After staring at the dress for a long time, Abigail got up and put it away in the wardrobe. She felt that if she kept looking at it, her heart would remain unsettled all day.

But just because the dress was out of sight, her mind didn’t calm down. Of course it wouldn’t—she had waited a year for this festival and then chose not to attend, so how could she feel at ease?

The Blissbury summer gala was the biggest event of the year for her.

Of course, even when she attended, her body made it difficult to walk without crutches, so she had never danced, not even once.

Normally, her mother would pay attention to her, but on that day, she was always focused on Julia and the other siblings’ social lives, so Abigail would quietly sit alone in a corner.

Sometimes, people’s pitying glances would turn towards her—looks that said it was a shame for her to come all this way just to sit there.

But Abigail didn’t really care what others thought of her.

Just watching people eat, drink, and dance joyfully was enough for her.

Besides, during the gathering, Eloise would sometimes come and sit beside her, chatting about various things.

She would talk about what was difficult in preparing for the gathering, who seemed to have fallen out with whom at the banquet, and share all sorts of gossip she’d heard, bringing Abigail news from places she didn’t know much about.

That’s why she didn’t feel lonely.

Abigail’s face grew gloomy as she thought of Eloise.

She recalled Eloise coming by recently to pack for Blissbury.

Last year, only the Surberton family was busy, but this year, in place of Mr. Surberton, another man was there.

Ryan Thornton, tall and handsome.

She could tell it was him from a distance—his appearance matched exactly what Eloise had described in detail, even while grumbling.

He and Eloise seemed very close. Whenever Eloise came out carrying something heavy, he would naturally reach out and take it from her.

Of course, that’s a gentleman’s duty. But Abigail saw Eloise handing her things to Sergeant Thornton without hesitation.

As Eloise’s oldest friend, Abigail knew that Eloise had never easily asked someone else for help in such situations.

“Once my parents pass away, I’ll be alone. There are relatives living far away in Newham, but I don’t plan to go live with them, so I’ll probably stay in Feltham for life. That’s why I think it’s good to practice doing everything myself now.”

Eloise had said that once, while talking about her future.

It was natural for the neighbors in Feltham to help each other, but she’d still try to do as much as she could alone.

That way, when she eventually had to manage without help, she wouldn’t panic and could handle things herself.

Others might scold her for thinking that way, but Abigail understood Eloise’s feelings.

Unlike others, neither of them thought much about marriage.

So, they had promised to grow old together, to remain friends who would drink tea together even when their hair turned white and their eyesight grew dim.

That’s how it had always been, and Abigail thought it would stay that way. But at some point, Eloise began talking about Sergeant Thornton.

At first, it was nothing but complaints about him. But as time passed, her assessments softened a little.

Eloise hadn’t changed—she was still cheerful and pleasant. She just complained about Sergeant Thornton more, and now sometimes smiled when she talked about him.

But even that made Abigail uneasy.

She felt as if the friend who was supposed to walk the same path was slowly drifting away.

But she couldn’t tell Eloise about these feelings. How could she express this anxiety and faint sense of resentment?

If a friend meets someone new and finds happiness, she should cheer for her as a friend…

In the end, confused and anxious, Abigail shut herself up at home.

At first, Julia wanted to tease her for acting out of character, but when Abigail silently glared at her, Julia realized it wasn’t the time and quietly withdrew.

Meanwhile, Eloise began going to Blissbury morning and night.

In the past, Eloise would have noticed Abigail not visiting and come herself, but she seemed too busy this year to even realize.

From what her mother said after visiting Surberton’s house during the day, Eloise was in charge of most of the summer gala preparations again this year and was extremely busy.

‘If that man came as manager, he should handle things himself.’

Abigail’s resentment naturally turned toward Ryan.

Not being able to see Eloise often, and feeling her drift farther away, it was all because he had come.

So, when he came to Surberton’s house, Abigail kept watching him through the window as he and Eloise were together.

Then, suddenly, as if he realized she was watching, he turned his head and looked straight at her, startling her into closing the curtains.

She had been peeking through the gap, so he shouldn’t have been able to see her, but it felt like their eyes met exactly, and her heart pounded wildly.

‘Are all soldiers like that?’

Even his sharp instincts annoyed her.

After moving her things to Blissbury, Eloise hadn’t sent a single letter. Honestly, it was the same last year and the year before.

She knew well that preparations before the gathering were so busy that there was no time for leisurely letter writing.

Still, resentment toward Eloise kept bubbling up.

In the end, all those unresolved feelings turned inward.

“I’m not going.”

When Abigail declared yesterday that she wouldn’t attend the summer gala, her family looked at her as if she was being strange.

But it was only for a moment. Soon, everyone went back to their rooms to check their outfits and practice dancing for the summer gala. Even young Andrew tidied his clothes, excited about how many cookies he might get.

Amidst her indifferent family, Abigail wondered. If even her family was like this, would Eloise care if she didn’t come?

No, would Eloise even know she wasn’t coming?

She knew these feelings were childish. She wasn’t a child, and she was the one who decided not to go, so feeling hurt that no one fussed over her was silly.

But for someone who had rarely asked for anything, this was the biggest expression of her feelings she could manage.

After sitting alone in her room for a long time, Abigail grabbed her crutch and headed downstairs.

The maid was asleep on the table. With everyone out, it was a sweet break for her.

Abigail deliberately kept quiet, carefully picked up her hat, and slipped out the front door.

If the maid knew she was leaving, she would insist on coming along, so it was better not to wake her.

She hoped the maid could rest well, but right now, she didn’t want to be with anyone else.

Abigail headed toward the village entrance. She wanted to go to the riverbank on the south side of the village to soothe her troubled heart.

Not everyone had gone to Blissbury, but the village seemed especially quiet today.

The whole way to the entrance, Abigail reflected on her own petty feelings.

If a friend meets a good person, you should support and encourage her, not feel sad because she might leave your side.

Regret came too late. If she’d sorted out her feelings sooner, she could have gone to the banquet and at least seen Eloise’s face.

‘It’s too late to go now.’

Her family had taken the carriage and the horses.

On the day of the gathering, maybe, but for the banquet only those invited would go, so no one else in the village would be heading to Blissbury.

Just as Abigail was regretting her actions and leaving the village entrance, she saw two muddy horses and two men riding them, coming from the western road.

They were so covered in mud she couldn’t make out their faces, but she was sure they weren’t villagers.

‘Who could they be?’

There are a few swamps along the western road, but the locals know their locations and wouldn’t get stuck.

They were clearly strangers from afar.

Suddenly, she recalled the recent incident with the deserter and instinctively took a step back.

“Ah!”

Her foot caught, and she fell with her crutch.

“Ugh…”

As she tried to get up, one of the men quickly dismounted, picked up her crutch from the ground, and knelt on one knee, speaking in a polite voice.

“I’m sorry to have startled you. My name is Philip Osborne. My friend behind me is Richard Cameron. If it’s not too much trouble, could you tell us the way to Blissbury?”