Chapter 78 – Clara’s Bizarre Idea
Jade had expected Mr. Rich Sponsor to appear before her with his usual smirk and self-satisfied posture, boasting about his tireless efforts in promoting clean air measures – how many letters he had written, how carefully he had chosen his contacts, how he had coordinated experiments, persuasion, and meetings.
And, although she undoubtedly roll her eyes at his smugness, she would still admit – grudgingly – that he was the most charitable man she had ever met, and the most considerate noble she had ever known.
However, after taking in all the latest news and information, and even after the students had finished their exams and begun their school break, Mr. Rich Sponsor was still nowhere to be seen.
That’s so not like him… Is he busy with a new hobby? Actually… what is his hobby, anyway?
“She must be thinking about our school patron,” Clara whispered to Miss Arrowot. They were having breakfast in the dining hall, both watching Jade, who seemed rather absentminded as she scooped her porridge.
“How do you know?” Miss Arrowot seemed alert, and lowered her voice. “Did you see them…?”
“No.” Clara shook her head, a knowing smile forming. “But I can see the signs. He is the only man Jade ever talks about”
Miss Arrowot paused. “I supposed there are few other men she could speak of. She has met very few men in the domus.”
“No, it’s different.” Clara held her ground. “The way she talks about him, it’s very different from how she speaks of others… She’s close to him. In a way.”
Miss Arrowot raised a brow. “Is that your assumption, Miss Whitcombe? You believe she has an interest in him? I fear their respective stations would not permit it.”
“I know… Stories about farm girls marrying nobles are nothing but fantasy.” Clara sighed softly. She had long since woken from daydreams of charming princes rescuing her from hardship – yet she still enjoyed such tales. Life was difficult enough, so why couldn’t she please herself now and then with a little fantasy? Not that she imagined herself as the heroine…
She leaned closer, and whispered, “But don’t you think it would be rather interesting? Imagining Jade becoming a Lady one day?”
“... imagining Miss Jade?” Miss Arrowot looked genuinely puzzled. “I’m afraid I don’t quite follow…”
“Imagine, Jade as the heroine, and someone else as the hero,” Clara said dreamily. “Wouldn’t that make for a delightful story?”
If Jade had known what was going through Clara’s mind, she would immediately realised Clara was essentially shipping her with her own “OC” – which in this case, was the school patron. Since Clara hadn’t actually met Ashborne in person and had only heard about his deeds, the mental image was likely skewed. It was all a bit bizarre, as Jade didn’t see herself as anything like an artist or celebrity worthy of such focus. Fortunately, Jade remained unaware of the messy universe in Clara’s mind, saving her from discovering a new world of romantic speculation involving her and a mere friend.
“I wonder if she’d mind if I asked what she’s thinking about,” Clara murmured, curiosity getting the better of her as she prepared to test her theory.
Miss Arrowot quickly caught her arm, “Miss Whitcombe, I don’t think that would be appropriate. Miss Jade may find such questions irritating… It could invite gossip.”
“Oh, Jade won’t mind,” Clara waved it off. “She has no interest in marrying into nobility, or climbing the social ladder at all.”
Miss Arrowot blinked in surprise. “How do you know that?”
Clara lowered her voice. “Jade has always disliked etiquette and formalities. I’ve heard her muttering about how difficult it is to remember titles and ranks. She called it… what was it… ah – ‘outside of comfort zone’.”
She gave Miss Arrowot a light tap, then pulled her chair closer to Jade.
“Hm? Oh, I was just wondering what our patron has been up to,” Jade said, not noticing Clara’s subtle wink to Miss Arrowot.
Miss Arrowot, “...”
“You’re worried about him?” Clara asked.
“In a way, yeah.” Jade nodded frankly.
The implementation of the Clean Air Act. That was an entirely different situation from the Food and Drug Safety Act.
The Food and Drug Safety Act had been brought to the attention by the Queen. Aside from those who attended the tea party, no one would have known that Ashborne had been the one to provide Queen Seraphina with the initial insight.
From the public’s perspective, the Queen had likely spoken out because of the rumours and scandals surrounding the cosmetic industry that had flooded the newspapers. It was rare for so many reporters to target a single noble in such an incident – usually both sides would be presented, with some journalists taking one stance, others the opposite, and a few offering alternative perspectives.
The Queen’s concern had been both valid and far-reaching. It affected not only the royal household but the public and the kingdom as a whole. As such, the House of Lords was obliged to take Her Majesty’s words seriously, and the Parliament would debate how best to put the Queen’s concern into practice. After all, the Queen rarely addressed the public directly; it was usually the Prince Consort who was more visible and approachable.
Ashborne had played only a minor role in the Food and Drug Safety Act – he had become merely the spark, though the circumstances behind that spark were a bit socially and diplomatically improper.
The Clean Air Act, however, was different. He was the one who had set everything in motion.
He had used his lab, he developed a prototype, he reached out to journalists, scientists, engineers, politicians, and now that he had not come to Jade to boast about it… it likely meant he was still dealing with them. Meetings? Seminars? Negotiations? Persuasion?
Jade recalled the pair doe-eyes sparkling on Mr. Rich Sponsor’s face, and doubted he was particularly skilled at navigating such connections. If he were, he would not need to seek entertainment through TRPG. He would already have plenty of social engagements to occupy him.
Now she found herself worrying that he might have fallen prey to cunning politicians and fame-hungry reporters. These were not people one could speak freely with; they would twist a single careless remark beyond recognition.
And, frankly, Mr. Rich Sponsor was not someone Jade considered especially sharp in such matters.
“I just hope he’s alright…” she murmured. And that he hasn’t been unfortunate because of my suggestions… Maybe I shouldn’t have suggested anything to him at all in the first place.
Regrets cast a faint grey shadow over her mood.
Clara shot Miss Arrowot another subtle wink, silently affirming her earlier guess. But then she noticed something odd. “Jade, is Lord Ashborne unwell? Or in trouble? Why are you so worried about him?”
“Um,” Jade blinked, and replied in her usual tone, “It’s complicated. He’s not sick, but I’m not sure whether he’s in trouble.”
“How do you know?” Clara asked curiously, “Has he written to you?”
“No, we don’t do letters regarding these matters. If there’s anything, he comes here and we talk,” Jade said, waving a hand dismissively. “He… um, wanted to make an investment – which I warned him, but he insisted – so I gave him some suggestions.”
“And those suggestions caused him problems?”
“That’s the thing – I don’t know.” Jade sighed softly. “If he just does what I suggested, then he should have come back by now and babbled about his success. But since he hasn’t, I can’t help wondering if my suggestions did something to him.”
Clara let out a small, understanding “oh” and offered reassurance. “Well, Lord Ashborne is a nobleman, after all; he should be fine. Why not worry about our tuition class instead?”
“Right… the tuition class!” Jade rubbed the knot between her brows, “Those stubborn kids.”
She had deliberately arranged March as a semester break for the sole purpose of letting students help with their parents’ farm work. Without machinery, farming was exhausting, and she did not want them worrying about lessons on top of it.
Yet, perhaps she had given them too much hope of earning from the charity bazaar, or perhaps their enthusiasm for mastering the skills taught in tuition class was simply too strong. Either way, some students still came to the domus after a full day’s labour.
“They wake before dawn, rest at noon, then work again until dusk,” Jade grumbled. “No way I’m letting them come here at night just to finish the art pieces I told them not to start in the first place! I mean – the five-fold screen, the lightbox, the velvet hairpin, the brooch, the haircomb, and the flowers in the vase – these auction pieces are all done. I’m pretty sure our booth will be fine with those, along with the stock they’ve prepared. We don’t need more!”
“They’ll be upset if you refuse,” Clara said. In truth, she herself was not entirely satisfied with the five-fold screen. It was completed, but with more time spent refining the details and edges, it could have been much better. She had considered finishing it herself, only to find that the students in the needle project had the same thought.
That line of reasoning, however, was not enough to persuade Jade.
“If you refuse, Miss Jade, I fear they will simply continue working on the pieces at home, or somewhere beyond your supervision,” Miss Arrowot pointed out.
Miss Arrowot had been overseeing the tuition class under Jade’s guidance. From the way Jade commented on the students’ work when they sought advice, she knew Jade was far from ignorant in matters of education. The enigmatic Miss Jade Lysmere might not excel at crafting the artwork herself, but she must have cultivated a keen aesthetic sense from a young age – something typically found in well-to-do households.
However, Miss Arrowot often found her perplexing. There was a curious contradiction in Miss Jade’s reactions whenever she grasped something new. One moment, she might be discussing how to discern a person’s character through their tea etiquette; the next, she would be muttering about reusing spent tea leaves for compost…
It is not easy to discern Miss Jade Lysmere’s true nature, Miss Arrowot mused as she continued. “I recall that the students use small knives and scissors in crafting. It would be safer to supervise them here than to have them working unsupervised elsewhere.”
“...Right. Good point, Miss Arrowot.” Jade sighed. With their current enthusiasm, the students would definitely do anything to earn coins, and there was no guarantee they would consider their own safety. “But not at night; no way am I letting them walk home late at night. That’s dangerous. But they’re busy during the daytime…”
Clara and Miss Arrowot fell silent, thinking it over. Jade’s concern was valid, but she had underestimated the students’ determination. Now they needed to find a time that would not interfere with their work, while still allowing them to continue crafting…
“Could they come during the midday break, Sensei?” Josh, who had been listening nearby as he usually sat beside Jade, spoke up. “Farm workers often take a long break at noon, especially when the weather gets warmer.”
“But it’s still cold now…” Jade frowned, uncertain whether the students working on the farms would have such a break. Then she nodded. “Well, if they do have two hours at noon, they could eat at the domus and work on their crafts afterward.”
“I’ll go inform them now, Sensei,” Josh said with a grin. He quickly gathered his empty plates before standing up and bidding Jade goodbye. “I’ll be back within an hour!”
“Alright, be safe!” Jade waved him off. She let out a breath. “Though I’d rather they get proper rest, but… I guess we’ll need to prepare the classroom because I’m sure the students and their parents will agree to the arrangement.”
No one in the farm would turn down the opportunity to earn extra coins, even if it cost their only noon resting hours.
“Well, it’s only for this month,” Clara said reassuringly. “April is almost here. We won’t have to worry about this after that, will we?”
“Yup, after that, no more tuition class until winter, which by then, we’ll have a new batch of students...” Jade rubbed her face. “And I still need to figure out what to do with this batch once they graduate.”
Clara glanced at Jade with her round and innocent eyes, clearly not understanding why Jade was worrying again.
But Miss Arrowot watched her with a slightly narrowing of her eyes. She understood what Jade was thinking… and she was not sure how to feel about it.