Garden of May

“It looks like it’s about to pour,” Mary muttered anxiously, gazing out the carriage window. Vanessa, who had been embroidering with remarkable concentration despite the swaying carriage, finally looked up. The sky, previously clear, was now completely covered with rain-laden clouds. “This isn’t a good sign. I heard they’re starting the hunt this afternoon.”

“If we arrive on time, I suppose it is,” Vanessa replied.

“Then perhaps it would be better to be late. Unmarried ladies shouldn’t enter the forest on a rainy day. The nasty wisps come out, you know.”

At Mary’s stubborn insistence, Vanessa chuckled and adjusted her embroidery hoop. Having grown up on a rural farm before working in Gloucester, Mary tended to be overly superstitious.

“Even if we go, we’ll just be tagging along with the gentlemen hunters.”

“That’s why it’s even more dangerous.” Mary’s eyes, fixed on Vanessa, narrowed as if she were looking at something incredibly naive. “Even if I follow you constantly, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

“But they’re all respectable men with families.”

Mary sighed as if she hadn’t heard. “And of all times, Master Blair is away….”

The moment she heard the name she’d been trying to forget, Vanessa’s expression involuntarily hardened. Since that day, Blair had felt like a sharp blade she didn’t know how to handle. A blade that, with the slightest mistake, could inflict an irreparable wound on the tender flesh of their friendship.

“Don’t worry too much.” Though her reply was casual, Vanessa wasn’t sure if her expression matched her tone. What happened that day was a secret she would carry to her grave. That was the conclusion she’d reached after agonizing over it all night. When she saw Blair again, she would act as if nothing had happened. She would keep this from even Rosalind. No matter how much she thought about it, that was the only way to preserve their friendship.

Of course, Blair might have decided never to see her again. He might have confessed his feelings with that intention…. In the past, she would have known what Blair was thinking with just a glance, but now she didn’t even know where he was or what he was doing. ‘Even though we were always together, we’re not family.’ Friendship was precious and invaluable, yet it was also a fragile emotion that could be unilaterally ended at any time. Vanessa forced a smile, concealing her disheartened feelings.

“Whatever happens, nothing untoward that you’re worrying about will occur. Earl Roden will be there too.”

Mary, about to retort to Vanessa’s naive words, closed her mouth. If only the lady knew that Earl Roden was the biggest problem. He was the starting point of all this, the very root of the evil. Inviting a newly-of-age lady to a hunting party primarily composed of middle-aged married men… his intentions were so transparent it was embarrassing.

“Anyway, whenever you go anywhere, don’t go alone. Call me. Of course, I doubt those gentlemen will care that I’m there.”

“Mary.”

“But at least I can try to find someone to help you endure it.”

Despite Vanessa’s glare, Mary gave a cold chuckle. Lady Vanessa, barely past twenty, was becoming more beautiful with each passing day. She had always been pretty, but at some point, she’d become so captivating that looking into her eyes felt like being drawn into a spell. Like her namesake, a siren, alluring and enchanting. Her fair, smooth skin, pert eyes, fresh, dew-kissed gray eyes, full lips, and the delicate curve of her slender body… she was like a lily blooming vibrantly by a lake. Even to her, a woman, she was this lovely, so to men, she must be undeniably desirable.

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted the absence of the young master of Winchester. He usually lounged around in the drawing-room, yet how could he be so completely out of sight when needed?

Just as Mary let out a troubled sigh, the carriage jolted violently up and down as if it had hit an obstacle. Mary, who had been leaning her head against the window rather unguardedly, slammed her forehead against the glass. She reflexively swallowed a curse and clutched her head.