On the other side of the bush, Eloise’s friends, never imagining that she might be listening, halted in their tracks and continued their conversation.

“A rival? Julia, why do you keep saying such strange things?”

Sensing the tension in the air, one of the other friends tried to stop Julia.

However, now that things had come this far, Julia seemed determined to say everything she had kept inside. She continued speaking without hesitation.

“There’s no need for all of you to pretend nice. Didn’t we all feel relieved when Eloise told us everything about Sergeant Thornton? Knowing that she wasn’t interested in him?”

“……”

At Julia’s words, the others fell silent because she was right.

When Eloise came of age, not only the women of Feltham but even those from Camborne had been on edge.

Even though the Surbertons lived in this rural town, they were a family of distinguished lineage.

Wealthy intellectuals from the capital.

Moreover, Mrs. Surberton had once been part of Newham’s social circles.

In other words, Eloise could enter Newham’s society anytime without needing an introduction.

If Eloise decided to go, Mrs. Surberton’s relatives and close acquaintances would take her there immediately.

That was why Eloise was the only person in the village who could adequately use the title “Lady.”

Furthermore, Eloise was Mr. Surberton’s only daughter.

If Mr. Surberton were to pass away, Eloise would receive a lump sum of 5,000 pounds.

Her family background and wealth alone made her an attractive bride but also beautiful.

Mrs. Surberton had lamented, clutching her chest, that Eloise ran around the fields like a wild foal. But when Eloise dashed up the hills, her hair flowing in the wind, the village’s young men stood mesmerized, unable to look away.

Their gazes were filled with admiration.

Likewise, the hearts of the village maidens were filled with anxiety.

They couldn’t shake the fear that the young man they fancied might propose to Eloise.

But when Eloise turned twenty, she fell gravely ill once more.

Her fever rose to life-threatening levels, and her coughing wouldn’t stop. Then, rumors spread through the village on the day the doctor from Camborne visited with a grave expression.

Eloise would never be able to bear children due to her illness.

Everyone had already been worried since Eloise had suffered a serious illness as a child. But when the doctor’s supposed statement spread, the young men who used to loiter near the Surberton estate vanished.

The world was changing, and more people chose not to marry in the capital. But Feltham was a village that still upheld values passed down for centuries.

A woman who could not bear children was not considered marriageable.

Thus, whether by choice or circumstance, Eloise remained unmarried.

“In any case, I think it’s for the best. And… this is just my guess, but I believe Sergeant Thornton will likely stay in Blissbury for good. If someone were to marry him, they would essentially become the mistress of Blissbury.”

“What? Where did that come from all of a sudden?”

At her friend’s question, Eloise unconsciously nodded. That was precisely what she had wanted to ask.

“For now, Mr. Surberton is managing the estate, but he can’t do it forever, can he? He’s getting older, so he’ll have to step down at some point.”

That was true. Eloise had noticed subtle changes in her father with each passing year.

“Then who do you think will take over Blissbury after him? He won’t entrust it to Eloise, who isn’t even married.”

“Well… that’s true.”

The others slowly nodded.

“But now, Sergeant Thornton, who is from a branch of the baron’s family, has arrived. Honestly, I think Baron Stanford has already decided to appoint Sergeant Thornton as the new steward of Blissbury. Otherwise, why would he suddenly come here when there hasn’t been any talk of a new steward for over ten years?”

Julia’s words were met with silence once again. The only sound was the chirping of spring birds as their minds raced.

Watching her friends, who only moved their eyes in thought, Julia smiled smugly.

“In any case… if Sergeant Thornton becomes the steward, Eloise won’t be able to act so high and mighty anymore.”

Julia’s voice turned sharper. Her bitterness, long buried, had finally spilled out.

“Her father was only the steward, yet she acted like Blissbury belonged to her. But once Sergeant Thornton officially takes over and gets married, she won’t be able to do that anymore.”

Though she spoke with feigned indifference, every word dripped with resentment.

Any young lady from Feltham or Camborne admired Blissbury. It was the most beautiful place in this rural village, a place of wealth and refinement; even the people from the capital admired it.

For them, entering Blissbury was nearly impossible unless they were invited to the annual summer ball.

Yet Eloise wandered in and out as if it were her own home.

What twisted Julia’s feelings even more was that Eloise didn’t seem to think anything of it.

As if it were only natural as if it was indeed her own.

“I should get going. My mother told me to come home early.”

Perhaps Julia had realized she had let too much of her true feelings slip out. Seeing her friends’ stiff expressions, she hastily made an excuse and hurried home.

Once Julia left, the remaining friends hesitated, exchanged awkward farewells, and dispersed to their respective homes.

The place filled with voices just moments ago was now left with only Eloise, curled up amidst the sounds of spring birds.

“Haa…”

Only after a long while did Eloise move, letting out a sigh.

Then, she made the sign of the cross toward the sky.

‘Oh, Lord, I almost ran after her and grabbed her by the hair, but I held back this time. Please praise me for my restraint.’

In the past, she would have dashed out and yanked Julia’s hair without hesitation.

But today, Eloise had decided to be generous toward Julia.

‘She must still be in shock from the broken engagement… Just this once. Only this once.’

Julia had been jilted last winter.

It was questionable whether it could even be called a broken engagement since there had never been an official betrothal. But the man had been visiting their house for nearly two years, so everyone considered them practically engaged.

The fact that the engagement had ultimately fallen through must have been a great shock, but what truly wounded Julia were the last words the man had left behind.

“If only you received an annuity like Miss Eloise—no, at least like your sister—my parents wouldn’t have opposed our marriage.”

Abigail had told Eloise that Julia had locked herself in her room and cried all day after hearing those words.

A week later, when Julia finally emerged from her room with swollen eyes, she had become obsessed with two things:

Marriage and wealth.

And as a bonus, she had also begun to resent Eloise and Abigail.

To be told by the man she had thought would become her fiancé that he wished she were more like another woman—what a cruel thing to hear.

Eloise hadn’t done anything wrong, but after Abigail relayed Julia’s words, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt.

So today, she chose to brush off Julia’s remarks, thinking of them as nothing more than the lament of someone whose wounds had yet to heal.

Of course, if Julia continued spouting nonsense, Eloise might just have to drag her by the hair again, like they did when they were younger—away from the watchful eyes of their mothers, of course.

As she walked home, Eloise mulled over the situation.

In truth, Julia’s words weren’t entirely wrong. Her father couldn’t remain the estate manager forever; eventually, Baron Stanford would have to appoint someone new.

‘But I could do it too.’

It wasn’t as if her father physically managed the estate himself.

Even now, Eloise wrote letters on his behalf and selected people for Blissbury. She occasionally repaired the estate’s cottages secretly, away from her parents’ eyes.

But no matter how much she argued her case, Baron Stanford would never appoint her as the estate manager.

‘If Sergeant Thornton really does become the new manager of Blissbury…’

A frown creased Eloise’s forehead at the thought.

“I hate it…”

That man would never let her set foot in Blissbury. He could easily pretend to make a mistake and exclude her from the invitations he sent to the people of Feltham.

And if he married a woman from the capital, he might not invite the villagers at all.

‘Maybe Julia has a point—perhaps it would be better if Sergeant Thornton married someone from this village.’

As insufferable as Julia was, if she married Sergeant Thornton, she might invite Eloise to Blissbury just to show off.

Eloise gazed at the sky in the direction of Blissbury.

No matter what happened, she hoped she would always have a reason to visit.

***

She had thought it was a ridiculous hope.

But then—

“You need to go to Blissbury.”

A week after her probation ended, Mr. Surberton summoned Eloise and said those words.