Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 22

22. Where the Rugby Ball Will Bounce

A rugby ball is unpredictable. Unlike a perfect sphere, the oval-shaped ball disregards the intentions of the thrower and decides its own direction.

In Richard Spencer’s life, such unpredictable bounces were rare, except during actual rugby matches. Despite appearances, he lived a highly regimented and mechanical life, keeping a wall between himself and others to avoid unforeseen situations.

A Prussen philosopher once said that when he went out for a walk, people in the vicinity could tell it was precisely 6:15 p.m. without checking their clocks.[1] While Richard didn’t exhibit such obsessive compulsiveness, his daily walks made it clear to people that it was somewhere between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. Nobles, after all, traditionally allowed themselves a 15-minute margin of flexibility when it came to time.

Watching Richard, Sebastian often felt like beating his chest in frustration, complaining that his young master never ventured out or had any fun, which kept him tied to the house as well. He would grumble, even teasing Richard for seeming to take a vow of chastity despite his appearance.

However, lately, Richard’s life had veered unpredictably, much like the path of a rugby ball. His current situation—abandoning duties he should have fulfilled, accepting unwelcome propositions, and spending nearly an entire day in the same space with someone as inscrutable as Grace Gurton—was an example.

And that rugby ball was Grace Gurton herself. The woman who had dragged Richard Spencer out of his predictable life with her erratic, rolling movements, constantly keeping him on edge as she defied expectations.

“I-it’s such a relief that the Madam is alright.”

Grace carefully chose her words, trying to lighten the tense atmosphere inside the carriage. She and Richard Spencer were currently traveling to Bath, alone together in the carriage.

She was struggling desperately to calm her pounding heart. Lady Mary Montague had used her busy schedule as an excuse to send Grace ahead to Bath and had asked Richard to accompany her.

“There’s no issue at all. It seems the strain from the long journey and her packed schedule had been too much. With sufficient rest, she should recover her strength.”

The Spencer family physician, who had been urgently summoned, had assured Richard that Mary’s condition was not serious. Richard, who had been aware of her congenital heart condition, felt immense relief at the physician’s assessment that her condition had not worsened.

“Indeed.”

Richard answered Grace’s words absentmindedly, gazing out the window.

“S-still, it seems necessary to keep monitoring her closely.”

“Didn’t the physician already confirm that my aunt’s health is fine?”

Though Richard agreed with Grace’s suggestion, he couldn’t completely dismiss her concern. After all, Lady Mary Montague had lived her entire life managing a weak heart.

He had only wanted to challenge her words. It was irritating to see Grace already acting like a dutiful adopted daughter, seemingly trying to score points with Lady Montague.

“S-still, I want to take good care of her moving forward.”

“You, Miss Gurton?”

“Y-yes. Even though the physician said she’s fine, I… I still feel uneasy.”

“Thank you. That’s a kind sentiment.”

The physician, acting on Lady Montague’s request, had deliberately downplayed her condition when speaking to Richard. Unaware of this, Richard had relaxed his furrowed brows and nodded in agreement after hearing the report.

Thus, only three people in Ingrint were privy to the truth about Lady Montague’s condition: the lady herself, the family physician, and Grace Gurton. This knowledge was the reason for Grace’s change of heart.

Initially, she had intended to refuse Lady Montague’s offer of adoption. Though she was tempted by the prospect of the Royal Library and her connection to Richard Spencer, she had resisted the allure.

Her plan was to stay by Lady Montague’s side until the end of the social season, as requested, and then return to Grentabridge. This was what Grace had firmly decided as of the morning Mary Montague had collapsed.

The world outside the cave was intriguing, but the comfort inside was undeniable. She weighed the allure of novelty against the coziness of the cave countless times, yet her decision always leaned slightly toward comfort.

Young Grace Gurton loved discovering new things and had an insatiable curiosity. However, having experienced numerous hardships before coming to Grentabridge, her desire for a stable life now far outweighed her curiosity about the unknown. Sometimes, nurture overtakes nature.

But after hearing directly from Lady Montague about her illness, it wasn’t curiosity or her longing for stability that pushed Grace to change her mind—it was sympathy and a sense of responsibility. She couldn’t bear to leave a sick person alone and felt gratitude toward the benefactor who had taken her in.

Lady Montague’s words, asking her to take care of Anthony Montague after her passing, also broke Grace’s heart. The thought of a childless woman worrying about her husband’s loneliness mirrored the grief Grace’s own mother must have felt when she left her daughter behind in the world.

And so, Grace Gurton reversed her decision. Though the strange and fascinating world might contain a mad hatter, an eccentric March Hare, an irate Duchess, and a queen quick to shout “Off with their heads,” it might also hold a Cheshire Cat, gently assuring her that any path she chose would be fine.

Meanwhile, as Grace Gurton firmed her resolve in this Wonderland, the Lion King Richard Spencer sat across from her, as irritable and on edge as a starving cat after a failed hunt.

It was infuriating to see Grace Gurton acting as though she were already Lady Montague’s daughter. Before Richard could intervene in the matter of her adoption, Lady Montague had collapsed, and Grace Gurton promptly announced her intention to accept the offer.

Her earlier hesitation and claim to “need time to think” had merely been a façade. Grace’s seamless pivot had even fooled Richard Spencer, a master of Ingrintian subtlety who could navigate the nation’s convoluted rhetoric better than anyone.

Claiming concern for Lady Montague’s health left Richard without grounds for objection. He wasn’t Lady Montague’s legal guardian, nor could he care for her personally. The rugby ball took advantage of this gap, soaring unpredictably.

After concluding his meeting with the physician and returning to the estate to meet Eleanor, his fiancée from Gallia, Richard received word that Mary Montague had regained consciousness. Only then did he hastily ride back to Chelsea to speak with her privately.

“Richard, were you very worried?”

“What do you think?”

Seeing that she was fine, Richard spoke reproachfully, only for Mary to give a faint, apologetic smile.

“Richard, I’m perfectly fine now.”

“You still need to be cautious. Haven’t you always struggled with your heart?”

Richard meticulously scanned Mary’s face once more. Fortunately, her complexion didn’t look bad.

“I’ve been managing it well enough. It’s thanks to having lived so long in sunny foreign lands.”

Mary chuckled softly. Richard silently nodded.

“Eleanor has arrived, hasn’t she?”

She shifted the topic.

“Yes, she has.”

“How was it seeing her after so long? She must have changed a lot.”

Mary Montague’s tone was probing. Long ago, Mary had met Eleanor d’Estrée, Richard Spencer’s betrothed. At the time, both Richard and Eleanor had been young.

“I couldn’t really tell if she’s changed.”

Richard answered honestly. His memories of Eleanor’s features were faint, making it difficult to identify what had changed or stayed the same now that he had met her again.

Moreover, Eleanor’s speech patterns remained unchanged. Her Ingrintian was still clumsy and awkward. While it had improved compared to ten years ago, it was unimpressive for someone who had been studying the language for a decade.

In sum, Richard’s response was truthful. Eleanor d’Estrée hadn’t changed in some ways, and even where she had, Richard had been too indifferent to notice.

It was then that Lady Montague posed a question Richard didn’t wish to answer.

“Did she appeal to your heart?”

Translator’s Footnote:

[1] This anecdote appears to be inspired by a real historical figure: Immanuel Kant, the famous German philosopher. Kant was renowned for his extreme punctuality and rigid routine. According to accounts, the residents of Königsberg (now Kaliningrad, Russia) were said to set their clocks by his daily walks, which always occurred at the same time each day—around 3:30 PM.