“We can never go back to how things were.”

“I don’t expect that. Are you leaving Dunville Park?”

Laura nodded.

“Where to? Will you return to the girls’ school you graduated from?”

“This morning, I received a letter from the school stating they no longer need teachers. I’ll look for another governess position.”

“You won’t find a more generous position than this one.”

“Knowing now that the generous conditions of Dunville Park were merely bait to lure me, this place feels like a bed of thorns.”

“I won’t come near Dunville Park again. If I can be sure you’re safe and not mistreated, I could go my whole life without seeing even the hem of your dress.”

“Mr. Dalton, if I could believe your words in this moment, I would want for nothing. But the trust between us is already broken. And it pains me deeply that you, of all people, are the one who broke it.”

“…”

“The day we first met, I asked only one condition to be your friend: to always be truthful. But you deceived me and dragged my friend’s reputation through the mud.”

“I know. I know I’ve disappointed you. But it was because I wanted you so desperately. That was the only way I could see a future with you. If there had been a better choice, I would have taken it without a second thought.”

“If you hadn’t deceived me, I would have pitied you. I would have felt sorry for not returning your feelings and done my best to maintain our friendship. But your actions are simply…”

Laura’s calm breathing faltered for a moment.

“Simply incomprehensible and unforgivable. You, who know how easily a woman’s fate can be ruined, toyed with a lady’s heart. All for love. For that wretched love.”

In that moment, Mr. Dalton saw a wounded expression on Laura’s face, one he had never seen before.

“Miss Pendleton, I… I didn’t mean to. If I ever threw undue advances at Miss Lance, I’d deserve to be struck by lightning. But I swear, I never acted beyond the friendship you shared with William.”

Yet, as he continued his excuses, Laura’s face only grew sadder.

“But this is the result. You’ve ruined Miss Lance’s future. The friend I introduced, a lady with a bright future ahead…”

A single tear fell from Laura’s eyes.

He froze. It was more shocking than if she had slapped him. And it hurt far more.

“My actions… have they hurt you this much?”

“…”

“Have I… ruined our relationship beyond repair?”

Laura didn’t answer. Her silence spoke affirmation.

Laura wiped her tear-streaked face with her fingers, her movements as graceful and composed as ever. He watched her quietly, then stood from his seat.

And knelt before her.

Now it was Laura’s turn to freeze. She covered her mouth with both hands and gasped.

“Mr. Dalton!”

He bowed his head deeply.

“Mr. Dalton… please, stand up. This is improper…”

“If my actions have made you weep, it’s all my fault. I must have done something to deserve your reproach. An ignorant country gentleman like me must have broken some rule of society. Otherwise, someone as gentle as you would never be so angry or sad.”

“…”

“I thought if you could love me, you’d forgive all my wrongs. Hiding my feelings, using Miss Lance as a bridge to get closer to you—all of it. I relied on your kindness.”

Mr. Dalton took her hand.

“My foolishness has cost me you.”

He gathered Laura’s hands and pressed them to his face.

“For the last time, I want to confess to you.”

He rubbed his face against Laura’s small, lovely hands.

“Laura, I love you.”

Laura gasped sharply.

“You are the sole master of my fate. My missing glove.”

“…”

“I know you don’t believe in fate. But I’ve waited my whole life for that one person. The wife I’d spend my life with, who’d stand by me even in heaven. I finally met her at thirty, but…”

Tears began to stream from his eyes, warming Laura’s velvet gloves.

“If I lose you, the essence of me will crumble to nothing. The love I saved for my partner will slip through the gaping hole in my heart. I… I’ll never be happy again.”

He began to sob. He knew this confession was futile. She wasn’t one to be swayed by emotion. She’d likely find it absurd or exasperating.

But he couldn’t stop himself.

He lost all reason and pulled Laura into an embrace, burying his face in her slender waist and weeping loudly. His tears soaked the waistline of her dress and the hem that fell to her hips.

Time passed. As he sobbed uncontrollably, he suddenly realized Laura wasn’t stopping him. She must be waiting, resigned, for his pitiful display to end.

The thought made him cling to her even more. He feared she’d slip away the moment he let go. Gripping her skirt, he buried his face in her lap and continued to cry.

Then, something touched the back of his head. A touch as light as a feather.

He slowly raised his head.

Laura was stroking his hair.

“…Ah.”

Her face, which he’d expected to be cold, looked as if it might burst into tears.

Her hand, which had been stroking his hair, slowly moved to wipe his tears.

“Please stop crying. It breaks my heart.”

His heart sank with a chill. It was a voice he’d never heard from her—a sweet, almost loving whisper.

Hope stirred in his chest. Hope turned to courage, then to an uncontrollable affection.

He slowly raised his arms and, as she had done, gently caressed her tear-streaked face. She didn’t pull away. She didn’t turn her head.

He gently pulled her face closer. Her breath tickled his nose. Closing his eyes, he kissed her lips.

Ian softly traced and tasted her lips. Soft as petals, sweet as sherbet. His heart pounded wildly, dizzy as if falling through the air.

He caressed her cheek and kissed her tenderly. Her breath came close. He felt her hands gripping his neck and shoulders.

‘Ah…’

A fleeting intuition hit him, followed by a happiness so intense it felt like his mind was melting.

Creak. Thud.

The carriage, which had been gently rattling, came to a stop. Their lips parted. Laura’s eyes, hazy as if under a spell, finally focused on Mr. Dalton.

She snapped awake. Her eyes sharpened, and her face flushed red as a tomato. She pushed him away.

He let himself be pushed back.

“Oh…!”

She covered her flushed face, at a loss. It was a flustered side of her, always so composed, that he’d never seen.

She quickly opened the carriage door and leapt out, darting into Dunville Park’s mansion like a swift deer.

Left alone in the carriage, Mr. Dalton knelt awkwardly on the floor.

He touched his lips with his fingertips. The sensation of his first kiss, of the woman he loved, lingered.

He smiled.

Her face, on the verge of tears. Her hand stroking his face. The kiss she accepted without resistance. Her adorable, embarrassed expression.

Everything told him.

‘She loves me too.’

He leapt out of the carriage and looked up at the sky.

‘My angel, Miss Sheldon. Thank you! She loves me! She loves me!’

He laughed through his tears. His laughter rang out, soaring to the stars.

Mrs. Robert Fairfax, the mistress of Dunville Park, received unexpected news from the butler early in the morning.

Around midnight, Miss Laura Sheldon had returned to the mansion—a day earlier than promised. Curious if something had gone wrong at the gathering, Mrs. Fairfax decided to ask the governess directly at breakfast.

But instead of Miss Sheldon, her maid appeared at the meal.

“Madam, Miss Sheldon says she has a severe headache and cannot leave her bed. She humbly requests permission to rest in her room for the day. What shall I tell her?”

“Oh dear, if she’s unwell, she must rest. Is it serious? Did she say she doesn’t need the apothecary?”

“She asked that no one be called. She also said she’s fine without meals.”

Mrs. Fairfax sensed something amiss. To be so ill as to refuse food and the apothecary?

‘Has Ian caused some trouble?’

Mrs. Fairfax spent the morning in her private room, shuffling cards to divine Laura’s state of mind. But her usually reliable card readings remained stubbornly silent about Laura’s private affairs.

She called her daughter, who had just finished her art lesson, and sent her to spy on the governess. Half worried, half excited to play spy, Olivia scurried to Miss Sheldon’s room and returned half an hour later.

“Mother, I think Miss Sheldon is truly unwell.”

“Why? Does she look very pale?”

“Her skin was as white as a corpse, and the circles under her eyes were dark, like someone who hadn’t slept. When I asked if her headache was bad, she barely nodded. When I asked about the gathering, she begged me not to ask.”

“There’s definitely something going on.”

“Could Uncle have proposed?”

“Already? So rashly?”

“He might not have been able to hold back. Miss Sheldon is unbearably pretty and lovely. I’d have done the same.”

“…Sometimes it feels like you want to marry Miss Sheldon more than Uncle does.”

“Ridiculous! Women can’t marry each other!”

“But if you were a man? Say, a young man of twenty-four or so?”

Olivia paused, then gave a slight smile.