The guests left satisfied, but Mr. and Mrs. Surberton did not.

“I understand how much you respect Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave. However, I find it hard to believe that your behavior was appropriate. You will remain at home in reflection for a week.”

Even Mr. Surberton, who was usually lenient with his daughter, was firm this time.

Eloise, too, admitted that she had crossed the line and obediently confined herself to her room.

“That’s a good thing! This season calls for extra caution regarding one’s health. The weather was fine, yet frost covered the ground this morning. Going out on a day like this will only lead to catching a cold.”

Emily was relieved that she no longer had to nag Eloise about wearing a hat or wrapping a shawl, and she genuinely welcomed her mistress’s confinement.

However, she soon realized she was mistaken.

“Hello, Emily. I’ve come to see Eloise.”

Since Sergeant Thornton’s visit, young women from the village have been coming to see Eloise, hoping to learn about him.

“Miss Eloise is unwell and cannot receive visitors.”

“Oh dear, such unfortunate news. Then, all the more reason for us to offer some comfort.”

The friends showed no intention of leaving as long as Eloise was not on her deathbed.

Realizing she could not handle this alone, Emily sought help from Mrs. Surberton.

Mrs. Surberton had initially intended to send her daughter’s friends away. However, upon seeing their determined expressions, she changed her mind.

“Well… on second thought, I suppose a brief meeting would be acceptable.”

The fervent gazes of the visitors were enough to make Mrs. Surberton hesitate.

As the chattering young ladies filled Eloise’s spacious but now crowded room, Emily excused herself to fetch tea. The moment the door closed, questions erupted before greetings could be exchanged.

“Eloise, you saw him, didn’t you? What was he like? What color was his hair? And his eyes? Was he in good health? No—more importantly, how old did he seem?”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Eloise covered her ears.

“Please, one at a time!”

The young women exchanged glances before collectively turning their attention to Julia.

She was the second daughter of Mr. Ogilvy and widely acknowledged as the most desperate to marry in all of Feltham.

“First of all, how old is Sergeant Thornton?”

“He’s twenty-nine.”

“Oh my, twenty-nine! That’s young!”

“Wasn’t that the age of the man who proposed to Lucy last time?”

“Most men who have served in the military are over thirty, so twenty-nine is still quite young!”

“In any case, it’s an excellent age for marriage!”

A single answer—twenty-nine—set off an entire discussion.

Eloise let out a quiet sigh as her friends continued their excited chatter.

She recalled the look of surprise on Sergeant Thornton’s face the previous night when she had confronted him.

Clarity had struck the moment she turned away from him and climbed the stairs alone.

Men who called themselves gentlemen and often revealed their displeasure when their opinions were challenged.

She had bid him a polite farewell and left the room, not wanting to continue the conversation.

‘I don’t need to see his reaction to know. He must have been fuming inside, thinking, “What could she possibly understand?”’

Besides, he had been closer to Lieutenant Colonel Wilgrave than she had. He would never change his mind.

‘But still! He’s alive because of the Lieutenant Colonel!’

It wasn’t as if she was blindly defending Wilgrave. Even in Feltham, she could grasp the general positioning of enemy and allied forces.

Among the many books stacked in her father’s study, the ones that intrigued Eloise most were those on military tactics.

From ancient strategies to modern warfare, the more she read, the deeper her fascination grew. Eventually, even Mr. Surberton sought her advice when translating old military texts.

Eloise had studied the Battle of Ingon on maps over and over again.

She applied every strategy she knew, exploring how the 57th Infantry Battalion could have survived without retreating. Yet, the answer remained the same.

No matter how often she reconsidered it, they would have perished if they had not retreated as Wilgrave had ordered.

There had been no way to save the other battalions either.

The Lieutenant Colonel must have known that his retreat order would be met with criticism. But he had chosen to spare his men rather than send them to certain death in a battle with no chance of victory.

People claimed that dying honorably was a soldier’s duty, but Eloise found that notion utterly foolish.

The nation was important.

But life was even more precious.

‘Still… Sergeant Thornton’s reaction was unexpected.’

She had anticipated that, like other young men his age, he would grow openly irritated when his opinion was challenged, raise his voice, or dismiss her thoughts simply because she was a woman.

Yet, contrary to her expectations, Mr. Surberton had later told her that Sergeant Thornton had sincerely thanked him for Eloise’s understanding of the Lieutenant Colonel and had wished them a pleasant evening.

Her father was not one to fabricate someone else’s words.

Which meant that Thornton had indeed said those things…

“Eloise?”

“Hm?”

“Oh my, you weren’t listening at all, were you? I was asking about his appearance!”

“Oh, right. Black hair, blue eyes, about 6.2 feet (189 cm) tall.”

“What about his build?”

“Not much different from the other soldiers who just returned. You know, muscular but overall a bit on the lean side?”

“That’s true, but many soldiers have suddenly gained weight now that the war is over.”

“Yeah. My mom told me to avoid men like that. Most of them just drown themselves in alcohol.”

The chatter among her friends continued for quite some time.

***

Her friends had squeezed every bit of information about Sergeant Thornton out of Eloise.

Since there was no reason to hide it, Eloise told them everything she knew—even how much a retired sergeant’s one-year pension was, as she had heard from her father.

However, there was one part that made Eloise feel a slight pang of guilt.

“They say his face isn’t much, but as long as he’s tall, well-mannered, and gets a good pension, isn’t that enough?”

Eloise kept her lips sealed as her friends left the room, chattering excitedly.

When they had asked whether Sergeant Thornton was handsome, she had absentmindedly responded that he had a stubborn demeanor, an expressionless face, and wasn’t the type to evoke much fondness from others.

Honestly, that was a lie her friends would see through the moment they laid eyes on him.

Objectively speaking, Sergeant Thornton was, without a doubt, a handsome man.

With thick black hair, striking blue eyes, and a jawline that, now neatly shaven, exuded masculine strength, he looked entirely different from when she had first seen him.

His lips were usually set in a firm, stubborn line, but in the eyes of generous young women, even that could be interpreted as a mark of conviction and principle.

‘Well, I can just say that’s how he looked to me. That’s all that matters.’

Soon enough, her friends would see his face for themselves. By then, they would have completely forgotten what she had said.

After seeing her friends off, Eloise returned to her room.

Emily, who had followed her in, was tidying up the chairs and teacups when she found a small handkerchief that had fallen into the corner.

“Oh my, someone must have left this behind.”

“Give it to me.”

Upon closer inspection, it was the foreign handkerchief that Julia had recently bought from Camborne and had spent ages boasting about.

After a brief hesitation, Eloise asked Emily,

“Where’s my father?”

“The master has gone to the vicarage.”

“And my mother?”

“She returned to her room, so I believe she’s resting.”

“Good. I’ll take this to her myself. She couldn’t have gone far, so I’ll be back soon. In the meantime, could you tidy up my room?”

Eloise was currently serving a week-long disciplinary period.

Emily hesitated, considering whether to stop her, but nodded silently.

There was plenty to do.

She had to clean up the things the young ladies had left scattered around, feed the geese in the yard, clean the storage room, and prepare dinner.

So taking a simple handkerchief back—surely her lady could handle that much.

Eloise darted out of the house.

As expected, her friends hadn’t gone far. She spotted their hats bobbing just beyond the bushes in front of the house.

Just as Eloise was about to call out to them about the forgotten handkerchief—

“Eloise, don’t you think she seems way too relaxed?”

“……”

Hearing her name suddenly mentioned, Eloise stopped in her tracks.

“If I were her age, I wouldn’t just be anxious—I’d be alone. She’s already twenty-six, isn’t she? It makes sense for Abigail since she has trouble walking, but isn’t it embarrassing for Eloise to be perfectly healthy yet still unmarried?”

“Julia, that’s too much! Eloise was only trying to help by telling you about Sergeant Thornton.”

One of their friends, perhaps feeling Julia had gone too far, raised her voice in protest.

“Did I say anything untrue? Since we’re on the subject, I’ll say it outright—watching Eloise spill everything about Sergeant Thornton made me feel sorry for her. It’s like she’s finally realized she’s not even our rival anymore.”

Listening to Julia’s voice from beyond the bushes, Eloise bit her lip.

‘Well, well, well.’