After breakfast, Laura sought permission from Mrs. Fairfax regarding the matter.The lady, who had always maintained a “do as you please” attitude toward her children’s affairs, unusually refused outright.

“That boy, once he goes to Whitefield, disappears without a trace.He says he has paintings to copy and stays two days,gets invited to the parsonage and stays three days,plans to play chess with his uncle in the evening and stays four days—his stay extends indefinitely.The art teacher and music teacher we painstakingly arranged for him always end up with nothing to do.”

“Oh dear.”

Laura sighed and looked at Olivia.

“You really want to go to Whitefield?”

“Yes! Yes! Teacher!”

Olivia clenched her fists and shouted with thunderous enthusiasm.Laura, startled, flinched her shoulders.

Mrs. Fairfax raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat.At that, Olivia quickly lowered her clenched fists and glanced at Laura.

Laura sensed a strange undercurrent, as if some unspoken signal had passed between the two, and looked back and forth between them with a puzzled expression.

“Anyway, Olivia, you cannot go to Whitefield alone.Wait until you can visit with the family next time.”

At that, Olivia’s face turned forlorn, as if she might cry at any moment, and she hung her head low.Her small shoulders slumped along with it.

Laura, forgetting the odd atmosphere she had just sensed, felt pity for Olivia.After a moment of thought, she spoke to Mrs. Fairfax.

“Then, I’ll accompany Miss Fairfax.”

“Oh my, we couldn’t possibly trouble you, teacher…”

“No, Mrs. Fairfax. When I was in London, Mr. Dalton often attended tea parties on busy days to fill empty seats.I’m glad to have the chance to return the favor.”

Mrs. Fairfax smiled gracefully.

“That’s fortunate, then.”

She said this and immediately shook a small bell placed on the side table next to the sofa.Soon, a uniformed servant opened the door and entered.

“Prepare the carriage outside. Olivia and the teacher are going to Whitefield.”

The servant bowed politely and withdrew.

Laura looked at Mrs. Fairfax in surprise.

“M-Madam.”

“What is it, teacher?”

“I didn’t expect it to happen so soon… I thought it would be next week at the earliest.I should ask Mr. Dalton’s permission as well…”

“Permission? Are we strangers?”

“Exactly! Uncle will welcome you—oh, I mean, anyone from our family—anytime!”

Olivia said this and took Laura’s hand.She wanted to help pick out the clothes Laura would wear to Whitefield.Before Laura, still flustered, could suggest postponing, she was dragged upstairs.

At Olivia’s urging, Laura wore a chestnut dress she didn’t usually wear.It was an elegant silk dress, fit for nobility, which she hadn’t worn since arriving at Dunville Park.

Olivia fetched ruby earrings from her jewelry box and put them on Laura.

When the carriage was ready, the two adorned ladies descended downstairs.

As Laura walked down the stairs, she belatedly realized how rushed everything had been.When she woke up this morning, she hadn’t even imagined going to Whitefield—how had things come to this?

“I feel like I’ve been swept up in a whirlwind caused by Mrs. Fairfax and Miss Fairfax.”

On the first floor, Mrs. Fairfax, wrapped tightly in a shawl, was waiting to see them off.The three stepped out to the front of the mansion.

“Take your time and enjoy, teacher. Stay for dinner.”

“We can’t impose that long. We’ll return before sunset.”

“Hmm, I wonder if it’ll rain…”

Mrs. Fairfax murmured, her voice tinged more with hope than concern.

As the two ladies climbed into the carriage, the coachman soon shouted “Hya!” and cracked the reins.The carriage set off, and Olivia and Laura leaned out the window.Mrs. Fairfax waved to them.The ladies waved back until they could no longer see each other.

The carriage sped through the wooded paths of Dunville Park.Even with the windows closed, the sound of branches and leaves brushing against the carriage echoed inside.Listening to the sound, Laura recalled that this was her first time leaving Dunville Park since arriving.It had already been two months.

Olivia, sitting across from her, was humming cheerfully, brimming with excitement.

How adorable. Is visiting her uncle’s house that exciting?

Laura smiled inwardly but admitted she, too, was starting to feel a bit excited.At the mansion, the idea of going had felt daunting, but now, in the carriage, she looked forward to it.An unexpected outing. Whitefield awaited her.And the master of Whitefield, Mr. Dalton, whom she would meet there.

“What is he like in his own home?”

As the carriage left Dunville Park, an open landscape unfolded through both windows.Verdant mountain peaks and green fields.Flocks of sheep grazing and shepherds tending them.A sparkling lake under the late summer sun.It was a beautiful drive.

The carriage traveled over gentle hills and crossed an arched bridge spanning a stream, continuing for some time.Laura occasionally chatted with Olivia but mostly sat quietly, taking in the scenery outside.The untouched beauty of nature, unspoiled by modernization, captivated her.

Yorkshire was a beautiful place.Compared to cutting-edge London, it wasn’t refined, but it held a pure, enduring strength in its pristine nature.Laura understood why Mr. Dalton, even while in London, longed to return to his hometown.Compared to nature’s magic, the city’s pleasures were mere fleeting indulgences.

After about an hour, the carriage entered a village.It was a charming village with small shops, houses, a few spires, and a mill clustered together.

Olivia, sitting across, spoke up.

“We’re almost at Whitefield, teacher.”

Laura nodded.The carriage soon passed the village’s central church and the large cemetery beside it.Suddenly, Olivia shouted to the coachman to stop the carriage and stuck her head out the window.

“Mrs. Starr!”

A woman holding an armful of flowers, walking toward the church, turned toward the carriage.She was a slender woman in a chiffon dress embroidered with colorful floral patterns.Recognizing who called her, she smiled brightly and hurried toward the carriage.

“Miss Fairfax!”

Mrs. Starr stood by Olivia’s side and curtsied slightly.

Miss Fairfax asked after the affairs of the parsonage.From this, Laura easily deduced that Mrs. Starr was the wife of Whitefield’s parish pastor.

She was a woman with sky-blue eyes and abundant, glossy red hair.Her appearance was simple, but her clear skin and expressive face made her charming.She seemed almost too cheerful for a pastor’s wife, yet her refined speech and bright smile made her effortlessly likable.

“Mrs. Starr, this is my governess, Miss Laura Pendleton.Miss Pendleton, this is Mrs. Olivia Starr, the wife of the newly appointed pastor.”

“Oh, you share the same name.”

Olivia nodded.

“That’s how we became close.”

Laura gave a slight nod to Mrs. Starr, who smiled back.Olivia added,

“Oh, and ma’am, she’s also a friend of my uncle.”

“Your uncle, you mean Mr. William Fairfax?”

“Both Uncle William and Uncle Ian.She came to our house through Uncle Ian’s introduction.Today, we’re both formally invited to Whitefield Hall.”

Mrs. Starr’s eyes widened as she looked at Laura.Her gaze, previously merely friendly, now held a hint of reverence.

“A friend of Mr. Ian Dalton? I’m delighted to meet you.A friend of his is a friend of ours.Please come have tea with Miss Fairfax sometime.Our housekeeper makes the most splendid berry cake—you won’t be disappointed.”

“If you’re inviting us, we’d be delighted to come, Mrs. Starr.”

“Then I’ll send invitations to both of you this month.You must come, absolutely!”

Laura nodded.Mrs. Starr exchanged a few more cheerful words, curtsied, and turned to leave.

Laura smiled at Olivia.

“She’s quite sociable, isn’t she?”

“Absolutely! If you visit, she probably won’t let you go for half a day.She adores Uncle.Not in a romantic way, of course—Pastor Starr and his wife are passionately in love.Their love is so intense it’s almost comical to others.”

Olivia, thrilled to be out with her teacher, chattered about village gossip without prompting.

“I heard from Miss Caulfield, a choir member, that in spring, she and her friends were picking strawberries by the lake.They spotted Pastor and Mrs. Starr strolling nearby.Miss Caulfield was about to go greet them with her friends, but just before calling out—guess what?They suddenly embraced and shared a French kiss!You know, with their tongues…”

“Miss Fairfax.”

Laura calmly cautioned Olivia.Realizing her blunder, Olivia cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, Mrs. Starr greatly respects Uncle.Honestly, there’s hardly anyone in this town who doesn’t.”

“It seems Mr. Dalton has an excellent reputation.”

“Absolutely. Uncle is a very diligent landowner.He frequently interacts with and helps the townspeople.People call him a gentleman among gentlemen.”

The carriage moved on.As the village receded, fields, farms, and cottages came into view.Olivia pointed out each farm, explaining which crops grew there and which livestock were raised.Laura, surprised, asked how she knew all this.

“Uncle told me.”

“Oh, that’s right, Mr. Dalton is close with the farmers, isn’t he?”

“Close doesn’t even cover it—they’re practically family.He knows every detail of their lives, attends their christenings without fail, and often advises farmers on investments or business.”

As Olivia chattered, the carriage entered a tree-lined road with dense woods on both sides.The thick foliage made the carriage momentarily dim, as if curtains had been drawn.Laura gazed at the small stream and bushes visible through the trees, smiling.

“This is such a pleasant place.”

But as the road ended and they crossed a small field into a forested area, her smile faded.Her gray eyes widened, and her plump pink lips parted slightly.

A dense forest of birch trees enveloped the entire landscape.