ESP 15

chapter 15

Byron’s words that hyena-like people, eager for Briony’s dowry, were likely flocking to show up at Shobury to propose were not an exaggeration.

After Byron Duke visited Thierry Haven, Gideon received letters from unfamiliar young men for three consecutive days. Two were from viscounts, one from an earl, all expressing their desire to marry Briony.

Gideon had hardly wanted to see his daughter, who had returned from Ebony as if fleeing, for several days. Yet after reading those letters, his mood improved slightly. His daughter was already twenty-three, and although her most attractive years as a woman had passed since she was a divorcee, her base qualities were not bad. With careful refinement to remove the “used” feel, perhaps he could marry her into a more substantial family this time.

“The Earl of Dalmore didn’t live up to expectations.”

Shobury was far from the capital, Fanshow, and isolated from other nearby territories, so Gideon was out of touch with society news. It wasn’t merely because of his low status; his blunt, rough temperament caused nobles he had dealt with in business to avoid maintaining personal friendships with him.

Like many with such a temperament, Gideon himself remained unaware of this, and his personality gradually isolated him, fueling his innate inferiority complex.

When he married Briony off to the Earl of Dalmore, he had expected that both his business and the Arlington family would attract the attention of the nobility. Yet, Dalmore, who married Briony for Gideon’s money, scarcely communicated with the Arlington family after the wedding.

It was probably because Briony had undermined her father and blocked communication between Dalmore and Gideon.

“Next time, I hope to arrange a marriage with a more cooperative family…”

No matter how thoroughly Gideon sought a family that could maintain a strong relationship with the Arlingtons, it would be useless if Briony didn’t cooperate.

Thus, he invited his daughter to dinner.

Gideon didn’t particularly care what Briony did after returning to Thierry Haven. If she had returned with nothing but failure, he thought she could just stay quietly in her room and study how to be loved by a man. Yet, his arrogant daughter had never met expectations, so he asked the butler, Harold, what she had been doing lately.

“She’s been reading in her room or occasionally going out to Shobury.”

“What would she be doing in Shobury?”

“Well… she wanted to meet victims of the mining accident personally…”

Harold answered, embarrassed. Gideon clicked his tongue.

“You’ve let her run around doing such pointless things.”

“I apologize, sir. We thought it might help your business if the young lady did so…”

“Since when did a butler give advice on my business?”

Gideon silenced the butler and instructed that dinner be prepared according to Briony’s tastes. This, to him, was already excessively catering to his daughter. But as the master of Thierry Haven, he had never paid attention to her preferences, so the servants naturally didn’t know them either.

When Briony came down to the dining room promptly at six for dinner, Gideon restrained himself from scowling.

She wore a simple olive dress. Her hair was tightly pinned up, and the lack of color in her cheeks indicated she wasn’t wearing makeup. If she had been like this all the time in Ebony, it wasn’t surprising that the Earl of Dalmore had rejected her.

Dalmore was a remarkably handsome young man for his age, strong and interested in women, with no physical impediments. Despite his poverty, his good looks and noble title likely drew many women. In Fanshow, there were more sophisticated and refined noblewomen than Briony, so a rural girl like her would have needed expensive clothes and jewelry just to stand out.

“Since it’s a rare meal together, why not dress appropriately?”

“If you specify what you want me to wear, I can change right now.”

Briony responded calmly.

This time, Gideon truly frowned. The problem was that when Briony was younger, she obediently followed his words with “Yes, Father,” but now she had grown headstrong and, learning from somewhere—or perhaps inheriting from that irritating Constance—she answered back in this manner.

“What about all those clothes I provided for Ebony? Why wear something so dull?”

“They were uncomfortable, so I mainly wore them when going out or receiving guests.”

“Enough.”

Gideon waved his hand and gestured toward the food the chef had brought.

“Eat before it gets cold.”

Briony silently picked up her spoon. The chef, unaware of her tastes, had prepared a variety of dishes, turning the dinner for two into almost a banquet.

Seeing his daughter nibble at the food, Gideon felt his anger rise. All this was prepared for her to eat, and she couldn’t even say thank you?

“So, Lord Wheredale hasn’t come back?”

Lord Wheredale, the Duke of Byron, was staying in the city while touring Shobury. Gideon had sent someone to invite him to Thierry Haven, but Wheredale politely declined, saying, “It’s not proper for a suitor to stay under the same roof as Mistress Arlington.”

“Why would he come back to me?” Briony asked.

“Because he wants to marry you.”

Briony looked at him with amber eyes that resembled her mother’s, as if she had something to say. But Gideon wasn’t the type to observe her reactions carefully.

“I received three letters in the past three days.”

“Oh?”

“They’re all from men wanting to marry you—one earl, two viscounts. If you want to read them yourself, tell Harold to bring them.”

“What would I do with them?”

“They’re your potential husbands. Compare the contents and meet the ones you like first.”

“I don’t intend to meet them.”

Gideon leaned across the table.

“Then are you planning to accept Lord Wheredale’s proposal?”

When the Duke of Byron visited, Gideon was out, so Briony hadn’t seen the famous man. The youngest and most handsome duke in the kingdom, it was natural that Briony, with her looks and eyes, would favor him.

But…

‘If the suitor is a duke, the dowry should be at least triple what I gave Dalmore…’

The dowry Gideon sent for Briony could have bought all the land and resources of Ebony three times over. But Ebony was only a fraction of Shobury, and Wheredale was a duchy. Perhaps ten times the dowry might be needed. Even for Gideon, it would be a strain, but the potential gain of marrying his daughter into a ducal house outweighed the cost.

“Father, don’t you prefer it when suitors have higher status?”

“Wheredale is incomparable to Ebony. I wonder how much dowry he’ll demand.”

“Speaking of dowry—” Briony put down her spoon, leaving half the soup in her bowl.

“Why did you return all the dowry to Lord Ebony?”

“That man took you in your prime, couldn’t give you children, and made you a divorcee. He didn’t deserve it.”

“What if the responsibility for the divorce was mine?”

“Even so, Lord Ebony returned the money. Let’s stop talking about that. Now, your suitors—three letters aren’t the end; dozens more will come. Replying individually would be exhausting, so I have a plan.”

“….”

“How about hosting a ball at Thierry Haven?”

Gideon had expanded the house with a grand hall, marble floors, and gem-decorated walls. He took pride in having one of the finest halls in the kingdom.

“…What is the purpose of this ball?”

“To showcase you to your suitors. If we send for a first-class tailor to Fanshow tomorrow and hire more maids here, we could hold the ball in two weeks.”

Gideon thought that would allow him to evaluate suitors more accurately than just reading letters. He wanted to carefully assess who would be most cooperative with him and the Arlington family. For Briony, meeting all men in one place and choosing her preferred one was efficient.

As he beamed at his idea and reached for the wine Harold had brought,

“I won’t marry any of those suitors,” Briony said.

“…What?”

She met his gaze, her face pale, eyes deep and sharp.

“And I won’t attend that ball either.”

“To find a husband?”

“That’s no different from selling a slave.”

Her usually calm voice trembled slightly with humiliation, though Gideon had no way of knowing.

“A slave?” His voice rose.

“I’m the one paying the money, so how is it selling a slave?”

“You want me to show those suitors how young and… valuable I am.”

Gideon was dumbfounded. If not for such a ball, how could a divorcee—or any young noblewoman—find a husband? Noble daughters debuted in society to present themselves to unmarried men, hoping to be chosen as brides. Most of the money spent went into making a successful debut. The suitors, in turn, were eager to find the best bride.

To Gideon, the ball was the best means to satisfy both sides. Why his stubborn, foolish daughter resisted, he could not understand.

“So, you’d rather marry the one who writes the best letters at home? And end up divorced like Dalmore within a year?”

“No. I won’t marry at all.”

“Then you’ll just leech off my money in this house?”

“Give me work I can do.”

Gideon looked into his daughter’s eyes—stubborn, firm brow, lips pressed tightly together.

“Work…?”

“I’m an adult now, and with Mother gone, I’m the mistress of this house. In Ebony, I managed the estate as Lady Ebony. At Thierry Haven, I can do what I can—”

“Your job is to pick the best suitor at the ball and leave this house quickly! Not to sully my reputation by chasing miners!”

He slammed the table. Wine spilled, staining the white tablecloth red. Briony looked down at the stain, slowly and painfully asking,

“…Why do you dislike me so much?”

“Have I ever made an effort to make you like me?”

Both his daughter and her mother never knew how to please a man. Constance, after accepting his proposal, gradually distanced herself, treating him coldly despite his minor noble title. Gideon despised her aloofness. When she began refusing intimacy, he even struck her lightly a few times. Briony was conceived amidst this. Constance attempted an abortion, failed, weakened, and died giving birth.

The child was a girl, resembling Constance in hair and eye color.

“I am your daughter. Shouldn’t you have tried to like me?”

Gideon sprang up; Briony did too. Her face mirrored Constance’s when he had first struck her. Gideon acted the same as he had with his wife, slapping his daughter’s cheek hard.

“Master! Stop! What is this…!”

Harold, entering with more wine, was terrified. Briony covered her cheek, not even crying.

“You’re just like your mother,” he growled.

“….”

“Proud, mocking me… all you know is how to marry and bear children.”

“…Then give me Mother’s inheritance.”

“Master, please!”

Harold desperately clung to Gideon’s arm, preventing another strike. Gideon growled.

“Inheritance? Constance’s inheritance?”

Briony struggled to stand, trembling.

“I have the right to it… If you give it to me, I won’t need to linger in this house, wasting your wealth, or choose a husband at the ball you insist I attend.”

“Get out! Leave my sight!”

Gideon finally freed the old butler.

“Harold! Lock Briony in her room! Don’t give her anything until she calms down!”

“But sir…”

Harold couldn’t tell the young lady she was no longer a child. Briony helped him by saying,

“…Harold, I’ll go to my room.”

“Terrible woman,” Gideon muttered. Briony seemed unaware, pressing her swollen cheek and turning away like a ghost. Harold watched, feeling both helpless and frustrated.

‘She could have just agreed to engage with Lord Wheredale.’

But Harold knew his young mistress well. Briony could not lie to hurt others, and once she decided, she followed through with resolve. Gentle to the weak, firm with the strong, she was fully capable of managing a household—hence the continual conflicts with Gideon.

‘Starve her a few days, and she’ll be quiet for a while.’

Harold silently shook his head.