At the same time, Julia was having tea in the drawing room of Blissbury.

Of course, she wasn’t alone. Who would drink tea alone in a place that wasn’t even their own home?

Julia smiled faintly and looked at the man sitting across from her.

Sergeant Ryan Thornton. He was sitting right in front of her.

Thanks to Mrs. Parker leaving the terrace windows open, saying the weather was especially nice today, a spring breeze carrying the scent of wildflowers filled the drawing room.

That breeze lightly swept through Thornton’s damp hair, making him look even more striking.

‘Even seeing him again, he’s still incredibly handsome.’

Suppressing the fluttering in her chest, Julia carefully set down her teacup.

For the past few days, Julia had been the happiest woman in Feltham. Among the many who had visited Blissbury, she was the only one whom Thornton had invited to tea and encouraged to stay a little longer.

Of course, it would be a stretch to say that this alone made her special.

The only reason others hadn’t received the same invitation was that Thornton had been absent from Blissbury at those times.

But Julia had been fortunate enough to run into him as he returned from the river beside the estate, completely drenched.

When she saw him walking toward her, utterly unbothered by his soaked clothes, Julia unconsciously swallowed hard.

She had met countless gentlemen before. Among the young ladies in Feltham and Camborne who were of marriageable age, few had encountered as many gentlemen as Julia had.

Not that she had ever engaged in any scandalous relationships—nothing that would get her labeled as reckless. She had simply attended numerous refined social gatherings.

As a result, Julia, as Lady Ogilvy put it, had “developed a keen eye.”

It was inevitable. The more one saw, the more skilled one became at distinguishing the true gems from the ordinary stones.

That was why she had been so troubled after her recent engagement fell through. In her eyes, the man had been the most outstanding gentleman in Camborne’s social circles.

But the moment she saw Thornton walking toward her, she forgot even the man’s name.

While Thornton remained composed, Julia was so flustered that she couldn’t utter a single word—leaving Mrs. Parker the only one panicking.

“My goodness! When did you slip out again? And into the river, no less! Just look at the floor, what a mess!”

Mrs. Parker was horrified by the muddy footprints on the floor. Still, she rushed off in search of a towel.

Had she remained in the room, Ryan would have excused himself, apologizing as he went upstairs to wash.

However, in the current situation, he knew all too well how impolite it would be to leave a guest sitting alone. So, even as water dripped from him, he couldn’t bring himself to leave.

Since he couldn’t sit there in silence forever, Ryan started with the usual polite conversation topic—asking about the weather.

“Has everything been well in Feltham?”

Since it was a question she could easily answer, Julia began recounting the names of every neighbor she could remember, sharing their latest news.

Thornton listened quietly before finally speaking again after some time.

“How is Mr. Surberton?”

“Oh my, I almost forgot the most important person. Of course, he’s doing well.”

“And his family?”

“Oh, yes….”

Julia’s expression darkened as she suddenly thought of Eloise.

It wasn’t as though she had disliked Eloise from the start. But at some point, she had begun to find her irritating. While Julia had been pouring all her attention into securing a marriage, Eloise had remained completely indifferent to such concerns, living as she pleased.

Then came the comment that had stuck in Julia’s mind—spoken by the man with whom she had been discussing engagement. He had grumbled that it would be difficult to continue their courtship.

“If only you received an allowance as large as Miss Eloise’s, this wouldn’t have happened….”

From that moment on, every time Julia saw Eloise, she felt something twist deep inside her.

She had even gone to church on weekends, praying to God to rid her of such feelings. But perhaps she hadn’t been earnest enough—because those feelings only grew stronger.

And now, in front of Thornton, as he inquired about the Surberton family, a piece of that twisted feeling slipped out.

“They’re all doing well. But Eloise… no, Miss Surberton doesn’t seem to be.”

“Has something happened?”

“Well…”

In truth, nothing significant had happened. But Julia wanted to keep the conversation going. She certainly didn’t want to say anything positive about Eloise.

So, she mentioned that Eloise had been placed under house restriction by her father for some reason.

Before she knew it, the conversation had shifted to various incidents from Eloise’s childhood—both big and small.

By then, Mrs. Parker had returned with a towel. Taking it, Thornton began drying his still-dripping hair as he spoke to Julia.

“I apologize for receiving you in such a state. If you don’t mind, would you visit Blissbury again?”

At his invitation, Julia completely forgot the social etiquette that dictated a lady should gracefully decline at least once. Instead, she nodded eagerly.

“Of course! I would be honored.”

Afraid he might change his mind, Julia even arranged a date for their next meeting. And that second meeting was today.

The entire way there, she kept reminding herself not to get too excited.

Although she had never been formally engaged, the social circles of Feltham already treated her as if she were a woman who had been jilted.

They spoke with apparent sympathy, yet their eyes held the subtle gaze of those who saw a flaw in someone they considered otherwise inferior to themselves.

‘I can’t make the same mistake as last time.’

Back then, nothing had been confirmed, yet people had recklessly gossiped. If things didn’t work out again, she would be subjected to public scorn twice over. That was something she was determined to avoid.

Even so, she had carefully selected and worn her finest outfit for today’s visit.

The other ladies had left without even catching a glimpse of Sergeant Thornton. But by chance, she had met him once—and he had personally invited her to return.

That was undoubtedly a good sign. She couldn’t afford to rush things and ruin the opportunity.

Yet, despite her efforts, today’s conversation was far from smooth.

Sergeant Thornton seemed particularly interested in the Surberton family, asking many questions about them.

While her sister and Eloise were close friends, and their families had been acquainted for quite some time, Julia herself did not know much about the Surbertons in great detail.

She only had vague recollections of things her sister Abigail had mentioned over dinner, and that gave her some material for conversation. But once even those topics ran dry, she found herself at a loss for what to say next.

As a result, they had already fallen into silence multiple times.

Julia could tell that he was growing increasingly bored with their conversation.

‘What should I say?’

Growing anxious at the awkward atmosphere, Julia quickly came up with a new topic.

“Now that I think about it, this year’s Blissbury Ball is sure to be just as splendid as ever, isn’t it? Everyone in Feltham is eagerly anticipating it. Has the date been set yet?”

Thornton, who had been gazing out the window, turned his head at her words.

As Julia had sensed, Ryan had indeed begun to tire of their conversation.

In truth, the only reason he had arranged another meeting with Julia was that he couldn’t keep turning away every visitor indefinitely. At some point, he had to meet with someone, and it just so happened to be Julia.

But there was another reason he had invited her.

“Eloise has always been… rather peculiar. She seems to get along with everyone, but in reality, aside from my sister, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she has no close friends. Perhaps it’s because she came from the capital—there are quite a few differences between her and the rest of us.”

Julia spoke with measured decorum, but Ryan—who was used to dealing with cunning senior officers in the military—could easily read the underlying meaning in her words.

‘She means to say that because Eloise is a lady from the capital, they find her difficult to approach.’

Still, they couldn’t outright reject her, so they maintained a certain level of acquaintance. Moreover, Julia seemed quite envious of Eloise.

As Ryan listened to her words, a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

Even he didn’t fully understand why he was asking so many questions about the Surberton family. Yet, whenever Eloise was mentioned, he found himself paying closer attention.

Perhaps it was because she unsettled him—that was why she kept occupying his thoughts.

Ryan was beginning to consider how he might politely end the meeting and send Julia on her way.

He was searching for a suitable excuse when Julia brought up a new topic.

“The Blissbury Ball? What is that?”

“Oh my, surely you must have heard of it? Every summer, a grand ball is held in Blissbury, inviting all the residents of Feltham. Baron Stanford started the tradition long ago as a way to show consideration for the townspeople. Until now, Mr. Surberton has always overseen the event on the baron’s behalf.”

Julia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as she continued,

“But this year, Sergeant Thornton, you will be in charge! Everyone in town is looking forward to it even more. I’m sure you’ll introduce some of the latest trends from the capital, won’t you?”

However, contrary to her eager expectations, Ryan’s expression hardened. He firmly replied,

“No, Mr. Surberton will be in charge again this year.”

***

The next morning, the postman, William, rushed to Mr. Surberton’s house at dawn.

“Huff, huff… Mr. Surberton! An urgent telegram has arrived for you!”

He quickly read aloud its contents.

Lady Courtney, Mr. Surberton’s godmother, had fallen gravely ill due to her advanced age. She wished to see him one last time and urged him to come quickly.