

“Oh? Why not?”

He frowned, thinking for a moment.

*Well, they correspond regularly. She's bound to find out sooner or later.*

“She rejected my proposal and left.”

“She *what*?”

“She hasn't left for good. She's gone to stay with a friend in the country for a short while.”

“Good heavens. Truly, sir, if you only had half my fiancé's charm…”

“That's enough, Anne Steele.”

“Very well, I'll stop. My sisters say the same. They've threatened to stab me with a steak knife if I mention my fiancé one more time. So, where has our young lady gone?”

“Bath.”

This time, it was Anne who stopped in her tracks. Her eyes and mouth opened wide in astonishment.

“Heavens! Good heavens!”

Anne clapped her hands together.

“It's fate! It must be fate!”

“What are you talking about?”

“Bath! Mr. Ashton said he was going to Bath as well! His daughter is unwell, so he said they would be spending the winter there for the waters!”

“…”

“Bath is a small city. They are bound to meet. Perhaps the two of them are destined to be together! After all, our young lady would never marry so far above her station. A middle-class man like Mr. John Ashton would be a much more suitable match…”

Before Anne could finish, Ian spun around and strode quickly toward the staircase. The sound of his shoes receded as he descended toward the ground floor.

Anne hurried to one of the store’s large plate-glass windows and looked down at the street. She saw Ian Dalton burst from the entrance and hastily hail a carriage.

A triumphant smile spread across Anne’s face.

*That’s it, Mr. Dalton. Be more assertive. Don't let our young lady out of your sight for a single moment.*

Whistling softly, Anne made her way slowly toward the fourth floor, where her fiancé was waiting.

Anne had a reason for telling him about John Ashton. Nothing set a man’s heart ablaze quite like a love triangle. Her goal was to ignite jealousy in Ian, to make him hold on to Miss Laura all the more tightly.

She hadn't known that Miss Laura had gone to Bath, but this was even better. Now, Ian Dalton would have to strive all the harder to win her heart.

Anne recalled the sight of John Ashton’s slumping shoulders as he’d departed for Bath, and she snorted in derision.

*A solicitor with a child, daring to covet our precious lady? Not a chance. The only place befitting Miss Laura is as Mrs. Dalton, of the finest family in Yorkshire!*