As Miss Pendleton came down, the two of them immediately set out for a walk.

The usually gloomy London weather was generously offering bright sunshine for once. Perhaps because of this, the streets were filled with gentlemen in black silk hats and well-dressed ladies.

Mothers pushing prams, girls walking hand in hand, and couples strolling arm in arm affectionately.

Among them, Mr. Dalton and Miss Pendleton walked side by side like friends, keeping about a hand’s width apart. There wasn’t much conversation between them, but a familiar atmosphere lingered.

“Mr. Dalton, are you enjoying life in London?”

“I’m enjoying it much more than I expected.”

“I’m glad. As your London friend, I would have been worried if you found life here boring.”

“Miss Pendleton, you’re already considerate enough, so please don’t worry about my enjoyment. I’m already experiencing almost all the pleasures London has to offer thanks to you. For instance, the formal dinner with the Mortons.”

A few days ago, Miss Pendleton had taken Dalton to a formal dinner she was invited to at the Mortons’ new mansion.

“The Mortons are a lovely couple, aren’t they?”

“And they suit each other so well. I felt they were filling in each other’s gaps.”

“Oh my, you think so too, Mr. Dalton?”

“Yes. Mr. Morton gave the impression of being naturally reticent. Almost to the point of seeming cold. But Mrs. Morton drew her husband into conversations and naturally encouraged him to talk. Thanks to that, I had the precious experience of hearing about naval battles from someone who had actually experienced them, even though I’ve never participated in one myself. On the other hand, Mr. Morton subtly prevented his wife from drinking too much whenever she was about to.”

Miss Pendleton laughed.

“By switching the position of the wine glass with the water glass, right?”

There was laughter in Mr. Dalton’s voice as well.

“Mrs. Morton wondered at least four times why her water glass was there.”

“She must have been deeply absorbed in conversation. She was always a focused child since she was young.”

Miss Pendleton defended her old friend Elizabeth lest she appear foolish, but couldn’t help laughing. The two laughed out loud without malice.

“They’re an adorable couple. Truly.”

“Indeed.”

“You must be proud, Miss Pendleton, for having brought about such a well-matched couple.”

Miss Pendleton looked at him in surprise.

“What?”

“Mr. Morton said so in the smoking room. That if it weren’t for Miss Pendleton, he wouldn’t have been able to marry Mrs. Morton.”

Miss Pendleton’s face turned red.

“No. Mr. Morton exaggerated. They just often met at tea parties at our house.”

“I’m not so sure. Mr. Morton didn’t seem like the type to blur objective facts with exaggeration. Above all, when Mr. Morton looked at you, his eyes were full of trust and friendship. It was a look that could only be given to a benefactor who helped him obtain his wife.”

Miss Pendleton was at a loss for words and only blushed.

Mr. Dalton quietly observed her.

Miss Pendleton was always like this. She would become flustered and not know what to do with even a little praise. Perhaps due to her shy nature.

An ordinary gentleman would change the subject to save a lady from embarrassment when she was this flustered. But Mr. Dalton didn’t consider himself a particularly fine gentleman, nor did he have any intention of becoming one.

He spoke his mind regardless of whether Miss Pendleton was distressed or not.

“Through Mr. Morton, I heard that my dear Miss Pendleton strives to help her friends form harmonious families. It’s admirable work. In terms of benefiting the world, it’s far better than what politicians or soldiers do.”

“I don’t know why you praise me so excessively. All I did was leave the room when their conversation was deepening. How can you compare such passive matchmaking to the work of soldiers and politicians?”

“Soldiers and politicians are sent into the world with the command to benefit it, but sometimes they become so obsessed with their goals that they destroy the world. But Miss Pendleton, you look at the world with the caution that such people often forget. And with a healthy view of marriage, you create just the right connections for your friends.”

His black eyes gazed at Miss Pendleton with an ungentlemanly direct gaze.

“I remain convinced that wise matchmaking truly benefits the world. Every day, dozens of ill-matched couples are joined in matrimony before God. And they spend their lives bound to each other in unhappiness.”

“…”

“This ridiculous situation is so prevalent that people don’t even feel a sense of problem with it. They simply sell themselves into unhappy marriages for the sake of property and dowries. Considering the state of society, Miss Pendleton’s goodwill is all the more valuable.”

Miss Pendleton’s face, and even her ears, turned bright red. Mr. Dalton stared at her reddened face with shameless directness. And he even smiled.

He impurely found her lovable in that state. Her flustered and shy appearance was cute. And the reason she was so embarrassed doubled that loveliness.

If it had been mere ceremonial praise, she wouldn’t have been so embarrassed. As someone seasoned in high society, she usually responded smoothly to comments about her beauty or the sweetness of her voice.

But when she heard sincere praise based on objective observation, she would flounder as if struck at her core.

At times like this, he sensed the shy heart hidden within Miss Pendleton, who was otherwise a perfect lady without flaws. And the more he felt this, the more he wanted to fluster her and feel that loveliness.

Miss Pendleton also realized that he was finding amusement in her flustered state. She spoke up to escape the situation where he might once again hit the mark and make her lose her composure.

“Mr. Dalton, please don’t misunderstand me. I’m as much a realist as any banker. I never encourage my friends to ignore reality in marriage. It’s also true that an unbalanced marriage leads to unhappiness. Even in a home overflowing with happiness, when poverty comes knocking as a guest, love escapes through the back door. Like a debtor fleeing from creditors. So please, please, stop praising me!”

As she desperately chattered on, a thought crossed her mind, and she quickly voiced it.

“Actually, I was secretly plotting to marry you off to one of my friends. It was because of the misunderstanding that you came to London looking for a wife. Even on the first day of the ball, I acted as your waltz teacher to have you dance with one of my friends. How about that? Do you still see me as a wise matchmaker?”

But Mr. Dalton, far from being surprised by her words, only smiled more deeply. Miss Pendleton soon realized his thoughts and exclaimed without thinking.

“You already knew!”

Instead of answering, he laughed out loud. Miss Pendleton’s face turned even redder.

After laughing for a while, he finally stopped.

“Forgive me. I was just… Miss Pendleton, you’re so cu…”

He stopped speaking. And shook his head slightly.

“I was just admiring Miss Pendleton’s innocence. Will you forgive me?”

Miss Pendleton silently turned her head away. She didn’t want to show him her reddened face any longer. Miss Pendleton took a deep breath and continued walking.

As they talked, they had already passed Grosvenor Square and entered Hyde Park. The vast, verdant Hyde Park was filled with even more ladies and gentlemen enjoying their walks than the streets they had just passed, and on Rotten Row, high-class carriages drawn by two horses frequently took drives.

Miss Pendleton calmed her mind in the clean air. She quickly returned to being the kind Miss Pendleton.

“Were you not displeased by my matchmaking?”

“Far from being displeased, I was grateful. You stepped in to solve something I couldn’t accomplish myself due to my lack of ability.”

“But you don’t have any thoughts of marriage yet, Mr. Dalton.”

“No, I tried countless times to fall in love while at Whitefield estate. But I only came to realize that it’s not something that can be achieved through effort alone.”

“It seems your heart wasn’t open.”

“That’s exactly the right expression. My heart wasn’t open. More precisely, I couldn’t find a lady who made me want to open my heart.”

“But if you try to find good points in anyone, there’s no one without merits. Moreover, I’ve never heard rumors that the ladies of Yorkshire are below average.”

“Of course, they were all fine ladies from good families in their own right. It’s just that my heart didn’t open. That’s all. It’s not that my standards are too high, or that I’m looking for unparalleled beauty, it just turned out that way.”

Miss Pendleton remembered that Mr. Fairfax had once described him as someone waiting for destiny.

“Are you perhaps looking for your destined woman?”

“Interesting. You sound just like William. Surely William wouldn’t have said such a frivolous thing. Hmm, I don’t believe in grand concepts like destiny. I just think that my match is out there somewhere. Like a pair of gloves, someone who will be my match. And I believe I’ll meet such a person without any artificial effort. Oh, is this believing in destiny?”

Miss Pendleton just smiled.

“Then, why don’t you try harder to find that person in London? With my matchmaking skills that you praised earlier, I’ll surely find that destined lady for you.”

Mr. Dalton looked at Miss Pendleton for a moment. Then he silently shook his head.

“Why? Because you dislike artificial meetings that might ruin destiny?”

“No. Because artificial meetings are no longer necessary.”

‘No longer necessary.’ Those words lingered in her mind. It was a phrase open to interpretation. It could mean giving up on efforts to find a woman. Or, it could mean he had already found his destined woman.