The Scandal Maker Has Returned

38.

‘She didn’t seem like that type.’

He could swear that the look in her eyes as she watched him had never once held a hint of seduction. If anything, it was Bella Listerwell who had been the one doing the seducing.

If Harriet had truly been casting nets for men Bella was interested in, there should have been some reaction when she was offered financial support at the convent. Yet, she had displayed blatant discomfort and rejected the offer. The same went for the Vanderbilt party.

It was strange, as was Bella.

‘During the victory banquet, and at my uncle’s party as well, Bella Listerwell was clearly throwing herself at me. Does a virtuous and good-natured woman grope for a man by using her cousin’s mistakes as an excuse?’

Someone else might believe Bella’s actions were born of good intentions, but to Cedric, whose objective gaze was not particularly favorable toward women, it could never be viewed in a positive light. Bella merely had a knack for making herself shine by using Harriet as a scapegoat.

If his judgment was correct, Harriet was in quite an unfair position. Yet, she had not actively sought to clear her name.

‘No, perhaps she couldn’t.’

A woman who lived while depending on her uncle after losing her parents, constantly accused of being jealous of her cousin and chasing after men, causing trouble. Which of them had held the upper hand in their relationship?

And yet, that dynamic had shifted.

Harriet had gained a new guardian and no longer had any need to appease John Listerwell. She had returned to high society with a look in her eyes that suggested she was ready for a proper showdown.

Cedric’s lips curled into a subtle arc.

‘This will be interesting to watch.’

He threw the finished document into the wastebasket.

* * *

It was a day in early July when Harriet received another letter that would change her life.

She had returned from her foreign language tutoring session with Roxana and sat down at her desk to do her homework immediately, only to find a silver tray holding several letters.

Harriet reached first for the yellowish, thin envelope. It was the cheap kind used only at the convent.

“It’s Mother Catherine!”

She had been meaning to write to her about how well she was doing in Genoa anyway. However, the letter from Catherine, opened with a sense of joy, contained unexpected news.

「……A while ago, your uncle, Viscount Listerwell, came by and caused a scene. It was around 8 p.m., and he showed up without any prior notice, demanding that I send you with him. He claimed it was due to an important family matter. Was there anything untoward that happened?」

That John, who wore a mask of a generous and good man in front of others, had shown his true colors was quite a shock. Even if it was an urgent matter, he should have come at a more reasonable time; yet when they had crossed paths not long ago, he hadn’t mentioned a word of it.

‘He only told me not to talk about Bella to others. What on earth could it have been?’

If he wanted to take her away, it meant there was a place where she had to show her face, but she couldn’t fathom what that might be. But that wasn’t the only reason Catherine had written the letter.

「……I have a difficult favor to ask of you.

You know of our convent’s long-cherished project to build a facility to protect and educate abandoned girls, do you not?

Actually, thanks to a large donation from Duke Kaylas, we began construction at the start of this year, but as the plan progressed, we found ourselves short on funds.

I had considered halting the construction, but an orphanage in the Eper region informed us they would be closing soon and asked if we could take in their young girls. Since the girls would have nowhere to go if not for St. Clarissa’s Convent, we need a facility to house them as soon as possible.

……And so, I am writing to ask if you might request patronage from the Countess Felon?」

The cause of the orphanage’s closure was also a lack of funds. It had been operating on imperial subsidies, but with the rising number of children, the support was woefully inadequate, leading to mounting deficits and inevitable closure. The boys were to be taken in by a men’s monastery in the Eper region, and it seemed the girls were expected to be entrusted to St. Clarissa, the nearest women’s convent to Eper.

Harriet, who knew the general situation of St. Clarissa’s Convent, could easily picture Catherine struggling to scrape together a budget for the children. She could only imagine how much the woman had hesitated before writing this letter.

‘But in my current position, it’s difficult to ask my great-aunt for patronage.’

Hadn’t Trisha said as much just a while ago? *People will want to use me through you.*

That didn’t necessarily refer only to bad people. To good people, the head of the House of Felon would be a person they’d want to be acquainted with, and the new connection of ‘Harriet’ to the famously temperamental Trisha would surely be an attractive prospect.

So, she had to be careful.

‘Even if it is for a good cause, if someone close to me receives help from my great-aunt, people will talk. And I can’t even be certain she would help.’

She had promised not to be a burden to Trisha, so no matter how pitiful the situation was, she couldn’t tell her about the affairs of St. Clarissa’s Convent.

‘Is there nothing I can do myself without borrowing my great-aunt’s power?’

When she left the convent, she had sworn to Emma. That one day, she would certainly help her and the convent. She hadn’t expected the day to fulfill that oath to come so soon, but if she could be of any help, even a small one, she would be able to hold her head high before God.

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. St. Clarissa’s Convent needed money, and Harriet needed money too. The problem was that there was no way for that money to come by.

But Harriet decided not to give up easily.

‘If I make friends or acquaintances, I might be able to ask them for support. It would still be borrowing someone else’s power in the end, but it would be better than relying solely on my great-aunt.’

Determined to accept almost any invitation, Harriet looked through the other letters on the silver tray. All three seemed to be light tea party invitations, but among them, Harriet picked up the one sent by Annabelle Leighton.

‘This person sent an invitation immediately after the Vanderbilt party ended.’

She had wondered if it was a mistake, but this invitation included an additional note: “I will ensure that nothing unpleasant happens to you, so please consider attending.”

If they were eager enough to send the invitation twice, wouldn’t they be at least a little more favorable than other places?

‘This is a good place for my first outing.’

Harriet opened the drawer and took out the stationery and envelopes she had prepared recently.

「To the kind and gentle Ms. Annabelle Leighton.

Thank you for your invitation to the tea party. I apologize that I was just about to reply when your second invitation arrived.

I am happy to accept your invitation. I would be grateful if you would welcome me warmly on that day as well.

-With anticipation and excitement, Harriet Listerwell」

Having written the simple reply, Harriet folded the letter and placed it into the envelope with a sense of resolve. Her initial intention to just get a feel for the atmosphere of high society had to be discarded. Now that she was living days that were precious one by one, even a single tea party was an opportunity, and she could not waste it in vain.

‘I have to find a way to repay my debt to St. Clarissa’s Convent, too.’

Harriet steeled her will.

* * *

Viscountess Leighton was well-known for her matchmaking due to her extensive connections. When a marriage was successful, she received quite a large reward, and the timid Viscount Leighton had often benefited from his wife’s success in business.

Perhaps because of that mother’s influence, their daughter, Annabelle Leighton, loved people and was most pleased by the compliment that she was well-connected. Annabelle’s social circle crossed political lines and ignored the bounds of wealth and poverty. She even wanted to give those caught in bad rumors a chance to defend themselves.

‘To put it nicely, that’s what she does, but to put it bluntly, she collects all sorts of gossip.’

Even gossip that others might consider vulgar could be high-quality information if used correctly, or it could act as a smokescreen to blind others. The mother and daughter of the House of Leighton had excellent abilities in that regard.

Harriet slightly lifted the hem of the yellow dress she had received from Louvard Boutique a couple of days ago and stepped into the garden where the tea party was being held.

“Lady Harriet Listerwell has arrived.”

The gazes of those seated at the garden tables had already turned toward Harriet even before the footman’s announcement. Harriet greeted Annabelle with a slight curtsy.

“Thank you for the invitation, Ms. Leighton. The garden is far more beautiful than I had imagined.”

“Welcome, Lady Listerwell. Thank you for attending.”

Annabelle personally guided Harriet to her seat.

Perhaps everyone had heard that Harriet’s attendance was a secret, as curious eyes sparkled. But that wasn’t all out of goodwill.

“But, aren’t you a bit later than expected?”