At this rate, everyone would believe a war had broken out in Blissbury.

“Who on earth is spreading such stories? Foreign spies? Bodies piled like mountains?”

Eloise widened her eyes in disbelief and raised her voice. The village girls began to recall where they’d heard the rumors.

“Well, I heard that Milliam heard it from someone who’s friends with a constable in Camborne…”

“I heard it from Miss Usher, who said her friend told her…”

“My mother said it was Mr. Owen’s cousin who came to the mill…”

Listening to her friends, Eloise rubbed her forehead.

In the end, it was all stories passed down from a friend’s cousin’s neighbor… None of the sources were clear, just vague hearsay.

“At this rate, by tomorrow, the story will be that Sergeant Thornton’s gaze alone felled the enemy.”

Eloise was about to say Ryan’s name but quickly changed it when she remembered she was with her friends.

Her friends glanced at each other and carefully said,

“Wasn’t it? Didn’t the Sergeant glare coldly at the enemies and say that if they repented and knelt now, he’d ask Her Majesty for mercy, so they bowed their heads…”

“No! First of all, they weren’t spies! There was only one deserter!”

After Eloise explained the whole story, disappointment showed on the girls’ faces. Eloise understood their disappointment.

Feltham was a very quiet rural village. The most recent incident was ten years ago, when the last wolf in the forest tried to snatch a sheep at the village entrance and was killed.

The old wolf’s body, slain by the shepherds’ pitchforks, lay in front of the village for a week, and people from nearby villages came to see it.

Even now, ten years later, whenever two or more people gather, Feltham’s residents excitedly talk about it as if it happened yesterday.

In such a quiet and peaceful village, this incident was bound to excite everyone.

If Eloise hadn’t corrected the rumor now, within a week there would have been a fundraising campaign to build a monument to commemorate the event.

People passing through Blissbury would say, “That was truly an incredible incident,” for at least fifty years!

The girls’ disappointment didn’t last long. Fired up by Eloise’s words, they were now determined to spread the correct version of the story to those who still didn’t know the truth.

Some of the more impatient ones were already saying their goodbyes and leaving the Surberton residence.

Looking at the friends who remained, Eloise realized she didn’t see the face she was looking for and asked,

“Abigail isn’t here? Did she go to Camborne?”

It was unlikely Abigail would have no interest in such matters.

Though Abigail disliked going out, Mrs. Ogilvy tried to take her daughter to Camborne whenever possible.

So about once a month, Abigail would reluctantly attend a simple tea party in Camborne before returning home.

Every time she came back, she’d immediately find Eloise and complain about how exhausting it had been.

“No, she should be at home. She hasn’t been going out much lately. You know, Abigail sometimes gets sick.”

“That’s true, but…”

Unlike Eloise, who often fell ill in winter and spring, Abigail tended to stay home during the lively summer and autumn months.

So it wasn’t unusual, but Eloise felt oddly uneasy about Abigail’s situation.

Eloise looked toward the Ogilvy house, which was close by.

Abigail’s room was at the end of the second floor. From Eloise’s room, she could easily see its window, and as a child, she used to play at sending secret light signals, like the spies she read about in books.

Normally, the curtains would be drawn wide and a vase full of wildflowers would sit on the windowsill, but now the curtains were tightly closed, blocking all light.

‘Should I stop by for a moment before leaving?’

Just as she was thinking this, Mrs. Surberton called Eloise from inside the house. Eloise momentarily forgot about Abigail and hurried inside.

Not long after Eloise went in, the curtains in Abigail’s room fluttered.

Ryan, standing by the carriage, glanced over. A thin woman peeked out from between the curtains. The moment she met Ryan’s gaze,

The curtains were yanked shut so forcefully that you could hear the sound even from a distance.

Just then, Eloise came back outside. Ryan naturally took the luggage she was carrying as if it were his own and asked her,

“Eloise, whose house is that?”

“That one? It’s the Ogilvy residence.”

“And that window at the end, whose room is it?”

“That’s Abigail’s room… Why? Is something wrong?”

When Eloise mentioned her close friend’s name, Ryan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.

“No, I was just curious.”

Normally, Eloise would have pressed Ryan for the reason behind his interest, but today she was far too busy.

“Eloise! Can you check this for me?”

Mrs. Surberton’s voice called from behind, and Eloise quickly turned away.

After Eloise left, Ryan looked again at Abigail’s window. There was no change in the curtains.

‘Why?’

Ryan clearly remembered the look directed at him through the curtains. In that brief moment, he’d seen a hint of hostility.

‘Didn’t Eloise say they were friends?’

When he first started working in Blissbury, Eloise had been tense and rarely spoke to him.

But whenever the conversation turned to Blissbury or Feltham, she’d chatter away as if nothing was wrong, so Ryan kept asking questions about them.

That way, stories about Feltham’s residents would flow endlessly.

Among them, Abigail Ogilvy was mentioned very often.

He could tell just by listening how long and deep Eloise and Abigail’s friendship was.

So why had Abigail looked at Eloise that way?

Ryan stared at Abigail’s window for a long time, but nothing changed, so he turned away.

Still, he was certain that what he’d seen in her eyes was clear hostility.

‘I’ll have to be careful.’

Ryan recalled Abigail’s name on the dinner party guest list.

The Ogilvy family was one of the few Feltham households that attended the dinner party every year. They’d never missed it, so surely they’d come this year too.

‘I should see her then!’

If he became certain that Abigail harbored ill feelings toward Eloise, he’d have to reconsider what to do.

* * *

There was a commotion and people were noisy for a while, but in the meantime, preparations for the Blissbury party continued steadily.

“It’s so reassuring to have you and Emily here. It feels like everything is coming together properly.”

Mrs. Parker welcomed Mrs. Surberton and Emily with open arms.

No matter how much Ryan tried to help, following Eloise’s advice, there were things he simply didn’t know.

That was the kitchen, overseen by Mrs. Parker.

“My back has been getting worse lately, and it’s hard to stand for long.”

She looked at Emily with a hint of regret.

“Come to Blissbury more often. There’s so much I want to teach you, but there’s never enough time with just the summer party preparations.”

Emily’s eyes sparkled at those words, though the light quickly faded.

“But now it’s harder to visit…”

Emily fiddled with her fingers and lowered her head. Mrs. Parker understood what she meant, even as her voice grew quieter.

She was an ambitious child.

She was already the top maid in Feltham’s Surberton household, but with more training, she could easily become the head housekeeper of a manor.

That’s why Mrs. Parker kept wanting more.

Usually, when this happened, the employer would try to keep the talented maid in their house for as long as possible.

So even those with skill and good work habits often spent their whole lives working in just one home.

But fortunately, Mrs. Surberton recognized and supported her maid’s potential.

That’s why she always brought Emily to Blissbury to learn.

But this year, with a new manager and Mr. Surberton’s absence, the unspoken arrangements that had continued so far were broken.

Everyone realized it.

Things that had seemed like they would last forever would end someday.

And now it was time to decide what to do next.