Chapter 69

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Women of Dunville Park (2)
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After a moment of thought, Mrs. Fairfax spoke quietly.

“If you’re willing to marry, what more could I say? I’ll treat her like family, so just bring her here at once.”

A smile finally bloomed on Ian’s lips. He went to his sister, who was so like their mother, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Thank you, sister.”

“How transparent. You haven’t so much as hugged me, let alone kissed me, since you were ten.”

Ian smiled and promptly left the room. He had to send a letter to London immediately.

*Is he really that happy? I suppose he’s a man, after all.* Mrs. Fairfax snorted with a little “hmph.”

As he left, Olivia entered. Mrs. Fairfax beckoned to her daughter.

“A new governess will be arriving soon, Olivia.”

Olivia sat beside her mother, her face brightening with excitement.

“A new governess? Did you finally find me a French tutor?”

“No, not for you. For Daniel and George.”

Olivia’s expression wilted.

“What’s the point of getting a tutor for those blockheads?”

Mrs. Fairfax replied calmly.

“You have a point.”

“You should be investing in me instead, Mother. My debut into society is only three years away.”

“I’m well aware. Aware that your debut is only three years away. How could I possibly forget when you follow me around chirping about it as if I’d forget overnight?”

Mrs. Fairfax adjusted the baby in her arms with a weary expression.

“Mother, my friend Lydia has already mastered conversational French by touring the resorts in France. Lily and Rebecca talk with their French tutors every day, and now they sound just like native speakers. I’m the only one falling behind. Wouldn’t you be anxious if you were me?”

A headache began to throb at her daughter’s whining. Ever since their French governess, Jeanne, had left to get married two years ago, Olivia had been pestering her relentlessly to find a new one, insisting that she had to be a native speaker.

The Fairfax family had a policy of providing for any child who wished to study, as long as their finances allowed. That was why they had hired an educational advisor for their eldest, Henry, who had wanted to attend university like his uncles since he was young. They had also fully supported Olivia, providing her with tutors for dancing, painting, and literature as she desired.

But Olivia was never satisfied. While her passion for learning was encouraging, it was truly her pride that couldn't stand falling behind her peers.

“What does it matter if you’re a little behind in French? You’ve already learned everything you need to know—dancing, painting, instruments, literature.”

“Honestly, Mother. I’ve told you so many times. French is the most important thing in high society. Aunt Janet said that once you debut in London, French is the very barometer of culture.”

“I can’t speak a word of French, and yet I married your father and am living quite well, my dear.”

“That’s because Grandfather arranged your engagement to Father early on. My father has no interest in my future. I have to find a husband myself. To find a good husband in London society, I have to stand out among countless other young ladies. Aunt Janet says you can’t survive there on looks alone. She called it a battlefield without guns. If I debut with my current skills, the other ladies will surely laugh at me.”

“Alright, I understand. I’ll find one for you soon. I will, so calm down and listen to me. I have something else to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“The new governess… she’s someone who might marry your uncle.”

Olivia stared blankly at her mother.

“A governess might marry our uncle?”

“Yes.”

“What do you mean?”

Olivia still couldn’t grasp the meaning. The gap between ‘governess’ and ‘a woman who might marry her uncle’ seemed too wide for her common sense to bridge.

“It’s a bit complicated to explain, but to put it simply, the young lady your uncle is courting was looking for a position as a governess, so he recommended our home. I’m telling you this in advance because you’re quick-witted, and I was worried you might make a fuss if you sensed something between the governess and Ian. Keep it a secret. Understand?”

“Ah, I see. But what kind of woman is she? If she has to work as a governess, she can’t even be middle-class. Is she from a fallen noble family?”

“You know of the Pendleton family, don’t you?”

“I saw them in a magazine once… ah, right. They’re great nobles from Cornwall.”

“She’s from that family. Miss Laura Pendleton.”

Olivia was taken aback.

“Oh, I think I’ve heard of her. Laura Pendleton! My friend Lydia’s older cousin is in London society, and she said she often went to the Pendletons’ tea parties. The mistress of the house is Lady Abigail Pendleton, but she said the granddaughter, Miss Laura Pendleton, acted as the true hostess. Oh, but I heard Lady Abigail passed away recently.”

“That’s right.”

“So she’s becoming a governess because there’s no one to look after her now? Why would a young lady from such a great noble family do that? Did she not inherit any fortune?”

Mrs. Fairfax simply shrugged. She had no intention of detailing Laura’s personal circumstances to her daughter. It was partly out of respect for Miss Pendleton, but mostly because it was too much trouble.

Olivia asked more questions, but her mother’s answers were vague. The ambiguity only fueled Olivia’s curiosity further.

How could she not be interested when the man who had been her prince charming throughout her childhood, and whom she still believed to be the most handsome man in the world, had found a woman he might marry?

She asked the question that intrigued her the most about this unknown woman.

“Is she pretty?”

“I wouldn’t know. As long as she’s pretty in your uncle’s eyes, that’s all that matters, isn’t it?”

“Then do you know her age? How old is she?”

At the mention of age, a shadow fell over her mother’s previously indifferent face.

“…She’s twenty-nine, they say.”

“What did you say?”

Olivia jumped to her feet.

“Twenty-nine? She’s practically an old maid!”

Mrs. Fairfax nodded.

“That she certainly is.”

“I don’t understand. Uncle could marry any young lady fresh from her debut.”

“He always loathed foolishness, so I suppose it makes sense he’d end up with someone his own age. Perhaps I should be grateful he didn’t fall for a woman older than himself.”

Olivia fell silent. She was confused. She simply could not comprehend her uncle’s choice.

A twenty-nine-year-old was an old maid whose marriage prospects were long gone, and if she was seeking to earn her own living, she must be without a fortune. Why would a perfect man like Uncle Ian be courting such a woman?

She thought for a moment, then clapped her hands.

“Ah, I’ve got it!”

“Got what?”

“The reason Uncle says he’ll marry a woman like that! Uncle Ian is protesting against you, Mother!”

“What?”

“You’ve been nagging him so much that he’s brought home this ridiculous choice for a bride out of sheer defiance.”

Mrs. Fairfax dismissed the idea as nonsense. Did she really think her uncle would bring a woman home for such a childish reason?

Olivia eagerly laid out her logic.

“If she’s from a family of that stature and still isn’t married at twenty-nine, she must be plain. And since she didn't inherit a fortune, her conduct must have been wild enough to earn the disapproval of the family elders. Why else would Uncle bring such a woman into our home? It’s a threat—if you keep nagging him, he’ll marry someone like her.”

“Oh, my dear daughter, you’re so clever.”

Mrs. Fairfax said sarcastically.

“It’s true. You have to believe me! Uncle was always angry, saying you treated him like a stud horse. He probably thinks your nagging will be an obstacle to his future bachelorhood, so he’s trying to uproot it entirely. Mother, tell him right now. Tell him you’ll never bother him about marriage again. Then he’ll call the whole thing off.”

“Olivia, you’ll be in for a rude awakening if you mistake your wishes for reality.”

“Wishes? What wishes?”

“You’ve always wanted your uncle to remain a bachelor, haven’t you?”

Olivia flinched as if she’d been struck.

“Wh-what are you talking about? Honestly, Mother. I’ve never done that.”

A slight smile played on Mrs. Fairfax’s lips.

“That habit of stuttering when you’re flustered.”

“N-no, I’m not! I’ve always hoped Uncle would get married soon. It’s just that in this case, he’s trying to marry a completely unsuitable woman…!”

“The only one in our family who would believe that is this innocent little Ian Fairfax here. Because the only person in this household, including the servants, who doesn’t know your first love was Ian Dalton is Ian Fairfax himself.”

“Mother!”

Olivia’s face turned bright red. Mrs. Fairfax cackled at her flustered daughter. Teasing her young children was one of her simple daily pleasures, and finding her daughter in such a state was a delightful opportunity she couldn’t pass up.

“I still remember it so vividly, dear. When you were six. Your uncle was at university and stayed at Dunville Park for a short while during the holidays. But when you woke up late as the holiday was ending, Ian had already left to return to Cambridge. The moment you realized your uncle was gone, what did you do?”

Recalling the incident, Olivia’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“Ah, that’s right, you dangled from an elm branch, screaming your head off! Demanding we bring your uncle back. You said you wouldn’t come down until we did. The entire family was under the tree, begging you to come down, but you wouldn’t budge. I still have no idea how a child your age managed to climb up there.”

“St-stop…!”

“In the end, your uncle, who was on his way to the train station, had to come back, climb the tree, and carry you down himself. He even missed his train. And you told him then, as a condition for coming down, that you would marry him when you turned twenty, didn’t you? Your uncle said it was the first time a lady had ever proposed to him, and he was greatly honored.”

Olivia, mortified by the memory, clutched her skirt and snapped.

“I hate it when you’re like this, Mother! Still teasing me about something that happened when I was a child!”

“How could I ever forget such an amusing incident? I’ll have to tell your future husband about it. And your future grandchildren, too. Ho ho!”

“Mother!”

Olivia stomped her feet in embarrassment and frustration. Mrs. Fairfax continued to tease her daughter for a while longer, thoroughly enjoying herself. The adolescent Olivia grew increasingly irritated and shrill, but to the mischievous Mrs. Fairfax, her reaction was a source of pure delight.

A moment later, once the fun of her little prank had worn off, Mrs. Fairfax reverted to her composed, matronly self as if nothing had happened.

“But no matter how much your heart rejects it, it seems Mrs. Dalton has been decided. Your uncle is completely in love. So you must not do anything disrespectful towards her. This is a secret from your brothers, too. Let’s make it a secret just between us women. Oh, and your father as well.”

Olivia pouted. She still couldn’t believe her uncle was courting an old maid and thus felt no inclination to cooperate, but she knew if she showed it, she would only be teased again.

She rose from the sofa, brushed off the skirt she had been clutching, and grumbled.

“Of course. If Father found out, he’d probably hang placards on the trees every hundred meters from the entrance of the Dunville Park estate, saying, ‘Welcome, our dear sister-in-law-to-be.’”

Olivia stormed out of the room.

After a pleasant time with her daughter (though, in truth, she was the only one who had enjoyed it), Mrs. Fairfax’s troubled mood had lightened somewhat.

She called for the nanny to take the sleeping little Ian from her arms to the nursery, then took out her cards for the first time in a while and began a reading. It was the reading she performed periodically about Ian’s marriage.

This time, too, the cards clearly indicated that Ian would marry within the year. The same result had been repeating all year. Thinking of Miss Pendleton, she shuffled the cards once more and laid them out.

The result was clear before her eyes: Miss Pendleton was the one he would marry.

As she gathered the cards, Mrs. Fairfax thought that perhaps this was all predestined. Still, she couldn’t completely abandon the hope that fate might take a different turn and a younger woman might appear.

She folded her hands on the table and prayed to the Christian God to grant her wish. If God truly existed, He would have surely been quite offended.