“Mr. Dalton, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Ian turned his head to look at her. She was looking up at him with concern. As he met her clear gray eyes, he felt even more guilty about his current mood.

“There’s a good spot to sit over there. Mr. Dalton, let’s rest there for a moment.”

She raised her hand and pointed to a flat rock on the side of the road. He shook his head.

“No,”

“Your face looks much paler than before. It seems you’re sweating on your forehead too. You must be tired from driving the carriage and rowing earlier today. Let’s go sit down quickly.”

Miss Pendleton seemed to be truly worried. In contrast to how she hadn’t made any physical contact with him since their first meeting when they danced, she naturally grabbed Mr. Dalton’s arm and led him to sit on the rock.

Mr. Dalton became even more embarrassed by her kindness. The kinder she was, the more inadequate he felt.

He sat on the cold rock for a moment, looking at her. Her appearance as she looked down at him. The delicate features in her pale white face and the slender arms holding the parasol.

Dangerous, he thought. I might lose my mind at this rate.

He didn’t want to keep facing Miss Pendleton. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and spread it next to him. Miss Pendleton understood his intention and promptly folded her parasol before sitting down next to him on the handkerchief.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at Miss Pendleton sitting beside him. He just stared at the green foliage in front of him and the glimpses of the sparkling river between them.

At that moment, a cool breeze swept past them with a whoosh.

The sound of rustling leaves and the fresh scent of grass stimulated them as they followed the wind. He briefly thought how nice it would be if this were the forest of Whitefield. To be here with Miss Pendleton in the beautiful forest filled with birch trees.

“Mr. Dalton, is the forest of Whitefield similar to this place?”

Mr. Dalton turned his head to look at her.

“If the trees filling the forest were birch trees, it would be exactly like Whitefield.”

“It seems that place is also lush and clean like here.”

“And quiet too. Because there are no people.”

“That sounds wonderful. You’re lucky to have such a forest nearby, Mr. Dalton. Living in London, it’s difficult to be close to such a lush forest unless you make an effort to go to the outskirts. At best, there are only artificially created parks.”

“But doesn’t the pride of being a Londoner make up for it?”

“I am a Londoner, but pride… well…”

“People living in the provinces tend to admire London. Even if they pretend not to, they hope to create a townhouse and be able to come and go during social seasons once they have money. Many people would envy Miss Pendleton living in the Grosvenor residential area.”

Miss Pendleton smiled faintly.

“It’s certainly at the forefront of fashion. There’s a lot to do and see. There’s always an abundance of goods and opportunities. But it’s also a noisy and tiring place.”

Miss Pendleton tapped the dirt road with the tip of her parasol.

“How blessed it is to enjoy this quietness. I really don’t want to go back. London is too noisy.”

A sulky voice. She was quite honest today. Mr. Dalton liked that she was speaking so frankly. It was lovely, and he felt a little closer to her.

“I wish this were the forest of Whitefield. Then Miss Pendleton could stay with the trees and leaves all the time. When evening comes, you could walk to Whitefield Hall to rest well, and when morning comes, you could walk back to be in the forest again. For one day, two days, three days, four days, for as long as you want.”

“That sounds wonderful, Mr. Dalton.”

“It’s not just words, Miss Pendleton. Come to Whitefield anytime. There are plenty of rooms. So many that it feels wasteful to keep them empty every day. Setting an extra place for meals is no trouble at all. The servants would be excited rather than bothered by a new guest coming. It’s such a quiet place that even a small change is welcomed.”

Miss Pendleton smiled.

“That’s a kind offer. Thank you very much. I’d love to visit Whitefield someday. I want to take in all the beauty of that land that Mr. Dalton loves. But for that to happen, a mistress should soon appear at Mr. Dalton’s mansion.”

“Is a mistress really necessary?”

Miss Pendleton spoke as if it were obvious.

“Is there any other way for me to stay as a guest in the house of an unmarried gentleman, Mr. Dalton?”

“It might take quite some time for me to acquire a mistress.”

“Then I’ll wait. If you happen to get married, please send an invitation to London. I’ll take the train and come right away. Oh, thinking about it makes me so happy. I’ll be able to see not only the beautiful scenery of Whitefield but also Mr. Dalton with his beautiful bride.”

Mr. Dalton didn’t find Miss Pendleton’s words pleasant. Her casual remarks reaffirmed that she had no feelings for him beyond friendship.

But even so, his feelings didn’t subside at all. The loveliness he felt from her didn’t change either. If anything, it only fanned the flames of his desperation.

“I shouldn’t dawdle, even for Miss Pendleton’s sake. I’ll make sure to acquire a mistress as soon as possible. And I’ll get confirmation from that mistress’s lips that Miss Pendleton can stay at Whitefield Hall for as long as she wants.”

“Oh, Mr. Dalton. That’s too much to ask of your wife. You absolutely shouldn’t do that. I won’t stay at Whitefield Hall causing trouble for the mistress. If she shows even the slightest discomfort with my presence, I’ll pack my bags and leave immediately. I never do anything to disturb the comfort of my friends’ marriage.”

Mr. Dalton stared intently at Miss Pendleton.

“But what if my wife, my better half, Mrs. Dalton, wishes for you to stay by her side forever? If she insists that you must stay at Whitefield Hall indefinitely?”

“…Then I could stay. If Mrs. Dalton accepts me as a friend… But generally, wives don’t feel that level of pure goodwill towards their husband’s female friends. I simply can’t imagine such a situation.”

“I can imagine it. The scene of Mrs. Dalton willingly allowing you to live together.”

“If that’s the case, Mr. Dalton, it would be no exaggeration to say that you know nothing about a woman’s heart. If you get a wife, you should never make requests about your pre-marriage female friends. Not if you don’t want to experience terrible domestic discord.”

“No, I will. Because if I were to get married, there would be no way for Miss Pendleton not to stay at Whitefield Hall. My marriage won’t happen without that situation, Miss Pendleton.”

For a moment, silence fell between the two. Miss Pendleton looked at him with her gray eyes wide open. He was staring at her with a strong gaze, his jaw firmly set.

If he could have said just one more word of what was inside him, the friendship between the two would have come to an end right there.

But Miss Pendleton took away that opportunity.

She stood up.

“The mistress of Whitefield Hall will surely oppose that, Mr. Dalton. Because if she knows that she has to marry on the premise of accepting me, she will never agree. Please don’t force unreasonable demands on your future wife. And please invite me only as a friend.”

After finishing those words, Miss Pendleton immediately opened her parasol, turned around, and left.

Her attitude was so cold that he couldn’t even muster the courage to follow her and express his thoughts again. He just blankly watched Miss Pendleton walking away down the long forest path.

He had been completely rejected. It was cut off without any room for other interpretation.

He sat there for a while. The fact that he had just proposed was more shocking than being rejected by her. To push so emotionally like this. And right after confirming that she only saw him as a friend.

It was an act destined for rejection. But he had done it anyway. And the reason for committing such an act was obvious. If one were to say it was because of love, it would be an elegant expression, but to be honest, it was desire.

‘Damn, I’ve made the most common mistake that men can make.’

He used to mock men for doing foolish things because of women. During his days in high society, he had observed enough how foolish men became due to desire.

They were helpless in front of women, especially beautiful women. Even men from good families with sufficient education fell for women’s seductions ridiculously easily and made foolish marriages.

They courted, claiming love and adoration, but what lay at the bottom was nothing but desire. Blinded by desire, they tried to take women with no virtues or commonalities as their companions. And marriages made only of desire inevitably led to terrible married lives.

He had become sick of such stupid scenes and eventually ceased his footsteps in high society.

But Ian didn’t regret what he had done to Miss Pendleton, even though it stemmed from desire. His proposal was impulsive, but it was something he would have done someday anyway.

This was something he had implicitly planned during his stay in London. To propose to her, have a wedding, and take her to his estate. That was the only purpose for which he had lingered in London for a month.

He needs to explain to her. How seriously he loves her. He must confess that it’s not just a simple impulse, but that he truly loves her. Then she might reconsider his proposal.

He quickly tidied up the handkerchief and put it in his pocket, then walked quickly in the direction she had just gone. As he emerged from the forest, he could see the group in the distance. The women were playing tennis, and the men were sitting near the court, watching the ladies hitting and receiving the ball with loose eyes as their dress hems fluttered.

He searched for Miss Pendleton among the crowd. But she was nowhere to be found. He approached Miss Lance, who was cooling off at one side of the tennis court, and asked.

“Miss Lance, do you know where Miss Pendleton might have gone?”

“Oh, Miss Pendleton said she had an urgent matter and left first.”

“Left? By what means?”

“By the servants’ carriage. She seemed in a hurry, so I instructed the coachman to take Miss Pendleton quickly.”

Mr. Dalton bit his lip. Her intention was all too clear. It was to avoid him. Was his heart so disagreeable that she had to run away?

“But why are you looking for Miss Pendleton? Judging by the direction you came from, it seems you must have met her.”

“There was a conversation we left unfinished. More importantly, what urgent matter did she say she had?”

“I think she said a relative was visiting. Oh, come to think of it, she also said this. Due to family matters, they wouldn’t be able to receive guests at the Pendleton house for a while. Mr. Dalton, you’ll have to postpone your message for quite some time.”

He silently stared at the dirt road she had left on. Miss Lance said something more, but he could barely hear it. She had hurriedly left down that road. To run away from him.

He could understand Miss Pendleton’s intention even more clearly than her cold response earlier. Miss Pendleton did not want to marry him.

She absolutely did not want him as a man.