Miss Lance stopped her with a raised voice. Only then did Miss Wilkes realize the situation, blushing and closing her mouth. Miss Daisy Orson, who was nearby, quickly changed the subject.

“Wow, look at that river!”

Soon, four carriages arrived at the wide lawn by the river. The gentlemen who had been acting as coachmen all dismounted and helped the ladies down from the carriages by taking their hands. Miss Lance was so embarrassed by her friends that she could hardly look Mr. Dalton in the eye, but he politely supported her as she descended.

The day’s schedule was to first enjoy a boat ride and meal, then freely enjoy walks and tennis. Of course, the gentlemen played the role of boatmen, and the boat riding groups were formed with the same people who had ridden in the carriages together.

The gentlemen took turns helping the ladies onto the boats. As they stepped onto the boats, the ladies each let out ladylike screams, pretending to be quite scared due to the rocking.

The gentlemen boarded last. Then they slowly rowed along the river’s current.

The ladies enjoyed the boat ride, admiring the grass hanging over the riverbank and the scenery, or bending down to dip their hands in the water. One lady made a dangerous attempt to pluck a lotus flower floating on the river, almost falling in and causing all the ladies to let out real screams.

Meanwhile, Miss Lance quietly watched the back of Mr. Dalton as he rowed at the bow of the boat. His rolled-up sleeves and black hair fluttering in the wind. The occasional glimpse of his profile was truly picturesque. A warm feeling bloomed in her chest.

The boat, having circled the river once, returned to the dock. There, the Lance family’s servants, who had followed behind earlier, had already laid out picnic mats and an abundance of food under the trees in a serene spot.

As there were so many people, the mats were divided into four areas, and the groups that had originally ridden in the carriages together continued to the picnic spots. Miss Lance’s wishes and her friends’ intentions aligned, allowing Mr. Dalton to remain with Miss Lance’s group.

Mr. Dalton sat quietly among the group of ladies. He seemed lost in thought since earlier. Miss Lance observed him closely to read his expression and soon noticed that his gaze was fixed on Miss Pendleton.

Miss Lance recalled the conversation her friends had earlier. It must certainly be because of that.

Miss Lance felt dismayed as she studied his expression. He looked serious. She tried to piece together why he was looking at Miss Pendleton that way.

Even if he and Miss Pendleton were close friends, it seemed strange for him to have such an expression because of her birth issue. It wasn’t just mild concern or curiosity; his expression was truly deeply sunken. Miss Lance thought a bit more deeply and soon found the answer.

He knows about the flaw in Miss Pendleton’s birth and is now feeling uneasy about their association up to now.

Miss Lance felt slightly disappointed in him but soon changed her mind and took his side. Considering his family and lineage, it’s certainly something to feel uncomfortable about. Blood supremacy was still a common way of thinking in England.

She quickly regained her fondness for him and steeled her resolve.

Even if he cuts off relations with Miss Pendleton, I shouldn’t be disappointed in him. He’s just acting according to common values.

After the meal, they each grabbed tennis equipment or parasols and headed out to the fields. Then they began to enjoy a peaceful afternoon, either taking walks or hitting balls back and forth.

Miss Lance was trying hard to create an atmosphere where she could take a walk with Mr. Dalton, but surprisingly, Mr. Dalton was the first to ask Miss Lance to take a walk together.

Miss Lance followed him with flushed cheeks. It was obvious how much fuss the three ladies would make after the two of them disappeared.

Miss Lance and Mr. Dalton walked quietly along the lakeshore. Miss Lance just kept looking at his profile, which seemed lost in thought.

“Miss Lance.”

Mr. Dalton quietly called her.

“Yes, Mr. Dalton?”

“There’s something I’d like to ask, if you don’t mind answering.”

Miss Lance anticipated his question and replied that it was fine to ask.

“I’m curious about something from the conversation earlier about Miss Pendleton. The part about Miss Pendleton’s mother.”

Miss Lance silently looked at the ground. It was a situation where she would appear thoughtless if she didn’t show some hesitation.

“I’m very sorry to ask you this. I know you and Miss Pendleton are close friends. Asking you about Miss Pendleton’s family must be quite distressing for you. However, I cherish the friendship I’ve maintained with Miss Pendleton from London just as much as you do. Considering our future association, I think it’s an issue I need to know about.”

At Mr. Dalton’s words, Miss Lance thought, “As expected.” Mr. Dalton is wary of his friendship with Miss Pendleton. Well, it’s understandable. In British high society, family reputation and parentage are as important as wealth. If there’s a flaw in her birth, it would be unpleasant to have been associated with such a person for so long. No one could blame him for that.

Miss Lance paused for a moment before beginning her story.

“I don’t know the details either. I’ve only heard stories from the adults around me. Miss Pendleton’s mother was a daughter of the Pendleton family. She was said to be a jewel of society, with countless suitors lining up waiting for her choice.”

“……”

“But, strangely enough, she disappeared without a trace at the age of seventeen. She never showed her face in society again after that. Because she had eloped with an American painter who had come to paint her portrait at her home.”

Miss Lance glanced at Mr. Dalton’s face. His expression was hardened.

“The two of them lived together in hiding somewhere without even having a proper wedding ceremony, but she passed away while giving birth to Laura. The painter left his daughter with Mrs. Abigail Pendleton and vanished. It seems he abandoned his young daughter and started a new life. In the end, poor Laura gave up her father’s surname and was officially adopted into the Pendleton family.”

As she recounted this story, Miss Lance couldn’t help but feel sympathy for Miss Pendleton’s situation.

If only she had been born properly, she could have lived in a position so high that no one would dare point fingers at her. But due to her parents’ mistake, she had become an ambiguous noble, taking her mother’s surname. Her birth issue was as fatal a disqualification in the marriage market as her lack of dowry.

Mr. Dalton stopped in his tracks after hearing the story. He stared at the distant river for a moment. Miss Lance couldn’t see his face, so she couldn’t tell what his expression was like. But from his demeanor, she could tell that his mood had worsened considerably.

Ah, as expected, Mr. Dalton is feeling displeasure at Miss Pendleton’s birth! Miss Lance was overwhelmed by a sudden surge of sympathy and wanted to protect poor Miss Pendleton.

“Mr. Dalton, Miss Pendleton is in no way lacking as a member of the upper class, in terms of her character or family. You know how kind and elegant she is. She’s the greatest victim of her own birth. Even her lack of dowry is due to her bloodline.”

Miss Lance continued in an impassioned voice.

“I heard that when she was being adopted into the Pendleton family, her uncle, Mr. Pendleton, opposed it so strongly that it was only accepted on the condition that all of Mrs. Pendleton’s assets would be inherited by Mr. Pendleton’s son. That’s how Miss Pendleton ended up with not a penny to her name. When Mrs. Abigail passes away, Miss Pendleton will truly have nowhere to go. So…”

Miss Lance steadied her trembling voice.

“So please don’t think too ill of Miss Pendleton.”

Mr. Dalton turned his head to look at Miss Lance at her words.

“What do you mean?”

“Even though she may have commoner blood mixed in, please look at her inner character, Mr. Dalton!”

Miss Lance pleaded once more. Mr. Dalton looked at her quizzically, then laughed softly and shook his head.

“No, Miss Lance. You misunderstand. Would I really look down on her for such a trivial matter? I was just… surprised. That Miss Pendleton had such circumstances…”

Mr. Dalton closed his mouth for a moment and looked back towards the river. Then he muttered as if to himself.

“…So that’s why she always…”

The two stood silently looking at the river. Miss Lance didn’t really believe that he wasn’t uncomfortable with Miss Pendleton. He must be making excuses because it would be awkward to speak frankly. Otherwise, why would he be so serious about Miss Pendleton’s birth?

Miss Lance thought she could see his inner struggle between conscience and discomfort reflected in his complex expression. She believed he was trying to maintain the right direction between the friendship that had continued until now and the uneasiness about her bloodline.

Miss Lance felt a great sense of kinship with his struggle to maintain his integrity. After all, she herself had tried so hard to hide her own uneasiness about Miss Pendleton’s bloodline whenever she saw her.

After a while, Mr. Dalton finished his thoughts and told her they should return to the others. They turned and slowly walked back towards the group.

“I’ve heard a lot of praise about Miss Lance from Miss Pendleton. She said you’re a lady with a kind heart. Miss Lance, today I learned how reliable Miss Pendleton’s assessment is.”

Miss Lance blushed and smiled.

“Please don’t say such things, Mr. Dalton.”

“It’s reassuring to know that Miss Pendleton has such good friends.”

Miss Lance was quite pleased by his words. It felt much better than commonplace compliments about being beautiful or elegant. She had gained his recognition as a reward for acting on the good side.

She felt proud of her conscience and resolved to take today’s events as a lesson, reflecting on how defending poor Miss Pendleton had ultimately been the right thing to do.

As they approached the group, friends playing tennis in the field invited Miss Lance to join them. Miss Lance looked up at Mr. Dalton, wanting to stay with him a bit longer, but he merely told her to enjoy herself and walked away somewhere before she could stop him.

Miss Lance felt a bit disappointed, but decided to be content with their earlier walk and accepted the racket her friend handed her.