Grace in Wonderland - Chapter 46

46. Pig and Pepper

When Richard Spencer answered the summons and went down to the drawing room, Countess Elaine Spencer was in the middle of sneezing incessantly. This was because she was drinking Indus-style black tea, which had become fashionable among Ingrint’s nobility.

Indus-style black tea contained as many spices as tea leaves. Even nobles who once dismissed such drinks as unpalatable would serve trays filled with spice bowls to guests visiting their homes.

Regardless of personal taste, offering something expensive was crucial for maintaining one’s dignity. Spices imported from the Indus were heavily taxed, making them more expensive than gold. Among the wealthy, there was no better demonstration of etiquette than extravagance.

The Countess of Spencer valued decorum regardless of whether she had guests or not. As a result, her maids always added a generous amount of spices to her tea. This habit left the drawing room of the Spencer estate perpetually filled with a sharp, spicy scent of pepper, lingering like smoke.

“You called for me.”

Richard greeted the Countess with a stiff expression. Even after his arrival, the Countess covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief in her left hand, while clinging to Lancelot with her right.

“Come in.”

The last time Richard Spencer had sat down for a conversation with his mother was three years ago. That was before he left for Grentabridge, during tea with the Earl of Spencer in preparation for the parliamentary session in Lydon. Today was their first such meeting since.

It had likely been ten years since the Countess had personally summoned Richard. Given their strained relationship, colder than that of strangers, there could be only one reason for this meeting: Richard Spencer’s engagement.

“Richard.”

Lancelot gently pushed away the Countess’s hand and called out to him. Across from them, Eleanor d’Estrée, sitting weakly, blinked a few times upon seeing Richard before lowering her gaze with a disinterested expression.

Richard silently took a seat beside Eleanor. Though he had rolled about in self-reproach in his bedroom earlier, this was a formal setting. His demeanor here adhered to all the principles of composure and etiquette, clinging to him like a second skin.

“What is it about?”

Richard’s eyes did not leave the colorful spice dishes as he spoke. His tone was as sharp and biting as the spices themselves.

“It is regarding,” the Countess dabbed her reddened eyes with her handkerchief as she replied, “your engagement ceremony with Eleanor.”

Richard nodded slightly without a word.

Now that Eleanor d’Estrée had arrived in Ingrint, the topic was unavoidable. Moreover, his sudden decision to enroll in college had delayed the engagement by three years, already a considerable discourtesy to her.

“We were thinking Eleanor could have the engagement ceremony this fall, return to Gallia, and then come back in the spring for the wedding.”

“What are the exact dates?”

“The engagement will be mid-October, after the social season begins. The wedding will be in June—brides always dream of being June brides, after all.”

“I see.”

Richard nodded concisely. This marriage had been arranged even before his birth.

“Isn’t an engagement period from October this year to June next year rather short, Mother?”

At that moment, Lancelot spoke up. His tone, usually dripping with honeyed kindness, was now tinged with dissatisfaction.

“What I mean is, wouldn’t the time be too tight for wedding preparations? It would also be taxing for Eleanor to travel back and forth between Ingrint and Gallia. Isn’t Charlotte estate a ten-day carriage ride even after disembarking in Normand?”

Lancelot himself seemed startled by his raised voice and quickly sought to amend his words and apologize.

“My Lancelot is ever so thoughtful,” the Countess said with a pleased smile, stroking the back of her younger son’s hand. Her voice, nasal and thick, suggested her sneezing fit had taken its toll.

“I’ll take note of that. Please discuss the remaining matters directly with Lady d’Estrée’s attendants.”

Richard rose from his seat, signaling that he had no further interest in the conversation. He intended only to sign the marriage contract exchanged between the families.

For centuries, the Spencer family had expanded its influence through strategic marriages. To them, a marriage without mutual gain was inconceivable. The Spencers always arranged marriages for their sons and daughters under terms that ensured they received far more than they gave.

Richard Spencer and Eleanor d’Estrée’s marriage was one such example. If they married, the Spencer family would gain free use of 200,000 acres of Gallia’s most fertile land.

The geography and weather of Ingrint were ill-suited for agriculture. By contrast, southern Gallia, with its abundant sunlight and rich soil, was an ideal location for cultivating diverse crops. Few disputed the theory that Ingrint’s dreadful food culture originated from its poor lands.

A decade ago, the smallpox epidemic that swept across the continent and the potato crisis in Aire forced Ingrint’s wealthy families to turn their eyes away from barren Brighton and begin purchasing fertile lands in other countries. This shift underscored the critical importance of securing reliable crop supplies.

The Spencer family was no different. They acquired vast territories in the New World at low prices, planting wheat and corn across endless plains.

The problem was the distance. Transporting supplies took too long. From the New World to Ingrint, a month by land and another by sea were necessary for delivery.

Thus, Richard’s grandfather, the former Earl, decided to leverage his grandson’s marriage. Discarding previous agreements, he demanded prime land from the d’Estrée family in Gallia. Remarkably, the initial suggestion came from teenage Richard Spencer himself.

Eleanor’s father, the Duke of Charlotte, expressed reservations. Yet Richard’s grandfather remained resolute. After numerous heated discussions, they reached an agreement: a contract guaranteeing the Spencer family free land use for 50 years.

Throughout these negotiations, Richard Spencer was absent. He held no interest in Eleanor d’Estrée or marriage. To Richard, marriage was not a personal matter. By proposing terms favorable to the Spencers, he considered his duty fulfilled.

Even now, his stance remained unchanged. To Richard, it sufficed to understand the schedule and appear on the days of the engagement and wedding. He had no desire to involve himself further.

However, the indifference of this betrothed man was challenged by none other than Eleanor d’Estrée herself. She rose and extended her hand toward Richard.

“Let’s have a conversation.”

Without protest, Richard placed her hand on his arm. He offered a brief nod to the Countess and Lancelot before leaving the drawing room with Eleanor.

Lancelot’s forehead creased deeply as he remained partially embraced by the Countess, but she, preoccupied with her sneezing, failed to notice.

***

“Richard, do you love me?”

The moment they entered the garden, Eleanor abruptly asked. Unprepared for such a question, Richard’s expression revealed his surprise.

“We are getting married, correct, Richard?”

“That is correct.”

Questions framed as factual statements were easy to answer. Richard affirmed without hesitation.

“But you don’t love me.”

“……”

Though this, too, was a factual statement, Richard found himself unable to answer immediately and remained silent.

“Nor have I ever felt love for you.”

“……”

Likewise, he suppressed the urge to nod and waited for her to continue.

“I came to Ingrint to find love.”

“……”

“A marriage without love would be a sorrowful thing for me.”

Richard’s left temple throbbed. Were these truly Eleanor d’Estrée’s words? She was old enough and positioned well enough to understand the nature of aristocratic marriages. Bringing up love now seemed out of place.

“What is it that you want to do?”

What would happen if she suggested canceling the marriage? In the brief moment he pondered this, Richard’s thoughts raced: they would first declare her change of heart as the reason for breaking off the engagement, then confirm it, and finally discuss next steps with his father…

Fortunately, Eleanor could not read his mind. Even Richard himself barely recognized these musings as he entertained them absentmindedly.

“Spend time with me.”

That rendered his thoughts irrelevant. Eleanor’s words struck Richard’s temple once more, and he resisted the urge to touch the sore spot.

He asked for confirmation, “Pardon?”

Eleanor, in the confident manner befitting a fiancée, declared to Richard, “Let’s go to the ball at the Assembly Room. Together.”