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chapter 35
“How is it that this house remains just the same, even after all this time?”
Lady Winslow, the Countess, said this as she glanced at Keith. Although she often spoke her mind freely, she could not have ignored the impact Kaitlyn’s death had on the Dalmore family.
Keith merely nodded. No matter how hard he tried, his face hardened involuntarily. Undine Isle, boasting a rich tapestry of landscapes from early spring to late autumn, was difficult enough to look at straight on, and the mansion at its center was even more so.
He guided his great-aunt to the mansion’s entrance. Dimitri, who had just noticed their arrival, paused for a moment. The master and the butler exchanged hurried glances.
“Count, what on earth is this…?”
“Things have turned out this way.”
“Welcome, Lady Dimsdale,” Dimitri said, bowing with perfect etiquette.
“Welcome to Undine Isle. Did you bring any luggage?”
The Countess straightened her back and greeted him with a solemn air.
“Almost all of it was left in Ebony. A few things were brought along by my coachman, who is waiting just behind.”
“I understand. I will have tea prepared immediately.”
Keith noticed that the Countess smiled slightly as she watched the butler disappear into the house. The Countess had once been a Dalmore herself, so it made sense that she might have been drawn to the men of the Dalmore family…
“Great-aunt, Dimitri is my butler. No matter what, he isn’t going anywhere.”
“Only with Dimsdales like this, there are only old, shriveled butlers. That’s why life isn’t much fun these days. Has he married?”
“No, he hasn’t. There isn’t much of an age difference, either.”
“But you’re already a divorcee, aren’t you?”
After shutting the cousin’s mouth with that, Lady Winslow walked confidently into the hall without any guidance. Having visited this house often in the past, she needed no directions.
“Why are you just standing there? Come, sit down.”
She seated herself on the largest and most comfortable couch near the fireplace, positioned to view the corridor leading to the upper floor. Keith brought a chair to sit directly opposite, attempting to avoid her gaze.
“Why not sit on the sofa?”
“I find the chair more comfortable.”
“If you’re going to keep using this, the fireplace should probably be fixed. I hear Orlov-style ventilation systems are popular now, but such technology is best learned in cold countries.”
Keith did not want to hear about Orlovs right now. Thinking back to yesterday’s court hearing, where Marquis Favia had tried to implicate him with all sorts of excuses, he could only laugh bitterly.
The Orlov corpse found at the end of last year might have been suspicious, but the manuscript the Marquis misunderstood as a letter to a hostile nation was actually a translation draft of a popular novel—something anyone Orlovian would have read. Keith had only been translating it for Bryony, who loved classic novels, and abandoned it because it was too long and difficult.
The book itself had been difficult to acquire, obtained through a merchant he knew from court business. He sent it to Undine Isle, thinking Dimitri might find it and recall his homeland. Unfortunately, a few missing pages happened to catch the attention of the “Queen’s Eyes” investigators.
The lady’s hat he had custom-ordered from Salon de Fantine was similar. Dimitri had mentioned that in Orlov, lovers or family exchanged gifts on December 24, so Keith had simply bought one. At the time, he had been on the verge of neurosis due to the Queen’s attention and wanted to distract himself by buying an extravagant gift for his wife. Though expensive, he thought it beautiful and fitting for Bryony’s wardrobe. He ordered the hat and returned home feeling pleased.
However, circumstances changed rapidly, and the hat was soon forgotten. The Queen invited him late into the night for dinners, constantly serving alcohol, and openly showed interest in Bryony. Keith was intimidated by her unpredictable demeanor.
Queen Leopoldine was not consistently cruel; sometimes she was rational and even generous. If her behavior stemmed from calculation rather than instability, it meant Algonquin truly served a formidable monarch.
“Then what should I do with the hat?”
It seemed unlikely Bryony would be pleased to receive it now. Giving it to the Countess was out of the question, as it was too extravagant. He could not ask Dimitri to handle it either, since anything reminding him of Orlov was to be avoided…
…Much like Keith himself avoided subjects tied to the mansion.
“The tea is taking long,” the Countess complained lightly. Keith felt guilty. After all, she had come all this way out of concern. And if Ebony were to return to its impoverished estate, he might someday need to rely on her. He considered this pragmatically as he rose, saying, “I’ll just check on it briefly.”
“Who’s there?”
The Countess asked. Keith turned, seeing Myrtle peeking from the corridor entrance.
“An temporarily hired maid,” he said quickly.
The Countess, meticulous and proper, scolded politely.
“No matter how temporary, she should be taught proper etiquette. Peeking at guests without formally greeting them is unacceptable.”
Myrtle reluctantly entered.
“…I’m truly sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean any disrespect.”
The Countess glared at Keith.
“As a Dalmore, you’ve failed to instruct your staff properly. Vernon isn’t some backwater, yet you’ve brought such a child here?”
“I… I’m not from Vernon…” Myrtle’s voice shrank.
“Great-aunt, she’s only here to help temporarily. She shouldn’t be scolded so harshly.”
The Countess ignored him completely.
“Not Vernon? Then from Ebony?”
“From Shobury…”
Upon hearing the name, the Countess’s eyebrows rose sharply.
“Then she must be the girl left by the Arlington daughter?”
Before Keith could respond, Myrtle replied firmly,
“Left? The lady is upstairs…”
The Countess rose in surprise. Dimitri, carrying the tea tray, stopped in his tracks.
“…Miss Myer?”
“I’m sorry, Butler. I was curious, and she tried to stop me, but I couldn’t resist—”
“Great-aunt, please sit. I will explain,” Dimitri said.
All three spoke at once. The Countess, shocked, looked from Myrtle to Dimitri, then to Keith.
“Upstairs… there is someone?”
Light footsteps descended from above. Only one person upstairs could produce such sounds, and even among a hundred ladies, Keith could distinguish her steps.
She walked lightly, elegantly, neither too fast nor too slow. The Countess blinked.
At last, Bryony appeared at the doorway, wearing the olive dress Keith had given her on their honeymoon, her hair braided up as always.
“Just seeing her again… isn’t that luck enough?”
That thought crossed his mind briefly.
“Good morning, Lady Dimsdale,” Bryony said with a clear, cheerful face.
“…I can’t believe it.”
“I apologize for the surprise,” she replied calmly amidst the chilling shock in the hall. Lady Winslow, her face pale, looked between Bryony and Keith, trying to steady her voice.
“This is not your fault,” she said kindly, surprising Keith. Three years ago, she had often complained Bryony lacked laughter and vitality. Though still better than scolding Bryony for being here, her anger turned directly toward Keith.
“Keith Dalmore,” her voice was sharp, the same as it had been when he caused trouble as a child.
“Explain to me, Lady Winslow, why the Arlington daughter, your former daughter-in-law, is here?”
“Lady Dimsdale,” Bryony tried to intervene, but Winslow shook her head.
“This is the Dalmore estate, and the owner allowed her in. I want the explanation from Keith himself.”
Dimitri explained: Mistress Arlington had no knowledge of Ebony Heights’ situation, so she stayed briefly with Lord and Lady Vernon before traveling to Undine Isle. Keith had had no chance to ask how she had traveled from Shobury, what happened with Sir Gideon Arlington, or how Myrtle had helped her.
“She had reasons to leave Shobury…”
“Surely you didn’t send her back there?”
Keith composed himself. For Bryony’s sake, he had to tell the truth.
“Of course not. She left Shobury immediately after the divorce. Meanwhile… due to some misunderstanding, I was briefly detained—”
“I’ll hear about that later,” Lady Winslow said sharply.
“…Since Shobury is remote, it was inconvenient to find a new husband for her. She needed a residence close enough to Fanshaw but out of sight, so I rented this place for her.”
“Eh?”
Myrtle made a strange sound and quickly covered her mouth. Dimitri seemed amused, while Bryony’s eyes widened.
“Lady Dimsdale, that’s not—”
“…I see. Shobury is quite far.”
Winslow nodded, satisfied, giving Keith relief.
The Dalmore family, though in decline, remained prestigious. The pride of Lady Winslow, a former member of the Dalmore family, lay in its history and the proper etiquette expected of its members.
“Did you claim alimony properly from your ex-husband?” Winslow asked Bryony.
“Lord Ebony returned the dowry to my father—it served as alimony,” Bryony replied.
“How much did the Arlington baron grant you?”
“That money was my father’s, not mine.”
Bryony’s answer pained everyone present. Winslow furrowed her brow.
“But the divorce wasn’t with the baron—it was with you. Shouldn’t you receive half?”
“If I remarry, my father will give it all back to me,” Bryony said.
Winslow shook her head.
“You’re not greedy, but that calculation is wrong. The dowry is your father’s gift along with you. If it includes your alimony, wouldn’t it be strange otherwise?”
“Lady Winslow, please don’t trouble Mistress Arlington with such questions—”
“Keith, this is your fault from the start. I am simply correcting it. Bryony,” she said, taking Bryony’s hand warmly.
“Don’t worry about alimony. As Count Dalmore works at the court, he can claim it from the baron. Don’t worry about the rent either; the house has been unused, and a lady and her maid won’t wear it out.”
“Lady Dimsdale, the tea is getting cold,” Dimitri interrupted. Winslow smiled at him.
“Dimitri, let the tea wait. Prepare a hearty breakfast for Bryony and me.”
“Understood.”
“Keith, if you want breakfast, you will eat separately here in the hall, not with us. You understand that, right?”
Winslow linked arms with Bryony, glaring at Keith. He hadn’t touched Bryony but felt like the worst scoundrel in the world.
“…Of course.”
“After breakfast, take your butler and go to Ebony.”
Until an hour ago, he had been desperate to go to Ebony, but now, upon hearing this, he suddenly didn’t want to. Yet, who could resist Lady Winslow? Reluctantly, he nodded.
