Chapter 97
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 97
"Is anyone there?"
At the loud, persistent ring of the doorbell, Mary cautiously peered through the curtains. Recognizing the familiar face of the postman, she finally opened the door. She crossed the small courtyard and approached the iron gate, where the postman was already passing a few letters, a ledger, and a pen through the bars.
"I knew you'd be here. Just sign right here, please."
"Hold that steady for me, please."
"...By the way, Mary. Are you really planning to stay here?"
"Why? Is there another rumor going around?"
Taking the ledger back, the postman glanced left and right before leaning close to the iron bars and whispering.
"Mr. Towns's men. They're boasting that they'll storm this place if the debt isn't paid by the day after tomorrow. Apparently, the only reason they're holding back is because he begged for an extension, claiming he had a large sum of money coming in."
"A large sum?"
"Word is he sold the land attached to his peerage title."
"But that's... illegal."
"Well, I'm just warning you. Don't get caught up in this mess. You should get out of here while you still can."
The postman gave a quick nod, then pedaled hard on his bicycle and rode away. Mary watched his retreating figure for a moment before looking down at the letters in her hand. One was addressed to Wyatt, and the other was...
Mary gently traced her name, written in a neat, clear script on the envelope. It was quite thick for the kind of mail she usually received. She carefully slipped it into her apron pocket to keep it from getting creased, then headed back inside.
Even Gardener Ross, who had held out until the very end, had left Gloucester Castle two days ago. The castle was now closer to a ruin than a home. Pulling her shawl tighter around her shoulders, Mary opened the door to the bedroom where Wyatt had holed himself up.
"Finally!"
Surprisingly, Wyatt was awake. Perhaps he had been watching for the postman from the window, because he strode over and snatched the letters from her hands. He let two of them fall to the floor after a single glance at the envelopes, ripping the last one open to inspect its contents.
Relief spread across the wrinkled corners of the man's eyes, which might have once been handsome. He grinned, baring his yellowed teeth.
"Damn it. I knew there was a way out."
"What is it?"
"A ship ticket to Nort. In times like these, it was a miracle I managed to get one. It departs tomorrow at dawn, and it's only second class, but this is more than enough."
Taking the ticket and envelope from Wyatt, Mary calmly examined the details.
"But... I think there's something wrong with this ticket."
"What?"
"It says here there is only one passenger."
"Of course it does... Good lord, Mary!"
Unable to wait another moment, Wyatt poured himself a drink and burst into a hearty laugh.
"Did you really think I was taking you to Nort with me?"
"...But you said you would marry me."
"Stupid bitch."
He sneered, snatching the ticket back from Mary's hand.
"You actually believed that? Don't play the innocent with me."
"……."
"You have your life, and I have mine. We were born into completely different social classes. How could I ever make you a countess?"
"……."
"You're not about to claim you're pregnant, are you?"
Even as her mind reeled with fury, her voice remained calm as she replied.
"...No."
"Right. Of course not."
He poured more liquor into his glass, babbling cheerfully.
"There was only one bitch in my entire life who ever tried a lie like that. I've slept with countless women before and after her, and not a single one got pregnant. That stupid girl who tried to hold my entire life hostage just because her period was a little late..."
"……."
"At least she was a noble, though."
Wyatt poured another drink into the empty glass sitting next to his. Mary immediately noticed that he had slipped a powdered drug into it.
It was likely a sleeping pill. Or perhaps some kind of drug to cloud her mind so she wouldn't even think of betraying him. Once the powder had completely dissolved, Wyatt held the glass out to Mary.
"Wipe that look off your face. We had a good run, didn't we? And you made some money out of it."
In Wyatt's gray eyes, Mary had once obsessively searched for traces of her. Sometimes, that was how she endured those unbearable nights. But today, of all days, she saw herself in those eyes—a shrewd, calculating, and vicious creature, notorious even among petty pickpockets for her swift sleight of hand.
"I'll pass on the drink."
If not for her grandmother, she would still be drifting in and out of police stations. Instead of holding down a stable job with a measly salary, she would still be wandering the streets. She wasn't afraid now.
Mary took the glass and set it back down on the console. If he wasn't going to pay what she was owed, fine. It was her turn to calculate the price and collect it herself. By any means necessary.
"……."
Mary slowly lifted the hem of her skirt. The sight of the garter belt strapped to her thigh sent a flush of heat to the man's face. Overcome with lust, Wyatt lunged at her without a second thought, his hands clamping around her neck as he shoved her backward.
But just as he pushed her, Mary's hand shot out, swapping her glass with his.
Swiftly. Subtly.
* * *
D – 5
Vanessa, who had been absentmindedly twirling a pen over her notebook, paused. She had only meant to organize her plans in her head but had accidentally written the words down. Staring quietly at the notebook, Vanessa drew a firm line through them.
~~D – 5~~
"Now then, Vanessa."
She snapped her notebook shut and looked up. Mr. Dawson, sitting opposite her, placed a thick stack of documents on the coffeehouse table. He pointed to each item with his pen, explaining them in simple terms.
"The moment you sign these papers, the company will no longer be in your name. In exchange for selling the investment company, you will receive a total of 130,000 pounds. As you requested, the buyer must pay half the amount in Sevres gold coins and the other half in checks."
"Understood."
"Then you just need to sign here at the bottom. And here as well."
Vanessa carefully read each clause the lawyer indicated and signed them one by one. Once she had repeated this process down to the very last page, Mr. Dawson gathered the documents and stood up.
He walked over to a table a few paces away and handed the documents to a figure whose face was obscured from view. Soon, he returned with a heavy leather bag.
"Here you go."
The moment the bag touched the table, the faint clinking of gold coins could be heard from within. Vanessa opened it slightly to check the contents. It was packed with bundles of checks and several pouches filled with gold coins.
"Make sure the amount is correct. They don't seem like the type to play tricks, but you can never be too careful."
After a brief count of the coins, Vanessa pulled a bundle of checks from the bag and handed them to Mr. Dawson.
"I'll pay your legal fees now. It's five thousand pounds in total."
"...This much?"
Vanessa nodded. Checks were useless to her now. She wished she could convert the entire sum into Sevres gold coins, but securing such a large amount without going through a bank was impossible. And every bank in the country was under the control of Battenberg.
"Considering everything you've done for me, even this isn't enough."
"We were lucky. Who would have thought a buyer would appear the moment we transferred the company's ownership to you?"
"I have one last favor to ask of you."
"What is it?"
She pushed four or five more bundles of checks toward him.
"I want to make an anonymous donation to the cathedral in Bath Parish. On the condition that for the next three years, any unidentified bodies found are properly placed in coffins."
At Vanessa's calm words, Mr. Dawson's expression darkened slightly.
"I heard about your uncle. They say he's gone missing."
"...I was informed last night."
She tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice trembled uncontrollably. It was difficult to remain composed over the disappearance of someone she had once considered family—even if Wyatt had been a terrible, hateful man.
"I have some connections in the police force, so I looked into it. He made so many enemies that it's hard to even narrow down a suspect. It seems he had a lot of gambling debt. People are saying he'd better pray he died before Mr. Towns's men got to him."
"……."
"He tried to buy some time with the money from selling his peerage title, but there's a rumor that the maid who was serving him ran off with it all. The postman testified that he saw the maid on the morning of his disappearance."
"...Was the maid's name revealed?"
"Mary Smith."
Vanessa nodded without the slightest change in her expression, as if she'd never heard the name before in her life.
"The police might come to ask you some questions. Please be careful. If you ever need a lawyer, contact me anytime."
"I will. Thank you so much for everything."
Mr. Dawson tipped his hat in farewell, then turned and walked out of the coffeehouse.
After slowly finishing the glass of water in front of her, Vanessa gripped the leather bag tightly and stood up. As she crossed the hotel lobby, she paused, feigning a need to adjust an uncomfortable shoe.