“There’s no problem with the dance. Now the question is how much you can please the lady. Mr. Dalton prefers directness over manners, so you’ll have to hide that well.”

“Does Miss Pendleton find my manner of speaking repulsive?”

“I don’t mind. Honestly, that’s what I like most about Mr. Dalton. But that’s just because I’ve been in society too long and am sick of manners. Most ladies think of social etiquette as gospel.”

“It sounds like you’re telling me to completely hide my nature. Could you explain a bit more?”

“If a lady seems even slightly uncomfortable, change the subject immediately. And shower praise on everything the lady says. As if all her words and actions lead to the right thing. And though it may be cringeworthy, compliments on her attire are essential. Point out the details meticulously. For example, her dress or hair ornaments.”

“Hmm, Miss Pendleton looks especially lovely today. The sky blue dress you’re wearing suits your gray eyes well. These flowers adorning your golden hair are fragrant, but pale in comparison to your beauty.”

Miss Pendleton chuckled.

“Are you practicing on me?”

“Is it unpleasant?”

“Practice all you like. I don’t mind being used by Mr. Dalton. And as a woman, compliments on beauty are not unpleasant to hear.”

“My goodness. If I had known my compliments would please Miss Pendleton, I would have offered them more often. From now on, I shall shower you with praise about your dress and hairstyle every time I see you. Until you hit me with your fan to stop because you’re tired of it.”

“If you’re waiting for the day you’ll be hit with my fan, you won’t achieve that wish even in your coffin. I’m not one to stop compliments about being pretty.”

The waltz continued. Mr. Dalton’s dance line, who had asked for the dance, was flawless. Any lady he danced with now would fall in love with him after just one song. Miss Pendleton had nothing more to teach.

Miss Pendleton knew this well, but didn’t stop dancing. She didn’t want to let him go. This dance was the last waltz of her long social life. Now Miss Pendleton would no longer receive dance requests from gentlemen as a lady.

That meant this dance was also the last waltz with Ian Dalton.

Miss Pendleton finally realized that her social life was ending today. Ian Dalton. The fact that she could never dance with this gentleman again. It also meant she could never share friendship on equal footing again.

Her feelings for him, deeply buried in her heart, stirred once more. The comfortable joy and happiness, and the tender affection she felt when with him were coming alive again. It was foolish.

She became conscious of the pearl pendant around her neck. The image of her mother sleeping inside it appeared vividly before her eyes. She buried her feelings deep once more.

“Miss Pendleton, I heard you’re preparing to become a governess.”

Miss Pendleton looked up at him in surprise.

“…Who did you hear that from?”

“Let’s just say it was one of your friends.”

Miss Pendleton thought of Mr. Fairfax. It must have been him. It was common knowledge among close acquaintances, so he knew it well. He had promised several times to arrange a governess position for her.

Miss Pendleton had no intention of hiding that she would be entering the workforce, so she wasn’t particularly displeased.

“That’s right.”

“By any chance, do you know Latin and Greek?”

“Yes.”

“Then, how about becoming the governess for my nephews Daniel and George?”

“Daniel and George, you mean those eight and ten-year-old nephews?”

“Yes. My sister in London asked me to find a suitable person. I’ve been quite busy lately looking for the right person.”

Governess to Mr. Dalton’s nephews. From what she had heard about the people of Dunville Park, they were good people. Moreover, with Mr. Dalton’s introduction, there was no worry about being exploited for wages or treated harshly.

But Miss Pendleton wasn’t inclined towards his proposal. It was too early to worry about a job while her grandmother was still alive. And on the other hand, she wanted to avoid working somewhere she might soon encounter the future Mrs. Dalton.

“Taking on those little rascals seems too big a challenge. I’m not confident.”

Miss Pendleton replied playfully on purpose. But Mr. Dalton responded quite seriously.

“If you would take them on, I’ll make sure to discipline them thoroughly. They won’t even dream of being cheeky or defiant.”

Miss Pendleton shook her head.

“I need time to think. I haven’t even decided when I’ll start working.”

“Then take your time to think about it. I’m still looking for other people, so don’t feel pressured in your choice.”

Miss Pendleton nodded at his considerate words.

With that conversation ended, the two fell silent. Only music flowed between them. On the dark terrace, with only moonlight illuminating the two.

Ian fixed his gaze on Miss Pendleton’s face revealed in the moonlight. There was only one reason he had asked her to dance. Dancing was the only time he could fix his gaze on a lady’s face without being misunderstood.

He had made all sorts of efforts for nearly a month to get this chance to see Miss Pendleton freely, but now that he was looking at her face, his heart ached.

The moment he saw Miss Pendleton in the hall earlier, his heart sank. Her eyes were red and swollen, and her eyelids were puffy. Her lips were cracked, and her cheeks were hollow. A face that looked both ill and deeply distressed. Though she tried to cover it with her dress and adornments, she couldn’t fool his eyes.

With such a face, Miss Pendleton had gone to meet Miss Jensen. Next to Miss Jensen was a middle-aged man, and he could easily tell that the man was Mr. Price.

Ian watched the two from afar. Miss Jensen soon left the two, and Miss Pendleton and Mr. Price disappeared somewhere together.

He couldn’t just stand there. He immediately followed Miss Pendleton. He didn’t know with what mindset she had gone to meet Mr. Price, but if that middle-aged man made any inappropriate moves towards Miss Pendleton, he was ready to throw him right off the terrace.

But the conversation between the two that he overheard behind the curtain was unexpected. Everything had stemmed from a misunderstanding. Mr. Price apologized to her repeatedly. Behind his misconduct was Gerald Pendleton, the de facto head of the Pendleton family.

Miss Pendleton’s uncle had tried to sell his niece for the family’s gain. His fist clenched involuntarily. His nails dug sharply into his palm, but he couldn’t relax his grip.

He had once been angry at Gerald Pendleton for not protecting her from Mr. Price’s brazen courtship, but now he felt hatred beyond anger.

To make a deal involving his own niece. It was something he could hardly fathom with his common sense. Was he acting so harshly because of Miss Pendleton’s birth issue? Whatever the reason, that man was no better than human trash.

But Miss Pendleton showed no particular surprise at those words. She just calmly comforted Mr. Price, and then politely declined the proposal he made before sending him away.

Ian watched Miss Pendleton’s back for a while as she stood alone, gazing out beyond the terrace. A small figure, a slender waist. An outline that looked so fragile it might collapse at any moment.

What was she thinking? Resentment towards her uncle? Humiliation? Indignation? He wanted to know Miss Pendleton’s thoughts. He wanted her to confide everything in him.

He came out from behind the curtain and approached Miss Pendleton. Wearing the mask of a friend, he asked her to dance.

Now he looked down at Miss Pendleton, who was almost embraced in his arms under the moonlight. Though she was smiling gently at him, she looked visibly tired.

He could understand how much she must have suffered over the past few days until making the recent choice. He had heard enough about the misconduct of that Price fellow, and she had probably been pressured by her uncle as well.

But he couldn’t find any trace of sadness or distress in her expression. Rather, she looked quite relieved. At least she didn’t regret her choice. Considering the authority the family head exercised over the family and her various circumstances, it was a great act of courage.

He wanted to tell Miss Pendleton. Thank you for choosing to reject Mr. Price. That he wanted to help ensure she wouldn’t regret that choice. That if she wanted, he would give her everything he had.

His heart remembered the time he had spent longing for her, sitting by the window of the Whitefield office. How much he had wished for her to be in front of him as he sketched her face on every white page of his sketchbook.

As if his wish had come true, she was now in front of his eyes. But his heart was still not satisfied. He was just her friend. Friend. The fact that she and he were just friends. It didn’t make sense. It was an absurd play. He could never see her as just a friend for even a moment. To him, she was solely a woman.

‘Miss Pendleton. No, Laura. I am wholly yours. Stay by my side. Not as a friend, but as a lover. And as a wife. In return, I’ll give you my everything.’

He repeated in his heart. As he did so, he gripped her hand resting on his tightly.

“Ah!”

Miss Pendleton let out a short cry. Mr. Dalton stopped abruptly. His expression changed at Miss Pendleton’s pained look.

“What’s wrong?”

Miss Pendleton shook her head.

“It’s nothing. Come, let’s continue…”

But Mr. Dalton looked at the hand he had been holding. Miss Pendleton tried to pull her hand away, but he gripped her wrist tightly.

“Are you hurt? Where?”

“I was taking a walk yesterday and tripped over a stone. I ended up spraining my finger.”

“That happened… Why did you come to the ball!”

“It’s fine. Really. It’s nothing. Let’s keep dancing. I want to finish this song.”

Miss Pendleton looked at him with desperate eyes. Ian’s heart sank at that gaze. He took her hand again. Very gently.

The two started dancing again. But the comfortable atmosphere was gone. Miss Pendleton fixed her gaze on his chest in front of her. He couldn’t see Miss Pendleton’s expression.

He was very worried about her hand, but he couldn’t focus solely on that. It was because of the look in Miss Pendleton’s eyes as she pleaded to finish the dance just moments ago. There was desperation in her eyes.

His heart started pounding. She was desperate for this dance with him. It meant that not just for him, but for her too, this dance had meaning.