Garden of May

The rumor had trickled down from the real estate agent. According to the information spilled—all too cheaply—by the man whose family had made a living brokering land in the vicinity for generations, their new neighbor was said to be a young, wealthy, and remarkably handsome man.

The maids, half in belief and half in doubt as to why such a perfect man would buy a house in this rural backwater, found themselves nodding in understanding whenever they looked at River Ross. If a man that lived in someone else’s warehouse, what was the big deal about buying an abandoned mansion?

Once the rumor became accepted as fact, the maids grew even more excited. They chattered jokingly, wondering if the Count might try to present their young lady to the new household, and if he did, they’d volunteer to go in Mary’s place to “uncover the truth” about him.

“The maids were saying a gentleman is moving into the abandoned mansion.”

“Is that so?”

“There’s an old manor on the way to Lear Kost. You can see it from here on a clear day. The rumor is that the buyer is a young naval officer.”

He shot Vanessa a brief glance before continuing to undo his cufflinks, as if the news were of no importance. She rested her chin on her hand and went on.

“The old Lennox family used it as a summer villa, but it’s been neglected for so long, they say the repairs alone will cost a fortune.”

The view from up there was undoubtedly splendid, but the place had been left to decay since the previous owner’s death, becoming little more than a ruin. It had been an albatross around the family’s neck, impossible to sell, until this gentleman suddenly appeared and paid a hefty sum for it.

They said it was because the former Admiral Lennox, the only one in the family who had stubbornly opposed the sale, finally gave his permission after hearing the buyer’s identity… Of course, this was all just baseless rumor, impossible to fully believe.

“The maids say all sorts of valuable materials from the south are being hauled to the mansion. They think he might be someone of very high status.”

“Ah, that.”

“You know about it, River? Did you see it on your way here?”

“A few times.”

He seemed to have little interest in the subject. Then again, this was the sort of gossip that concerned the local Southerners, people who would live and die on this land. River Ross was an outsider, soon to leave; it was only natural he wouldn’t care. Besides, even if they were both in the navy, how could he possibly know the personal affairs of every other officer?

The conversation died abruptly, and Vanessa was awkwardly fiddling with the petals of a rose in the vase when he placed a small box on the table.

“I almost forgot.”

It was a small jewelry box. Vanessa looked at River Ross in confusion, then back at the box on the table. Lined in rich red velvet, it looked expensive at a single glance.

Handkerchiefs, perfume, parasols, gloves—jewelry was not on the list of ‘appropriate’ gifts a woman could receive from a man. While Vanessa stared, at a loss, River Ross, having loosened the collar of his shirt, turned back, his expression asking why she hadn’t already taken it.

Torn, Vanessa cautiously opened the box. Whether she accepted it or not, it was polite to at least look at a gift.

“Oh… Good heavens.”

As she opened the lid, she was blinded by a vivid sparkle reflecting the sunlight. Staring into the box in disbelief, Vanessa lifted out the pendant with a trembling hand.

It was the peridot pendant she had lost at the night market. The one she had stretched her budget to buy as a coming-of-age gift, the stone a perfect match for the color of Rosaline’s and Blair’s eyes. She had worried that even if it were found, it would be too battered to be a proper gift, but astonishingly, it was pristine. Not a single scratch.

“I was contacted by an officer on my way here; they’d found it. It seems they’re still looking for the cufflink, though.”