“Uh… …”

She was asked a question and needed to answer, but all that came out was a dazed sound.

The main reason was that, unlike his messy appearance, the gentlemanly attitude he showed was something she had never seen even in Camborne.

It’s not that the gentlemen of Camborne aren’t polite. But there would be no man who would kneel down and pick up her crutch for her.

What was she supposed to say in this situation?

When she was young, Abigail had received basic education from a governess together with Julia, but since it was the first time someone had bowed to her like this, she didn’t know how to respond.

More than anything, what surprised Abigail was the man’s gaze.

In Feltham and Camborne, no matter how dignified the gentleman, the moment they saw her, a look of unavoidable pity would flicker across their face. Everyone treated Abigail as someone to be pitied.

For them, pitying Abigail was the attitude that cultured people ought to have.

But for Abigail, who was always treated as lacking from the start, she could never be thankful for their pity.

However, the man standing in front of her now showed no sign of pity. All she saw was an apology for startling her.

Because she was always met with pitying looks, Abigail could sense this all the more clearly.

“Oh, my hands were dirty and I’ve gotten your crutch dirty. I’m sorry.”

He seemed to think Abigail was hesitating because of the dirt marks.

Finally coming to her senses, Abigail shook her head, took the crutch he handed her, and stood up.

“No, that’s not it. My name is Abigail Ogilvy. I live here in Feltham. You said you’re heading to Blissbury, right? I’m sorry, but may I ask what business you have in Blissbury?”

Today was the day of the banquet. But there would be no reason to invite such strangers to the banquet. If that were the case, word would have already spread.

She was worried about Blissbury, but more than that, Abigail was concerned that these visitors, having chosen the wrong day, would draw disapproving looks from the guests there.

At that moment, Richard, who had been standing behind, spoke up.

“Oh, we’re Ryan… Sergeant Thornton’s army comrades. We’re on summer leave and were heading south to Dorset, but remembered he was staying nearby, so we decided to visit. But we took a wrong turn and ended up struggling through a swamp in the forest.”

Richard laughed as he spoke, and Philip glared at him.

The plan for the two who wanted to linger at Blissbury was simple. It was on the day of the banquet, when notable families from both villages were invited.

“Let’s be visitors on that day. Doesn’t the Bible say that strangers arriving on banquet day must be welcomed and treated generously? If it’s a day when refined people gather, they’ll surely follow the teachings of the Bible.”

If they visited when no one was around, Ryan would just throw them out, but with so many eyes watching, he couldn’t do that—this was Richard’s plan. In truth, it was so simple it was hardly a plan at all. So just showing up at Blissbury today was fine.

“So, Feltham? I heard the manager used to live in that village. It’s a small, insignificant place, but since it’s nearby, we can take a roundabout way and enjoy the countryside scenery on the way.”

Philip agreed up to that point.

Compared to Newham, Camborne was rural, but it was still a town with people coming and going and shops.

In other words, the countryside they imagined was a bit different.

Moreover, at the café they frequented, more and more people started greeting them and striking up conversations.

The moment they mentioned they were soldiers on leave, people’s eyes lit up. Philip realized immediately—they were about to become eligible bachelors in the local marriage market. So he wanted to leave Camborne as quickly as possible.

Philip thought he was the only one who felt that way, and assumed Richard would enjoy it, but contrary to expectations, Richard was even more eager to hurry.

“That’s odd. Isn’t this a good thing for you?”

“What nonsense. People here are serious about marriage! They don’t just want to have a bit of fun like the young ladies in the capital!”

“…So that’s why you’ve dated so many women?”

“‘Dated so many’? I call it freedom!”

Anyway, the two left Camborne early in the morning.

Because they set out so early, as Richard suggested, they decided to wander the area before heading to Blissbury. If they arrived too soon, Ryan might throw them out before the guests arrived.

At first, it was pleasant. Beautiful nature, birds flying overhead, friendly people who would greet even strangers.

The problem began when Richard took a wrong turn in the forest and led them into a swamp.

Not all swamps are deep. The one Richard entered was only thigh-deep for an adult if you stood properly. But even that depth is dangerous for horses. They had to carefully lead the horses out to avoid injury, so both Richard and Philip, as well as their horses, ended up a mess. Naturally, a lot of time passed while they sorted it out. Deciding they couldn’t continue like that, they headed straight for the nearest village, which turned out to be Feltham.

Philip briefly explained what had happened to Abigail.

“Anyway, that’s why we need to get to Blissbury, and we wanted to ask which way to go.”

“Just head straight east from here and you’ll get to Blissbury. There aren’t any forks, so you won’t have trouble finding it. It usually takes about an hour…”

After hesitating for a moment, Abigail spoke to the two men.

“If you’d like, why don’t you wash up at our house before you go?”

***

Once it was past 8 o’clock, Blissbury became noisy.

Unlike last year, the early arrival of guests had Eloise running ragged.

The wine prepared in the drawing room and lobby was quickly emptied, and Mr. Palmer busily ordered the servants to fetch more from the cellar. If it were only adults, things could have been managed somehow.

“This is from Mrs. Parker!”

“Mom! I didn’t get any! Waaah!”

If this were a banquet in the capital, children wouldn’t be allowed to attend. But here, since banquets were among the few grand events each year, one by one parents brought their children, and now everyone naturally brought their kids.

They wanted to show their children Blissbury, which was otherwise difficult to visit freely. But even more than that, what exhausted Eloise was something else.

‘He looks busy.’

Eloise glanced at Ryan, surrounded by people.

He had gotten along well with the workers at the manor, but she’d wondered if he’d manage in a setting like this. Yet he was hosting the guests far more naturally than Eloise had expected.

‘Who would think he only became the manager this year?’

Watching him, he seemed like someone who had lived in Blissbury since birth.

“Eloise.”

Just then, friends from Camborne whom she recognized called her. Most were around Eloise’s age and had brought their children today.

“What is it? Do you need something?”

“No, that’s not it.”

They led Eloise to a secluded spot, away from the guests’ eyes, and as soon as they were out of sight, they couldn’t hold back and started questioning her.

“Who’s sitting opposite Sergeant Thornton?”

“It’s Lily, right?”

“No, I said it’d be Patricia. Lady Greenwood’s been bringing her everywhere lately.”

“But there’s Julia, too.”

They were all arguing, each convinced the young lady they named would be seated there. It seemed they’d been debating this even before coming.

“You called me over just for that?”

“‘Just for that’? This is really important!”

One friend scolded Eloise, as if wondering what she was talking about.

“Didn’t you hear what Sergeant Thornton said earlier?”

“What did he say?”

She’d been so busy hosting guests, she hadn’t had time to listen to his conversations.

“When Lady Greenwood asked if he’d consider settling here after marriage, he said it was a very attractive offer. Then when she asked if there was a young lady he had in mind, he seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said yes!”

The friends stamped their feet in excitement, as if they’d just witnessed someone’s love confession.

“So now there’s a huge fuss over who’s sitting opposite him. He must have had a say in the seating arrangement, right?”

“I arranged the seating…”

Of course. How could she entrust such a delicate task to someone who’d only come to Blissbury this year? If she did, there would surely be guests who couldn’t enjoy their meal because they were glaring at their neighbor or across the table.

“But he must have checked it!”

He had. After all, he was the host. So after the seating was done, she’d shown him the chart.

“That’s true, but…”

“Then if the woman sitting opposite is the one he likes, he wouldn’t have objected. So who is it? Who?”

Eloise glanced at the clock. In any case, everyone would be moving to the banquet hall in about ten minutes.

So there was no harm in telling them now.

“For now, it’s Julia and Patricia…”

“See! I told you!”

“Wait, it’s both? Which one is it?”

Her friends looked at Eloise again, their eyes sparkling as they questioned her.

“Eloise, who do you think Sergeant Thornton likes more?”