Garden of May

Did he find out about the lawyer? Or worse… River Ross?

Vanessa met his stare, gripped by extreme fear. With every breath, a guilty terror washed over her.

The moment her uncle’s hand reached toward her head, Vanessa flinched. Seeing his niece shrink away reflexively, Mr. Wyatt let out a short laugh.

“At any rate, I plan to spend this winter in Lyndon. I’ve secured a powerful sponsor, so the day we re-enter capital society is not far off. This is a good thing for you, too. If you’re lucky, you might snag a man with more money than Roden.”

He patted her shoulder a couple of times and turned away. In all this confusing conversation, she had gleaned one thing: her uncle didn’t know about her rebellion. Not yet. And it seemed he intended to keep putting her on the auction block of the marriage market, now expanding his territory from the south to the capital.

Capital society.

As her mind cleared slightly, a thought suddenly struck her.

Perhaps this is my chance.

Vanessa hurried after Mr. Wyatt, descending the entryway steps.

“Excuse me, Uncle.”

Mr. Wyatt, just about to get into the motorcar, looked back, annoyed. Vanessa rushed her words out before he could snap.

“Could you possibly take me with you to the boat party in a few days?”

“…The boat party?”

“The launching ceremony for the new cruise ship built by Santra.”

He made a tsking sound with his tongue. It was one of the things her uncle did when he was deeply displeased. In such moments, he quickly became as savage as a tyrant.

It had happened not long after she came to live with him. A young maid had been beaten so badly she’d broken her arm, all because of Vanessa. The reason? The maid hadn’t been sufficiently respectful to him.

All she had done was talk back once. The incident left the maid with a permanent disability in her right hand. After that, Vanessa went to great lengths to avoid upsetting her uncle.

She smiled when he spewed abuse, and she deadened her own emotions. She reported every trivial detail of her schedule if she planned to go out. It might not have been the best course of action. Once Mr. Wyatt realized how effectively it controlled her, he stopped hitting her directly and started beating the maids and servants instead.

She found it hard to understand why saying she wanted to bring flowers to her parents’ graves would anger him, but she didn’t dwell on it. Everyone just wanted her to be a quiet doll. And yet, despite all that.

“I saw the guest list in the newspaper. Our family name was listed, so I assumed you were going.”

Her efforts earlier this year to love and understand him had come to an end, and she was on the verge of letting go of the last handful of affection she had left.

“If you’re too busy, I’ll go with Rosaline.”

“…”

A long silence followed. She could tell Mr. Wyatt wasn’t pleased with her suggestion, but she couldn’t back down. According to the newspaper, the list of invitees included a Viscount B. Dawson.

She desperately needed that lawyer. He was the only one who had worked with her parents whom she could possibly approach. The others were too old, had moved abroad, or were already in their graves.

If only I had looked at the will right after my parents died.

After the funeral, once she started living at Gloucester Castle, she became too busy to even think about a will.

Mr. Wyatt had sent her to a local convent under the guise of educating her, and there she learned ancient languages, arithmetic, and literature. It was only thanks to the head nun’s persistent persuasion that she had been able to go to Saint Louis.

Even after that, her uncle had controlled her surroundings with a strange thoroughness. He excluded only two people, the Winchester twins, who were too noble for him to manage.

An unbearable bitterness welled up at the thought of Blair, but Vanessa forced herself to remain calm and threw out the bait most likely to interest Mr. Wyatt.

“They say it’s the largest cruise ship in Ingram, so many gentlemen will be attending.”

“Now that you mention it, I seem to recall. We did receive an invitation.”

“I hear there are even bets on whether the Duke of Batenberg or His Majesty the King will attend.”

At her words, Mr. Wyatt burst into a sudden, hearty laugh. Startled by his abrupt change in demeanor, Vanessa flinched back. Mr. Wyatt, who seemed to be mulling something over, patted her shoulder with a pleasant expression.

It was unclear whether he was giving her permission or telling her no. Still, the fact that he hadn’t refused her outright gave her hope.

“Take Mary. And behave yourself when you get there.”

He said as he climbed into the motorcar. Vanessa was genuinely stunned, having not expected him to actually agree. She hurriedly clasped her hands and offered her thanks.

“I will. Thank you so much for your permission—”

Before she could finish, the car door slammed shut in her face, as if he had no more time for idle chatter.

“…”

Vanessa stood there for a long time, watching the car until it disappeared into a dot in the distance. Her firm resolution, made when she first met her uncle, to never hate anyone, was difficult to maintain at times. But…

As much as she hated him, she prayed he was innocent. It was a contradictory, heartfelt wish.