Chapter 10
When I asked Ian whether it was worth staying here, he replied that just as I was busy with maid work, he too was quite busy with “count duties.”
“What on earth are ‘count duties’ anyway?”
When I asked in disbelief, Ian looked at me as if wondering why I would even ask such a thing.
“Aren’t you also a young lady of a count’s family? How can you ask me that?”
“I’m asking because I don’t know.”
“Well, things like drinking with the men of this estate, being invited to the homes of influential figures nearby for tea, taking walks with ladies and chatting, visiting fine restaurants to discuss the taste of food, browsing shops and talking about the latest trends… things like that.”
“So in the end, you’re saying you just lounged around doing nothing.”
I was a bit dumbfounded, but then again, maybe that really was how the life of nobles looked to others. Thinking about it again, it didn’t seem entirely wrong.
“So, while being so ‘busy’ with count duties, did you find out anything?”
“About as much as you did while working as a maid.”
Ian let out an exaggerated sigh.
“You could pretend to be the type who enjoys digging into gossip and ask other maids questions.
But I have to maintain my dignity as a noble. It’s quite difficult to pry into unpleasant matters.”
“If you’re not going to be of any help, I might cancel your weekly payment of 15 Flynn.”
“Don’t be so stingy. I am trying, you know.”
Ian frowned slightly and continued.
“Miss Aileen’s three older sisters all have different personalities. First, the eldest, Miss Anne—despite the family’s strict traditions, she’s quite strong-willed and assertive.”
I felt the same. Although I hadn’t had a proper chance to talk with Anne, watching her give orders to the other maids reminded me a lot of Aileen. A firm, decisive personality. The kind that absolutely cannot stand being told what to do.
“The second, Miss Jane, is lively and enjoys fun events like parties. She’s good at jokes too. But unlike her older sister, she’s not as strong—when criticized, she immediately shrinks back and becomes self-conscious.
The third, Miss Delia, is very passive compared to her sisters. She doesn’t talk much and is quite timid. She seems to resemble their aunt Lucy a lot.”
“I get what their personalities are like,” I muttered.
“But what am I supposed to do with that information?”
“Despite having such different personalities, they all reacted the same way to their youngest sister’s death.”
Ian said,
“All three of them are excessively frightened. Even Miss Anne, who appears strong on the outside, clearly shows signs of fearing something.”
“Well, someone died suddenly…”
“Even so, their reactions are strange.”
Ian shook his head.
“If a family member dies suddenly, people usually feel grief, resentment, emptiness, or guilt.
But being that frightened is hard to understand. That kind of reaction suggests either that they feel somehow responsible for the death… or…”
“That they’re afraid the same thing might happen to them?”
Ian smiled at my words.
“As expected of you, my lady.”
“Save the compliments. I don’t think it’s that strange. I heard from the other maids that there’s a legend in this house—that women who act against the family’s traditions are cursed. If they’ve been hearing that since childhood, wouldn’t it make sense they’re scared?”
“That’s a fair point. But I don’t think it’s just a legend.”
Ian countered.
“It feels more like a fear of something real.”
“Well, Anne said she’s afraid of rats in a very real way.”
“I’m not joking. They’re not toddlers—they’re all adults. Fine, even if we concede that Miss Delia is timid enough to fear her sister’s ghost, the two older sisters are not the type to be easily frightened.
And legends are just legends, no matter how long you’ve heard them. There’s also that tale about the headless butler at Whittington estate. Surely you’re not afraid of that?”
“I’m not scared of some headless butler. I’m scared of the butler who extorts my allowance in exchange for not reporting my mistakes to Grandfather.”
I grumbled, then asked again,
“What about the others? Are they scared too?”
“No. Only Miss Aileen’s sisters show that kind of reaction.”
Ian explained calmly.
“The others don’t seem frightened. Rather, they avoid even mentioning Aileen’s death. They’re more concerned about rumors spreading and tarnishing the family’s reputation.”
Anger suddenly surged within me. I had already sensed that myself, but hearing it again made my hands tremble.
‘Aileen died! A person died! And all they care about is the family, the family, the family! Shouldn’t mourning come first before worrying about dignity?’
“And the wealthy merchant families nearby all believe Miss Aileen died of illness.”
“So they convinced the physician to write it off as a chronic illness…”
For a family like the Plenigan house, which values reputation, it was only natural they wouldn’t reveal the true cause of death.
Mrs. Helen Jenkins had told me it wasn’t illness but an accident likely because I had exchanged letters with Aileen just a week before. Back then, Aileen hadn’t shown any signs of sickness.
If they had claimed illness, I would have found it suspicious—so they had probably used the excuse of an accident instead. They likely never imagined I would investigate her death.
“Anyway, that’s all I’ve found.”
Ian concluded.
“It does bother me that no one in the family seems to genuinely mourn her death, but some time has passed since the funeral.”
He studied my expression briefly.
“Still, this is a long-standing household that values dignity. Their behavior might simply stem from family tradition.
If you think of it that way, then while tragic, there’s nothing particularly strange about Miss Aileen’s death. She took her own life. My lady, do you still find it hard to accept?”
“Not yet.”
I said firmly.
“I still can’t fully accept it. Ian, keep observing people a little longer.”
“My lady.”
“I don’t think you’re wrong. But if I leave while still feeling uneasy, there would have been no point in coming here. Just a little longer. I’ll investigate a bit more—and if I’m convinced, I’ll return immediately.”
“Understood, my lady.”
Ian replied like a man straight out of a painting titled The Loyal Butler. As I picked up the feather duster I used as a disguise and turned to leave, he called out to me.
“My lady, there’s one thing you’ve forgotten.”
“Hm? What is it?”
I asked, expecting new information.
“Today marks exactly one week since we arrived.”
Ian grinned mischievously.
“You’ll be paying the 15 Flynn information fee I’m owed, right?”
The feather duster in my hand flew straight at him.
Though I said that to Ian, truthfully, I half expected to return to Whittington estate accepting that Aileen had taken her own life.
There were suspicious aspects to her death, but they could all be explained. Maybe, as Ian said, I was simply being stubborn because I didn’t want to accept my friend’s death.
A few days ago, I tracked down one of the maids I had seen at the funeral. She had many freckles—her name was Charlotte.
The tall brown-haired maid who had spoken about ghosts was no longer at the Plenigan estate. She must have been one of the two who had quit.
I kept trying to find a chance to talk, but Charlotte was older than me and had worked at the estate for years, so I couldn’t approach her as casually as Amy or Carol.
Still, I managed to speak with her about Aileen’s death. As expected, the answer I got was the usual one: “She probably killed herself because of the suffocating atmosphere in the household.”
All my investigations ended like that. I felt like I had reached a dead end. I was starting to think I should make up an excuse, quit, and return to Whittington estate.
That was when the atmosphere in the Plenigan family began to sink noticeably—and at the center of it was Aileen’s eldest sister, Anne.
As Ian had said, Anne was strong-willed and assertive. It was almost surprising she had endured living in such a suffocating household.
“Still, she has to inherit the fortune.”
That was what Amy said when Anne’s personality came up.
“I heard that even though her father, Lord William, died early, he decided to pass his share of the inheritance to his four daughters. Now that Miss Aileen has passed away, the three of them will divide it.”
I didn’t know inheritance law in detail, but roughly speaking, it worked like this: in this country, the will of the deceased is considered above all else. If there is a will, inheritance follows it. If not, or if the named heir has already died, the estate is distributed to the closest relatives according to legal order.
Because of this, various problems arose—wills being forged or swapped, or people being deceived into handing over their entire fortune.
In other countries, close relatives are guaranteed a minimum inheritance, but not here. If a child fell out of favor with their parents, it wasn’t uncommon for them to receive nothing at all.
According to Amy, when the will of the former head of the family, Roger Plenigan, was revealed, it caused quite a stir.
“They say he left half his entire fortune to his eldest son, William, and the other half to be divided among his remaining children.”
“But William died before him, right?”
“He was his favorite son. When he lost him, he lost all will to live and passed away soon after.”
Whether Roger insisted on that will because of that, or because he disliked his other children, no one could know now.
But one thing was certain: no matter how much the Plenigan family discriminated against women, they still had to follow the law.
And according to the law, unless explicitly excluded in the will, daughters had equal rights to inheritance.
(To be continued)
