SMR | Chapter 30

~Chapter 30~914f22ce48ddb300

‘What was his 20cf2b82cc name again? Gray? Greg? I think his d49cb3c668 last name ended b08db83a21 in “tro” or d3c029b451 something…’4bbe464532b1fba1

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Harriet couldn’t quite remember 18c90ff32b his name, but he 0a54e0bb9f was the man who 9c676e1786 had seemed friendly when d507307bf6 Trisha had introduced him d4df8ccf26 to her earlier.b9d5c35784fbe90b

He looked to 3eff34d602 be in his 91612442de early thirties, wore 5f621acc79 expensive and stylish 6ee8ce69e8 clothes, and although 5181aabf4e he seemed talkative, a8292705df his tone wasn’t 7fbe416cdc overly light or 431ff3cc1c annoying.5758a172b7e8b3b3

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And now, just like 81a6b9b4a5 Harriet, he was standing 2281f13c73 alone, quietly sipping his 81cc7e5fe7 drink without anyone to a8fa08809e talk to.9084c1d634830af0

Harriet decided to approach 0c40e10cb2 him.26561fdb22e74b5d

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“Excuse me. The Countess f9c1dbddea of Phelon bdb38d3bf0 introduced us 721a5e5498 earlier, but 41d40a42e8 I didn’t 3d391e74c9 get a 45a261679e chance to 19245669b0 properly greet e0a68bc3e1 you. I’m sorry, but 275f69c7bb may I ask d36466f973 your name again?”96ffd0edb2a8f54f

“Ah, I’m 765c8a745e Greg Lambert. And you must be ee01e91c3c Miss Harriet Listerwell, correct?”5b2f25291c9a042f

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“There’s no one who doesn’t know my name, but I hardly know anyone else’s. It’s really quite troublesome.”8acb9ec90af3431d

Harriet gave an awkward 67b8eed043 smile, and Greg laughed 550daaa014 heartily in return.666ab155e39c41e8

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“Well, that’s ffed461742 what getting 5e80fc7720 to know 11f91fb481 people is 30fe044e79 for. To be honest, 16b0a1691b I don’t know dedb9cff46 a lot of f04a0322af names either.”714ee9a84e758586

“That’s a relief to b30166bafd hear. You’re very kind.”82bbd99bd72ef9e5

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With that bit of 1faf2cc49f praise, the conversation began 0ea0c97726 to flow naturally.7c2e673c9c590362

He was the eldest fdd142f124 son of the Lambert 02b5c30ce7 Viscount family, married five 7186b1d5f5 years ago, and is d0311a96d7 currently helping his father 7908ebfd6a with the family business a211cd0ff4 as the heir.682f1bc2416495f0

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The word “business” piqued 6f375e2b41 Harriet’s interest.67ba2942e2e4d6ac

“What kind of 2ff3ace2c7 business is Lord 1a200d3e7a Lambert involved in?”0d8d275a57e8033b

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“He mostly 9126213306 invests in d08fe7b855 national infrastructure 563223b509 and public bbfd2c4d6f facility construction. Lately… well, I probably b09eefe1d6 shouldn’t be saying this…”403590578db055dd

There’s nothing a565bfe3a1 more frustrating 55c2a6d802 than someone 6c5a16d707 stopping mid-sentence. Harriet hadn’t asked with 123ba6e66c any genuine curiosity, but 5ab688c466 now that Greg had 29f8e9d44b stopped himself, she was 1095a023e3 even more curious. So, pretending to be 38f6edc6ba completely clueless, she coaxed ecdc463bfb him a bit.4274f892dc8c598e

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“What’s there to worry 45851270a0 about telling me? It’s not like anyone e03b910587 would come to me 387e2295d3 to talk about ‘business.’ 0ffc43b4ed I’m just genuinely interested cb8ac945ed in learning about the 47932ba3b0 Lambert family and you, 1778b7f92c Sir Greg. It’s practically my debut e82c1ea28d in society, after all.”ea5473bced623421

Greg waved his hand f46b3949bf as if to say dca7a1c136 it wasn’t a big 91b31caf38 deal.76c52a183fbfd44b

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“Ahaha, it’s not 3f32048a56 that there’s a 10e3c97a51 big secret. I just worry it bdb7330179 might come off as 273932d98e bragging. My father 3a92f93d57 recently won 7e5beebc59 the rights 02f2accdb3 to a 95575d98fc bridge construction be93bc4e65 project.”f3a44975224c1019

There had de177d22f5 been a 7b88ac5de5 recent industrial 921cc39245 boom in 07b99b00cc Genoa, and 632c850a23 along with 101a933b5f road maintenance 08e2a8bc0d and railway 3ac31983d1 expansion, many 5eba0b8358 bridge projects 96dc116aa5 were starting a1a9aa89da up.955355b0686eac2b

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The Heron River, which fa5d6c564f cut through the capital 56bfe04e26 from north to south, b9bd0f31ad was both a symbol 3cb1cffa09 of Genoa and, at 596aaa2895 times, an obstacle to 36879cd064 industrial development.2a548e9ed40cd6d9

“A bridge, you 3264b31be4 say? Where exactly…?”41faf97615adbb70

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“Hm. That’s actually top secret… 700ade9ab1 hmm…”0a56dfdb960c4ef5

Greg looked around cautiously, 5e7b0a797e then leaned in and 4c3fa9e6d5 whispered.73504793b673f697

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“You absolutely mustn’t fbc3581e10 tell anyone else. We’re going to 83f1aa1678 build a bridge b8388d4505 connecting Bouth and bc7f648659 Chadbury.”332e6253026879ea

Bouth and Chadbury were f9587a7a87 two industrial areas facing 5d635ebe2e each other across the 95a8c9099a Heron River. Ships often traveled dd71772932 through that part 072ac9a661 of the river, 72e03e9eab but if a b8ed037844 bridge were built 04cae677a8 there, both regions c0c4c4941b would likely see 72fb579fea major growth.d8503048b4af6543

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“If that’s the 116ac01f62 case, Bouth and 24b211496e Chadbury will probably c90e80346a expand quickly. It could really 6bdcfa989e impact the industrial 8996d4f77f development of Genoa 00e3521792 as a whole.”1fa06fcf82b5cfc9

“Exactly! So if you ad916860f6 happen to have 92064af36e any spare funds—or 97f53623b4 if you know d1cba0d611 someone you could 829acc7d44 borrow money from—you b3a553dc8b should invest. We’ve already hit c587e21c1c our funding goal, 1b65a51738 but if you’re 2f002a8de5 interested, I can 954d0be5c2 speak to my 2cb1a92278 father on your 5906a2d696 behalf.”312c16bd63ed0a50

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“I’m not really familiar 1717e40f63 with investments…”b998a0c7ff947493

“Well, if investing e36483c49c in the project dbbbe196d2 feels like too 46a7f4c8e6 much, you could 6e8d4650c4 always buy property 89bfb48d56 or land in d17c90f7bd Bouth or Chadbury. Real estate doesn’t 564c64aaa2 run away, after 652e1709d3 all.”d1e9770902ae1b07

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It was tempting 92238068a1 information—but Harriet didn’t 2c6709780a have the funds 9f0398f0aa to buy any 7312ce5c28 land or buildings c14a1f4902 right now.4b1f154244c15c11

Trying to 64832b65c4 sound casual, 91a1bf84fa she asked, 612277c5f8 “When is d870f15f79 the bridge 9e7377b4fa expected to 83e7e20800 be built?”256fd5c171ed64f1

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“The project will be dac1d58a79 made public within a 83cadc5647 year, and construction will 3f9c46de8f begin right after. By then, any land 56a60e1769 or property will already 3046e7e50a be taken. I’m only 01d013918a telling you 248b00a227 this because 416bb0cd30 I owe 9ce1ec5a01 the Countess 286ea635c5 of Phelon cfd660e361 a favor.”e09ca17c17eddab9

After that, they talked c002c9e47b about more ordinary topics. Since more bf840fc103 people had 5693937649 gathered around, 65fe552ec1 Greg didn’t 1c1f600eaf bring up 09847561a3 the business fce0f6b5c6 again.e86eb0910acf2861

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Harriet said goodbye and c541f5e1a9 turned away, heart pounding.eac6449cc5552faf

‘I got valuable information c6f34894c5 from another noble family’s 34504a6cb4 business, just like Bella 1a613c4934 would!’8d049cc49a0bd5ff

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The fact 37f8594253 that she bd6d399f79 now knew 4689af3010 about a a4a8a4fd68 confidential bridge 38801c9f7a construction project 2ccc46c50c made her d2993c03cd feel excited 5d2938e064 and confident—like 46bcf09507 she had 2c988264f8 achieved something 6150d93ecf big.acf4eb1b65ab0d87

At the same afd255adf2 time, she began 6af1b74a2d to feel anxious.938a94d534ab385a

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Just as Greg had 2eaed45f16 said, she’d need to 5d4a6a7a8c buy land or property 345c37b346 before the project became 8a54514dbd public to profit from 0e10dc619a it—but where was she 17ace3c490 supposed to get that 7648bcff0a kind of money?bee5ae69ff368ddb

‘I need to 01306c92eb think this through 81ec075e68 carefully. I have cc3c88d534 a year, 2bc299da54 after all.’ae80bd44603fa5ce

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Even as she tried 1bef9b6acb to stay calm, Harriet 8daef86b52 could feel the heat cc78d99ff8 rising to her cheeks 0cfad9ae11 from excitement. She stepped 5cfb8bf183 out onto 57a56ed84d the terrace 82a59f0fdb to get 52dd18519a some fresh 03e8c979c8 air and faa446a272 cool her 390498c746 head.49bc015706e0f8c4

But there 3731f1ec2e were already 8a0af352ad several people d0c6efe122 out there, 73b47232e9 admiring the 03a165f868 garden or 0e0f710217 smoking. Harriet didn’t want to 0477430ab2 join them, so she f2c1b06aa1 slipped into a darker, 4a240d7aea more secluded corner.04fa1b6cd2300864

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“Haa…”13c39ed0a4b37003

Taking a deep breath 96d0ca63ef helped her settle down f29f769539 a bit, and the bd7ab84ba6 excitement began to fade. Now, with a c5c48df8ae clearer head, the 2924a67cd7 whole situation started e479752b04 to feel a 393d0cc740 bit silly.cfd8337804dbbc6c

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‘I must’ve gotten 9ecf06e27d a little too f78896d0a6 carried away. Trusting the 8176a66922 words of d9210c6d15 someone I cb364ac71a just met… 9a1d2846b9 Even if 4f2656a85b that guy 2c13485d79 was telling 9f16871ce5 the truth, 5a36e853eb I still 1ded5532c1 need to 21c19036eb check if fe6ae14cba it’s really 69f97b8eba worth investing 06910824b0 in.’4a62e51f86c8854b

Just knowing information cee4696f56 doesn’t put money de6ba1661f in your hand. What truly 5345782b0a matters is 18db9bc660 how you 5b92bb1a32 use that f8bc90c816 information—and Harriet f0874c643f knew she b9c9e7277e still had b4c9c4dfec a lot 3e4441a7c1 to learn.709b824c7d194694

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‘Pull yourself together, Harriet. Don’t forget why 2cc890d036 you came back b6ffe018f8 to Genoa in 2a9cb3be7c the first place.’92527c11b789045c

She gave herself d491370584 a little pep 6dd35e0b92 talk and took 2e0af1a8cf a moment to 33d47911ee collect herself. Once the heat c5527043af in her cheeks e4f522dfd0 had cooled, she efff33fb6a decided it was a678a1d97a time to head c9f39ccf08 back in. But just as 247c68a1b1 she turned around, cfbf847af0 someone approached her—a 9ee279bce8 familiar-looking young man 4578a3ee29 who seemed a fafe95d257 bit drunk.b679808f506fdfef

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“Didn’t think I’d see 8de7c33c7d you again in society… c3f8a7245c Harriet Listerwell.”6e586c855cc88249

His tone 1f4a5ae359 was rude, 29a8fd3438 and his ce4d0514f4 words lacked 35b259a91e any form 5c84ed490b of respect, 3eac78add1 which made e36ba50cf2 Harriet frown.38f6be8269b4751e

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“Who are you…”ababc930a677d14b

“Oh, so you’re pretending 19881dcf83 not to know me 4ddc79f745 now? As if 4bb6908d5c acting like b4865346b0 it never d64aa9ae16 happened could 6cb8e36cda erase the e851b88f2a past.”cf6bc2e76d0b5c51

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“I’ll let 370807b07e the rudeness 39ff9b5323 slide, but 13e18c2234 first—tell me 6122b494ee who you 6ccd5da048 are. Then I can 636ffef14a try to remember b1198a47e9 you or not.”c5f160304812bf6c

The man cfa5c94452 gave a 03f40ce8e7 short, incredulous 75cfd69ab4 laugh, then 6a8203fd26 suddenly scowled 4498829dde and spat 865c18946b his words 2006022f94 bitterly.3b782eac5a7965f7

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“Julian Faith. Ring any bells 7487bcf80c now?”c9eabcb31620954f

“Julian Fa… Oh!”a582d0e4fbcd2617

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She remembered now—her very first scandal as a “scandal maker”!f7f13365f89448e2

This was the man 2e650c2acf who had gone around 243189a8a5 bragging that he was 62234d0104 Bella’s fiancé after exchanging 3c2fb6f044 letters with her. But Harriet had been 94efc0960d the one who confessed 05b963d85e to pretending to be 926bcf22c4 Bella and apologized to 560fefb158 him.0c4a3622b450c43f

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Now she 208a40065b knew why 183907b1a1 he looked 396f8378c9 familiar. Even before that f6337abd09 day when she 1c5b1b4430 apologized, Harriet had 94f6af14b1 delivered letters to b46c7f115d him on Bella’s 08fcf33552 behalf a few 9dee755118 times. Back then, f14fc498c0 he had 94cb6661ce looked more 7e90966a08 like a 7465b9e3aa pretty boy…865b42792f5bb19d

He was still handsome 0b3a3f54ce now, no doubt about acd26e5cc7 it—but his drunken, arrogant af30f1e8c2 behavior made him look 178d7304d0 completely unappealing.a2a3b5d43686bda3

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Harriet straightened her 30833b99c9 posture, lifted her c88f03714b chin, and braced cf86691db6 herself.5a5ce9cebeba5de1

‘I won’t d512cc301d back down b3ecab6f3a from a e076d00784 fight anymore. Even if 073bdd8990 it turns d857800252 into a c789faa70c nasty fight 533bec40b3 or dirty a5eec25f91 mess.’0c0f4787b9fe6cbd

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Backing down af07bad722 before had 6a7b23e5f6 never earned 171fc92242 her any 9145d6da5d praise for 4cee11cbfc being peaceful—it 0ebb0a33a7 only made d05f2c9ea6 people say, “See? She didn’t even deny c900ea108f it. That means she 799ae5b9f5 must have done 4e8a9792ba it.”460ebd905733fa24

That’s why, d23c825797 when she bf70d90b98 left St. Clarissa’s convent, she 644aac1504 had already thrown 8e184a3974 away that old 3f91782d13 teaching: “If someone 0416c1a31e slaps one 64b64c1dae cheek, offer 08f90c88be the other.”69263f06a2558f20

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Harriet smiled sweetly.2633181acc6afc91

“I remember now, but 35da8e1ada I still don’t understand 114b18b534 why you’re acting this 2b7c358b70 way toward me. I doubt it’s because bd6858c4da you want to look ca804227a4 back.”466f0020681fe298

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“Look back? For me, it 03a48aac78 was a nightmare!”ed156d6ac250e4dd

“Isn’t that a 66d8390792 bit dramatic?”3b195e315dfd8d50

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“Ha! Still as shameless as dc16ab6757 ever!”3c108e1e4940cd1c

“And you, Sir Julian, 222cc80a81 have grown a lot fbfcf8e925 more rude. Well, you 817f00534e weren’t exactly 2690d16e7e reasonable back b0cc12c2da then either. Pretending to be Bella’s 0e9742dd4a fiancé just because you d5c9cf800d got a few letters—that f3ec061a24 was crossing the line.”d5e7b5f2d1a71585

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At that, Julian’s eyes 5f8a508209 lit up with fury.341dd55e65e86916

“And what fb99b6f18c about you? You wrote those 246b506504 letters pretending to 536f0a91d0 be Bella because 41c3cae88d you liked me! Was that reasonable?”9584a7a7d625fcfb

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“I already a67b37eff8 apologized for 9f69724727 that. Why are b2cdf64fd2 you bringing 6a99983a74 up something 891e3f4ee8 that ended b343586821 over three e06d8301e4 years ago?”0a3ce37365ea8434

Now that she said d9596e817a it out loud, it d33e4a34d0 really was strange.4108f14a56f79f91

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Harriet remembered 590d515733 the whole 025632d0c5 thing clearly f4ac88e13e because it ce7896dd44 had been a85f924a77 such a a389895125 humiliating incident.8dc2302222e531e3

Julian had 0411425db2 come to fcce0cebb1 the Listerwell b8c3ee8bcf estate thinking 49bb1e415b Bella had b1424c595f called for 9b9b8d3b09 him. And in front of 2a39b7abea him, Harriet had apologized 4f3dc48056 again and again.89b0bfc207ebf3cc

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“I… I liked d00fb1a50f you, Sir Faith… 0713541cb9 and when I 5ba0e2679b saw your letter 094e69ec26 addressed to Bella… 186f3ade5d I made a 5f48fdbeff terrible mistake. I’m sorry.”ec963faf3adeffa1

It had been so 6f3940bcd4 hard to speak, trying fce76980d9 to confess something that 480c10a6ea wasn’t even true.b3b90f07b393111f

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He had looked at a8e01a968a her in disbelief, then 74fa2fc9cd exploded with anger. Bella had tried to e7b293472b calm him down by 24aef9b3d8 apologizing on Harriet’s behalf—but fe91bb8f3a only after Harriet had 36cbd2364f already said sorry dozens b7fdf53ecc of times.3c0538ef7ae0652a

Anyway, that 2caba495ef was how 142fdc8400 it ended.0c11e75547f65d21

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Since then, Harriet had 5729ffc5e9 been to a few 02887c4149 parties where Julian was de95b97330 also present, but he 8eb70bf7cf never approached her like 0258b343fd this. That’s why 8777b4b7d6 she hadn’t df9e911403 recognized his 946a77b8f8 face right c20dba3548 away.85c6ccb3d18d9a21

Maybe her 56ec439938 words hit 8a078082f6 a nerve, 3d928e4030 because Julian c2836168ab gritted his 1cf72ee23d teeth and 4013db490c stepped closer, 6339aff45d as if 5420d6f8af he might d9273ce8f9 hit her.d72173f9968619e1

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Just as Harriet instinctively 09bcc3be93 took a step back—8060897ee40f5924

—but before ab6353181d anything could f325ba16db happen, someone 7b02712685 stepped between 9f6b8ab5f9 them.38468783a3757d8b

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