16. I Was Being Protected All Along
Overnight, I recovered from my confusion. There was no point in dwelling on it, and eavesdropping was wrong. Perhaps I’m more resilient than I thought.
Besides, my inability to ask my stepmother anything directly—that is my own failing. It would be wrong of me to blame her when I have faults of my own.
I hadn’t slept well, but it gave me time to sort through my thoughts. Right now, no one is calling me unattractive. Now that I’ve realized it, I first need to get used to this new reality.
That morning, when I went down for breakfast, a letter was waiting for me. It was from Hugues. I immediately broke the seal in the entrance hall and read it.
Yesterday was wonderful. The time I spend with you is my solace, and I find myself growing impatient. I am sure you would prefer to let more time pass, so how about we go into town tomorrow? If your schedule allows, I would be delighted… I promise not to embrace you so suddenly again, so please do not worry. I love you. From your Hugues.
Standing in the entrance hall, my face turned bright red. I quickly stuffed the letter into my pocket and covered my cheeks with both hands to cool them down, though it did little good.
I would write my reply after breakfast. Of course, I would be delighted, I’d say. And the matter of the arranged marriage… I would ask Hugues about it. I just needed to unravel the mystery, one piece at a time.
I took a deep breath before opening the dining room door and went inside.
Between seeing my stepmother’s face and the letter from Hugues, I wasn’t sure if I could act normally, but I managed to regain some composure and took my seat.
“Oh my, Sheryl. Did something nice happen?”
“M-Mother…! Um, a letter just arrived from Hugues…”
“Elder Sister, you’re already calling him by his first name? Things are going well. I wonder if I’ll be calling him ‘Brother-in-law’ soon.”
“Jule, don’t you start teasing me too.”
Just talking about the letter made the heat rush back to my face.
Despite my blushing, I enjoyed a normal, pleasant breakfast. Afterward, I hurried to my room to pen a reply. It’s alright, I’m acting normally. …Perhaps this, too, was thanks to the sense of security that having Hugues in my life gave me. Even when he wasn’t here, he was protecting me.
I had no plans for tomorrow, so I wrote that I would be delighted to go, and asked what time and where we should meet… It was embarrassing, but I signed the letter, From your Sheryl. The actual letter was much longer and more rambling, but that was the gist of it.
I gave it to a messenger and immediately began choosing my clothes and shoes for the next day. Hugues would surely want to offer his arm, so I decided on a hat instead of a parasol… A white hat should go well with a light-colored outfit. A-line light blue dress with white stripes, cinched at the high waist with a white ribbon belt… it should be a nice combination.
This sense of style was something my stepmother had cultivated in me for years. Even my three friends, whom I still see from time to time, tell me I’m fashionable.
…
On the day of our date, since I would be wearing a hat, I opted for a simple half-updo. I tied my hair with a light blue ribbon and began my makeup.
Since my realization yesterday, I saw just how much I resembled my real mother. The feeling I had cherished for so long—my love for my ice-blue eyes and gray hair—now felt like I was applying makeup to my real mother’s face. It was more enjoyable than nerve-wracking.
This was the first time Hugues and I would be meeting during the day since that party. I kept the makeup light so as not to seem strange, adding a touch of fresh color to my eyes.
If I pretended it wasn’t my own face, doing my makeup was actually quite fun.
When I arrived at our meeting place by carriage, Hugues was, as expected, already there, much earlier than the appointed time. He looked wonderful in his day clothes, and this time, I was the one who linked my arm through his. I worried he might think it improper, but his only response was a radiant smile.
“Where are we going today?”
“There’s a café that’s become quite popular. I thought we’d go there. You’ll be able to eat as much cake as you like today, won’t you?”
“Oh, fufu. That’s true, since I’m not in a formal gown. But I’ll be in trouble if I gain weight, so I’ll stick to just one.”
“If you gain weight from eating happily, I wouldn’t mind at all.”
“Hugues. That’s something a woman does mind.”
We chatted like this as we made our way to the café, admiring the window displays along the street. Hugues never minded if I stopped along the way. In fact, he would ask, “Shall we go in?” and so we leisurely made our way to the café, buying little trinkets as we went.
Hugues insisted on carrying all the packages. He even tried to pay for some everyday accessories I was looking at, which I managed to stop. Perhaps it would have been better to let him, so as not to embarrass him, but Hugues understood that I was still not ready to close the distance between us and didn’t press the issue.
At the café, we chose our cakes and enjoyed them with tea, making idle conversation. He said cake alone wasn’t enough for him and ordered a sandwich as well. Really, he looks so slender, I wonder where he puts it all.
“Hugues, there was something I wanted to ask you.”
“What is it?”
After we finished eating, as we sipped our tea amidst the café’s gentle buzz, I chose my words carefully.
“…After the party when I was ten, were you the one who kept sending marriage proposals to my family?”
Hugues smiled and set down his teacup.
“I was. I told my father that even when she grew up… no, that she would only become more wonderful as she grew, and that I wanted no one else. It seems your mother and my father were in constant correspondence, checking if my feelings had changed, or if you had found someone else. I was on edge, worrying that another wonderful man might appear in your life… but that day, when I saw you standing alone, the center of the entire hall’s attention, I knew I had to be the one to go to you.”
Yes, at that moment, it was Hugues who had protected me… who had saved me from my loneliness.
And my stepmother… she had kept the proposal a secret from me, worried that I would be hurt if Hugues had a change of heart… or more accurately, so that I wouldn’t feel obligated if I found someone else I loved.
I had been protected. By my stepmother, and by Hugues.
“Sheryl. I should be kneeling, but please, forgive me for doing this here… Will you be engaged to me?”
“…I would be delighted to accept, Hugues.”
I had made him wait since he was ten years old. I would not make him wait any longer, nor would I ever choose anyone but him.
We were engaged.