Beatrice remembered long ago when she had expelled Eloise from the mansion.

At that time, she thought she was driving away a woman who knew no shame. While it wasn’t proper to forward a guest’s letter without permission, Eloise was an immoral, fearless, and stupid woman who deserved such rudeness. She had clearly fallen for a man with no self-restraint and given him both her body and heart.

Not just Eloise, but seeing her friend in the same situation, Beatrice had lamented the deplorable stupidity of country women while watching them.

Later, when it was revealed that Lady Sinclair was a spy from an enemy nation, she and her mother congratulated each other on their correct judgment. Had they not expelled them quickly, the Fairfax family might have been involved in a bigger incident and suffered greatly.

Afterward, Beatrice continued to subtly flaunt her noble status while waiting for news of Eloise’s downfall. She casually brought up Eloise’s story to relatives and friends.

She had stayed at a house without knowing her place, and there was a man who, from the circumstances, was clearly a scoundrel. He had attached himself to Sinclair while selling the Fairfax name.

‘…Fortunately, my mother and I quickly noticed that man’s foolishness and shamelessness and drove him out. Since we had received them, the police will eventually come to investigate the incident. Of course, I plan to cooperate sincerely with the investigation by telling all the facts. Actually, the reason I hadn’t built much friendship with Sinclair was because I had a suspicious feeling about her…’

There were two reasons for spreading such talk. First, by showing that the Fairfax family acknowledged their mistake and was willing to cooperate with investigations, she aimed to prevent greater criticism of the family and portray themselves as victims.

The second reason was to show that Beatrice herself and her mother were wise people with foresight.

She wanted to say that while no one else had noticed the great Lady Sinclair was a spy, they had felt an inexplicable aversion to her from long ago, and had sensed that the precious guest staying at their house was also a fraud.

Friends made a fuss over Beatrice, who had saved herself from falling for a man who might have been a spy.

“It’s truly fortunate, Miss Beatrice. We’ll all testify to your innocence.”

“I also noticed that Miss Beatrice kept her distance from that man with Eloise.”

Beatrice was satisfied with people’s reactions. She had clearly drawn a line between herself and Eloise, received sympathy, and become the center of attention. But Beatrice wasn’t the only one who heard such reactions.

“Grace must be very upset. She went to the countryside for her daughter’s health, even leaving behind people who could have stayed at the mansion… Looking back, it was an unfortunate choice, but the wedding was unusually splendid. I wonder if her husband, Mr. Surberton, was somehow involved in this affair? The more I think about it, there are strange aspects.”

While saying this, she even shed a few tears, insisting on Grace’s innocence. The household staff seemed moved by their mistress’s thoughtfulness.

While preparing herself mentally, Eloise’s name finally appeared in the newspaper. The problem was that it appeared in a completely unexpected form.

“‘Eloise Surberton,’ who made the greatest contribution to this incident…”

Moreover, the man Eloise had been looking for was also listed among the soldiers who had contributed greatly.

After that, the surroundings changed instantly. People who had been sending special messengers and whispering behind her back now pretended nothing had happened. When they met in shops, they quickly averted their eyes like strangers.

Somehow, the Fairfax baronial family had transformed from people who had recognized and righteously expelled a spy to terrible people who had unjustly and righteously expelled a national hero. It was chilling to face such gazes head-on, especially since Baroness Fairfax and Beatrice had been spreading so many stories.

But it didn’t end there.

“Grace is meeting with people.”

News came that Mrs. Surberton, who had come to the capital, was meeting with people she had been close to when she was in society. After hearing this news, Baroness Fairfax couldn’t hide her growing anxiety.

In the past, despite her family’s decline, Grace had made a name for herself in society. How many gentlemen had loitered in front of her house just to receive one glance from her? She wasn’t only popular with men. She must have been popular with women too, or she couldn’t have been called the flower of society.

At that time, Mrs. Surberton had been popular with both men and women. As a result, quite a few people had continued to send letters asking after her even after she moved to Feltham. The problem was that Baroness Fairfax had been unaware of this fact.

As rumors spread that Grace was meeting old friends in the capital, the letters coming to the Fairfax household decreased.

Then the final blow came. Beatrice was no longer invited to the tea gatherings she had attended for a long time. This wasn’t just any gathering. It was even more luxurious than Sinclair’s salon and was a major event that all women in society, including debutantes, were expected to attend.

Such a place was no longer inviting Beatrice.

In panic, they sent a letter suggesting there must have been an error in sending the invitation, but no reply came. Only then did the Baroness and Beatrice realize the inevitable truth: they had been isolated from society.

To make matters worse, problems began to arise in Baron Fairfax’s business as well. He was excluded from business deals he had been discussing, or appointments with people who had visited his home were canceled due to “personal circumstances.”

Eventually, Baron Fairfax learned about Eloise’s situation.

“What on earth have you done! That Mr. Surberton, though without a title, was said to be very close to Baron Stanford and even frequented the royal palace! Do you realize how harmful your actions were, speaking ill of such a person’s daughter! Your misjudgment has caused severe damage to our family!”

At her husband’s words, the Baroness trembled even more.

The Fairfax baronial family had branched off from an earl’s family three generations ago. Because they lacked connections, they had always been treated as outsiders among the nobility. Despite this, they had been able to live proudly thanks to the enormous wealth inherited from the previous generation, but now that was being threatened.

The Baroness had been mistaken. At this rate, the problem wouldn’t just be social isolation but the potential collapse of their entire wealthy lifestyle.

Growing desperate, Baroness Fairfax contacted Mrs. Surberton. She expressed a desire to clear up any misunderstandings about what had happened and restore their good relationship. Worried when no reply came to this contact, she finally received a response after several weeks.

Opening the envelope with an anxious heart, Baroness Fairfax was plunged into despair. Inside the envelope was just a single line, very briefly written: “There seems to be no misunderstanding, and there is no need to contact us again.”

Only then did Baroness Fairfax rise from her seat, determined to visit Mrs. Surberton, but the Surberton family had already returned to Feltham.

A few weeks later, it became known that some society people had been invited to Eloise Surberton’s wedding. Those invited respected Eloise’s wish to live quietly after the incident and didn’t openly talk about it.

Even so, this was something to be very proud of. Those invited subtly boasted about attending such an important wedding, and people with good intuition easily guessed whose wedding it was.

Such a situation couldn’t fail to reach Baron Fairfax’s ears.

“This is an opportunity.”

Since winter, his business had been experiencing various difficulties, both large and small. He sensed that the only way to overcome this situation was for his wife and daughter to obtain an apology from the Surberton family.

So he sent the two of them to Feltham. He told them to somehow meet Eloise Surberton and get her forgiveness.

That’s how they came down, but Feltham was a small village without proper accommodations, not even an inn. Fortunately, there was a larger town called Ironville where they could find a hotel room. The hotel was small in scale but quite decent and clean. The drawback was that there was no room for the Baroness and Beatrice.

To be precise, there were rooms. There just weren’t any rooms that they considered suitable for themselves. Rooms comparable to the standards of capital nobility had already been reserved by those who had received invitations.

Moreover, in the opinion of the Baroness and Beatrice, the other guests didn’t have the status or refinement to dine in the same restaurant as them. Honestly, the only place the Baroness considered suitable for herself was one place.

That was the room prepared for distinguished guests at Blissbury.

No matter how she thought about it, that was the only place fitting for them.