“Hello, Mr. Dalton. I’ve heard a lot about you from the Fairfax siblings.”

Mr. Dalton raised the corner of his mouth and asked in return.

“Is that so? What kind of things did Miss Janet and William say about me?”

“That you’re being a good uncle to your nieces and nephews. And that you’re a good brother to your sister?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I’m a good uncle or not. You’d have to ask those rascals. No matter how well adults think they’re doing, it might be different from the children’s perspective. The same goes for my sister. In fact, I can say this clearly – I’m not being a good brother.”

“Oh my, why not?”

“You must have heard. How much effort my sister had to put in to push me into this position. Shouldn’t a good brother listen without complaint when his sister, who is old enough to be his mother, and who is suffering from postpartum illness less than a year after giving birth to a late child, tells him to do something?”

Miss Pendleton glanced at Mr. Fairfax at Mr. Dalton’s somewhat sarcastic reply. Mr. Fairfax gave an awkward smile and an apologetic look.

But Miss Pendleton didn’t feel any particular aversion to this gentleman. While her friendship with Mr. Fairfax made her refrain from criticizing Mr. Dalton, there was something interestingly different about Mr. Dalton’s attitude compared to ordinary gentlemen.

Usually, rich and ill-mannered gentlemen were steeped in arrogance or vulgarity. Such people’s actions, gazes, and tones were different from the start. They reeked of laziness and vulgarity. Miss Pendleton was a genius at detecting such odors.

But the Mr. Dalton before her didn’t give off any such stench. He was elegant and neat. It was clear, however, that his temperament was far from ordinary. Just like Edward Morton, who had recently paired up with Elizabeth.

Could this man be the same type of gentleman as Mr. Morton? Miss Pendleton wanted to get to know this young gentleman better, with more patience.

‘But first, I need to do something about this sarcastic attitude.’

“But, Mr. Dalton, you ended up coming here after all. In London, where your sister’s influence is almost non-existent, you could ignore everything and enjoy your freedom to your heart’s content, couldn’t you?”

“You shouldn’t underestimate our sister. She’s someone who created her own proxy in London with just one letter. William is her loyal subject.”

“Hey, Ian. Is it fun to make me look like a fool in front of a lady?”

“Mr. Fairfax, I don’t think you’re a fool. I just think Mr. Dalton is someone who’s embarrassed to receive praise himself.”

Mr. Dalton slightly frowned one eyebrow.

“You think I’m embarrassed to receive praise? Is that how I appear?”

“Yes. You seem to prefer appearing unpleasant rather than accepting praise. And I think that’s a very admirable attitude.”

“In what way do I seem admirable? I’ve never received anything close to such an evaluation from anyone in society. If anything, quite the opposite.”

Miss Pendleton laughed cheerfully.

“You’re showing a great example of how the answer is hidden within the question. You’re emphasizing your own unpleasantness by bringing up your bad reputation that wasn’t even asked about. That attitude comes from either humility or shyness. And I think either is an admirable virtue for a gentleman to have.”

“I think it’s a bad attitude to disguise and deceive oneself, whether through humility or shyness. I’m not deceiving Miss Pendleton with any disguise, so please stop seeing me as a liar.”

“Then, would you first stop deliberately lowering your own reputation by speaking ill of yourself?”

“I only spoke the truth. That I’m not a good uncle to my nieces and nephews, and that I’m a brother who causes my sister heartache.”

“That means, in a different sense, that you carefully consider the children’s thoughts instead of arbitrarily guessing how your young nieces and nephews might see you. And it also means that you’re here at this ball, dressed splendidly in evening wear, because you don’t want to cause your sister heartache.”

“That’s…”

Mr. Dalton tried to refute, but couldn’t find the words. Miss Pendleton delivered the final blow with her usual gentle manner.

“The world generally considers a man who remembers that his sister is suffering from postpartum illness to be a good brother, Mr. Dalton.”

Mr. Dalton promptly closed his mouth. Mr. Fairfax, who had been silently watching the two’s verbal sparring, cheered inwardly at the sight of Dalton at a loss for words.

She won. Miss Pendleton won! That guy always makes a hobby of flustering others, but now that he’s on the receiving end, he must feel dazed? I was right to introduce him to Miss Pendleton.

His thoughts were correct. Mr. Dalton, who had intended to act askew as usual to make the other person uncomfortable and then slip away from the troublesome event without hindrance, was left dumbfounded by the unexpected counterattack.

He stared blankly at the lady before him, dressed properly and smiling gently.

Deep gray eyes in a gentle gaze, clean and beautiful features. A delicate neck and shoulder line. She looked pure and fragile. That’s why he had let his guard down and been helplessly defeated just now.

He felt a slight competitiveness and curiosity towards the lady before him. Without realizing it, the thought of rushing home had completely vanished from his mind.

“Alright. Whether it’s humility or shyness or whatever, let’s stop me putting myself down. I hear that Miss Pendleton has agreed to be my friend during my stay in London. Is that correct?”

“Yes. If Mr. Dalton wishes, I’d be glad to.”

“Then, what joy would I gain if I become friends with my dear Miss Pendleton? I’m curious how you bestow your friendship.”

“I’ll give you everything I have. Even if you come unexpectedly, I’ll make a place for you by a warm fire. I’ll be a conversation partner with good black tea. If you want to expand your social circle, I’ll introduce you to my sincere friends, and if you want to stroll around London, I’ll guide you to good walking paths and shops. Even if you go far away, I’ll always make you feel through letters that there’s someone somewhere in the world who remembers you.”

Miss Pendleton continued with a kind smile.

“These are the things I generously give to my friends, and all that I have. It’s not much, but I can gladly provide it. If you promise to always be truthful with me, that is.”

Instead of a sarcastic reply to Miss Pendleton’s words, Mr. Dalton spoke in a gentler voice.

“Miss Pendleton is also speaking in a way that could be either humility or shyness. The things you just listed are the finest things one can gain from a friendly relationship.”

“What I have is simple and ordinary. I’m not in a position to give much to my friends. So I give as much as I can of what I have.”

“It’s true that what Miss Pendleton gives doesn’t have a price tag. But that’s because it’s impossible to put a price on it.”

Miss Pendleton’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she quickly erased the sign. However, Mr. Dalton had a keen eye and caught that moment. And he found the shyness of this clever lady before him cute.

He quickly suppressed the corners of his mouth that were about to rise, and said seriously.

“Miss Pendleton, I think I shouldn’t miss the privilege of sharing a friendship with you. It would be a greater loss than missing out on any precious thing. I’ll always be truthful as you wish. On a gentleman’s honor. Well then.”

Mr. Dalton extended his hand to Miss Pendleton. She lightly placed her hand on his. He bowed his head and politely kissed the back of her hand. Then he slightly raised his head and looked into her eyes.

“I look forward to our friendship, Miss Pendleton.”

Miss Pendleton smiled, meeting his eyes which had an indescribable gleam.

“I look forward to it too, Mr. Dalton. Now, as the first step of our friendship today, let me introduce you to my lady friends. Ah, this song is just ending. Dance with your new friends.”

Mr. Dalton shook his head.

“Thank you, but I’ll have to decline, Miss Pendleton. I can’t dance.”

Miss Pendleton took this as modesty.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Dalton. My friends are generous enough not to criticize even if a gentleman misses a beat.”

“That’s not it. I really can’t dance. I’ve never properly learned.”

Miss Pendleton was at a loss for words in surprise. If he couldn’t dance, introducing him would have to be postponed to another occasion. In a ball where ladies vastly outnumbered gentlemen, it would be extremely rude for a gentleman to greet a lady without asking her to dance.

Mr. Fairfax, who had been listening nearby, also seemed dumbfounded and interjected.

“There were definitely dance lessons during our Eton days, what did you do then?”

“Do you think I would attend such classes? I’d rather do Latin composition.”

“Good Lord. What to do with this troublemaker.”

Miss Pendleton didn’t say anything, but she somewhat agreed with Mr. Fairfax’s words.

What to do with this gentleman who has perfect conditions and an interesting personality, but is completely hopeless at socializing?

While Miss Pendleton was lost in thought, Mr. Fairfax snapped his fingers and said.

“Then how about learning quickly right here? Waltz isn’t that difficult. You just need to spin around in time with the music.”

“Talk sense, William. Do you want to see me turn the ladies’ feet into a mess?”

“As far as I know, there are quite a few ladies who would be prepared for that if they could dance with you.”

“Whoever they are, they’d better put away that resolve. If a strapping fellow like me steps on their feet, they’ll have to sleep with their shoes on tonight because of the swelling.”

Listening to the two bickering, Miss Pendleton asked Mr. Fairfax.

“Mr. Fairfax, does Mr. Dalton have good athletic ability?”

“Of course. He can follow most sports after just one demonstration.”

“That’s perfect then. I’ll teach you quickly. Come with me to the stage, Mr. Dalton.”

Mr. Dalton became serious.

“Miss Pendleton, I just said it jokingly, but I really can’t dance. I’ll definitely step on your feet at least three times.”

“It’s alright. I’ll try sleeping with my shoes on tonight. Let’s hurry, the dance is about to start.”

Miss Pendleton grabbed his hand and led him. Mr. Dalton followed her to the stage, feeling flustered but also slightly intrigued.

Miss Pendleton made him raise their joined hands to shoulder height and had him wrap his other hand around her waist. Then she placed her remaining hand on Mr. Dalton’s shoulder.

She looked up at him directly and whispered softly.

“I’ll lead this dance. Watch my feet and follow slowly.”

Ian nodded slightly. Soon, a romantic waltz began to play in the hall.

Miss Pendleton counted the beat softly, audible only to the two of them, one-two, one-two, as she took steps, and Mr. Dalton looked down and moved his feet following her.

At first, Miss Pendleton was really worried whether he could actually learn the dance before this song ended, but her concern was unfounded. He stumbled a bit at first, but in less than a minute, Mr. Dalton started following the steps quite decently.

Inwardly surprised, Miss Pendleton felt his shoulders still stiff with tension and said in a voice tinged with laughter.

“It’s okay if you step on me, so relax. When you’re tense, you can’t hear the music.”

“Don’t say such terrible things. Your feet, barely visible under the hem of your dress, look so small they might break if I step on them just once.”

“They won’t break, absolutely not. Now, raise your head and look at me. Look into my eyes and try dancing. You can do it well.”