Chapter 7 – Part 1 (Waves)

Joanna, the nanny working for the Brennan family, has a routine schedule.

She wakes up an hour before the young master wakes up, opens the window wide, starts cleaning, and prepares meals. Then she looks out the window and sees Lady Lieselotte cutting the grass in the orchard at dawn, before the sun has risen.

She is so diligent for such a slender body. She watches her with bitter eyes for a while, but when the time comes, she wakes Charlie up, feeds him breakfast, and takes him to school.

Thanks to her master’s long-standing respect for her, Mrs. Joanna is free until the early afternoon. As school ends, she fetches the young master and then resumes her household chores and takes some rest.

Viscount Brennan’s hospitalization has increased her workload. In addition to taking care of the young master, she also had to visit the hospital to look after the master.

Still, it wasn’t too difficult, thanks to a grateful and sympathetic Lady Lieselotte, who shared the workload, there were no major difficulties. Mrs. Joanna spent her days like this.

Today seemed no different, until Viscount Brennan, who was in a wheelchair, came out of the hospital.

“Joanna. Why don’t we go over there today?”

Viscount Brennan pointed somewhere in the distance. Joanna’s gaze followed him.

“Do you mean the place with the statue of the baby angel?”

“Yes. I heard that my granddaughter is volunteering at a nearby charity home.”

Joanna pushed the wheelchair briskly. The wheels rolled towards their destination.

“I heard that an old gentleman visits the charity home often.”

“Yes, Lady Lieselotte mentioned that.”

“I’ll ask the manager to get his contact information. As the head of the Brennan family, it’s only proper to greet him first. Do you agree?”

“Of course. He’s the one covering your hospital bills. Thanks to him, we’ve been eating plenty of meat dishes.”

Viscount Brennan glanced up at the nanny.

“Surely, Liese hasn’t been receiving money from him still?”

“I assume so, for she generously provides money for groceries. She also bought several new clothes for the young master and even gave me pocket money.”

Viscount Brennan let out a deep sigh.

“While it’s commendable for a young volunteer, we are too indebted to him.”

“Who wouldn’t want to help Lady Lieselotte? Do you know how lively she is despite her delicate body?”

Mrs. Joanna said, sounding proud.

“She’s been away from home every day looking for customers for her apples, not to mention getting up at the crack of dawn to go out to the orchard, and she’s been so busy that she and Mr. Fergus have often stayed out late at night.”

“What!”

Viscount Brennan exclaimed, jumping up and down on the spot, if his legs hadn’t been broken.

“Lieselotte? With Ian?”

“They’re just good friends.”

Mrs. Joanna quickly explained to calm the master. The viscount clenched his aged, once-soldierly fist.

“It’s not Liese, but Ian who’s the problem. Does he come into the house late at night?”

“Oh no… with the young master in the house, no way. Although, I haven’t seen it myself.”

“What do you mean you haven’t seen it?”

Mrs. Joanna panicked, sweating nervously, thinking she might have misspoken.

“Miss Lieselotte tells me to go to bed early if she’s coming home late. Even if I want to wait for her, I often fall asleep after putting the young master to bed…”

Viscount Brennan, rubbing his forehead, didn’t respond further. He was shocked that no one was greeting Lieselotte when she returned late at night.

However, he didn’t want to scold Mrs. Joanna, who had stayed with their struggling family till the end. Taking care of the troublesome young Charlie alone was exhausting enough, on top of attending to his needs and handling all the household chores. Lieselotte must have been considerate of this.

Above all, it was his job as a grandfather to see his granddaughter off.

“I need to get discharged as soon as possible.”

Viscount Brennan muttered, and before he knew it, the almshouse building was in sight. It didn’t have the most luxurious of exteriors, but the cleanliness of the interior showed that it was well maintained.

“Excuse me.”

A middle-aged man happened to be walking by at the time. Viscount Brennan held up a hand to stop him.

“I have someone I’m looking for. I don’t know his name, only that he’s an older gentleman with blond hair, but I’m told he’s a frequent visitor and patron.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know who you’re looking for.”

The man shook his head, and Viscount Brennan explained.

“He’s the one who made a large donation recently. I heard he often meets my granddaughter, Lieselotte Brennan, who volunteers here every day.”

Now the man’s face was puzzled.

“Our charity home is currently undergoing a pilot phase as a municipal facility, receiving full support from the city of Bachman. Therefore, we decline all individual donations and volunteers.”

“That can’t be right…. If you don’t mind, I’d like to meet the manager.”

“I’m the general manager, I’ve been in charge of this facility for over a decade.”

Mrs. Joanna’s face went white. Even her cluelessness was enough to recognize what the manager was referring to, let alone Viscount Brennan.

Even after the manager left with a formal goodbye, the viscount didn’t speak for a while. Mrs. Joanna was too afraid to look at him, so she hesitated to push the wheelchair.

“Joanna. Did you say Lieselotte has been receiving money from an unknown source?

She swallowed dryly at the heaviness in his voice.

“Yes, yes… my lord.”

“She said she goes out every night, but you never saw her come in.”

“Miss Lieselotte was very insistent… Come to think of it, the young master mentioned he saw her returning once.”

The nanny cleared her throat, remembering Charlie’s passing remark.

“Tell me.”

Viscount Brennan’s eyes were red and bloodshot as he looked up at her fiercely.

***

Liese was having an unusually calm evening.

As usual, she wore an evening gown of the finest silk and lace, and was escorted by Marcus to a concert hall in the city center.

It was a charity concert to raise money for a local orphanage, and it was a very large one. During the ensemble performance, she had no interactions with people, which gradually eased her nerves. Having spent the entire day cutting weeds in the orchard, she felt tired and her eyes slowly closed.

After the orchestral lullaby ended, the event moved to the banquet hall within the same building. Liese sipped a sweet drink and greeted familiarizing faces, managing well even when Marcus stepped away.

Until she spotted a maid bustling around, serving people light meals.

‘…Madeline?’

It was the woman who had worked as a contract maid at the Duke’s residence with Liese.

It had been a short time, but Liese remembered Madeline well. She was the only one who had looked at her without prejudice, amidst the chatter of Marcus’s calls.

“Hey, wait.”

Haley, picking up a small morsel of food from Madeline’s tray, called her to attention.

“What’s wrong, My Lady?”

“Is there cheese in this canapé by any chance?”

Madeline looked down at the tray in bewilderment, and Haley narrowed her eyes at her frustration.

“Answer quickly! Surely, you know what cheese is.”

The women around them burst out laughing, as if they’d gotten the joke. Madeline blinked and replied.

“I believe it does.”

“You’d better be sure.”

“If it doesn’t suit your taste, I can bring something else.”

“When did I say I don’t like it, I’m not supposed to eat cheese because it makes me fat, and if my dress suddenly bursts are you going to pay for it?”

“I’m sorry, My Lady.”

Madeline bowed her head sheepishly. A lady with a fan covering her mouth smiled favorably.

“Lady Dawson’s figure is perfect as ever. A piece of cheese won’t make the threads of your dress burst.”

“The more perfect it is, the more you need to manage it. You have to be meticulous.”

Haley jerked her chin in disbelief, then locked eyes with Liese, who stood nearby. Seeming to think of something, she began to harass Madeline in earnest.

“Hey, you. Go bring me something appropriate for someone on a diet. Absolutely no cheese.”

Then, when Madeline served her a moderately bland dish, she’d humiliate her again.

“Are you kidding me? Do you know how much fat is in fish? Bring me something with no grease at all.”

Madeline, who was supposed to be walking around and offering food and drinks, was stuck with Haley. Unable to stand idly by, Liese walked across the ballroom. She turned to Haley.

“Why don’t you let the innocent maid go?”

Haley’s brow furrowed at Liese’s interruption. One corner of her mouth lifted, as if she’d been waiting for an intervention.

“Why are you interfering? How is she innocent when she can’t bring satisfactory food?”

“These are dishes prepared to suit the general taste of dozens of guests. Wouldn’t it be gracious for Lady Dawson to be understanding?”

Madeline, who immediately recognized Liese, opened her eyes wide but remained silent, understanding the situation.