‘As you respect me, I love you deeply, Ann.’
It was a heartfelt confession, shy to voice aloud. Laura, instead, tilted Ann’s head toward her, letting it rest on her shoulder.
“To think someone would say such words to me. I haven’t lived in vain.”
Ann rubbed her cheek against Laura’s shoulder, affirming with the gesture.
“So, Ann, are you happy?”
Laura asked lightly, expecting a clear affirmation.
Ann had no reason to be unhappy. She was married to the man she loved. The early days of marriage were tough, but now their household was thriving enough to employ two servants. Plus, she was young and healthy. Nothing seemed capable of bringing Ann misfortune.
Yet, Ann remained silent.
Laura lowered her head to check Ann’s face. Ann’s expression seemed slightly dazed.
“Ann?”
Ann closed her eyes. Laura’s heart began to pound with unease.
“Is something wrong?”
“…….”
“Tell me, Ann. If there’s anything I can help with, I will.”
“……Miss.”
Ann buried her face in Laura’s shoulder, as if hiding her expression.
“There’s something I haven’t told even my family. Not my mother, my father, or my sisters.”
Something she hadn’t shared with her family. What could it be?
Ann let out a deep sigh.
“My babies keep miscarrying.”
Laura’s heart sank.
“The first time was fine. The second, I could bear…… But when it happened with the third child…… I started to think maybe I’m not meant to have a baby.”
Laura grasped Ann’s hand with trembling fingers.
“You’re still young, Ann.”
“The doctor said the same. But…… no, never mind. I shouldn’t have brought it up. I’m fine.”
Laura’s chest grew heavy with a complex mix of emotions. Ann was born with a cheerful, bold personality. But no woman, no matter how bold, could easily move past a miscarriage.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I may not have solutions, but I could’ve offered comfort. I’ve struggled with not having a baby myself.”
“If I had, our pain would’ve doubled. A woman who miscarried and a woman who can’t conceive. Every letter we exchanged would’ve reflected our shared sorrow like a mirror.”
Something surged within Laura. A sadness that stung her nose.
When Laura had shared her pregnancy news, Ann sent a congratulatory letter without hesitation. She responded to Laura’s complaints about pregnancy struggles with comforting and encouraging replies, even hand-picking baby toys from Harrods to send.
While Laura’s belly grew with pregnancy, Ann had been enduring miscarriages through it all.
Laura swallowed the rising tears and gripped Ann’s hand tighter.
“You’ll have another chance soon. I’ll pray for you every day.”
“Really?”
“I promise. You’ll have a baby soon. That child won’t leave you. I’ll plead with God so earnestly that He can’t refuse. I’ll weep and beg at the cross.”
Ann didn’t cry. Instead, she smiled brightly. Like a sunflower in full bloom on a summer’s day.
“Thank you, Miss.”
Ann embraced Laura. Laura hugged her back, stroking her back. As if making up for the comfort she couldn’t offer over the past two years, she held her for a long time.
Half an hour later, the two walked through a violet field back to Whitefield. Ann’s steps were as light as when they set out for their walk. But their clasped hands held a stronger grip than before.
They passed through the gate into the garden. As they neared the manor, one of the apple trees caught their eye. It was because of the two men standing beneath it.
Ian Dalton and Oswald McGill.
Laura and Ann were surprised to see their husbands together. The two men were conversing under the shade of the apple tree. Whatever they were discussing, it wasn’t casual chatter. Their expressions were quite serious.
While Laura quietly pondered the reason, Ann shouted loudly toward her husband.
“Darling! My love!”
Oswald, who had been nodding quietly beside Ian, who leaned against the tree with hands in his pockets, turned at his wife’s voice.
“Ann!”
Ann, clutching a handful of violets, ran toward her husband and threw herself into his arms. Oswald laughed, wrapping his wife in both arms.
“Was the walk enjoyable, Ann?”
“Yes. It was fun. I picked lots of flowers for you too.”
“Goodness.”
Oswald McGill marveled at the bouquet of violets. The two, gazing at each other with sparkling eyes, began to kiss.
Ian, watching the McGills’ unabashed display of affection with a bemused expression, turned toward his wife. Laura waved at her husband.
“Good morning, darling, isn’t it?”
He walked toward her, replying.
“It certainly seems like a good morning for the McGills.”
As he approached Laura, Ian lightly kissed her cheek.
“Had fun?”
“Yes.”
“No flowers for me, I see.”
Laura burst into laughter.
“You’re too used to receiving.”
Ian whispered.
“Actually, I don’t need flowers. I already got plenty of gifts last night.”
“What if they hear you?”
Laura playfully swatted Ian’s shoulder. But contrary to her concern, the McGills were so wrapped up in their own world that they seemed utterly uninterested in what gifts Ian Dalton received last night.
“By the way, darling. What were you talking about with Mr. McGill?”
“A secret.”
Laura stared at her husband.
“Curious?”
“No.”
“Really?”
Laura rolled her eyes.
“Lying, aren’t you?”
Laura corrected herself honestly.
“Yes. I’m lying. I’m terribly curious.”
Ian chuckled like a mischievous boy and turned toward the McGills.
“Oswald, would you mind informing my wife of the decision we just made?”
Laura tilted her head.
‘Oswald? They’re already on a first-name basis?’
Mr. McGill, who had been burying his nose in the violets his wife gave him, naturally turned toward Laura.
“Mrs. Dalton, Mr. Dalton has just appointed me as the legal representative for the Dalton family.”
His words were surprising not only to Laura but also to Ann. Both ladies’ gazes turned to Ian Dalton. Ian, with one arm around his wife’s waist, smiled.
“It’s true, ladies.”
Laura covered her gaping mouth with her hand. The position of legal representative for the Dalton family was rarely changed once appointed and came with considerable compensation. For a young lawyer like Oswald McGill, this was an undeniable success.
Ann clapped her hands together with a loud smack.
“Goodness, now you’ll have frequent business trips to Yorkshire! Can I come along?”
“Of course, Ann.”
Ann bounced in place with excitement. Her joy was a bit childlike, but it was undoubtedly welcome news for her.
Ian spoke to Ann.
“Not just ‘can you come along?’—you must come along, Mrs. McGill. You need to be a companion for my wife.”
Laura, thrilled, quickly chimed in to support her husband.
“I’ll always keep the guest room ready. Come often, Ann.”
Ann ran to Laura and hugged her tightly.
“Now we won’t have to talk only through letters, Miss!”
Laura hugged Ann back tightly. Her eyes glistened with tears.
Her heart was as elated as Ann’s, but not solely because she could see her dear friend more often.
‘I’ll have Ann examined by Dr. McKenzie.’
If Ann came to Yorkshire more frequently, Laura could take her to Dr. McKenzie’s cottage just as often. Dr. McKenzie would surely find the reason behind Ann’s repeated miscarriages and help her safely deliver a baby.
Dr. McKenzie never failed a patient who came to them.
Laura began to sob softly. Ann, startled, released the embrace. The Laura she knew wasn’t someone who cried easily.
Ian, long accustomed to Laura’s tears, handed his wife a handkerchief.
“Honestly, you’re as much of a crybaby as Jane.”
Laura laughed and took the handkerchief.
“I’m not quite on Jane’s level.”
As Laura sniffled and wiped her face, smiles spread across the faces of the three watching her.
When Laura’s tears subsided, Ian called out.
“Then let’s head in for breakfast. The ladies must be famished after their morning outing.”
Laura and Ann burst into laughter.
The two couples, arm in arm with their spouses, walked toward the manor.
“Mr. McGill, you’re in for a treat. The chef at Whitefield Hall is second to none.”
“Oh, I’m very much looking forward to it, Mrs. Dalton.”
“No wonder. I thought you looked healthier than in your London days—must be the chef’s doing?”
“No, it’s because of my husband’s love, Mrs. McGill.”
The four’s conversation was endless. Laughter echoed through the once-quiet garden of Whitefield Hall.
It was a sound of peace and happiness, harmonizing with the chirping of birds from the forest.
-THE END
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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