“This is serious.”

Philip looked out the window with a grim expression. From Blissbury, you could usually see the southern river faintly.

But now, the water had risen so much that, even through the rain-soaked glass, the swiftly flowing river was clearly visible.

He’d thought the rain would end in a couple of days at most. But now, four days had passed and the rain still hadn’t stopped.

Even Julia, who had initially told everyone not to worry, was now silent, gazing out anxiously.

“…Will Feltham be alright?”

The rainy season in Albion was in winter. Feltham, though south of the capital, still got cold enough for snow in winter.

When the precipitation was snow, sometimes old barns collapsed under the weight, but because the snow melted slowly, there was no fear of flooding.

It had always been that way, so no one worried about summer downpours this year either.

At that moment, the sound of crutches coming down the stairs was heard. Philip immediately turned and headed for the central staircase.

“Abigail?”

She had been staying in her room ever since the rain started.

Philip had visited her several times, but it wasn’t easy to linger in a sick person’s room, and every time Julia, who had to accompany him, would glare at him to leave quickly, so he never stayed long.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“More or less.”

Abigail’s voice, answering him, was tinged with weariness. With the rain continuing, it was no wonder she didn’t feel well.

Philip thought he’d asked a foolish question and quickly took her hand to help her down.

“Where’s Eloise?”

When Abigail asked, Julia glanced upward and replied curtly,

“She’s still in her room.”

Julia, who had been taking care of Abigail, sounded annoyed that she now had more to do because Eloise had shut herself in, claiming she was unwell.

Just then, footsteps were heard again from above.

Ryan was coming down.

With Philip’s help, Abigail approached him.

“Sergeant Thornton, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Could you send someone to check on Feltham? I’m worried, since it’s the first time we’ve had so much rain in summer.”

“Understood. I was just thinking of going myself. Richard! Get ready.”

“Why me… Yes, yes, understood, Sergeant Thornton.”

Richard started to protest but, seeing Ryan’s cold stare, clicked his tongue and turned away.

Judging by his look, joking wouldn’t work right now. Besides, he too felt the need to check on Feltham.

After telling the coachman to prepare the horses, the two men changed clothes and came out.

The rain was so heavy they couldn’t open their eyes properly as soon as they stepped outside.

The horses, pulled out by the coachman, already had soaked manes and kept shaking themselves.

“Are you really going? You could just send a servant…”

“That way, we wouldn’t get a detailed report.”

Ignoring the coachman’s words, Ryan mounted his horse. Before leaving, he looked up at the room where Eloise was staying.

Her curtains were tightly drawn.

Ryan stared at her window for a long time before turning away. Richard, watching him, clicked his tongue and followed.

The thunder grew louder, and the rain fell even harder.

…

Even through the pounding rain, the sound of galloping hooves reached Eloise’s ears.

Eloise picked up a cushion and covered her face. When even the sound of rain faded, she could no longer hear the horses.

After a while, Eloise slowly sat up. The cushion she’d used to cover her face rolled off the bed, but she didn’t feel like picking it up.

“Ha…”

Eloise ran her hands over her face with a sigh, exasperated at herself.

“What a mess I am.”

“I plan to return to the army.”

Ryan had said it in his usual calm tone.

After hearing those words, she couldn’t remember how she’d returned to her room.

She hadn’t cried. She just felt embarrassed.

Eloise knew well that, in the forced marriage market, she ranked quite low.

She told herself it didn’t matter, since she had no intention of marrying anyway.

But when someone she’d barely spoken to said, “Miss Eloise is out of the question. She’s like a tree that bears no fruit,” with a sneer, it made her flinch.

But as time passed and she left that market behind completely, she stopped getting hurt by such things.

“I guess I’d forgotten.”

She still had no trouble treating men as friends. That’s why she’d forgotten her own situation.

Eloise covered her face with both hands.

“I got carried away like a fool…”

Ryan was just convenient because he didn’t bother her, only acting as the caretaker. Yet she’d mistaken that for affection, got excited on her own, and ended up disappointed all by herself.

The weather was cool, but her face was burning.

“I can’t keep doing this.”

She’d been holed up in her room for two days. Staying in any longer wouldn’t change anything. In fact, it would only make it obvious to Ryan how shaken she was.

Thinking this, Eloise stood up.

She’d been rejected. And quite cleanly, too.

But she couldn’t live the rest of her life embarrassed about it.

“I’ll just go back to Feltham.”

She’d finished all her business in Blissbury anyway. She’d only stayed on, making excuses.

Besides, she’d left Abigail’s care to Julia for two days, and she’d neglected the guests as well.

Realizing how much she’d abandoned everything over the past two days, Eloise hurriedly tidied her hair and clothes and went outside.

The hallway was filled with the sound of rain. Eloise looked up at the ceiling with concern.

No matter how fine the manor, when rain poured down like this, leaks were inevitable.

Sure enough, there were small stains on the ceiling here and there. There was nothing to be done while the rain continued, so any decorations or carpets under those spots would need to be moved.

“I need to talk to Abigail first.”

If she left, Abigail and Julia’s situation would become awkward. It was fine for them to stay as Eloise’s friends, but if Eloise left Blissbury, people might criticize them for staying with no friend left.

“I’ll say they’re staying longer because of Abigail’s health… and I’ll say I’m going back because I’m worried about my mother.”

It wasn’t a lie.

With the rain continuing, she was worried about her mother and Emily.

She also wanted to read her father’s letter, which must have arrived by now.

When Eloise went downstairs, the people in the drawing room greeted her warmly.

“Eloise, are you alright?”

“Yes. I guess the fatigue caught up with me.”

Answering, Eloise looked for Ryan. She wanted to tell him as soon as possible that she was returning to Feltham.

But he was nowhere to be seen. And even Richard, who always said he’d never go out in weather like this because it would ruin his hair and clothes, was missing.

Abigail, noticing who Eloise was looking for, said,

“Sergeant Thornton and Sir Cameron both went to Feltham.”

“What? When? Why?”

“Not long ago. They left just a little while back—didn’t you hear?”

“Oh, that sound…”

The sound she’d heard in her room must have been the two of them leaving.

“But why did they go to Feltham?”

“They were worried because of the heavy rain.”

At that moment, Julia quickly joined the conversation.

“I told them about the bridge in front of our village. It shakes a bit on rainy days.”

“Oh, that…”

Eloise knew about that. People had been talking about raising money to build a new bridge.

But to build a new one, it would have to be made of stone, which would cost a lot, so no one had dared to do it yet. With this much rain, the stream beneath it must be overflowing.

Eloise thought about the roads leading into Feltham. North, south, east, and west—all led into the village.

Except for the northern road, which came down along the embankment, the west, south, and east roads all crossed shallow streams.

Thinking this, Eloise went to the window and looked out toward the river.

Compared to two days ago, the river had grown even larger. If the river was this swollen, the upstream streams must be overflowing as well.

“If the bridge collapses…”

Given the terrain, Feltham would be completely cut off.