~Chapter 39~
Someone pointed it out. Harriet had arrived exactly at 11 o’clock, just as stated on the invitation. But it seemed they had expected her, being someone who hadn’t been invited to many events before, to be so excited that she would arrive even earlier.
Harriet looked suspiciously at the person who spoke, but instead of answering her directly, she asked Annabel, “I thought the invitation said to arrive by 11. Did you perhaps send a different time to others?”
As if asking whether they had purposely tried to embarrass her.
Annabel, and even the young lady who pointed it out, looked flustered.
“N-No, that’s not what I meant! 11 o’clock is right,” the lady stammered.
“Then why did you say I was late?” Harriet asked calmly.
“I just meant… we were excited to see you! Really!” the lady answered awkwardly, looking around nervously.
Trying to start a power struggle almost ended up causing Annabel trouble.
Harriet smiled sweetly and said,
“Oh my! I misunderstood because Iāve never received such a warm welcome before. I’m sorry. Your name is…?”
“G-Grace Dalton. Please, call me Grace,” the young lady said.
“Thank you, Miss Grace. It’s nice to meet you,” Harriet replied warmly.
Thanks to Harriet softening the mood, the tea party continued smoothly.
One of the ladies asked,
“Harriet, the first party you attended after returning to Genoa was at the Vanderbilt Count’s, right? But I hadn’t heard of you attending anything since thenā¦?”
“This tea party at the Layton Viscountās is the very next one.”
“Oh my! Iāve heard so many people saying they wanted to invite you,” the lady said brightly.
Annabelās intention was clear. She wanted to show off that she was the first to invite Harriet, the current talk of the social world ā and thus show off her connections and influence.
If Harriet hadnāt realized this, she might have been annoyed. But since they both had things to gain from each other, Harriet was happy to offer a few polite compliments.
“I received quite a few invitations. But Lady Laytonās invitation was the most courteous and kind. As you know, I’m still a little cautious about attending such events, but her warmth gave me the courage to come.ā
Annabel looked very pleased with Harrietās response.
She made extra efforts to include Harriet in conversations.
Harriet had hardly attended any social events, not just during her year in the convent but even before that. So there were topics she didnāt fully understand, but Annabel kindly explained or steered the conversation to something Harriet could join in.
Of course, this kindness came with an expectation: Harriet was also expected to bring something interesting to the conversation.
“Um… this might be a rude questionā¦” someone said hesitantly.
“But did you return to Genoa to attend Miss Bellaās engagement party?”
“Pfft!”
Caught completely off guard, Harriet accidentally spat out her drink.
Annabel quickly handed her a handkerchief, saving her from ruining her makeup.
“Are you okay?” Annabel asked.
“S-Sorry, I was just so surprised,” Harriet said, wiping her mouth with the handkerchief. She smiled awkwardly at the young lady who had asked the question.
“I actually donāt know anything about Bellaās engagement. I’m pretty sure my uncle and Bella didnāt even know I was coming back.”
“Then… does that mean… Viscount Listerwell really intended to make you a nun?”
“Well, I stayed at the convent without receiving any allowance. My guardianship was cut off. To me, that clearly meant only one thingā¦ though, who knows? Maybe my uncle had some deeper reason,” Harriet said with a gentle smile.
She didnāt show any anger or bitterness ā just a calm, slightly regretful expression.
The fact that Harriet had almost been forced into becoming a nun drew sympathy from the other young ladies. After all, unless someone was deeply religious, a noblewoman becoming a nun often meant she had been completely abandoned.
Until twenty or thirty years ago, it was common for noble families to send unmarried or disobedient daughters to convents, and it was seen as a form of oppression.
“I didnāt think Viscount Listerwell was like thatā¦” one girl muttered.
“Right? Harriet and Bella are the same age, arenāt they? Itās awful to marry off his own daughter well but send his niece to a convent,” another added.
Harriet had plenty she wanted to say about John and Bella, but she held back.
‘For now, it’s enough to plant a little doubt about Uncle and Bella,’Ā she thought.
If she rushed things, it could backfire. She had to act as if she held no grudge, just mild regret.
While Harriet was carefully holding back, another young lady ā who had been hesitating for a while ā finally spoke up.
“Um, about the victory ball last year… what really happened? Wasnāt that why you ended up going to the convent?”
Annabel tried to stop her, worried it would cause trouble for Harriet. After all, she had promised Harriet she’d make sure no one made her uncomfortable.
But this was exactly the question Harriet had been waiting for.
“Iāll take this chance to clear things up. I didnāt steal or pick up that brooch. When the lights went out and came back on, it was suddenly pinned to my dress. Bella and her friends saw it happen, too.”
“Really?”
“Would I be crazy enough to steal something from Duke Kylas? Besides, I was standing far away from him. Even if he had dropped it, I couldnāt have picked it up.”
The other ladies gasped and leaned in closer.
“Honestly, I thought someone had mistaken me for someone else and stuck it onto my dress by accident. Bella actually suggested I keep it visible ā she said, If it was a mistake, the owner would come and claim it.”
“Bella said that?” someone repeated in surprise.
“Yes. And right beside her, Miss Caroline even sneered, saying, āWhat if sheās expecting someone to notice and weāre just being clueless.ā”
“If that’s true, then why would Miss Bella say such a thing to the Duke of Kailasā¦?”
Everyone started remembering.
When Cedric had pulled the brooch from Harrietās chest and demanded to know how she would take responsibility for the insult, what had Bella said to defend Harriet?
“Your Grace, could you show some pity for Harriet? She probably just found the brooch by accident and wore it because she wanted a little attention. She’s never had anything so nice beforeā¦”
Even if no one remembered Bellaās words exactly, they clearly remembered the tone ā Bella had made it sound like Harriet had worn the brooch to show off.
The young ladies at the tea table exchanged uneasy glances.
Could Harriet be telling the truth? Or was she just badmouthing Bella out of jealousy, as the rumors said?
But still ā it all sounded so specific.
Harriet, of course, could tell exactly what they were thinking.
She gave a weary smile and said:
“I understand if you find it hard to believe me. Honestly, it was hard for me to believe too. Maybe what happened that night was just a terribly unlucky accident.”
The truth was, Harriet didnāt know exactly what had happened either ā she could only guess.
“Maybe someone who picked up what looked like an expensive brooch pinned it onto my skirt as a joke. It just so happened that it was the late Duke of Kailas’s keepsake. And maybe Bella said those things to somehow save me from worse trouble. Or maybe she misunderstood the situation.”
Everyone’s faces turned sympathetic.
“Because there were already bad rumors about me, it was easy for everyone to assume I had done something foolish again. But I swear before Godā I had no part in it.”
If Harriet had said something like this before, no one would have taken it seriously.
But now, after spending a year in the convent, her words carried more weight.
One by one, the other young ladies began to side with Harriet.
“IāI remember thinking something felt off at the time. Like the pieces didnāt quite fit.”
“Me too! It felt like they were trying to pin it all on someone.”
“Seriously ā saying Harriet stole the Duke of Kailasās brooch? Thatās ridiculous. Honestly, how could anyone steal something off a war heroās chest?”
Hearing that last comment, Harriet felt a heavy burden lift from her heart.
Exactly ā thatās just common sense.
Even if she had been crazy about men, how could she have stolen that brooch in that situation?
And back then, surely someone else must have thought the same thing.
They must have. They just stayed silent.
And because of that silence, Harriet had been thrown into the convent.
Of course, that incident eventually worked out for the better, but that didnāt justify the cowardice of others.
Just as the mood started to grow a little heavy, Annabel quickly stepped in to change the subject.
“I have something Iāve been really wanting to ask you too, Miss Harriet!”
