Chapter 9

“My lady.”

Good enough. I nodded.

Daniel came close to me. “Are you leaving?”

He was before me in an instant. His large stature and firm body took up my entire vision. I moved back instinctively. To my relief, he didn’t come any closer. He put his hand on his hip.

I could see no one but Daniel. This man is so large. I inspected him.

Though the lamps were lit, it was not as bright as the rooms would be in the world I had come from. Daniel’s hair looked dark brown. His eyes looked black.

After creating distance between us befitting a widow and a bachelor, I spoke. “Yes. I am going home.”

“What are you taking?”

He was asking if I had brought a carriage. Most with means owned a carriage. However, I had no means and had hired a carriage here. I would need to call another one once I stepped outside. Sandra could also lend me one.

“Well.”

Daniel smiled at my vague answer. Why is he making that face?

When I confronted him, he spoke in a low voice. “Will you permit me the honor of sharing my vehicle, my lady?”

His wording was so archaic that it took a while for the meaning of his words to register. I scoffed.

“If you are offering a ride, then yes. Thank you.”

Gary’s warning had annoyed me. What? This man will make my standards too high? As if! Does he think that Sandra married him because he met her standards?

Sandra had gotten the short end of the stick in their marriage. Gary had been at least of average build before their wedding. He had let himself go exponentially soon afterward.

“Let us go.” Daniel offered his arm to me once more. I took it without hesitation. I spied Gary looking at us with displeasure from not too far away.

I bid Gary and Sandra farewell and left. There was a carriage already waiting in front of the estate. I wondered when it had been sent for.

“What did you do afterward?” Daniel asked once we were on the carriage.

The coachman pulled away before I even told him where I lived. Huh? Don’t I need to tell him where to go?

“Afterward?” I echoed, puzzled.

“The other day, on the street. You said you did not visit my restaurant. Did you return home immediately?” He was referring to the day of my fall.

I nodded in understanding. “No. I looked for the girls’ dresses before heading back.”

Daniel narrowed his eyes. He didn’t seem to like this. “Instead of seeing a doctor?”

“I cleaned the wound.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean, ‘why’?”

Is he asking why I didn’t seek treatment? I looked at Daniel with confusion as he leaned back in the seat in front of me. He looked upset.

“I am asking why you did not see a doctor.”

That’s not what his attitude is saying. I was perplexed. “Are you worried? Or are you criticizing me?”

Daniel’s tone changed. He straightened his back and spoke with a gentler voice. “I am, of course, worried.”

I was not convinced, but I let it go. I leaned back, mimicking Daniel’s body language. “I did not have the time.”

“I told you I would pay your medical fees.”

There he goes again. Hearing the arrogance in his voice, I glanced at him. This time, however, he stayed calm. He looked at me, remaining seated like an obedient child.

I suspected he had been born arrogant. After all, the queen mother was his godmother. He had no choice but to be arrogant. Davina’s demeanor when she had learned that I was of noble blood taught me as much. If Daniel had been treated like a king since he was young, such behavior might be inevitable.

“It was not because of the medical fees. I had no time because I was cleaning my house.”

Oh, right. That was when I remembered I’d considered asking him to appraise the doodads in the mansion. I contemplated telling him that I didn’t need my medical fees paid if he would come over and pick out any goods that might be sellable.

“Would you allow me to bring a doctor to you?”

I was in the middle of wondering how to ask without sounding rude when he spoke. My head shot up.

“You will come to see the items?”

W-wait. No, that was wrong.

I realized my mistake too late. Daniel’s head tilted to the side. “Items?”

“I-I mean, the wound.”

Daniel nodded in affirmation. He rubbed his chin. “I promised to remunerate you for your medical fees and your dress. I ought to bring a modiste as well as a doctor. What day would work for you?”

I could see what Gary meant by his business acumen now. He was saying these things as if they weren’t suggestions but already decided. That I might reject him didn’t seem to cross his mind.

I wavered, wondering if I ought to refuse. I got a hold of myself. Why would I say no?

It may not be this man’s fault, but it is the fault of his brother, that kid with the brown hair. They had not looked so alike but neither did Iris and I. They could very well be siblings if they shared one parent.

I decided that Daniel was making up for his brother’s mistake, in which case his offer was worth accepting.

“Anytime is fine.”

* * *

“Lily!” I shouted. “I’m throwing this paper away!”

I was cleaning the sitting room the following afternoon. Lily had been scrawling things on paper last night and they were everywhere.

Did she draw something? I lifted one out of curiosity.

Lily ran into the sitting room, screaming, “No!”

“I told you not to run in the hallway.”

Lily turned red at my scolding. She walked over and took the paper from my hands. “I won’t run. You mustn’t throw them away.”

“If you don’t want me to throw them away, I won’t—whether you run or walk. So you should walk.”

I let go of the paper. I wondered what could possibly be impassioning her so and glanced furtively at it. It was a drawing of a princess. Huh? A princess?

It wasn’t particularly surprising for a girl to draw a princess. I had drawn princesses when I was young too, but that was when I was so young I couldn’t remember. Lily was too old to be drawing princesses.

Astonished, I asked her, “What have you drawn?”

To my surprise, Lily turned red. Why is she so embarrassed?

“Did you draw yourself?” I asked tentatively.

“No, of course not!” Lily screamed. What I said seemed to have startled her.

Uh-huh... She was so loud that I flinched. Is it puberty? Late-onset puberty?

“U-um, I mean...” Fortunately, Lily looked just as taken aback as I was. She wavered, then showed me the paper in her hand. “You know how we were discussing what dress Davina will make for me?”

That’s right. Davina had come by some days ago to get the girls’ measurements. We had discussed dress designs.

Davina had brought a book of her own designs with her. It was surprisingly thick. I was doubly surprised when she said that they were just her designs specifically for debutante balls.

“Miss Davina said to tell her if there was a design we wanted. I thought it would be better to draw it.” Lily pushed another piece of paper toward me.

She drew these herself? I studied the paper, then looked at Lily in astonishment. She draws well. Very well.

The drawing was of a woman wearing a dress based on Davina’s designs. It appeared to be what Lily wanted.

“This is a good drawing.” I handed the paper back to her.

Then something surprising happened. Lily looked as if she had been slapped in the face.

Huh? Did I say something wrong? Is it insulting to compliment one’s drawing in this world? I rummaged through Mildred’s memories in a daze. Was it wrong to say this?

“D-do you really think so?” As Lily’s question slipped out in a trembling voice, a memory of Mildred’s surfaced with information I already knew.

Mildred did not like the idea of Lily drawing very much. Drawing was an expensive hobby, but Mildred thought it was not a pastime befitting of a young woman. Playing music, reading books, or embroidery were fine.

However, writing or drawing was not suitable for young women. Neither was tending a garden. The reason was simple: it soiled one’s hands and clothes.

Hmm. I stared at Lily, as if waiting for something.

I did not agree with Mildred. Lily was truly an artist. I didn’t think of art as a bad pastime either. The cost was another matter, but I hesitated to say that to her.

Mildred had stood between Lily and her hobby for Lily’s own sake.

There was a prejudice against women who wrote or drew or tended gardens. The rumor mill would say they couldn’t get married. A woman might have her own assets, but it was difficult for her to increase her own wealth.

Girls like Lily needed to marry rich. She was not a wealthy heiress. Whether he was rich or not, her husband needed to have resources enough to support her.

Mildred had worried that Lily wouldn’t get married.

“I think you are a good artist.”

I sighed. Mildred was right too. Even in the world I came from, art had been an expensive pastime. A lot of people gave up on art because their families were poor.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Oh!” Startled, I turned toward the hallway.

I had been cleaning so urgently for a reason: I was expecting a visitor. Last night, when Daniel had escorted me home from Gary’s estate, I’d told him that he could come whenever he wanted. He said he would come the very next day.

“Lily! Clean this place, please! Quickly!” I left the sitting room to Lily and ran into the hall.

I could hear Lily behind me. “You said not to run, Mother!”

I know, you rascal. Running is not allowed! But I had to run. This is bad. Real bad.

I had been cooking up a storm since early in the morning. I couldn’t let Daniel leave without feeding him after he went through the trouble of bringing a doctor and a modiste.

The food was fine. Everything was baking nicely in the oven. The ovens in this world did not have adjustable fires or timers, so I’d left it to Iris.

And Ashley...

I crossed the hall to get the door and came upon Ashley still cleaning the floor.

Hey, wait. I asked you to do this one job at lunchtime! How can you still be cleaning this room? It’s been three hours!