Garden of May - Chapter 37
Chapter 37
“Isn’t that Lady Stanley?”
Rosaline’s hushed voice made Vanessa awkwardly turn around. Just as Rosaline had said, the woman entering the coffeehouse was the third daughter of the Stanley family.
Surprisingly, she was arm in arm with a young man in a military uniform. As if conscious of the gazes upon them, they settled at a table tucked away in the furthest corner.
Rosaline carefully extended her arm and pulled the partition between the tables a bit closer.
“Do you recognize the man she’s with?”
“He looks like he could be a Bobart or a Seymour, judging by his features.”
“But Lady Stanley’s fiancé is Ethan Harley. I heard he enlisted in the army.”
“It’s definitely not Ethan. He’s in Disen right now,” Rosaline retorted coldly, raising an eyebrow. Vanessa looked at her, somewhat surprised. She’d thought Rosaline had cut off all contact with Ethan since his engagement. Noticing Vanessa’s look, Rosaline blushed, adding defensively, “We exchange letters occasionally.”
Blair’s loud scoff made Lady Stanley look up from her menu. Vanessa, nearly caught staring, quickly raised her handbag, pretending to search for something to shield her face. As if sensing something amiss, Lady Stanley and her companion canceled their order and stood up, looking as though they were about to leave.
They quickly hailed a carriage waiting by the roadside and disappeared. Only then did the three of them straighten up. Blair rolled her stiff shoulders, nonchalantly saying, “I never would have expected that from Lady Stanley. I always thought she was so well-behaved and proper.”
Vanessa gently touched Rosaline’s arm, lost in thought. “Rosaline, don’t get involved in their affairs.”
“I have to. He won’t believe it until he sees it with his own eyes. He’ll think I’m slandering her,” Rosaline replied gloomily, prompting Blair to shrug.
“Well, there’s no rule against a woman enjoying a little romance before marriage. I doubt either Lady Stanley or that man is serious. Judging by his attire, he doesn’t even seem to be a nobleman.”
“Even so, to be seen with a commoner…” Rosaline responded haughtily, biting her trembling lip. She couldn’t hold back and added, “It’s disgusting.”
“If she ends up pregnant, poor Lady Stanley will be the only one ruined,” Blair said casually, eliciting a cold laugh from Rosaline. “Blair, as much as you dislike her, let’s not curse her like that.”
“There was that scandal a few years ago. At least that time it was with her fiancé, and thankfully, he rushed the wedding. The bride nearly walked down the aisle with a noticeable bump.”
Vanessa pressed her lips together. Even though she knew the remark wasn’t directed at her, it felt like a warning hanging over her head.
Just then, a waiter approached and placed glass bowls of lemon sorbet in front of each of them. Relieved by the momentary pause in the uncomfortable conversation, Vanessa quickly picked up her spoon.
“By the way, Vanessa,” Rosaline began, making Vanessa flinch and look up. “This applies to you as well. If you’re really planning something like that, abandon it immediately.”
“…What?”
Rosaline quickly continued, cutting off Blair, who looked annoyed. “If you’re going to do it, you’re better off running away. If your whereabouts are unknown, there’s at least a chance people will sympathize, thinking you were a victim of a crime.”
“I’d have to leave Ingram to live like that. I don’t want to.”
“Because of your parents’ graves?”
“You know what they mean to me.”
Rosaline sighed quietly. Vanessa’s attachment to her family was a long-standing habit, perhaps even an obsession now. With no one to give her affection to, she clung to the memories of the deceased.
Living as if dead, with a heart like a nun vowed to guard a shrine for life. Rosaline had long known that her parents’ deaths had deeply wounded Vanessa, but she hadn’t realized the extent of her blind devotion.
Rosaline narrowed her eyes, watching Vanessa fidget as if she had been caught committing a grave sin. Perhaps it was a sentiment she would never fully understand, but imagining the loss she felt when Blair was gone gave her a glimmer of understanding.
“Anyway, think about it from a different perspective. As I said before, you could have a lover.”
“I agree, Vanessa. Marriage might not be so bad after all,” Blair chimed in, as if she already knew everything despite having heard nothing. She took an elegant sip of her coffee and lifted her chin in a mature manner. “Just fulfill the minimum required duties. Isn’t that right?”
Vanessa, who had been sitting expressionless, suddenly chuckled. “Rosaline, look at your brother. The heir to Winchester spouting such nonsense.”
“I’m not talking about trivial family matters. I’m talking about our matters, Vanessa.”
Vanessa laughed listlessly, smudging a water droplet on the surface of her glass bowl with her thumb. The warm air had made everything lukewarm. Blair reached out and traced her wet finger.
