Chapter 48

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The Fallen Veil (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------

As the carriage set off, Miss Jenson began to speak.

“First, please know that I have no intention of interfering or trying to persuade you in the matter between you and my godfather. I have no desire to make you uncomfortable, Miss Pendleton. I am not so ill-mannered as to repay the kindness you’ve shown me in such a way.”

Miss Pendleton was slightly surprised. She had boarded the carriage fully prepared, certain that Miss Jenson would try to change her mind.

“Thank you for respecting my wishes.”

“You must know how much I care for my godfather, Miss Pendleton. He is like a true father to me. In fact, he is closer and more precious to me than my own father. That is why I have a responsibility to save my uncle from the brink of making a fool of himself.”

Miss Pendleton felt a sense of puzzlement at Miss Jenson’s words, which were so earnest they were almost tragic.

“Miss Pendleton, I will ask you one last time, and I mean this to be the very last time. Do you truly, Miss Pendleton, truly have no feelings for my godfather?”

“I do not, Miss Jenson.”

At her words, Miss Jenson let out a deep sigh and pressed a hand to her forehead. She muttered under her breath.

“What on earth have those two gentlemen done…?”

Miss Jenson was silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Miss Pendleton waited quietly for her to speak. Soon, Miss Jenson parted her lips.

“Miss Pendleton, my uncle—no, my godfather—was planning to propose to you publicly at the ball tomorrow.”

Miss Pendleton covered her open mouth with her hand.

“My godfather has been incredibly busy lately, preparing an elaborate and fitting courtship for you. He believed that a simple bouquet or a modest proposal would not be enough to preserve your dignity.”

“Good heavens. Miss Jenson, I…”

“Yes, I know. I understood everything perfectly after hearing what you said in the drawing room. Not only do you have no feelings for my godfather, but you have also been suffering a great deal. I know my godfather. Once he gets an idea in his head, he sees nothing else. Like a bull in a ring, you might say. You must have been in a very difficult position because of him.”

“It was difficult, yes… but I hold no ill will toward Mr. Price. If not for all this, I might even have come to respect him. He is a good man, after all.”

“Yes, he is a good man. He’s simply brought the matter of romance into a relationship that should have remained one of respect for an elder, bringing this embarrassment upon himself… Oh, what am I to do? How can I tell my godfather?”

Miss Jenson pressed her forehead again. She looked terribly distressed and pained.

Meanwhile, Miss Pendleton began to feel grateful toward Miss Jenson. In such an awkward situation, a slightly less considerate person might have taken her godfather’s side and pressured her. But she had assessed the situation objectively and was trying to resolve it as an ally.

“First, I will do my utmost to prevent my godfather’s plan for tomorrow. Hmm, how far are we from the Pendleton residence?”

“About a quarter of the way there.”

“Then we have twenty minutes. Please listen to what I have to say in the time we have left. As a devoted goddaughter, I wish to represent my uncle’s side of the story. This matter is not entirely my godfather’s fault, you see.”

Miss Pendleton nodded, feeling puzzled.

“Please, go on, Miss Jenson.”

Miss Jenson sighed.

“Miss Pendleton, I actually knew of you long before I came to America.”

“You knew of me?”

“Yes. I began hearing your name about six months ago. That was around the time my godfather met Mr. Gerald Pendleton.”

Gerald Pendleton had come to America to find investors for the shipbuilding business his eldest son had started, and he brought not his first son, but his second son, Charles. As Miss Jenson later learned, it was to pair his second son, who had no inheritance to speak of, with a bride who likely possessed a great fortune.

“Right after meeting Mr. Pendleton, my godfather often spoke of his niece. The beautiful and cultured Miss Pendleton. The unprotected Miss Pendleton, without a husband to look after her. The shy Miss Pendleton, who had been unable to find a suitable match. It went on like that.”

From that point on, Mr. Price gradually began to confide in Miss Jenson about his thoughts on remarrying. Knowing how lonely her godfather had been since his wife’s passing, Miss Jenson had supported the idea.

A short while later, Mr. Price began redecorating the house and even purchased a beautiful carriage fit for a lady. Miss Jenson wondered why he was making such preparations when he had not even found a lady to marry yet. But her question was soon answered.

Mr. Price introduced his goddaughter to the Pendletons, father and son, and Miss Jenson began to dine with them often. It was on those occasions that she frequently heard stories about Miss Pendleton. Mr. Pendleton constantly mentioned Miss Pendleton, prodding at Mr. Price’s heart.

“I was skeptical at first. I couldn’t believe that a marriage between two strangers across the ocean who had never even met could be arranged based on another’s words. But I gradually became convinced. Mr. Pendleton stated it clearly: he said he had received a favorable reply from his niece regarding his matchmaking. Miss Pendleton, did you ever send such a letter?”

Miss Pendleton shook her head. The threads of the affair were slowly unraveling. Mr. Price’s story of how her uncle had praised his niece to the heavens. Mr. Price’s shameless courtship, as if her acceptance were a foregone conclusion. It became clear that her uncle was behind all of these absurd events.

“But why would my uncle do such a thing? What does he stand to gain from all this?”

“Well, as a third party, I cannot claim to know the situation perfectly. But I have my suspicions based on the circumstances. You said Mr. Pendleton came to America for his shipbuilding business, correct? At first, he asked my godfather to find him a wealthy investor, but gradually, he began asking my uncle to invest directly. My uncle politely declined. He judged that the business itself was flawed from the foundation and unlikely to turn a proper profit. But now, he has decided to invest. Why do you suppose that is?”

The carriage stopped. Engrossed in the conversation, they had already arrived in front of the Pendleton residence.

Miss Pendleton processed the information she had heard from Miss Jenson and drew a conclusion.

Mr. Price’s absurd courtship was the result of her uncle’s instigation. He intended for her to become Mr. Price’s new wife in order to secure Mr. Price’s investment in his eldest son’s shipbuilding business.

“Miss Pendleton, you should confirm this with Mr. Pendleton yourself. But I doubt his story will be much different from mine. I can only interpret it as his scheme to sell you to my godfather.”

Miss Pendleton nodded silently. She took Miss Jenson’s hand.

“Thank you for speaking so candidly. If it weren’t for you, Miss Jenson, both I and Mr. Price would have faced great humiliation at the ball tomorrow. And I would never have been able to see Mr. Price in a favorable light. You have done your duty to protect Mr. Price’s honor.”

Miss Jenson shook her head.

“I still have work to do. I’m going back right now to inform him of your feelings and persuade him to cease this disgraceful behavior. I might be up all night. My godfather is terribly stubborn and can only see one side of things.”

Miss Jenson sighed.

“You truly care for Mr. Price, don’t you, Miss Jenson?”

“Of course, he is like a father to me. I grew up with his children like siblings. And together, we watched his wife, my dear Aunt Eleanor, in her final moments. Aunt Eleanor made a special request of me. She asked me to keep a close eye on her reckless and impetuous husband. At least until he found a new wife. It seems I may have to watch over him until the day he dies. Good heavens. To think he’d get caught up in such a foolish scam.”

Just then, the coachman opened the carriage door and lowered the step. Miss Pendleton alighted from the carriage.

“Please come to the ball tomorrow, Miss Pendleton. I hope you will give my uncle a chance to apologize to you. I believe he will only accept reality once he has spoken with you himself.”

Miss Pendleton nodded, and the two women shook hands through the window.

Soon, the carriage disappeared down Grosvenor Street.

Miss Pendleton stood still for a moment. Before her eyes was a house more magnificent and beautiful than any other townhouse on Grosvenor Street. A house that, for some, was worth the risk of crossing an ocean and entering a loveless marriage. But to her eyes, it was nothing more than a dreadful shackle.

Through her conversation with Miss Jenson, Miss Pendleton had learned everything. It felt as though the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. Her uncle’s letter instructing her to invite Mr. Price from America. Mr. Price’s gaze, which had scrutinized her as if inspecting merchandise. His relentless courtship. His attitude, as if he had come to collect an affection already promised to him.

It was all because her uncle had promised her to Mr. Price.

Miss Pendleton trembled. The act of being handed over like a commodity for profit had been taking place without her knowledge. With the authority of the head of the family, he had tried to pass his niece to his friend.

The things her uncle had said to her after returning to the townhouse came back to her one by one. That there was no dowry for her. That she shouldn’t be so haughty. Every word had been laced with intent.

Miss Pendleton felt a profound sense of humiliation. The discomfort she had endured because of Mr. Price now coalesced into a single, sharp thought.

*How much more are they going to ask of me?*

The Pendleton name had demanded so much of her. In the twelve years she had lived as a lady, countless situations had hurt her and angered her. But trapped by the Pendleton name, she could not say she was hurt when she was hurting, nor could she say she was angry when she was angry.

And now, she was effectively being told to give her body to a man her father’s age for the sake of the Pendleton family.

A sense of injustice stirred in her heart, which had endured everything for so long. Her uncle, Gerald Pendleton, who had abused her so terribly in her childhood, was now trying to use her future as a sacrifice for the Pendleton family’s gain.

Her future. The future as ‘Laura’ that she had dreamed of for so long.

She would never let that happen.

Miss Pendleton marched through the main gate and went straight upstairs. She burst into the study, which had been off-limits to her since her uncle’s arrival.

As she entered, the strong scent of cigars assaulted her nostrils. Miss Pendleton stifled a cough. The inside of the study was shrouded in a faint cigar smoke that swirled like a thick fog.

Through that haze of smoke, she saw Gerald Pendleton.