Earl and Fairy: Volume 4 [Parts 1 to 9] by Mizue Tani

Author:Mizue Tani
Language: eng
Format: epub

Once Lydia and Edgar had left, Mrs. Collins sat back down in her chair, deeply satisfied.

“Isn’t it wonderful, my lady?” Susie said.

“Oh, yes. It feels as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Now that my daughter’s happiness is secured, my mind is at ease.” Smiling, she closed her eyes in thought.

It seemed to Susie that her mistress was finally free from the pain of losing her daughter. She couldn’t be more relieved.

“Ah, but my work is not done, Susie. I have yet to find you a husband.”

“By no means, my lady. It is my intention to dedicate my life in service to you.”

“It is all right. You are like a daughter to me, and I am endlessly grateful that you have remained with me all these years. I had always meant to act in your parents’ stead and find you a husband of whom you could be proud.”

Mrs. Collins took Susie’s hands in hers, and the maid had to hold back her tears. She adored her mistress. It was for that reason that she hadn’t been able to put a stop to this business with Theresa despite how it horrified her.

But Theresa hadn’t come back to life; not fully. She was merely borrowing someone else’s body, which was why the viscount was now feigning this courtship in order to protect its owner. Maybe Susie should have done more to convince Mrs. Collins not to hold the seance in the first place.

“What’s the matter, Susie? Please don’t cry.”

“Forgive me, my lady... Your kindness has overwhelmed me.”

It was no lie, but so too was Susie overwhelmed by her indecision, and she had to hurry from the room.

***

The villa’s large front garden was connected to a grove that led to the shore. Edgar had invited Lydia for a walk, and the pair strolled leisurely down the path lined with cypress trees. The sky was thick with clouds, but there was no sign of rain just yet. The moist sea breeze would occasionally rustle the leaves around them. Combined with the roaring of the unusually high waves, it felt like a storm was on the way.

“How strange that a mother should be so happy to see her daughter married,” Lydia murmured, still under the influence of their earlier act.

“I do not think it strange at all.”

“My father endeavors not to think about the topic at all.”

“That’s a father for you. But I shall convince him, you’ll see. Is it not about time we disclosed our engagement to him?”

“It is not.”

No matter how many times she voiced her refusal, Edgar would smile as though she hadn’t said anything. “Once he understands that our affection is such that we simply cannot be apart, he will have no more reason to object.”

“I fear you are confusing lies with reality,” Lydia said, guilt weighing heavy on her chest. “We really have deceived Mrs. Collins, haven’t we? She truly believes that her daughter is set to be happily wed to you.”

“The spirit possessing you is not Miss Collins.

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