Mr. Fairfax, who was standing nearby, interjected.

“Oh? Miss Pendleton, when Miss Hyde and I were competing, you said a lady should side with a lady, didn’t you?”

Miss Pendleton chuckled softly.

“I know Mr. Dalton’s athletic abilities well. I’m afraid I’m just a materialist who can’t help but side with the advantageous party.”

“Ah, so Miss Pendleton was underestimating my skills too! You thought Miss Hyde would defeat me! Hey, Ian. Go on! Go and restore my honor!”

“Ridiculous.”

Mr. Dalton muttered as he picked up a stone from the ground. Then, tossing and catching it like Miss Hyde had done, he asked.

“First?”

“You go ahead.”

Mr. Dalton thought it had been quite a while as he leaned to one side. Then he swung his arm and threw the stone towards the river.

Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop.

The sound of the stone bouncing on the water surface continued for a while. Miss Pendleton, who had the best eyesight among them, narrowed her eyes and counted.

“…Thirty-seven, thirty-eight… Wow, thirty-eight!”

Miss Pendleton clapped her hands and exclaimed towards him.

“Amazing! Thirty-eight times is a record! You’re not just a local representative, Mr. Dalton, you’re a national representative!”

Mr. Dalton, childishly enough, felt quite proud at Miss Pendleton’s applause.

Meanwhile, Miss Hyde was watching the water surface with her hands on her hips. Thirty-eight, huh? That’s three more than her official record of thirty-five so far.

When practicing alone, she had occasionally exceeded forty times, but that was just occasionally. She had never experienced such a miracle when skipping stones in front of people.

But with such a formidable challenger appearing, the competitive spirit within her began to burn fiercely. How dare this Yorkshire country gentleman challenge her record. She absolutely couldn’t lose. Even if it meant staking her self-proclaimed title of national representative.

With a solemn expression, she rotated her right shoulder and loosened her wrist. Then, unlike before, she carefully selected a stone. Choosing the flattest stone among them, Miss Hyde looked at Miss Pendleton.

“Miss Pendleton. Although you’ve placed your hopes on Mr. Dalton rather than me, the glory of my victory will always be yours.”

Miss Pendleton was taken aback.

“Miss Hyde, there’s no need to be so serious…”

Before Miss Pendleton could finish speaking, Miss Hyde swiftly swung her arm and threw the stone. Miss Pendleton couldn’t help but be startled by her spirit.

Soon, plop, plop, plop, the stone bounced on the water surface.

For a moment, they were all silent, with only Miss Pendleton’s voice counting the numbers echoing.

Mr. Dalton, who was watching the water surface with his arms crossed, started to feel uneasy. Miss Hyde’s stone seemed to be racing across the water surface like a living grasshopper, showing no signs of stopping.

“Thirty-three, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight! Wow! Thirty-nine, forty, forty-one, forty-two…”

Miss Pendleton continued counting, suppressing her exclamations. Her voice continued for a while after that. And it stopped precisely around fifty-two. Not because the stone had stopped, but because it had suddenly disappeared beyond the horizon.

Silence fell among them for a moment. Then shortly after, the two stunned gentlemen and one lady quietly applauded. Towards Miss Hyde, the national stone-skipping representative, who was looking at the horizon, immersed in her sense of victory.

As the applause ended, Mr. Dalton graciously admitted his defeat and stepped back. Mr. Fairfax, captivated by the recent grand victory, began to plead with Miss Hyde to pass on her skills.

Miss Hyde, in her highly elated state, willingly picked up a stone and began to impart her techniques to him. Their enthusiasm was so great that they seemed not to notice the two people beside them.

Mr. Dalton leaned towards Miss Pendleton and whispered.

“The two of them seem busy. Shall we take a walk nearby?”

Miss Pendleton nodded.

“That sounds good, Mr. Dalton.”

* * *

Miss Pendleton followed Mr. Dalton. To match her pace, Mr. Dalton walked slowly, guiding her along the forest path he had just walked.

“By the way, are there two Miss Hydes in society right now?”

“No.”

“Then, that lady is the one who rejected William’s proposal?”

“That’s right.”

“And yet, the two of them are playing stone skipping together?”

Miss Pendleton smiled understandingly.

“I was taking a walk with Miss Hyde when we happened to run into Mr. Fairfax and ended up walking along the riverbank together. During the walk, Miss Hyde whispered to me secretly. She said she would jump into the river if she could only escape from here. It’s really fortunate that Mr. Fairfax suggested stone skipping. Otherwise, Miss Hyde might have really jumped into the water.”

“I would have jumped in too if I were her. Having to take a walk with someone whose proposal you rejected. But it’s surprising that they can become so at ease with each other again after just a few games.”

“They were close friends, after all. Their relationship suits friendship much better than romance. I think William might have courted Miss Hyde because he wanted to maintain this friendship for life.”

“Not being able to distinguish between friendship and love. I think William, no matter how naive, isn’t that foolish.”

“I think so too. Mr. Fairfax must be able to distinguish between friendship and love. However, even if Mr. Fairfax proposed with feelings closer to friendship, that’s not necessarily a foolish choice. There are many couples who live their married life based on friendship.”

“Do you think a couple can be happy if they’re bound by friendship? Seeing one’s partner merely as a friend living together?”

“Yes, Mr. Dalton.”

Mr. Dalton shook his head.

“I don’t understand. Such couples. A married couple being friends? How is that different from same-sex marriage? A married couple should be a cooperative relationship based on affection. Affection, not friendship.”

“But affection sometimes causes too many fights. I’ve often seen married couples who are close to being friends, and their life doesn’t seem unhappy. Rather, they understand each other instead of being disappointed, and take care of each other instead of demanding.”

“…”

“Couples need to live together for a long time, and even if their charm fades, mutual trust is more important than desire if they want to stay together. For a couple to live as soulmates for life, friendship might be more important than passion.”

“Do you think affection hinders mutual trust?”

“A little. Affection creates desire, and when it’s not fulfilled, it easily turns into hatred and disappointment. Friendship is an emotion that seeks harmony rather than extremes, so it might be much safer for married couples.”

“I thought Miss Pendleton would value love above all else. Didn’t you try to create good relationships for so many of your friends?”

“Oh my. You haven’t noticed that I’m not such a romantic person. Although I’ve somehow ended up playing matchmaker in society, I initially started doing this to prevent my friends from experiencing unfortunate situations. Among my friends, there was a lady who fell madly in love and tried to elope with a man. I told her that while love is important in marriage, love doesn’t solve everything.”

“Ah, like the saying that when poverty comes in at the door, love flies out of the window?”

“Yes. Love cannot survive in a home where poverty is invited. Love is too noble an emotion to exist in a household full of long fights and a sense of deprivation. Not just poverty, but insurmountable environmental differences, personality differences, or differences in knowledge are also uninvited guests that drive out love. The saying that love overcomes everything is beautiful, but beauty tends to wither easily in reality.”

“Your words are wise, Miss Pendleton. But I still can’t agree. I think love is an emotion worth fighting for. Even worth unhappiness. Choosing someone you can share friendship with as a criterion for a spouse is no different from marrying your dormitory roommate. No matter how harmonious and comfortable the life of a couple who live in the same house, eat at the same table, and even share the same bed is, if there’s no passion between them, it will be nothing more than a lukewarm and insensitive life.”

Miss Pendleton gently looked at Mr. Dalton, who was speaking with a fervent voice.

“Although I disagree with you, Mr. Dalton, I don’t want to persuade you. Your thinking is ideal, but also quite right in a way. Love is an essential element for a man and woman who will live together for life. Perhaps I’m being too calculating. But Mr. Dalton, even if you believe in the value of love, you must admit that love as passion has an expiration date. When you have to continue living with someone for whom you can no longer feel the same passion as before, the only options left for the couple are to become cold or to become friends. In the end, isn’t marriage a relationship that starts with love but ends with friendship?”

“Even if it fades and dulls over time, the fact that there was once love is enough reason to continue living as a married couple. And I don’t agree with the assumption that love has an expiration date. I’m not arguing that eternal love exists. Because nothing in this world is eternal. But some loves have such a long expiration date that they may not end before death.”

Miss Pendleton no longer objected to Mr. Dalton’s words. His view of love was pure. She stepped back, not wanting to ruin the imagination of a child who believes in fairies.

“I hope such a relationship appears for you, Mr. Dalton. I’m sure you’ll find it. Such a love.”

They walked silently on the dirt path for a while.

Mr. Dalton was quiet. The slight trembling in his heart had turned into a fierce pounding while walking with her.

Throughout his time with Miss Pendleton, he was endlessly conscious of her presence. She who listened patiently to his stories, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing, weaving the warp and weft of their conversation. She who walked silently beside him, matching his pace and sharing a peaceful silence.

These were the thoughtful and serious aspects he always saw in her.

If it had been his usual self, he would have been content just to be with her and enjoyed this walk. But his heart had changed from before.

In his mind, the imagination he had conjured up earlier while walking alone was unfolding.

The imagination of embracing her, looking into her eyes, and kissing her sad face. That imagination was gradually flowing in an odd direction, towards kissing down her cheeks and neck.

He turned his gaze to look at her profile. As always, her hair was firmly fixed in a hairnet except for a strand falling on her cheek, and she was wearing a summer outing dress that revealed her collarbone.

The only thing on her neck was the pearl pendant she always wore. Before his eyes was her white nape. Soft and gentle. Something he wanted to touch… to kiss…

He turned his head away. A heavy pressure suddenly started to build in his stomach. He thought to himself. Are you crazy, Ian Dalton? Get a grip. Why are you acting like this towards Miss Pendleton, who isn’t doing anything?

But the body tends to act separately from thoughts, and a man’s body is especially so. He was being fully stimulated even by the sound of Miss Pendleton’s footsteps and the rustling of her dress.