Chapter 32 –  No Secret Lasts Forever

No secret lasts forever, but some secrets are revealed in just a day.

The fact that Sarah Bailey’s fiancé, who had mysteriously disappeared on the wedding day, had actually returned to the capital the day before was disclosed outside Fairmont House by the naive maids of the mansion.

Given that a grand ball had been held at Fairmont House not long ago, people were in shock.

The affectionate display between Ansel Blaine and the eldest daughter of the Baileys was still vivid in their minds.

People vividly remembered how beautifully the couple danced, how magnificent the central hall of the mansion was, and how the crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling sparkled.

If the celebration party was that impressive, the actual wedding must have been even more splendid.

Moreover, on that day, even Lady Bianca Talbot, the daughter of Marquis Talbot and a long-time friend of Ansel, personally visited to bless the couple’s love.

But to think that such a marriage could shatter overnight! Such a dramatic collapse!

Whenever two or more people gathered in the Maybury and Longfield areas, this was inevitably the topic of conversation.

Although no one rejoiced at the news of the breakup, except for Mrs. Fulham who secretly envied Mrs. Bailey, this scandal was undeniably a rare and provocative event in the quiet countryside.

People whispered that the Earl’s grandson must have planned the breakup from the start.

The story was that he had fallen in love with a woman with a history of divorce and deliberately caused a problem to protest against his family’s opposition.

People said that Ansel, who had become a black sheep of his family, had defiantly returned to the capital where his lover was and had probably already eloped.

In that story, Sarah was a tragic woman who lost everything in an instant.

The mysterious disappearance of Ansel after that day only fueled the speculation.

Some said that Ansel had fallen in love with the innocent country girl Sarah at first sight and proposed, but later discovered a flaw she was hiding.

Given that he had made such a grand proposal only to flee with a broken engagement, it surely couldn’t have been an ordinary flaw.

Such assumptions often came with lowly gossip.

The eldest daughter of the Baileys was known as a beauty in town, so there was likely nothing wrong with her outward appearance.

Thus, her flaw must have been something very secretive and hidden…

“I don’t care.”

Unlike her family, who were outraged by the increasingly bizarre rumors, Sarah remained calm.

It wouldn’t be strange if she had stopped eating and cried day and night, but she was already prepared to go out. It was a drizzly Sunday morning.

“Rumors are just rumors.”

“Dear, but what if someone says something terrible to you…”

“Even so, I can’t hide forever. We haven’t committed any crimes.”

Outside the main gate, the astonishing news of the breakup was the talk of the town, and Mrs. Fulham busily created spaces where rumors could easily spread, like pouring oil on a fire.

Mrs. Bailey didn’t want to throw herself into the flames.

She had no interest in torturing herself, but the psychology of people who enjoy discussing others, especially the misfortunes of others, was all too predictable.

However, Sarah was right. They couldn’t hide forever.

Moreover, if they didn’t face it directly, the rumors would grow even more outrageous.

After some contemplation, Mrs. Bailey decided to go to church as usual.

After all, they would have to live here for the rest of their lives. Hiding wasn’t a solution, and they weren’t in a position to move to an unfamiliar place due to an unfortunate incident.

“…Yes. You’re right. Those who whisper behind our backs are cowards who can’t say anything to our faces, right?”

Not wanting to send Sarah alone, Mrs. Bailey initially intended to bring only her husband, but she changed her mind and pulled down her nightcap with a solemn expression.

“Ma’am, could you come and help me get ready? We’re going to church.”

“Take your time, dear! Even if we slip in during the sermon, the pastor won’t notice.”

Mr. Bailey, who had a bright smile for his tense wife, turned his head toward his eldest daughter, who was silently sitting at the piano.

“Sally, where’s Elsie?”

“She seems to want to rest a bit longer.”

“Hmm…”

Mr. Bailey scratched the back of his head, unsure of what to say next. Sarah’s calm voice continued.

“She seemed to have a slight fever this morning. I thought she was getting better, but she might still have some lingering symptoms.”

“Is that so… Resting is the best thing to do then.”

“I’ve already asked Chef Mitchell to prepare some warm soup.”

As Mr. Bailey nodded at that, a moment of awkward silence fell.

“Do you have something to say to me, Father?”

“Oh, um…”

The living room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of light rain hitting the windows, and there was no one else around except for the father and daughter.

When Mr. Bailey hesitated to speak, Sarah moved slightly on the long chair, making space for her father.

“Please, sit here.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Mr. Bailey, hesitating, sat down and looked at the faintly dusty piano cover, lost in thought.

The last time piano music had filled the house was probably…

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t heard it since the day Eloise left.’

The family, having unexpectedly faced the misfortune of a broken engagement, was certainly trying, but healing wounds took time. The larger the wound, the longer it took.

That fact weighed heavily on Jeremy, the head of the Bailey family.

“I’m sorry, Sally.”

Sarah, who had been mature since childhood, had grown into a wonderful lady, meeting everyone’s expectations.

Mr. Bailey felt proud of his eldest daughter, yet he also felt a constant sense of guilt.

Sarah replied in a calm tone.

“There’s no need to apologize to me. We were just a bit… unlucky.”

“Dear…”

At her soft and firm response, Mr. Bailey’s voice trembled terribly. He lowered his gaze and continued.

“I’ve made you feel burdened because of my shortcomings. Your mother must be worried too… No matter how hard I try to manage things, they don’t go as planned… This has all happened because of me. I truly apologize, dear.”

“…Father, how can you say that? That’s not true.”

“Yes, as you say, it was just bad luck. That’s not incorrect. But if I hadn’t made those mistakes in the past, this misfortune would have been something we could just laugh off…”

“…”

Despite his seemingly carefree demeanor, Mr. Bailey carried a heavy load of guilt in his heart.

Not only had he failed to keep the promise he made to his wife before marriage to make her happy, but he had also accustomed his daughters to the pressure of having to support the family.

“I will try harder. I know it’s just words again, but I will try to make sure you can smile without worry, even if you say you don’t want to get married anymore…”

“It’s okay, Father. I know better than anyone how hard you work for us.”

“…Sob.”

At those kind words, Mr. Bailey’s shoulders shook as tears welled up in his eyes.

Although it might be a bit chaotic for a while, he didn’t think Sarah’s path to marriage was completely blocked.

In the capital, it was common for women to marry after thirty, and Sarah was only twenty-four.

Moreover, she had a delicate beauty as if she had stepped out of a painting, and her heart was as kind as a flower.

Most importantly, Sarah had a firm view of marriage.

Like a proper lady, she wouldn’t reveal her thoughts first, but she was quite proactive about marriage. Even if that was influenced by the circumstances of the family.

Mr. Bailey swallowed a quiet sigh.

‘Sally might already be thinking about finding a new marriage partner…’

It was possible that the mature eldest daughter, Sarah, had concluded that she should have a wedding as soon as possible.

‘The only weapon a daughter from a modest family has is her youth, and its value diminishes day by day.’ This terrible saying, which was common knowledge, was something his daughters had surely heard too many times.

“You don’t have to worry. I won’t cause you any concern by not being able to get married.”

Naturally, what Mr. Bailey was worried about was not such a problem. Mr. Bailey, who was sobbing, wiped his eyes.

“When he came to propose, I was completely fooled like a fool.”

“…”

“I was just so excited that I could send my daughter to a good family, and I made a fuss about it… If only I could go back to that time, I would never…”

“Father, you need to go to church.”

As her father’s sobs grew more intense, Sarah, startled, offered him her handkerchief.

At that moment, Mr. Bailey added in a choked voice.

“Dear, you loved Sir Ansel, didn’t you?”

“…”

“I’m not crying because you can’t get married. It just breaks my heart to think you must have suffered alone. My poor daughter…”

Sarah gave no answer. She simply covered her father’s trembling hand with her own.