Episode 70

At first, Marcus had said the four of them—himself, Gloria, Archibald, and Elouise—would speak together, but Archibald shook his head.

“I’d prefer a private word, Lady Starwood. Might you spare me a moment?”

Archibald made the request with courtesy, and Elouise nodded in response.

Of course, Marcus had flared up with, “What are you planning to say to her!”—but Gloria had seized him by the collar and quickly subdued his spirit. Elouise offered a faint smile to the pitiable-eyed Marcus. It was her way of reassuring him she would be fine.

She was led directly to a private room. It was Archibald’s personal chamber, and Elouise thought the solemn atmosphere of the room resembled the man himself.

This was her first time seeing Marcus’s father, and he bore an uncanny resemblance to his son. A large build, towering height, a strong brow—and beneath it, a face that must have been rather striking in his youth. Yet Marcus had not yet acquired the maturity his father possessed. As a result, the man’s impression was rather severe—if not outright imposing.

Still, Elouise did not find Archibald particularly frightening.

It was not because she assumed he would view her favorably. No matter how much at fault his son might have been, how kindly could a man look upon the woman who had tormented that son’s heart for three whole years?

Moreover, she had discerned the Hanger family’s status upon seeing the stationmaster who had come to meet her at the capital’s railway station. The family was far more formidable than she had imagined. The rumors of the king’s favor were no exaggeration.

A man who had built such a household would hardly warm to her without reason. It was only natural that she had felt nervous when the carriage first rolled into the Hanger estate. Nevertheless, the moment she laid eyes on Archibald, an odd sense of calm settled over her. Perhaps it was because he resembled Marcus, but the gaze of the middle-aged man leaned closer to warmth than to cold.

Suddenly, she thought of Madam Noskina. Archibald was the older brother of that exacting yet tender-hearted woman. Marcus’s father, and Noskina’s brother.

If that was the case, perhaps he was a good man.

It made her think that all she had to do was conduct herself properly.

Even the splendid lady—undoubtedly Marcus' sister—who had glared at her so imperiously, did not seem so frightening or off-putting. They all loved Marcus. It made sense they would resent her.

So Elouise bowed her head. When she saw the fire in Gloria’s gaze soften at once, she felt grateful. Not so much toward Gloria herself, but because she sensed the sincerity in that family. Their honesty in emotion and their affection for one another proved beyond doubt: they were Marcus’s kin.

Soon, she sat face to face with Archibald. The middle-aged man did not even sip the tea brought by the butler. Only after ensuring the butler had left did he speak.

“I hear you're from Maine.”

“Yes.”

Would he look down on her for being from the countryside? Elouise tensed. But the question that followed caught her off guard.

“I also heard you have an older sister. Is that true?”

Inquiring about the family of a prospective spouse is a traditional and unremarkable custom. Elouise calmly gathered her thoughts. On their return to the capital, Marcus had told her he’d sent servants to oversee the Starwood estate in his aunt’s stead. Naturally, stories about her sister may have reached them. Was he preparing to question her sister’s reputation? Elouise nodded steadily.

“It is.”

“But you live alone now.”

“Yes…”

“I understand your family holds a baronetcy. Then the title must still be pending.”

“Yes…”

Elouise was taken aback by the rather combative tone of this family inquiry. But what startled her even more was what came next.

“Do you truly intend to marry my son, young lady?”

Archibald Hanger looked her in the eye and asked gravely.

“Young lady, I am aware that you and my son have already held something akin to a wedding. And of course, I know my impudent and foolish son did unthinkable things to a young woman he was not yet wed to.”

“Lord Hanger.”

Elouise hesitated before addressing him. The title 'Lord Hanger’ felt quite different on her lips when referring to Archibald as opposed to Marcus.

“It takes two hands to clap.”

At her elegant metaphor, Archibald fell silent. Even if his son had been foolish, she had clapped back. But it was clear he still found the matter difficult to stomach.

“Very well. I won’t press further about the feelings between you and my son. That you returned here after three years suggests there are still emotions lingering. But, young lady. Please consider this. There are problems that love alone cannot solve.”

Elouise began to grasp the message he was trying to convey. His tone turned firmer.

“People of the capital may seem open-minded, but they are, in fact, the most close-minded of all. His Majesty the King has kept me by his side for over a decade. Yet he has never bestowed a title upon me. Do you know why?”

“…”

“The life of a baronet’s daughter, and the life of a baronet’s wife married to a commoner—especially one with a reputation as nonexistent as my son’s—will be vastly different. She may endure hundreds of cuts.”

The baronetcy of the Starwood family remained unsettled, with no designated heir. If Elouise were to marry Marcus, the title would likely be passed to him. She could sense Archibald’s worry—genuine concern for her.

In a lesser household, perhaps a title would matter more. But to the Hanger family, noble rank was largely symbolic. At least, that was true for Archibald.

Though the capital’s aristocrats continuously scorned them for lacking a title, he did not care. Those who looked down on the Hangers usually lacked something the Hangers possessed—whether money or character.

But for a young lady from the countryside, the capital’s gossip could be not only meaningful but ruinously harmful.

Archibald knew well how deeply careless words could wound. It may have been absurd to speak so candidly to a young woman he had just met—but his son was, in his eyes, ready to marry tomorrow, and from the moment he saw her, Archibald had worried.

More precisely, he worried for Marcus.

Her departure had changed his son beyond recognition. The brightness in his laughter had vanished, replaced by a brittle, humorless edge. Though he seemed to have regained some levity now, that small shift was enough for Archibald to realize—his son’s happiness rested in this woman’s hands.

If she could not endure it all and chose to leave again—and if that departure arose from one of those unsolvable problems love could not fix—then Marcus would suffer a blow from which he might never recover.

“They say our family, lacking a title, brought in a country-bred—pardon me—a woman unfamiliar with capital society in an effort to buy our way into nobility. I’ve heard worse. But can you endure such talk?”

“Oh my…”

“Your demeanor is noble, your grace evident. But even that refinement will incite envy. As you know, our family only possesses what aristocrats most disdain—wealth. The slander that you married for money will be among the kindest things they say.”

Money.

Archibald knew all too well the sneers hurled at those with money but no social standing. He had no choice but to know. Yet he wondered—did this young woman understand that?

He still remembered clearly the things said about his own sister. That “Madam Noskina only married the baronet for his dowry.”

But there was something Archibald did not yet know.

The Elouise before him no longer wavered. Had he seen her earlier, at the dressmaker’s, he would have realized such questions were unnecessary. Elouise gave a soft smile at his words.

“Lord Hanger. Thank you for your concern. But… nothing you said was exactly wrong.”

Archibald frowned.

“In truth, I did marry for money.”

“…”

Only then did Archibald recall the object his conniving son had given her as part of their fake wedding, and groaned.

A 122-carat royal diamond. That was what she meant. But Elouise didn’t allow him to continue thinking she was merely a greedy daughter-in-law. She spoke again.

“Half-joking, but it’s not untrue, so it’s fine. And I’m sure that if I do marry your son, my life will be filled with things I’ve never experienced before.”

“…”

“And yes, those things will likely be beyond my ability to resolve.”

“…”

“But I don’t believe I must resolve them. Or rather, I’ve learned that I don’t have to. From Madam Noskina.”

Archibald’s eyes widened. As he recalled why his sister’s name had been mentioned, he groaned in realization.

Madam Noskina had married for love alone. Her circumstances were the reverse of Elouise’s, yet the message was much the same. Elouise carefully continued.

“I won’t presume to understand what she went through. I haven’t lived it, and I’m sure her time was even more conservative and constrained than ours. But she had Lord Noskina. I know little about the late baronet, but the Madam I met was a woman who knew how to love.”

“…”

“Yes, I may get hurt and worn down. Love cannot solve everything. But if love allows me to remain true to myself, then that’s enough.”

Archibald felt a sudden lump in his throat.

His sister had always been his tender spot, and at times he had quietly regretted letting her marry and move to Cliff. But here this young lady stood, insisting his sister’s marriage had not been filled with pain.

She was persuading him—and, unknowingly, healing his old wounds.

Elouise smiled.

“Besides, your son taught me something else.”

“I’ve never known that boy to be a good influence on anyone…”

Archibald groaned, and Elouise laughed—bright and carefree. At the sound, he felt his heart grow a little lighter. She shrugged playfully.

“Just because I’ve never experienced something doesn’t mean it has to be frightening.”

“…”

“You might think me naïve, but… can’t all of it be an exciting adventure?”

Adventure. The cheerful word finally made Archibald chuckle in disbelief. There had been times he wondered what kind of woman could possibly make that half-mad son of his want to marry. Now he had his answer, sitting right in front of him.

Elouise, looking slightly sheepish, added:

“Every adventure I read as a child ended happily ever after…”

---

Prev || Toc || Next