Chapter 79

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Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: My Dearest Miss Laura (1)
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Lydia said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Olivia was flustered. Unsure of what Lydia meant by Laura's “birth issue,” Olivia was at a loss for how to respond. And she certainly couldn't ask Lydia what she meant at this point.

Fortunately, the other girls were just as ignorant as Olivia. Rebecca, unable to contain her curiosity, asked Lydia.

“What is this birth issue with Laura Pendleton?”

Her friends pressed Lydia for an answer. As the center of attention once more, Lydia scoffed inwardly before speaking.

“My sister Christine told me. She said there’s a young lady from an earl’s family, a Miss Laura Pendleton, who is beautiful and wants for nothing, yet she’s a spinster, unable to marry because of a terrible flaw. The surname she uses, Pendleton, is her mother's, can you believe it? Her father is an American, and they fell in love when they were young, eloped, and had a child without even marrying!”

The young ladies all gasped in unison.

“Then that means she’s illegitimate!”

A stir went through the dozen or so girls gathered there. Olivia grew flustered amidst the commotion. It was the first she had ever heard of it. But what was even more disconcerting was the way her friends' expressions slowly shifted to pity as they looked at her.

“No matter how elegant and educated she is, she’s still illegitimate.”

“How could you hire such a person as a governess?”

Her friends voiced their concern for Olivia. The situation had taken a turn Olivia had not wanted. She had become an object of pity, not admiration. Olivia racked her brain for a way to salvage the situation. Soon, mustering all the courage she possessed, she held her head high.
She had decided to be brazen.

“That sort of thing doesn’t matter. Our family chose her for her abilities. Do you know how remarkable she is? She’s a prodigy who graduated from the best girls' school in London. She speaks French, German, Greek, and even Latin.”

Lydia retorted.

“But isn’t it a bit… unsettling? If the mother is so immoral, the child will have the same tendencies. Blood will tell. Won’t you be influenced by being taught by such a person?”

Olivia held her head even higher and shot back.

“That’s ridiculous. That’s pure prejudice. Miss Pendleton is a very fine lady. She’s intelligent, dignified, and so kind. Besides, she’s very beautiful. I’ve never seen such a beautiful woman before.”

“Is she that beautiful?”

Lydia asked again in surprise.

“She’s like an angel descended to earth. I heard she was courted by numerous men in London. And even if she is illegitimate, she’s from the great Pendleton family, so she has many friends and is well-connected. You know my uncle, right? Ian Dalton, the master of Whitefield Hall.”

At the mention of Ian Dalton, a murmur went through the group. Olivia smiled triumphantly.

The atmosphere among the girls changed. They all knew Ian Dalton. There wasn’t a woman in Yorkshire who didn’t know of him. He was the heir to the oldest family in Yorkshire and the gentleman who owned the most land and property.

In Yorkshire, no matter how rich or noble, no family possessed more tradition and land than the Daltons of Whitefield. Because he was rather unsociable, not much was known about him, which only served to heighten the interest in him.

“Really… she’s friends with Mr. Ian Dalton?”

“Yes. Miss Pendleton came on my uncle’s recommendation. What clearer guarantee of her character could there be? So please refrain from speaking ill of her in front of me. She’s a precious member of our family now.”

The tables had completely turned in Olivia’s favor. The girls all but forgot that the governess, Laura Pendleton, was illegitimate. The title of being as beautiful and intelligent as an angel, and a friend to the mysterious Ian Dalton, had seen to that.

Olivia, relieved that she had regained the upper hand, spent the rest of the time boasting about how charming and remarkable a lady Miss Pendleton was. By the end of the birthday party, everyone went home envying Olivia for having such a lady as her governess.

But on the carriage ride home, Olivia’s mind was in turmoil. The shock was immense. To think Miss Pendleton was illegitimate. Did her uncle know?

When the carriage stopped in front of the Dunville Park mansion, Olivia quickly jumped out. She immediately ran to the drawing room. Her mother, startled by her presence, tried to hide the side table where she sat. But between her arms, the colorful arrangement of cards was clearly visible. Just when it seemed she had been restraining herself, she had once again succumbed to her pagan diversions.

“Oh, I thought you were the governess!”

Mrs. Fairfax, realizing it was Olivia who had entered the drawing room, breathed a sigh of relief.

“Olivia, if you’re not busy, could you stand there and keep watch for me? If the governess comes, I have to quickly put this away and pretend to be embroidering as usual. Sigh, what a performance this is in my own home. It’s so hard to maintain an image in front of my future sister-in-law.”

Instead of keeping watch, Olivia plopped down beside her mother. She tugged on the sleeve of her mother, who was once again focused on her fortune-telling.

“Mother, Mother, Mother.”

“What is it?”

“Mother, did you know?”

“Know what?”

“That the governess is illegitimate!”

Mrs. Fairfax looked at her daughter.

“Who did you hear that from?”

“From Lydia. She heard it from her cousin, so it’s reliable information. They say her parents fell in love, eloped, and had a child without a wedding ceremony. And that Pendleton is actually her mother’s name!”

Mrs. Fairfax looked at her daughter without a word. Olivia tilted her head, finding it strange that her mother wasn’t surprised.

Mrs. Fairfax sighed. She glanced toward the drawing room entrance to ensure no one was around, then spoke in a low voice.

“Don’t tell anyone else about this. Not your brother, not your father. And none of the servants.”

Olivia realized at once from her mother’s attitude.

“You knew!”

“Yes.”

“Who did you hear it from?”

“Your uncle.”

Olivia covered her mouth in surprise.

“Your uncle told me everything before Miss Pendleton came here. He said she had such circumstances and asked me to take good care of her.”

Olivia muttered, her hand still over her mouth.

“So Uncle knew everything… and he still intends to marry her?”

“It doesn’t seem to be much of an obstacle for your uncle.”

Olivia was speechless. On her way back, after hearing the story, Olivia had thought her uncle couldn’t possibly know. It was a fatal flaw in anyone’s eyes. How could the head of the Dalton family, with over four hundred years of history, marry an illegitimate child?

But her uncle already knew everything. Everything. Olivia shook her head.

“It’s absurd.”

“That’s not for you to judge.”

“Mother, why aren’t you stopping him? He’s marrying an illegitimate child. And her father is an American. An American! Uncle is trying to marry a woman with American blood.”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“Mother!”

“Goodness, you’ll burst my eardrums.”

“You should be the one to stop this. Tell him it’s absolutely not allowed, that you can’t help! Mother, no matter how much Whitefield needs an heir, this is ridiculous. Uncle will surely regret it.”

“Olivia.”

“If you won’t stop him, I will. I’ll go to the governess and tell her not to even dream of marrying Uncle…”

“Olivia.”

Olivia looked at her mother, who was now frowning at her.

“If you do such a thing, Olivia, you will be ruining your uncle’s happiness forever.”

“But Mother, he’s making the wrong decision. What will people say? It’s not just the Dalton family. It’s a great dishonor to our family as well. When I get married, the groom’s side will surely ask about our family. What will I say?”

“Tell them honestly that your uncle married a beautiful, illegitimate young lady.”

“Mother, really…!”

Olivia was angry at her mother’s lack of seriousness, even about her own marriage prospects. But Mrs. Fairfax found her daughter’s attitude even more amusing.

“You always have such an overactive imagination. If you want to marry a man so great that he would scrutinize his wife’s in-laws' lineage, you’d probably have to catch a member of the royal family. With your vanity, you’ve probably considered that possibility more than once, perhaps even many times. Imagination is free, but must your uncle give up the marriage he wants just because it might hinder you from marrying a prince?”

Olivia flinched.

“I-I’ve never thought such a thing!”

Looking at her stuttering daughter, Mrs. Fairfax scoffed. She was a carefree lady who adhered to a laissez-faire approach to child-rearing, but she was also a sharp mother who knew her daughter to the bone.

Olivia’s face turned red with embarrassment at having her inner thoughts seen through. Just as her mother said, Olivia had secretly dreamed of entering London society and marrying royalty. Once, no, actually many times. Even though she knew it was a foolish dream, she couldn’t suppress such fantasies from time to time.

Mrs. Fairfax spoke sternly to her embarrassed daughter.

“Even if you were only thinking of your uncle’s happiness, it’s the same. Your uncle’s choice is his own to bear. It is absolutely not your place to interfere. Your uncle loves Miss Pendleton. And Miss Pendleton has no flaws in character or health. She’s sincere, intelligent, and healthy. That’s enough.”

“But, are you okay with it, Mother? Uncle will surely be gossiped about. The children they have will be called the children of an illegitimate mother. The Dalton family name will be tarnished.”

Mrs. Fairfax looked at her daughter quietly.

“Olivia, didn’t you tell me not long ago? That you didn’t want to admit it, but honestly, the governess is a good person. And that maybe your uncle hadn’t made a bad choice in a woman after all. Isn’t that so?”

“…”

“You’re not going to deny what you said yesterday, are you? I hope you won’t. I don’t want to live with a daughter who changes her tune depending on the situation. You had clearly begun to judge the governess fairly. But now you despise her as if she were a bug that crawled into the house. All because Miss Pendleton’s father is an American, and her parents were not joined as husband and wife before a reverend.”