Before long, the steadfast Mr. Ian Dalton learned that Laura Pendleton had grown close to the Star couple.He was immensely pleased.Yet, the extent of his delight seemed almost excessive to behold.Every time he met Laura, he would inquire incessantly about how close she had become with them and how much she had come to like them.

One day at tea time, Laura could no longer suppress her curiosity and spoke up.She asked if her growing friendship with the Star couple was such an important matter to Mr. Dalton.

He rubbed his flushed cheeks with the back of his hand, as if embarrassed.

“Forgive me. I was overjoyed at the chance to show that I, too, have good friends… As with you, Miss Pendleton, good friends are my pride.”

Laura, who cherished her friends, immediately understood his sentiment.

“Then Mr. Dalton’s reaction is quite natural. The Star couple are friends worthy of pride.”

A smile deepened at the corners of Mr. Dalton’s mouth.Laura found that smile pleasing.And the fact that she had made him smile felt even more delightful.

“I hope you continue your friendship with the Star couple, Miss Pendleton. They are admirable and respectable people. A model couple, indeed.”

“To live so near such people, Mr. Dalton, you are fortunate.”

He gazed at Laura quietly.

“…Proximity does indeed favor friendship. Whitefield and the parsonage are less than thirty minutes’ walk apart.”

“You certainly have an advantage over me. My journey takes over two hours. I always feel apologetic using the carriage.”

“If Whitefield Hall were your home, Miss Pendleton, you could nurture your friendships far more conveniently. It’s a pity for you.”

“You’re right, Mr. Dalton.”

Thereafter, Mr. Dalton frequently attended dinners at the parsonage.Each time he met Laura at these dinners, he expressed concern about the long and arduous journey she endured to get there, saying how much easier it would be if she lived closer.

Laura was grateful for his concern and assured him each time that the road was not so bad.But he always added, “Friends are best kept close. Having a friend within walking distance is one of life’s joys. If you lived at Whitefield Hall, Miss Pendleton, you’d likely walk this distance.”

Hearing this every time they met, Laura began to feel almost brainwashed, and indeed, the effect started to take hold.At some point, she began to think that Dunblane Park was too far to nurture friendships.With the Star couple’s parsonage.Mr. Dalton’s Whitefield Hall.

Such thoughts brought a touch of loneliness to Laura.Especially when she keenly felt the distance from Whitefield Hall.

When she returned home after meeting him, a feeling like a bleak autumn breeze lingered in her heart.That emotion stayed at the center of her chest until she reached Dunblane Park and retired to bed.

It hadn’t been like this in London.She missed him during the lulls in their friendship, but it was a fleeting feeling.Yet, since coming to Yorkshire, the emotion no longer merely passed but lingered.His presence had become an undeniable force in her heart.

‘Is it the birch trees surrounding Whitefield Hall casting a spell? It did feel almost hypnotic passing through there.’

Laura laughed at herself for such an absurd thought.Magic, indeed.She had graduated from such sentimental imaginings in her girlhood.She firmly closed the lid on her emotions.For now, the lid still closed well.

Laura’s reason always triumphed over her emotions.She had lived a life relying solely on rationality amidst a harsh fate.To avoid following her parents’ destiny, she had shed blood and tears for over a decade, forging her heart into an impregnable fortress.

She trusted herself in this matter.She would never let anyone know her feelings.It would remain her secret alone until the day she went to her grave.She was confident.

But she did not know.Life is a battlefield where unexpected attacks can strike at any moment.An arrow, shot by a god, cuts through that battlefield and shatters the impregnable fortress a human built over decades with a single strike.The fall that often occurs in life.Laura would soon experience reason being devoured by emotion due to that fate, realizing there is nothing certain in life.

It began with a mere small gravestone.

“Miss, please be honest with me.”

One warm Wednesday afternoon, while savoring an apple pie filled with apples in the cozy parlor of the parsonage, Laura paused her fork and looked across.Mrs. Star, poking her lower lip with the tip of her fork, was gazing at Laura with round, dark eyes sparkling like a chipmunk’s.

“What…?”

“Is there a lady who has captured Mr. Dalton’s heart? He fell in love in London, didn’t he?”

Laura, startled, swallowed a half-chewed bite of apple pie.

“My husband often strolls along the river with Mr. Dalton. They discuss books or theology. But since last summer’s trip to London, he’s been talking a lot about marriage. What it feels like to have a wife at home, what it’s like to be a father, how to be a good husband like my husband. And soon after, he returned to London again.”

‘That’s right, Mr. Dalton said in London he was seriously considering marriage.’

Laura set her fork and plate down on the table.Her mood sank so low it was hard to believe she had just eaten something sweet.

Her heart had tilted toward him more than ever while traveling to and from Whitefield.But she must not forget.No matter how close she grew to him, his side belonged to another woman.His kindness toward her was merely the goodwill extended to a friend.

It had to be so, and it should be so.

Even if, at times, he blushed at her few words, remembered her trivial habits and preferences with uncanny detail, and cared for her, making her secretly question his heart and, at times, harbor presumptuous hopes.

‘Still, his heart must surely belong to another woman.’

To suppress her sadness, Laura quickly began to guess who his intended might be.

Soon, a lady came to mind.A lovely lady from a good family.Miss Dora Lance.

He had never explicitly said he loved Miss Lance.But during his second visit to London, he followed Miss Lance closely, giving her friends the confidence that she would soon become Mrs. Dalton.

A gentleman like Mr. Dalton would not have done such a thing without clear intent.His heart must belong to Miss Lance.

‘Asking a friend how to be a good husband. He must truly care for Miss Lance.’

She thought it was a good thing.Her mind could accept it.But sadness rippled in her heart.

Laura poured the milk from her small personal milk jug into her share of tea.She stirred it gently with a teaspoon.It was an elegant, refined motion.

Her eyes, gazing down at the cloudy liquid in the teacup, held no emotion.The acting skills honed in society still served as her shield, even in a different environment.

“I, too, believe Mr. Dalton won’t remain a bachelor forever.”

“You know something, don’t you?”

“Forgive me for not giving a definitive answer. As a third party, I must be cautious. But one thing I can say is that when everything is settled, Mr. Dalton will surely confide in the Star couple right after the Dunblane Park household.”

It was an answer tantamount to affirmation.Mrs. Star set down her fork, clapped her hands, and beamed like a twelve-year-old girl paired with her favorite friend.

“Good heavens, Mr. Dalton is in love!”

Laura grew uneasy watching the ecstatic Mrs. Star.She was a lovely woman but far from discreet.And far too sociable.The perfect spark for rumors.

“Mrs. Star, even if he has found a match, there’s no guarantee it will bear fruit. Love is like an old skiff, prone to sinking before reaching its destination.”

Mrs. Star waved her hand dismissively.

“Don’t worry, Miss! I won’t go blabbing about someone’s marriage prospects and ruin a good thing. But I’m truly, truly delighted. Our happiness as a couple is thanks to Mr. Dalton, and now he’ll enjoy this happiness too!”

Laura understood her sentiment.It was because of Mr. Dalton’s recommendation that Pastor Star, a young seminarian without backing, secured a suitable parish at a young age.Without Mr. Dalton, their marriage would have been delayed much longer.

Mrs. Star, her face glowing like a peach, clasped her hands tightly.

“Oh, thinking of the Dalton family pew in the church filled with his family makes me so happy! And how splendid the wedding will be! Miss, what kind of lady has captured the heart of such a fastidious gentleman like Mr. Dalton? Can’t you give me just a tiny, tiny hint? Please? Please?”

Laura, the epitome of discretion, merely smiled once and sipped her tea.She resolved not to say another word.Speaking more would only pain her heart, and above all, she feared damaging his reputation if the match fell through.

Unaware of Laura’s heart, Mrs. Star began to coo and cajole to extract the desired information.She had the disposition of a playful retriever puppy, revealing her charm unabashedly in front of those receptive to it.

Laura found Mrs. Star’s antics adorable and couldn’t help but smile.Mrs. Star was the embodiment of charm, capable of disarming even those of the same sex.

As Mrs. Star’s coquettish performance continued, someone knocked on the parlor door.When Mrs. Star responded, the door opened, and a stout maid waddled in.

“Mr. Dalton of Whitefield has arrived.”

Laura’s body trembled.She adjusted her attire and hair, which she could no longer keep perfectly neat.