**Bang!**
The wooden cane rolled down the corridor with a deafening clatter.
"Abigail!"
As expected, a rush of movement came from behind the door, and Eloise flung it open.
Abigail retrieved her cane with a smile and grinned at her friend.
"May I come in, *malingerer* Eloise?"
"Cunning."
"I won't deny I took advantage of your kindness. But if I hadn't, you never would have opened the door."
Seeing that Abigail had no intention of leaving, Eloise let her into the room.
Placing her cane beside the chair, Abigail sat down quickly and rested her hands on her knees.
"Right, now let's hear what happened at Blissbury yesterday that sent you to bed?"
Abigail's eyes sparkled.
In shamelessness and self-confidence, Eloise had no equal in all of Feltham.
And if such a friend fell ill, it meant something truly *out of the ordinary* had happened.
It was perhaps the most exciting thing to happen in Feltham this year—and the thought delighted Abigail.
"Nothing special..."
"Oh, Eloise, even the youngest in our family wouldn't believe your words."
Eloise frowned, remembering Ogilvy's five-year-old younger brother.
"Come on, come on. I'm dying of curiosity. What happened? Is it true a new manager is coming? Does this mean Mr. Severton is leaving his position for good?"
"Oh my *God*, Abigail. You sound just like your mother right now."
Abigail frowned this time.
She knew very well how her mother behaved—obsessed with the idea of marrying off her second daughter, Julia, she had recently been searching everywhere for information about suitable suitors.
"Please understand. Frankly, this is the most exciting news our village has heard in a year. Besides, yesterday Mother spent the whole day in Cambon buying new dresses for my sisters, and she was so excited I think I caught her enthusiasm."
Abigail pressed her hands to her cheeks and caught her breath. Having calmed down a bit and regained her normal composure, she took Eloise's hand.
"So, first of all—tell me what happened at Blissbury. And don't even *think* about lying."
"..."
"Eloise."
Seeing that Eloise, despite all her persuasion, could not begin, Abigail realized that what had happened at Blissbury was more serious than she'd thought.
Usually, if something happened, Eloise worried even more than she did.
And here—not a word.
The delighted expression on Abigail's face turned serious.
"Eloise. Perhaps... you met that scoundrel wandering the neighborhood? Perhaps he said something offensive to you?..."
There were rumors that a deserter was wandering through the forest.
It was said he hid when men passed, and when women passed, he threatened them and took their belongings—which made the women of Feltham afraid to walk through the woods.
"No, that's not it!"
Eloise objected in alarm.
"Then why do you look so worried? Who the hell put you in this state? We should tell your father. That would be the best thing—"
"*No way!*"
Eloise jumped up from her seat in horror.
"If my father finds out what I did..."
"Did something *bad?* Wait—so it wasn't you who was harmed, but you... you *harmed* someone?"
Eloise nodded miserably at Abigail's question.
"In fact..."
Eloise began to recount cautiously what had happened yesterday at Blissbury.
---
*...*
*...*
After Eloise finished her story, there was silence in the room.
Abigail, casting a cautious glance at her, began with difficulty:
"Uh, hmm. So, you're... so... embarrassed to show people... such drawings..."
"A *nude*. And with Lieutenant Colonel Ryan's face, no less."
"Oh, my *God*."
At the word "nude," Abigail covered her ears as if she'd heard the dirtiest word in the world and quickly crossed herself—as if asking for forgiveness for having heard it.
"So a man—and the new manager at that—caught you with this? And you, unable to explain anything, ran home?"
The way her friend explained her situation so clearly made Eloise want to cry again.
"Why didn't you try to explain everything to him?"
"It wasn't the right situation. And I don't think he would have listened."
"How do you know without *trying?*"
"You haven't *seen* him! His appearance is one thing, but how rough he is!"
Eloise imagined him again. Dirty, as if he'd been wallowing in a swamp.
His hair was a mess, his face unshaven. And most importantly—the hand with which he'd shamelessly grabbed her forearm!
Remembering this, Eloise shuddered and rubbed the arm he'd touched, as if trying to wipe off the dirt.
And then she remembered something else.
Despite his appearance, the blue eyes with which he'd looked at her were surprisingly deep and clear.
*So unkempt, but his eyes are quite clear.*
Eloise shook her head quickly. Now was not the time for such thoughts.
"I didn't think such a person would come."
She had expected a gentleman as educated as her father or Baron Stanford.
She'd even thought that since he was a young military man, he would at least have basic manners.
But in reality, a rude man had arrived who could have been mistaken for a tramp—and who, without any grounds, accused her of theft.
She felt genuinely sorry for the Blissbury estate and the people who worked there.
But above all, she was worried about her own fate.
*This was the kind of man who caught me in my most shameful moment.*
What if he started telling everyone?
That the daughter of Mr. Severton, the most educated man in the village, drew naked men—and even gave them the face of the one she admired.
"What should I do?"
Imagining the future, Eloise covered her face with her hands.
She knew perfectly well that her reputation among the unmarried women of Feltham was not the best.
But it was a look of sympathy for one who had not married—not disgust or contempt.
Thanks to this, she still remained a good neighbor to the people of Feltham.
But if this story got out, her reputation would go straight to hell.
"What should I do now? If Father finds out, he'll be furious and say it's a disgrace to the whole family. No matter how much he loves me, he won't let this go. Besides, Father—hearing that the new manager had already arrived—left for Blissbury early this morning."
"This means..."
"That he'll be back soon."
Abigail groaned again and crossed herself.
At that moment, the sound of hooves echoed outside.
Both girls turned to look out the window. A moment later, Mr. Severton's voice came from below.
"I'm back. Eloise, are you up there?"
Eloise's face turned white as a sheet at the sound of her father's voice—calling her as soon as he entered.
"My God, what do I do? That manager told him everything!"
Looking at Eloise's trembling body, Abigail squeezed her hands tightly.
"If he kicks you out today, I'll make a bed for you in my room."
Hearing her friend's voice—which spoke as if her expulsion was already a certainty—made Eloise want to cry even more.
---
## — The Summons —
"Uh... you called? I'm a little unwell... *Cough!*"
Eloise, wrapped in a shawl, coughed deliberately. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
*Her color was too healthy.*
"Eloise, I heard you were at Blissbury yesterday."
*Here it is.*
This is probably how one feels after death, standing before God in judgment.
As if balancing on a knife's edge between the stairs of heaven and the fires of hell, Eloise bit her lip.
"The new manager was speaking about you."
*Of course he was. That I was the most perverted and shameless woman in the world...*
"He said that you were a very nice lady and that he looked forward to meeting you tomorrow for lunch."
"*What?...*"
Eloise's eyes widened at the completely unexpected words.
Mr. Severton, hanging his coat on a hook, continued calmly:
"I invited him to visit us tomorrow. To discuss the manager's affairs. Oh, yes—Sergeant Thornton said..."
Mr. Severton looked at Eloise as if this were something unusual.
"That you left something behind, and he should return it to you."
"Left it?..."
"Yes. He said you left a drawing."
At that moment, Eloise's face flushed crimson.
***"This man!"***
No wonder she'd felt like one drawing—the one she'd been working on with particular diligence—was missing. She must have dropped it there.
*And he's going to come and return it?*