Chapter 71: Chapter 71 – Confrontation

Three days after the failed wedding attempt, the festive atmosphere of the villa had already been completely dismissed. It was not so, however, with the rumors that were now circulating. 

And it is that Mr. Northrop could have saved himself from getting angry with his son for committing the barbarism of daring to reciprocate his partner's affections in broad daylight and in front of at least half a dozen villagers who passed by. Because, after the fight that occurred inside the church, people seemed to be much more entertained talking about the Seymours and the Cornells, without having time to mistreat others.

Madeleine had canceled the ceremony not for today, but indefinitely. Oscar didn't know if it was an impulse thing, due to the anger and disappointment she carried over, or because he really managed to make her think when talking to her in the sacristy. In any case, that was irrelevant; The thing was, no matter how much her relatives or Patrick himself insisted, she no longer wanted to marry.

Not right now and not with this husband, at least.

With her parents insisting, people said, mainly so that they could convince the Seymours to buy back Rose Cottage, Madeleine became more obstinate in her eagerness not to give in to the pretensions of a protagonist who claimed to be very sorry.

And well, what about Miss Hendricks? She did not immediately return to London. In fact, she stayed in Snodland for who knows how long, determined as she was not to return to town until Patrick had made his feelings clear to her and acted on them. Well, the wait would be long. So long that the day arrived when Albert and Oscar agreed to leave for the capital themselves and it was still common knowledge that that terrible woman was still staying at the inn, visiting the mansion of the protagonist every time she felt like rekindling that harassment she had days setting.

"Do these people have no dignity?" Oscar had wondered. “Call me weird, but if I find out I'm being cheated on by someone who had no idea we were both being cheated on, the first thing I do is team up with that person to destroy the guilty party in this whole mess.”

"That being the case, it's lucky that it never crossed my mind to deceive you," Albert pointed out relieved, aware that the other was very capable of carrying out his threats.

But it wasn't even a year ago that you were still the one who scared me! Oscar thought. Although, of course, he didn't say so. He only laughed himself, seeing an irony that the villain was not even aware of.

"I hope Miss Hendricks will be leaving soon," Theresa said, not long after she had just reached the square where the stagecoach awaited them. “Even though my sister has called off her engagement, it must not be easy for her to have to live in front of her the person who ruined her marriage.”

“We could have invited her to come with us. Getting out of Snodland would surely have improved her mood.”

“No thanks!” Oscar exclaimed suddenly despite the fact that from the way he said it, he knew Albert was joking. “I love helping others… But not that much!”

“Anyway,” the villain continued, addressing Theresa, “I'm glad your parents let you come with us. Considering all that's happened, I thought they'd put up more of a fight when I suggested you make the trip to Cheltenham. But no, it hardly took me anything to convince Mr. Cornell.”

“I guess it's because of Madeleine. My parents were so upset…! They're still hell-bent on getting me to relent, so I guess whether I stay or go for a couple of weeks doesn't make a difference.”

That was very true. Of her relatives, Theresa was the only one who hadn't insisted Madeleine go ahead with the engagement. She hadn't tried to talk her out of breaking it, either. Perhaps feeling that what her sister did with her life was none of her business, she simply wished her the best and walked away, letting her be the owner of her decisions.

Since the Cornells and their two other daughters had teamed up to lead Madeleine down the path of submissive and devoted wife, with the primary goal of reclaiming her old home in the process, it would do them no good to have Theresa being impartial. Come on, if she didn't intend to help, they didn't care if she was in the environment or not.

"But that benefits us all, doesn't it?"

And they both agreed with Oscar on this. Considering that Theresa had obtained permission from her parents to travel, she would finally get her wish to visit the boarding school fulfilled. Letitia would be glad to have a friend, and as if all this weren't enough, the fact that the Cornells approved of their youngest daughter leaving with Albert and Oscar also helped to dispel some of the gossip about them. Because let's see, they may still be looked down upon for having such unusual tastes, but they must not be such a bad person if one of the most beloved families in Snodland was willing to leave one of their daughters in their care!

As soon as the coachman finished loading the luggage on top of the carriage, the three people climbed into the vehicle, ready to begin their journey to the Cotswolds.

Between the transfers they made from carriage to train and from train to another carriage, plus the various breaks to eat and sleep they had to take along the way, they only reached Cheltenham during the night of the fourth day. And by then it was too late to pay a visit to the school. So they used the remainder of that afternoon to check into a small local hotel and rest, knowing that the weekend that was soon to begin would be a long one.

Theresa got her own room, while Albert and Oscar got one for themselves.

Perhaps it would not have been much of a problem to obtain a room with a double bed, since the hotel staff was trustworthy (because the Northrops had already stayed there before, on previous visits, and one could not say that these people were not used to having some big-name client with extravagant tastes) and considering that Theresa didn't seem to mind that the two of them were together. But, even so, they preferred to stay with one that had two individual cots.

Despite the fact that there was no danger, being so far away from the origin of some rumors that fortunately never went beyond Snodland, they considered that it would be better to keep a certain distance in the eyes of others. Thus avoiding the same gossip and accusatory looks of which they were previously victims.

Either way, that wasn't much of an inconvenience. Being able to spend the night in the same room, it is not that it would have been a problem for them to move the beds a little and sleep next to each other, returning the furniture to its position in the morning, before the cleaning service appeared. .

They had breakfast at the hotel and, early in the morning, they left with Theresa for the imposing building that was the home of daughters belonging to families of high society.

It should be noted here that the boarding school in question was not only select with respect to visits, but also took both the safety and well-being of its students very seriously. During the course, and always coinciding with a schedule that the teachers were in charge of imposing, visits were allowed. Now, and even more so knowing that this was a school where only young ladies were accepted, these visitors were only allowed to travel through a limited number of rooms.

If, as Theresa wished, she wanted to see the school in its entirety, it would be best to attend an open house. Where, as far as possible, she would have the opportunity to walk wherever she wanted in the company of Letitia.

Now, what was that weekend when they came if not a happy open house? The last of the course, to be precise. That is why Albert was so determined to prepare his trip well in advance; He not only planned to pick up her sister and take her to the capital, but also, being an event of such caliber, he wanted to be able to enjoy her and make her companions also enjoy every second they spent there.

In addition, on a few days when there were activities and games of some sport among the students of the center, I was also waiting to see what Letitia had prepared, who, although her condition prevented her from participating in sports tournaments, on more than one occasion He had shown his talent for music. It could well be that she surprised them with her group at some outdoor concert.

"I was going to tell you," Oscar began, addressing Albert, once they had reached the front of the building, "are you sure it's all right that he came? I say this, more than anything, for your father and your sister.”

Peter Northrop was planning to come, from what he understood. But, knowing that his son had invited Oscar, he went back on his decision without even bothering to come up with a proper excuse.

And Oscar knew very well that Albert didn't mind that he went instead of his father, but he couldn't say the same about Letitia. Wouldn't it bother her if her father wasn't present at his end-of-year festival?

"It's not your fault he didn't want to come," the villain had replied. “If he was so against sharing the same space as you, well he could have used the family carriage to go to London, take a different train or whatever. There are a thousand ways to avoid people we don't like without neglecting those we do care about.”

“Despite the fact that it is so, it would have been simpler if he had accompanied us. Or is it that you don't want to see his daughter?”

“That… It's not entirely accurate. My father is a person as stubborn as he is busy; It is not the first time that he delegates me to go, alone, to visit Letitia. She is also aware of this and, although it is true that she would be happy that her father came to see her, I don't think she would be upset that he decided to cancel it at the last moment. Of all, it is not the first time.”

“The fact that Letitia is such a good girl that she doesn't show herself angry or sad in the face of such rudeness doesn't mean that she doesn't feel that way either.”

"That's true." After a pause in which he must have considered his options, Albert pointed. “So I guess we'll have to make an effort to make Letitia have a good time on her last days of school, so that she doesn't have time to remember that our busy father couldn't come.”

"It's nothing you ask," laughed Oscar, thinking that Albert had undoubtedly had a complicated mission to accomplish on those occasions when he had to visit his sister alone.

Fortunately for him, Letitia made it easy for him. And this time, like the previous ones, it would be no exception.

Outside the school everything seemed calm, even though on the first of the two open days there was even more traffic than usual on the streets adjacent to the boarding school. Now, inside the building and especially in the extensive gardens that it had, a busy crowd was walking around the area, enjoying the day with their loved ones or preparing for some activity that would soon be exposed.

And it is that it reminded a bit of a fair.

The outside, which was where most of the staff were concentrated, had been decorated with garlands and stalls. The latter was not available as many as during the event at Seymour's house but hey, it was similar. There was at least one stall for each class, staffed by students from Cheltenham, where handicrafts made during the course were displayed, games of chance were held, or sweets and drinks were sold to whet the appetite before lunchtime.

A stage was set up in the center of the place. Several girls were still putting the finishing touches on their props, while others were busy checking that the dozens of chairs that were arranged in front of the place were properly placed. Well, from what Oscar and the others found out, that stage would not only be used to carry out the graduation ceremony for the final year students, but between several classes they had prepared some music and theater shows.

On the other side of the gardens, where the sports courts were, they were also preparing to organize a tennis match that would start in a couple of hours.

Very close to there, as if that were not enough, some teachers were beginning to set up some tables: They placed them under an awning, to protect them from sunlight, with the intention of using them to serve a lunch on it that, at noon, would be offered to all those people.

Now, sports competitions, stage shows and exhibitions would not be the only thing that would take place on those days. Contests were also organized where the learning capacity that its participants had developed throughout the semester would be put to the test.

In short, with all this it was not surprising that the people who lived in Cheltenham were busier than usual, going from here to there, making it difficult for Oscar's group to find Letitia.

When they finally found her, she had just left the building, escorted by four other girls, one of whom Oscar was immediately able to identify as Beatrice Mullins, the same young woman who had been accompanying the Northrops during the Seymours' event last summer. From the way they were seen talking and laughing in the distance, you could guess that they were friends of hers. Perhaps they would be in the same class, although that was not guaranteed.

Albert's sister had an outgoing character, so it would make much more sense that those girls belonged to different grades; Oscar didn't think that someone as nice as her would limit herself to relating only to those who remained in her immediate circle. Proof of this was that she and Theresa had become good friends, even though they were two or three years apart in age and didn't even see each other as often as they would have liked.

Making sure that Albert was there, barely twenty meters away from her, Letitia hurried to say goodbye momentarily to her companions and, when they left her alone with her family, she proceeded to push the wheelchair through the gardens. Of course, getting the wheels to move on a surface like this wasn't ideal, and it was costly. And, despite being used to moving on the thin layer of grass that covered the entire grounds, as soon as he saw her intention to come towards them, Albert did not hesitate to approach so that Letitia would not have to make that effort.

Both Theresa and Oscar followed him, the former still impressed by the greatness of that institution, without taking her eyes off her surroundings, and the latter in a good mood, expecting to be able to see a friend again after so many months without any contact.

Just as they imagined, Letitia welcomed them with a smile and kind words. She was delighted to receive her brother and friends, asking them briefly about how they were and how they had taken the trip to the Coswolds. All this a prelude to finally inquire:

"May I know what happened to father?" Seeing that Albert hesitated before answering, she hastened to add. “On his last visit he told me that he was planning to come to the graduation ceremony.”

"About that, it seems that a setback has arisen with one of our suppliers," he replied, perhaps somewhat uncomfortable despite the fact that he had already expected that question. “He has had to leave immediately for his factory, so much so that he barely even had a chance to say goodbye to me. But hey, it's okay, in a couple of weeks we'll meet him in London.”

"I hope it wasn't anything serious."

"It's probably nothing he can't fix, it's just that those issues need to be taken care of without delay, so that a bigger problem doesn't form."

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"You don't need to explain to me what I already know," Letitia informed him, and with a reassuring tone, she concluded. “Don't worry about me, it doesn't bother me. It's just that I thought it was weird that he would back down like that at the last minute.”

“He told me that he had sent you a letter explaining everything.”

"He did, in fact I received it a few days ago."

The pause that occurred at that moment, together with the thoughtful tone that Letitia had taken to expose that last sentence, came to indicate that even the girl herself noticed something unusual in all that. Her father might occasionally renege on a promise to come to see her, whether on business or for some other reason of a similar nature that required immediate attention. But, what was seen to be unusual was leaving her daughter standing up with so little room for reaction.

As it was, and perhaps noticing that not even her brother was comfortable with the situation, Letitia resolved in a jovial tone:

"In any case, I'll see him when we meet in London. For now, why don't we try to take advantage of the event and have some fun? I have so much to show you before the games begin…! Ah, Theresa, would you like to take a look inside the building? I think it's a good time to walk around and show you what the classrooms are like.”

"Oh, but can you get in?"

Although Theresa had already seen some non-Chertenham people enter the building and slip through the normally off-limits corridors, unhindered, she hadn't expected to be offered a guided tour of the building so quickly... Not after seeing everything they had set up in the back of the compound.

“Of course. I would go so far as to say that now is the best time for it, since there are not too many people yet and, furthermore, it is still early for all the stalls and activities to be operating here abroad.”

"If so, I'd like to make that visit now, please."

"Great, let's go!" Turning to Oscar, she asked a question that sounded more like a suggestion to which she was hoping to receive an affirmative answer. “You will come too, right?”

“Of course, after all, one doesn't often get the opportunity to walk around one of the best known boarding schools in all of England.”

Oscar said this with his best tone of interest, although the truth was that the school—and everything concerning it—didn't matter to him at all. He had only come to have a good time with Letitia and the others, he did not have the slightest curiosity about the educational program or the facilities of a school in which he would never have the opportunity to study. If he had said otherwise, it was because, well, he had to be polite, right?

Still, one silver lining to this was that he would be able to spend more time with Albert, without having to worry about the crowds that were beginning to mill around Cheltenham Gardens. Or well, that was what he thought until the aforementioned said:

"So, go take a look inside while I take the opportunity to talk to your teachers," he told Letitia and, addressing everyone, excused himself. “I'm afraid I've already seen the building too much, and it's likely to be more of a hindrance than a help when visiting it again.”

"Better this way, yes," hastened to say her sister between laughs; she didn't seem the least bit disappointed by this sudden resolution. “We will save ourselves from being looked at badly for asking too many intrusive questions or for insisting on checking that the accesses to the bedrooms are well located.”

"I-I wouldn't do such a thing anymore. The school has not been able to change so much in a matter of a year.”

"Does that mean you would if a little more time had passed?"

“I wouldn´t”

That refusal sounded more like an affirmation than anything else, but Letitia didn't care: Old habits were hard to change.

After telling Albert where he could find the headmistress and a small group of teachers who had taught him and whose exact position he knew in this labyrinth of various attractions, they both agreed that they would see each other again in an hour, at that same point where they parted. Be that as it may, there was still a long way to go before Letitia was required for any activity; there was no rush to return.

Oscar had a tiny moment of indecision then, realizing that he and the villain would part ways. Would he really have to stay with the girls? Couldn't he accompany Albert?

But, again, that indecision only lasted a few seconds, while Albert commented on what his plan was. That is to say, Oscar had little desire to walk around an old building, finding out about all the possibilities and anecdotes it offered to the young women who had the good fortune to stay and live there, but he found it an even less attractive plan to go bother to a compendium of teachers to ask about anything related to Letitia!

Tutoring had always been a pain in the ass for him in his own time and even if they didn't even deal with him... In short, it was the complete formula to cure his insomnia.

Thinking that it had been a good idea to let Albert do the work that his father couldn't do due to his absence, Oscar didn't take any longer to escort the girls to the building.

Although he wasn't too excited at first—and, in fact, he would have gone with Albert had it not been for the fact that what he intended to do sounded like he would have to put up with even more soporific talk— he soon changed his mind as he pushed Letitia's chair through the rooms and corridors that she indicated, pausing from time to time to explain a thing or two about the rooms they were leaving behind.

“Well?” Letitia had inquired at a certain point, after almost three quarters of an hour of walking and having already covered a good part of the boarding school. “What do you think? I have to point out that normally there is not so much commotion, it is much quieter around here.”

"It's nothing like any school I've ever seen!" Theresa noted correctly; she had only been to one school in her life, before her parents hired Miss Groves, and things weren't nearly as well organized there as they were in Cheltenham. “The facilities are spacious and well decorated. It seems that you have a good amount of study material and, from what you tell, the teachers also have the necessary level. In truth, it even makes me want to stay and study here!”

“We also have a library which I think you'll like, it's three times the size of the one we have at Thornfield.”

“I want to see!”

"We can go right now, if that's okay."

She made that last sentence, addressing Oscar, who was still absorbed in contemplation of the halls and cloisters through which they passed. It was true that this scene seemed taken from a movie! No wonder the rich paid so much for their children to stay and study in that place. I did not know how the lessons would unfold, but only because of the architecture that was glimpsed, the furniture that seemed to be taken from a catalog of collector's items and the academic material offered for the classes along with some rules that Letitia was commenting on as they progressed I knew it was a first class school.

"Let's go," she finally agreed, and as they made their way to the aforementioned library, she commented. “I have to say that, as much as these places impress me, I would not stay in one. On a visit yes, but more than that… They must be fucking demanding with the students!”

"But isn't that good?" Theresa asked, making the other think that there were people who became masochistic from a young age.

"Your abilities may improve, but my gray matter suffers! Although I think you, Theresa, would do well in a place like this. I just think I'm not cut out for a place where they demand so much of me. Not because of my intelligence or track record, but because I think I would be overwhelmed and not be able to measure up.”

"I'm sure that wouldn't have been the case," Letitia put in. “You have the ability, what happens is that you haven't had a chance to show it and that's why now you feel overwhelmed. But I know you could.”

“Nah, in my time I went to university and the same thing overwhelmed me”, thought Oscar, but he didn't disagree. Perhaps in his time he was overwhelmed by meeting his goals in a public school, even without having the high level that these schools for nobles required, but it must have been much worse not to measure up and on top of that thinking about what it cost spend a semester here. Come on, more pressure added.

Oscar didn't want to keep imagining it.

"Wouldn't you like to study here?" Letitia asked, startling him, though he quickly realized that the question was directed at Theresa. “You are the right age and, with your efforts, I am sure you would be well received.”

"I'd like to but I couldn't," she said. “I don't know how much it would cost to take a single course here, but I'm sure it's far more than my father could afford.”

“There are scholarships for that, you could apply for one. They might still make you pay something, but the sum would be greatly reduced.”

"I don't know... would my parents agree to such a thing? They never liked that I dedicated myself so much to my studies, they say it's a waste of time and energy. That knowing what they taught us at home comes to me.”

"And you agree with that?"

“Not really. That's one of the reasons I keep reading, even though I've been told countless times that I should stop reading so much. But they are the ones who put up the money and I don't think they are willing to put it up for this purpose, especially knowing that father has not yet recovered from the losses in the business.”

"Perhaps if you tell them that by coming here you might have a better chance of hunting down a rich husband…" Oscar muttered. “But the scholarship thing sounds infinitely better, for Mr. Cornell it would be a relief to know that he gets away with paying something. It does not matter that.”

"Let's do something, I'll ask the headmistress for information about it," Letitia suggested. “You take a look and if it interests you or if you see that you could access the school, I will help you enroll. If this is not the case, nothing happens. Nothing is lost by taking a look at all the options.”

It was quite possible that Theresa had been entranced by everything she had seen that morning and, also, by everything Letitia had told her about the school not only during that day but also in her letters. Because she did not put more objections in accessing. What harm could it do, anyway? She no longer had it insured, but nothing would prevent her from dreaming for a while longer.

The three of them reached the library a few minutes later. Letitia was in charge, not only of guiding them through the multiple rows of shelves that made up the room, but also of introducing them to some of her friends with whom they happened to coincide. Friends who, by the way, began to talk with Theresa about the pros and cons of boarding school as soon as they knew that she would be interested in staying in those parts.

Oscar, not wanting to hear that kind of sectarian debate, thought of going off to browse the shelves while the girls finished their tirade. He hadn't expected that, having moved only a few feet from the table around which they were gathered, he would have to listen to a sermon of a different kind.

"Can we talk alone for a minute?"

Letitia had separated from the group, after making sure that Theresa was comfortable with her friends, with the intention of going in search of Oscar and, it was likely from the quiet tone she used when calling him, starting a conversation that she would not want to have in the company of Oscar. third parties.

So what could Oscar do but agree? It had been a long time since he and Letitia had sat down to talk. Despite the fact that that morning, since he arrived and while they were taking the tour of the school, they had talked about innumerable things, they had not delved into anything that had happened in Snodland, or in the lives of its inhabitants by the way, in recent months.

Anyway, once alone, in the middle of one of the long rows of shelves, Letitia didn't hold back when she inquired:

"Are you dating my brother?"

 

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