Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 140

140. Side Story IX

“It’s wonderful news,” said Graham Harold. He looked genuinely pleased.

Richard couldn’t believe his ears. Was this man truly pleased to see someone else’s wife gagging?

“Graham!”

Since marrying Grace, Richard Spencer’s temper had softened considerably. What point was there in getting angry or upset in a joyful home?

However, his inner peace had begun to crack a week ago. And now, the dam holding it together had just burst with a thunderous roar, all because of Graham Harold’s nonsense.

“Do you have a death wish?”

Richard had worked hard to speak properly and politely in front of Grace. The crude language he sometimes used—words like “this bastard” or “that bastard”—was reserved for Sebastian’s presence alone. True, he employed vulgar language during certain intimate moments at night, but that was a separate matter.

In any case, for the first time in ages, Richard raised his voice with a fierce expression on his face, loud enough for even the maids in the laundry room to hear.

“P-please don’t, Richard.”

Grace instinctively placed a hand over her abdomen and grabbed Richard’s arm with the other. She could feel his body trembling beneath her touch.

“Grace, that bastard—”

Richard Spencer was not one to hold back. He considered this situation an insult and would have challenged Graham Harold to a duel without hesitation.

“Richard, stop it. You’ll frighten the Young Countess.”

“Get out! Get out right now!”

Graham Harold seemed utterly unfazed by Richard’s outburst. On the contrary, he nonchalantly brushed back his silver hair and gazed softly at Grace.

“Calm yourself, Young Master.”

Unable to endure the escalating tension, Sebastian stepped forward. Protocol and decorum aside, restoring order to the scene was his priority.

If anyone here truly needed to leave, it was the one shouting—Richard Spencer. Of the four people present, three were aware of the situation, leaving only Richard oblivious.

This was precisely why, when Richard had debated between joining the Royal Naval Academy at Dartmouth or Christ Church College at Grentabridge, Sebastian had unhesitatingly recommended Grentabridge.

With such a lack of tact and situational awareness, how could Richard possibly survive in the military? He’d either be labeled an officer’s nightmare or an absolute troublemaker.

“Do I look calm to you? Grace is so unwell! Her diary was filled with nothing but entries about feeling sick!”

There it was—officer’s nightmare or absolute troublemaker.

Imagine boasting about reading your wife’s private diary, as if it were something to be proud of. And why had he read it in the first place…?

“W-what?”

Grace pulled away from Richard and stared at him, her expression one of undisguised shock.

“You… you read my diary, Richard?”

“That’s…!”

Hearing her question snapped Richard back to his senses. The broken dam hadn’t just swept away his current peace; it had also carried off any hopes of future harmony.

“Well…”

Graham Harold, sensing a shift in the atmosphere, quickly changed tactics and inserted himself into the conversation.

As entertaining as it was to watch someone else’s house go up in flames or witness a lovers’ quarrel, he had no interest in seeing a fight over a husband reading his wife’s private diary. Such a petty conflict was beneath him.

“I think it’s time I take my leave, Lady Spencer.”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Didn’t you just tell me to leave, Richard?”

Richard found himself at a loss, caught between contradicting his earlier statement or letting Graham go. Seizing the moment, Graham stepped closer to Grace.

“May divine grace be with you, my lady.”

“M-Marquess Harold…”

Grace immediately recognized the sacredness of his blessing. Standing in the eye of the storm, she accepted his congratulatory gesture and extended her hand.

“I-I hope your words prove true.”

Graham reverently kissed the back of Grace’s hand. Then, as Richard stood dumbfounded and Sebastian gaped at their exchange, Graham clapped Richard on the shoulder and whispered.

“I’ll collect my thanks later, Spencer.”

With that, Graham Harold left, leaving behind the stunned Richard, the reflective Grace, and the open-mouthed Sebastian.

The Archangel Gabriel said: “Rejoice, favored one. You shall conceive and bear a child.”

The woman replied: “I am the servant of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.”[1]

It was the perfect annunciation.

***

Lady Mary Montague had only spent a few months with Grace Spencer, yet the impact she had on Grace was profound. She shattered the chain-like values that had bound Grace for ten years.

Grace had been content to settle into reality, uncertain of what she liked or wanted, and often found herself swept along by circumstances. But meeting the bold and unflinching Mary Montague and taking her advice to heart transformed Grace in many ways. Even requesting Richard Spencer’s help to lay the foundation for a girls’ school in Grentabridge was a result of Mary Montague’s last wishes and her legacy.

Along with Lady Montague’s advice “Live your life doing what you want, and don’t do what you don’t want to,” there was another phrase that changed Grace Spencer’s life.

“Experience your friends. If you judge them to be worth keeping, hold onto them tightly. It’s better not to get involved in fights, but if you do, make sure to teach them a lesson. Make them understand they have to respect you.”

“Get to know your friends, and if you judge them to be worth keeping, hold on to them tightly. It’s best to avoid getting into fights, but if you do, make sure to teach them a lesson. Act in a way that makes them treat you with respect.”

Grace had already implemented the part about holding onto those she found worthy. Her best friend, partner, and companion was Richard Spencer, and he was tightly bound to her.

On the other hand, she had never acted on the advice about fights. Grace and Richard got along too well to ever quarrel.

Before marriage, Richard had committed countless errors against Grace. However, those were born of ignorance, and Grace had generously accepted his apologies. It was better to avoid fights.

But this time was different. Richard Spencer had acted like a thieving cat, stealing someone’s diary to read it—a wholly inappropriate act for a cultured nobleman.

In this case, Grace Spencer had only one course of action: since the fight has begun, she must teach them a lesson.

“Grace…”

Grace lay in bed, ignoring Richard’s desperate plea. Instead, she asked Sebastian to summon the family physician.

“It wasn’t intentional. I was so worried. That’s why I did it.”

“……”

“You wouldn’t tell me, and I was anxious to the point of breaking. Even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn’t help myself.”

“……”

A shadow of despair crossed Richard’s face. Grace had never looked so cold, her lips firmly shut.

“My aunt,”

Richard began, rambling without realizing what he was saying.

“My aunt was a patient for as long as I can remember.”

“……”

“She was like a mother to me, and it terrified me to see her unwell.”

“……”

“Every time she coughed heavily or struggled to breathe, I feared she wouldn’t survive.”

“……”

“But my aunt despised me looking at her that way.”

“……”

“So she kept trying to hide it. And there was nothing I could do for her. I wasn’t her biological child; we spent so much time apart… I felt so powerless.”

“……”

“And then, when I suddenly heard she had passed… I was devastated.”

“……”

“If something like that were to happen to me again, I wouldn’t be able to bear it. The reason I couldn’t ask about your health, despite seeing you in decline, was because she came to mind. You didn’t seem to want to talk about it… But it’s been eating me up inside.”

“……”

“That’s why I had to find out what you were thinking, no matter what. It was wrong, but…”

As she listened to Richard’s heartfelt confession, Grace let out a deep sigh.

This isn’t fair.

How could she possibly teach Richard Spencer a lesson now? It seemed she loved the hidden side of Janus too much.

“Please, tell me now. Where does it hurt? What can I do to help? I don’t want to lose someone I love again without even being able to try and help.”

Holding Grace’s hand, Richard pleaded earnestly.

Author’s Footnote:

[1] Partially modified from Luke 1:26–38 in the Catholic Bible