Chapter 77

Harriet and Yvonne stopped at a small inn. It was located on a quiet road leading into the village, with hardly any guests.  

After getting off the carriage, the two women followed the innkeeper to their room. Yvonne, removing her robe, looked around the room.  

“It’s old and shabby, but it’s good enough for a night’s stay.”  

“Yes. And there’s no one around.”  

Harriet, exhausted from the long carriage ride, sat on the bed and took a deep breath, feeling a slight pull in her stomach. Yvonne approached her with concern.  

“Are you feeling okay?”  

“I’m just a little tired.”  

“I’ll go down and see if there’s anything to eat while you take a bath.”  

“Thanks.”  

Harriet nodded and locked herself in the bathroom.  

“Sigh…”  

As she sank into the warm water of the bathtub, her tense body relaxed, and her stiff muscles softened. Harriet leaned back, resting her arms on the edge of the tub, and glanced down at her still-flat stomach.  

“To think there’s a baby in here…”  

It was still surreal, even after deciding to accept and protect the child. The thought of becoming a mother in a few months felt foreign. Harriet gently rubbed her stomach.  

“Honestly, I’d love for you to be Rosemary.”  

A boy would only complicate matters, especially with issues of succession. A girl would be much easier. But then Harriet quickly corrected herself.  

“No. I just want you to be born healthy and safe, without any problems. That’s all I need.”  

She didn’t dare ask for more, fearing she might be punished for it. Harriet bit her lip and whispered,  

“I’m sorry… for taking your father away from you.”  

Of course, there was no reply. Harriet stayed in the bath until her fatigue eased, then washed up and left the bathroom.  

After washing up and doing some yoga, Harriet sat down with Yvonne, who had also washed up.

They were about to discuss the details of what to do next, when Yvonne suddenly spoke up.

“I’ve been thinking hard about how you can hide yourself from people’s eyes.”

“How?”

As soon as Harriet asked, someone knocked on the door. Unlike her who had been startled and turned her head away, Yvonne jumped up and opened the door as if she had been waiting.

She received a box from the visitor. After a brief conversation with the delivery man, Yvonne paid him and turned back. Harriet, still calming her racing heart, bombarded her with questions.  

“What is that? And who was that man?”  

“That person is a local errand-runner. They say there’s nothing about this village that he doesn’t know, so I called him for a small favor. What I just gave him was the fee for the errand, the item, and his silence.”

“An item?”  

“Yes. What’s inside this box.”  

Yvonne placed the box on the table and gestured toward it.  

“Open it yourself.”  

“Alright.”  

Harriet nodded and slowly opened the box. Her eyes widened in surprise at what she saw.  

“This… this is…”  

Inside the box were wigs—ones that perfectly matched the hair colors of both Yvonne and Harriet.  

“This is the only way. Fortunately, we’re similar in height and build, aren’t we?”  

Yvonne added with a satisfied smile.  

“Ugh, it’s freezing.” 

Muttered the coachman, shivering as the cold seeped into his bones. He rubbed his shoulders and pulled out a cigarette from his coat. With a flick of a match, he lit the cigarette and took a deep drag.  

“Thanks.”  

“Don’t mention it.”  

Another man, who had been standing nearby, shrugged and lit his own cigarette. Like the coachman, he puffed out smoke before speaking.  

“You look like a coachman. Are you here to feed your horses?”  

“Ah, not exactly. My employer is staying here tonight, so…”  

“I see.”  

“What about you?”  

“Same here. I’m a coachman too. I’m just here to feed the horses and warm up for a bit. Is that your carriage over there?”  

“Yes, it is.”  

“It looks like a hired carriage, but something about it caught my eye.”  

The coachman instinctively took a step back, a hint of wariness in his movements. The man chuckled dryly.  

“Do I look like a thief?”  

“Not exactly, but…”  

The coachman scratched the back of his head, feeling awkward.  

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

The conversation had run its course. If they were to leave early in the morning, it was time to get some rest. As the coachman reached for the inn’s door handle, a dull thud sounded, and a heavy blow struck the back of his head.  

The man, ensuring no one was around, dragged the unconscious coachman into the stable.  

“I may not be a thief, but I do things like this. Sorry about that.”  

As a final act of conscience, the man covered the coachman with a pile of hay to keep him from freezing to death. Then, he quickly headed back toward the inn.  

After passing through the noisy dining hall, he climbed the stairs and stopped in front of a door. He knocked three times, as per the signal, and the door opened to reveal a woman.  

“What about the coachman?”  

“He’s unconscious. He won’t wake up until dawn.”  

“Alright. Wait here for a moment.”  

Yvonne, relieved by the man’s firm response, closed the door and turned toward the window.  

“You can come out now, Senior.”  

“Okay.”  

Harriet, who had been hiding behind the curtains, cautiously stepped out. The unfamiliar sensation of wearing a wig made her feel awkward and uneasy. Yvonne, now wearing a long black wig, also looked strangely unfamiliar.  

“Can we trust that man?”  

“He’s done this kind of work many times before. His identity is solid, and he’s reliable, so don’t worry.”  

Harriet was curious about how Yvonne knew such a person, but for now, she held her tongue.  

Yvonne adjusted her outfit and began explaining the plan they had devised.  

“I’ll leave here pretending to be you, along with that man. We’ll make sure we’re seen by as many people as possible.”  

“Later, everyone will think you’ve been kidnapped.”

Harriet thought of her parents, Olivia, Aaron, and the rest of her family and acquaintances who would be shocked by the news. She felt deeply sorry for them, but there was no other way.  

“The newspapers will make a fuss for a while, but they won’t find me. I’ll return to my original appearance after traveling a little further. Then, I’ll testify that during my brief absence, a mysterious assailant threatened and took you away.”

“In the meantime, I’ll hide somewhere no one knows.”

By the time the world realized it was all staged, Harriet would have already completed her preparations for the divorce.  

“When you’re settled, contact me as we discussed earlier.”

“Got it.”  

Her heart pounded, and her palms grew sweaty. It felt like she was committing a crime she should never commit.  

“Then I’ll go now. Leave once the crowd has thinned out.”  

“Wait.”  

Harriet grabbed Yvonne, who was about to leave the room.  

“I know it’s selfish of me, but please take care of Claire. She’s heavily pregnant. She’ll need someone to look after her until she gives birth.”

“Of course. Don’t worry about that. I’m more worried about you.”  

Yvonne glanced at Harriet’s stomach with concern. Harriet instinctively placed her hands over her belly and smiled faintly.  

“Don’t worry about me. You know better than anyone that I’ll be fine wherever I go.”  

“…That’s true.”  

Reluctantly, Yvonne replied and made Harriet promise.  

“Contact me as soon as you’re settled. Promise?”  

“I promise.”  

It felt like Yvonne had made her swear several times already. Feeling a bit guilty, Harriet gave her a gentle push toward the door.  

As Yvonne hesitantly opened the door to leave, she whispered softly,  

“Thank you. And I’m sorry.”  

“Senior…”  

Her voice was so faint it was barely audible. Yvonne turned her head sharply, but the door had already closed.  

Letting out a heavy sigh, Yvonne stepped out with the man.  

***

Harriet didn’t move until the lively atmosphere of the inn’s dining hall had died down. By the time the inn was closing, the once-boisterous guests, who had been shouting and laughing loudly, had either drunkenly left or gone up to their rooms.

With her ear pressed tightly to the door, Harriet listened to the footsteps passing by, the innkeeper’s voice bidding farewell to guests, and the melodic chime of the doorbell.  

When the noise eventually subsided, she immediately turned the doorknob and opened the door.  

‘Please don’t let me run into anyone….’

Holding her breath as much as possible, she walked on tiptoe down the corridor and descended the stairs. Each creak of the old wooden floor made her heart sink.  

Fortunately, she didn’t encounter anyone on her way to the front door. Relieved, she opened the door, but then a sound came from behind her.  

Startled, she spun around and nearly collapsed in fright. However, the source of the noise wasn’t a person but a cat. A ribbon was tied around its neck, suggesting it belonged to the innkeeper.  

“Sorry, but could you keep quiet…?”  

Speaking as if pleading with the animal, Harriet opened the door again and stepped outside.  

“Nina?”  

A voice called out belatedly, but thankfully, the door silently closed at that moment.  

When she entered the stable, just as she had expected, the coachman who had brought her carriage was there. He was lying on a pile of dirty hay, using it as a blanket. Harriet silently apologized with her eyes and approached the horses.  

She grabbed the reins of the gentlest-looking horse among the ones that were sleeping. The horse followed her out of the stable without resistance.  

Placing a saddle on its back and climbing on, Harriet became conscious of her belly. Riding a horse while pregnant wasn’t ideal, but this was an emergency.  

Gripping the reins, Harriet pressed her heels into the horse’s side. Her plan was to get as far away from the capital as possible and then use the money she had to find a safe place to hide.