But Jeff can’t bear loneliness. He’ll suffer terribly if I go first. I have to make sure I live a long life and make my husband happy until the very end.
That was my new goal. With it in mind, growing old and being the one left behind didn’t feel scary anymore.
“I think I understand now, Elmer. This must be how you felt, too.”
Later on, Mike told me he used the Third Order’s information network to look into Elmer’s descendants.
“Even with all the knights’ resources, we couldn’t trace the whereabouts of Elmer Archibald’s descendants. The person who published his novel seventy years ago wasn’t one of his children, either. It was someone he’d entrusted with settling his affairs after he passed.” Mike looked very disappointed when he relayed that news to me.
“I followed a trail of identification papers but lost track of Elmer’s son after he left the settlement. We have no idea where he went. Not every land administrator keeps detailed records of newcomers, either. Some only check their papers and move on. It’s stricter when people leave than when they arrive.”
“Perhaps it’s for the best that things ended up this way. The royal family wouldn’t want descendants from a relationship with a foreign spy.”
Mike nodded, a conflicted look on his face. “The royal family will keep the matter of Princess Carolina private. They plan on buying the hill with the two graves.”
“All that matters to me is that Carolina and Elmer’s graves are protected,” I said.
“I feel the same way,” he said.
That night, when it was just the two of us, Jeff told me he had an idea about how we could spend the reward money.
“I know what we can do with the gold we received, Anna. How about starting a sheep farm? We could buy the land, raise sheep, and spin wool. Isn’t that the life you always wanted? After all the detours we’ve taken, I think we can finally make your dream come true.”
“A sheep farm! My dream is really becoming reality?!”
The thought of standing in the middle of a farm left me stunned and dreamy.
“From the day I left Hagl and changed my name to Victoria, I never imagined I’d find a place where I could live until I grew old. Even when I told you I wanted to raise sheep before we went to Shen, I thought deep down it was a flight of fancy.”
“I never forgot.”
“I’m just surprised you even remembered that, Jeff. It feels like a dream. I have a proposal of my own.”
I suggested the idea of repairing the abbey.
“I abandoned my past and came into a large sum of money thanks to Elmer, who did the same. So what if we used some of the money to help women who are trying to put their pasts behind them, too? I think it would be really meaningful use for the gold.”
Jeffrey agreed with a smile. I knew he wasn’t the kind of person who was attached to money, but even when I’d presented him with a proposal that required a lot of it, he immediately agreed and said, “If that’s what you want.”
Starting that next day, he began enthusiastically making arrangements to repair the abbey.
“Lord Asher, thank you so much for everything you’ve done. We’ve fixed the leaks, repaired the walls, and even replaced the beds with better ones. We bought a large supply of firewood for the winter and built a shed to store it. Now we can all welcome winter with peace of mind,” Mother Eliza said.
“This was my wife’s suggestion,” Jeff replied.
“Well, my husband fully supported my idea.”
Mother Eliza smiled brightly at us. “I feel the blessings of the gods from your harmonious union, Lord and Lady Asher.”
“Thank you,” we both said in unison, then shared an embarrassed smile.
“I have another suggestion. Do you think the women living at the abbey would be willing to work if we built a workshop to make the ointments? I would pay them a fair wage, of course.”
“Oh my!” Mother Eliza was speechless when she heard the amount I suggested for wages. “That’s more than anything they’re making now.”
“Is that right? Well, there are surely still many women in need of a place to stay. If the ladies here can get back on their feet and rent their own rooms, it’ll open up more space for others to come to the abbey. I think this will be crucial to helping them to become more independent, step by step.”
Mother Eliza clasped her hands together and offered a brief prayer. “Thank you, Lady Asher.”
“And we have one more proposal. My husband bought a large piece of land outside the castle walls. Right now, it’s completely undeveloped, but we plan to dig a well and sow grass seeds and eventually turn it into a sheep farm. We want to raise sheep there, shear their wool, dye it, and build a workshop for spinning. It will be a long-term project since we have to start from scratch.”
“You’re going to spin yarn yourself?”
“That’s right. I have a bit of experience.”
Jeffrey chimed in, “This is my wife’s dream. She should’ve already been living that life by now, but she had to put her aspirations on hold for a while. Now we can finally make it a reality, though.”
“I hope there are people interested in such work. A farm requires a lot of physical strength.”
“I’m sure there will be plenty of willing folks. There are quite a few women who yearn for a solitary life, wishing to live without seeing anyone. Most of them were treated poorly by their husbands or families.”
I thought as much.
Women who had thrown everything away and sought refuge in the abbey must have heavy burdens from their pasts.
After that, our discussion shifted toward more practical matters, and Jeff took charge of the conversation. When we returned home that evening, Bertha greeted us with a smile and said, “Master Clark is here.”
The door to Nonna’s room on the second floor was wide open, since our guest had called on a young woman. Bertha must have done so out of consideration.
“Welcome, Master Clark.”
“Thank you, Miss Victoria.”
“Mom, Ash and Berry are fond of Master Clark now, too!”
“Really? That’s wonderful. The cats must sense how close you and Master Clark are, so they feel safe around him.”
“Oh, I see.” Nonna nodded. Meanwhile, Master Clark blushed abruptly while holding the cats.
He was at that age where he was no longer a child but not fully a man. I puzzled over how he viewed Nonna as I left the room.
“I’ll be coming to check on you often,” I overheard Bertha say, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was necessary.
But as he was leaving, Master Clark said, “Miss Victoria, may I invite Nonna to the opera?”
“Of course. I’m sure she would love that.”
Once he was gone, I was getting ready to have tea with Nonna when she looked like she’d just remembered something. “One time, when we were at Master Clark’s house five years ago, we were studying Randallish together, and…”
“Yes?”
“He asked, ‘Will you marry me when we grow up?’”
“…”
“Mom? Mom! You’re pouring the tea on the table!”
“Huh? Oh no! Nonna, will you get something to wipe it up?”
I’d meant to pour the tea into a cup but ended up pouring it right onto the table as I stared at Nonna, creating a small puddle.
“Nonna, you never told me that before.”
“Well, Master Clark said, ‘Don’t tell anyone until everything is ready,’ so I kept it to myself.”
“I can’t believe you kept such an important secret from me all these years…”
“I’m sorry. But ever since we went to Shen, I kept wondering if Master Clark really meant it. Plus…” Nonna frowned, a cute little wrinkle forming between her pretty brows.
“When I first saw him after we got back to Ashbury, he didn’t mention it at all. So I thought, Oh, it must have just been a childish promise he forgot about. He was only twelve years old when we made that promise. The same age I am now. Just a kid, you know?”
“I wonder if he remembers, too…? So what did you say back then?”
“I didn’t really understand what marriage was at the time, so I said, ‘Sure!’ But who knows if he even remembers that promise now.”
“You don’t know? He hasn’t said anything?”
“Nope, and I’m thinking of forgetting about it, too. Even if he does remember it, do we need to decide on marriage right now? I sure don’t think so.”
I couldn’t really say without talking to Master Clark about it, so I decided to put a pin in it to discuss with Jeffrey that night when he got home.
Nonna told me that promise was from a long time ago, so she didn’t care about it, but I felt anxious about what we should do. I didn’t want to let go of my sweet Nonna, but at the same time, I knew she couldn’t stay with me forever. I began to think of her future possibilities.
Calm down. Calm down, I told myself. First, I needed to consult Jeffrey about this. After all, he was Master Clark’s uncle, so I needed to be sure to avoid causing any trouble. With that thought I mind, I prepared myself.
The moment Jeffrey got home, I immediately told him what happened. He gave me a puzzled look and chuckled softly. “Anna, that’s just a childish promise.”
“I know, but can we pretend it never happened? I don’t know the rules of noble society around these sorts of things. I know engagements are usually decided by the parents, but what if a boy from a higher-ranking family proposes?”
“Settle down, Anna.”
I nodded and took some deep breaths.
“It’s all right. I think I’m okay now.”
“Good.” Hearing Jeffrey suppress laughter irritated me a bit.
“Childhood promises don’t mean anything when it comes to engagements. Even if a boy from a higher-ranking family was the one who made them. So Nonna and Clark’s vow to be married isn’t valid. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“If Clark is serious, then the Anderson family will have to come to propose the engagement, and we’ll have to agree before formally giving them a notice of acceptance. Only then will it be officially established.”
“So they’re not engaged? Not at all? And I don’t have to worry about it?”
“Right. But it might be good to hear what Nonna thinks about it.”