Aiden paused, lost in similar thoughts. While he had often resorted to strong liquor on the battlefield to numb the pain, he wasn’t someone who truly enjoyed drinking. After such a long time without alcohol, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t act impulsively—especially when Anje looked so beautiful right now.
‘I might confess under the influence… or even force a ring onto her finger… or something like that.’
They exchanged awkward glances in the tense silence before both broke into uncomfortable laughter at the same time.
“We’re both too tired today. Let’s save it for another time.”
“Right. Aunt Meg must have worked hard making it, so let’s all taste it together.”
It was an awkwardness that Aunt Meg, if Aunt Meg had been watching this, she would have been so frustrated that she would have shoved a glass of wine into each of their mouths.
They pushed the awkwardness aside and continued chatting, hiding their true feelings behind light-hearted conversation.
“When we visit Jean and Mary’s house, what kind of gift should we bring?”
“Hm, maybe something fashion-related?”
“Oh, I could bring some back issues of “La Mode Illustrée”. But Mary… should I bake some muffins?”
The long summer sun was slowly disappearing between the trees.
* * *
Clip-clop, clip-clop—
Anje was sitting side by side with Aiden on the carriage seat, carefully cradling a basket filled with gifts like peach jam, a bouquet, and magazines. Normally, she would have insisted on taking the reins herself, but today she had entrusted the carriage to him.
“Whoa, slow down.”
The first reason was that she was wearing the second-best dress of her recently tailored ones. With a wide-brimmed hat adorned with red flowers matching her dress, she looked like a fully bloomed rose in season.
If the dress got wrinkled or too dusty while driving the horses, she would be heartbroken, even if she didn’t show it.
The second reason was that she had already driven the carriage to her heart’s content yesterday when they visited Aunt Meg’s house.
Originally, that visit hadn’t been part of their plans. However, when Aunt Meg expressed disappointment upon hearing that the Fitzroy couple were going to visit Jean’s house, they quickly arranged the visit as soon as possible.
Though hastily planned, it turned out to be a delightful day for everyone. They looked at the many portraits of Aunt Meg’s siblings and nephews that were placed on the old fireplace mantel and petted “Mimosa,” a kitten that often visited the backyard.
Anje was pleasantly surprised by Aunt Meg’s special fruit pound cake, which tasted far better than she had expected.
‘Could you perhaps write down the recipe for me, Aunt Meg? I promise I won’t show it to anyone, and I’ll keep it all to myself.’
‘Tsk-tsk, if I shared it so easily, it wouldn’t be a special recipe anymore. That pound cake almost caused the Bread couple to break up after just three months of marriage.’
After neatly ‘devouring’ the cake and tea, as Aunt Meg put it, the three of them went out for a drive to get some fresh air. They crossed several green hills until Anje’s arms, holding the reins, went numb.
As Anje reminisced about the enjoyable visit, she tilted her head and asked Aiden a question.
“The raisins in the pound cake yesterday tasted better than the ones we have at home. What’s the secret?”
“Maybe it’s because she doesn’t buy them from the store and dry the grapes at home herself? We could do the same if we picked some grapes from our orchard and dried them. If you look around the kitchen cabinets well, you’ll find a grape seed remover.”
Under the August sun, the dark blue grapes ripened well, making them delicious whether eaten fresh or dried for preservation.
Anje asked in disbelief, “A grape seed remover? Is there such a thing?”
TL/N: SAME. I DIDN’T KNOW IT ACTUALLY EXISTS UNTIL I LOOKED UP!
“Surprisingly, yes. It’s a hassle to remove the seeds from dried grapes one by one.”
Who would have thought there was an invention even more fascinating than a laundry tub or a churn? As someone who had always left all the household chores to the maids and servants, Anje had never heard of it before.
When she imagined it, though, she realized that removing seeds from dried grapes by hand could indeed be quite tedious.
“Do you use that to make raisins yourself?”
“To be honest… no. Compared to the effort, the amount of dried grapes produced is small, so I usually just buy them from the store.”
Whenever he needed them for cooking, he would buy a small amount, even if they didn’t taste as good as the homemade ones.
Since raisins were mostly used in desserts, he rarely needed them when living alone.
Anje, eager to learn more about farm work, asked for a detailed explanation of the grape seed remover.
“How does that tool work?”
“It’s a long tool that can be fixed to a table… You slightly moisten the dried grapes, put two or three into the opening, then turn the handle round and round, and the seeds automatically…”
“Pass. Let’s just keep buying them.”
TL/N: BASICALLY ME.
Anje, who had a slight aversion to tools with turning handles, immediately replied. Aiden smiled faintly, as if he had expected that answer.
“Aunt Meg doesn’t seem to care much for store-bought goods. She still makes her own candles and soap.”
“I noticed that at her house yesterday. That must take a lot of effort.”
“Yes, She probably still sticks to old traditions because she has a habit of saving money from raising her younger siblings, even though store-bought soap has much better fragrance and ingredients.”
Anje recalled the faces resembling Aunt Meg that were carefully displayed on the mantel and the rough soap in the bathroom.
Since they had been in such a rush, they hadn’t prepared proper gifts. Next time, she thought, she could bring some nicely scented soap, saying she had accidentally bought too much.
Thinking about gifts, she became uneasy again.
“The gifts we’re bringing today, they don’t seem too shabby, do they? Should we stop by a store on the way?”
The third reason she wasn’t driving was that she worried her anxiety might transfer to the horses.
“As I’ve told you many times, Anje, they’re more than enough.”
Aiden said firmly, but Anje still wasn’t convinced.
“Aunt Meg liked the peach jam and the bouquet you brought her, didn’t she?”
“That’s different. We’re already on friendly terms with her, but it’s not the same with Mr. Pierre and his sister.”
Mrs. Meg, who had been friendly with her for a long time, would be happy with whatever she brought, but she wasn’t sure if Jean and Mary would be as generous.
And it was impossible to prepare expensive bribes like the ones she had brought when visiting other high-ranking families in the capital.
So she had spent days worrying, preparing a variety of gifts until the basket was full. But even then, she couldn’t shake her unease.
Aiden emphasized again.
“Truly, it’s more than enough.”
“You’ve never visited another house or hosted guests at your own, have you? How can you be sure?”
Aiden’s eyebrow twitched at Anje’s sharp remark.
“I have visited other military units while on assignment. I brought supplies like stock, gunpowder, a bit of jerky, and the news that we were also running low on medicine. Compared to the gifts I brought, yours are far better, don’t you think?”
He tried to lighten the mood with a joke, but Anje didn’t laugh this time.
“….”
She pressed her lips together and hesitated for a long time before revealing another concern.
“The truth is… I’m not sure what to talk about once we get there.”
In the social circles, people would talk about newly purchased jewelry or works of art, exchange rumors about the social circles, or compliment each other’s clothes or singing skills.
Should she act similarly when meeting people in Leslie? But what if they weren’t wearing new clothes? Should she instead talk about their farms or pigs?
She was greatly concerned about accidentally offending someone, even if it wasn’t intentional.
Given her different background from theirs, even a small comment from her might be interpreted as condescending.
‘Didn’t Aiden once say that I ‘spoke in an annoying way’?’
This visit was supposed to be the first step in building a bridge between Aiden and the people of Leslie, and the thought of it going wrong made her worry endlessly.
‘It’s a small town, so even trivial rumors will spread quickly.’
Anje, who had always thought she was confident in social skills, found herself left with nothing but a shabby, empty shell when she stripped away the title of ‘Lady Glasster.’
‘How do you make friends with people… you have no connection with?’
Even the field she thought she was good at—maintaining and managing connections with people—was not entirely her own strength.
Realizing this fact belatedly, she became completely deflated
Aiden spoke to her gently, trying to comfort her.
“Mr. Pierre will be pleased if you just share a little of your knowledge about fashion. You do know a lot about it, don’t you?”
“Well… honestly, yes.”
As he said, she knew everything there was to know about top designers, not just in the capital but also foreign ones.
Although she wasn’t up to date with this season’s trends since leaving the capital, she could still share many interesting anecdotes about designers.
“Then what kind of conversation would Mary enjoy?”
This question was a challenge for Aiden as well. But for Anje, who was clearly distressed, he dug deep into his limited social knowledge.
“I’m not sure what topics women usually talk about, but wouldn’t it be natural to discuss something she’s recently shown interest in or is concerned about?”
Mary’s interests… Anje tried to recall the snippets of conversation she’d had with Mary while trying on clothes.
“…Marriage?”
She sighed heavily, lamenting the fact that she had to find her father a son-in-law to run his butcher shop with her, as his only heir had vanished into the world of fashion.
In a small town with a limited population, finding the suitable man seemed difficult.
“In that case, how about discussing ways to find a good husband?”
* * * *
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