MAC 10

Chapter: 10

Beatrice let out a quiet sigh.

Yes, it wasn’t as though she hadn’t expected this. There were countless young ladies in high society who were in much the same position as she was.

But…

When she was confronted with the cold reality, it hurt and tormented her several times more than she had prepared herself for.

Even her open-minded parents, who had allowed her to study art at university, were ultimately forced by this harsh reality to place her in the shackles of an unwanted marriage.

“Anyway, Beatrice. I think it would be best if, starting next week, you met each of them one by one in person. If you talk with them, perhaps among them…”

“No. I don’t want to. I won’t do it.”

Beatrice straightened her back and looked at the Marquis and Marchioness in turn. She stared directly at her parents with determined eyes.

“Beatrice. What are you suddenly saying? Of course you have to get married…”

“No! I won’t get married!”

The Marchioness fell silent for a moment at her firm tone. Not letting the brief silence pass, Beatrice quickly added,

“I’m going to Berquion.”

“…Berquion?”

The Marchioness frowned deeply, wondering if she had heard correctly, while the Marquis’s fork, which had been about to pick up a piece of steak, stopped motionless in midair.

“Where… what did you say?”

“Ber. Qui. On. The country next to Brionia, Berquion.”

Beatrice pronounced each syllable clearly.

“I’m going to study abroad in Ejon, the capital of Berquion, where artists from all over the world gather.”

“Wha… what? Who are you going with?”

“By myself.”

Staring straight at her stunned parents, Beatrice finally dropped a huge bombshell into the quiet dining room.

“I want to go to Berquion to study, receive instruction from a world-renowned master, and make my official debut as an artist at the Salon exhibition.”

“Beatrice! That is out of the question. I absolutely cannot allow it. What on earth are you…”

“I’ve already sent my application and sample works to Mr. Etienne. I intend to leave as soon as I receive a reply.”

Clang!

The silver fork slipped from the Marquis of Somerset’s hand and fell onto the plate with a sharp, agitated sound.

“My child, my dear…”

Faced with his daughter’s shocking declaration, the Marquis muttered incoherently. Beatrice clearly saw the hurt and bewilderment in her father’s eyes, but she calmly continued.

“I’m not asking for permission. I’m telling you what I’ve decided. I was worried about this anyway, but if my value in the marriage market is apparently so poor, then that’s actually fortunate.”

“…Beatrice!”

“Mother, I’m going to make my own way in the world. I’m going to live on my own, doing something I love and am good at.”

“Do you hear yourself right now? Have you lost your mind? Do you really think you can live there all by yourself?”

The Marchioness’s voice finally rose. She threw down her napkin and glared fiercely at Beatrice.

“Enough of this childish behavior. You need to learn to give things up when the time comes! How long are you going to live only doing what you want?”

“…Mother.”

“Listen carefully, Beatrice. You have to marry a husband and establish a household. You also have to bear an heir for his family. Why don’t you understand that this is the duty you’ve been given? Everyone lives that way!”

Beside the furious Marchioness, whose veins stood out in her neck, the Marquis of Somerset also pleaded desperately, his eyes reddening.

“My dear. Please, I beg you. Are you trying to see your father die from this? If there’s anything you need, your father will buy you anything. The finest paints? Canvases? Just tell me. Even after you marry, you can paint as much as you like…”

“…Liar. Don’t lie to me!”

Beatrice suddenly sprang to her feet, sending the chair crashing backward. Her shout was so loud that the candle flames on the dining table trembled.

“If I get married… then everything will be over. Will I really be able to paint whatever I want to my heart’s content? I won’t!”

Beatrice clenched her teeth and forced the words out. Tears had already welled up in her eyes, shimmering sadly in the candlelight.

“My paintings, my future—they’ll all lose their chance to live and simply come to an end. You both know that perfectly well, so why are you pretending not to?”

“Beatrice! Enough.”

“You both know what painting means to me. You watched me struggle through everything! You know how much… how much I love this… how much strength it gives me…”

Her tearful voice trembled. Beatrice’s sobs filled the silence of the room.

“And besides, both of my brothers are well past the age when they should have married, yet neither of them is married. Why do you say that I’m the one who’s late? That I’m past marriageable age and all that…”

The Marchioness of Somerset remained silent with one hand pressed against her forehead. Speaking on his wife’s behalf, the Marquis of Somerset carefully opened his mouth.

“Beatrice. You’re… different from your brothers. Your brothers are currently serving as officers, you know. And you…”

But the Marquis could not bring himself to say the next words. After moving his lips for a long while, he finally let out a deep sigh and managed to choose his words.

“…You’re a woman.”

“Is that the only reason?”

“When a woman gets older…”

“You mean that when I grow old, I won’t be able to find a husband? Wonderful! That’s exactly what I want!”

Beatrice shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Because I’m a woman, I can’t do this; because I’m a woman, I can’t do that! How long are we supposed to live like this? A new era is coming. Mother, Father… you read newspapers and books, so why do you close your eyes and pretend not to know when it comes to me?”

“Beatrice, that’s simply…”

“And what about On Women and Labor sitting in Father’s study? Have you forgotten what Olive Steiner wrote? ‘Denying women the opportunity to work and confining them to being mere ornaments in the marriage market only trains them to become people who depend on others for their livelihood.’”

“…Yes, I read it.”

The Marquis nodded obediently.

“And Mother?”

Beatrice did not stop. She alternated between looking at her mother and father as she continued to confront them.

“I saw all the articles by Mrs. Foster that you clipped and saved. ‘Taking away women’s lives under the pretense of protecting them by keeping them confined to the home is no different from killing their souls.’ What good is collecting all those articles if you still keep your own daughter trapped?”

Even as she struggled to catch her breath, tears continued streaming down her cheeks.

“I was proud of you. Do you know how proud I was that my parents were progressive people who collected and read articles like that…?”

“I’m sorry for disappointing you, Beatrice.”

The Marchioness murmured quietly. As always, she was elegant and dignified in every situation, but her voice trembled slightly this time.

“Just listen to me. Those people…”

“I won’t listen. You can’t make me give up on what I’ve decided!”

Before anyone could stop her, Beatrice turned and rushed out of the dining room. Before the door had even closed behind her, the Marquis hurried after her.

“My dear! Beatrice, my dear!”

Ha…

Left alone at the empty dining table, the Marchioness finally squeezed her eyes shut. The nightmare from several years ago was repeating itself all over again. No, this was an even more difficult moment than back then…

Clink.

In the silence, the Marchioness rang the bell, and Butler Arthur quietly appeared beyond the glass door. Having heard all the commotion in the dining room, he too wore a troubled expression.

“Arthur. From now on, consider this an emergency and keep watch at all times. Our girl is the sort who will actually do something once she sets her mind to it. She might even impulsively board a steamboat.”

“…Understood.”

“Make sure all the doors are securely locked. And post guards at night as well.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, the butler immediately bowed his head. Then he discreetly held out the silver tray he had been carrying toward the Marchioness.

“This is a telegram Lord Edward sent a little while ago. He said his arrival schedule has changed…”

“Let me see it.”

Returned safely. I will be leaving immediately on a collecting expedition to the south, so I will see you on the day of the museum event. Please give my regards to my brother-in-law and Beatrice as well. — Edward, beloved Uncle of Betty

“My goodness. After I went to all that trouble preparing for him, he’s gone and changed his schedule however he pleases again.”

Irritated, the Marchioness tossed aside the telegram her younger brother had sent and sank deeply into the sofa. Thinking of her daughter made her temples begin throbbing again.

“Marriage or not, I just hope she doesn’t run away to another country…”

As she gently pressed her temples, the Marchioness suddenly looked at the telegram on the table again.

Edward, beloved Uncle of Betty

She stared at the name for a long moment.

What on earth had gotten into this man that he suddenly decided to come back…?

One eccentric in a household was more than enough. The thought that her troubles were about to double made her head throb, so the Marchioness of Somerset promptly turned her brother’s telegram face down.