Maylily - Chapter 105

“Thank goodness, truly. I should write to Daisy right away and let her know.”

Diane wiped her reddened eyes with a handkerchief and sniffed, then smiled in relief.

Last autumn, Daisy entered a dressmaking school in Dunwell and moved into the dormitory. Ever since then, every letter she sent asked whether there had been any word from Maylily.

“That girl has been waiting for news about May just as desperately as you have, so she’ll be overjoyed.”

Jace offered a suitable response to Diane as he continued reading through the letter. When his eyes reached about the middle, the shop door opened with the jingle of a bell.

“Welcome.”

Diane hurriedly tucked the handkerchief into her pocket and stepped up to the counter with a brightness on her face she hadn’t shown in quite some time.

“I’d like some chickpeas and ham for soup. And some sugar too, please.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Diane quickly took out the requested ingredients and placed them on the counter, then measured out the sugar on the scale.

Watching her from the corner of his eye, Jace picked up a pen. He swiftly copied the address written on the envelope onto a scrap of paper and slipped it into his pocket.

A short while later, after Diane finished helping the customer and came back, he stood up as if nothing were amiss and spoke casually.

“Come to think of it, I forgot I was supposed to go collect payment from a restaurant in town today. I’ll be back.”

Jace’s final destination after heading into Purdshire was the telegraph office located at a central intersection. In his hand as he lingered in front of the red brick building were a business card bearing the Skaard Hotel emblem and a large sum of cash.

“This amount should be more than enough to cover the telegraph fee. If you help us, we’ll make sure the compensation is sufficient. Please.”

They were items the Count of Everscourt’s secretary had left behind around this time last year when he came asking after Maylily’s whereabouts.

Is it really all right to make contact now? I wonder if I’m doing something unnecessary.

The engagement article about the Count of Everscourt he’d seen in the newspaper not long ago only stirred his conflict further.

But he’d taken the money, so he had to keep his word. Whether this information was needed or not was for them to decide.

Before coming here, Jace stopped by the library and looked up a geographical reference on Cartia. According to it, Bredova was a small rural town with a population of fewer than five thousand.

That bothered him too. If she wanted to be an opera singer, why was she in such a backwater? It seemed like the kind of place that wouldn’t even have a proper theater.

What if Maylily was in some trouble she couldn’t talk about? She was always a child who insisted she was fine, so it was hard to take the letter entirely at face value.

If that really was the case, then maybe he could hope for even a small bit of help from the Count of Everscourt. Even if Maylily’s words were true, part of him still hoped the Count would once again become her patron.

After Maylily fell back to the bottom, no one knew how many long years it would take her to climb to the top again on her own.

Of course, the ultimate question of whether the Count of Everscourt was truly trustworthy still remained unresolved. But he was a man of high social standing, and someone who was once Maylily’s patron. Surely he wouldn’t mean her harm.

“Right. This is all for May’s sake.”

After reaching a decision at the end of his strained self-justification, Jace finally stepped inside the telegraph office. After receiving a telegraph form at the counter, he carefully began copying Maylily’s address from the memo he’d brought with him.

***

The quiet hall of the restaurant, which was preparing to open for business, was filled with sunlight pouring in through the large glass windows. When the sweetly flowing song came to an end, thunderous applause broke out.

[Brava! This was better than I expected.]

The restaurant manager, who was serving as the judge for the audition, smiled in clear satisfaction. Only then did a bright smile spread across Maylily’s lips as she waited tensely for the evaluation after finishing her song.

[Thank you for thinking so highly of it.]

[You don’t seem like the kind of singer who should be performing for pocket change at our restaurant. Are you sure you’re all right with that?]

[Yes. The amount you offered is more than enough.]

[Then let me see the repertoire you brought.]

Maylily took out a sheet of paper from her handbag and handed it to the manager. Inside was a neatly organized list of the songs she’d selected for performance.

The manager looked over the repertoire with a serious expression. Watching him, sweat gathered in Maylily’s palms. She wanted this that badly.

After sending the letter to her aunt, the next thing Maylily decided to reclaim, after her family, was the stage. Leaving Dylan, who wasn’t even a year old yet, to join an opera company would be difficult, but she wanted to sing again in some way.

So she searched the village for a place where she could stand on stage, but it felt like looking for a needle in the desert. Not only were there no opera houses or social clubs, but the residents here, most of whom were commoners, preferred popular songs over classical vocal music.

[Are you perhaps looking for a singer?]

After wandering around and making inquiries here and there for nearly a month with no results, a place she’d once visited with Michele several months earlier suddenly came to mind. A restaurant with an elegant atmosphere overlooking the sea. Holding onto the hope that she might find the job she was looking for there, she went to see it.

[We’ve been considering it since some customers have been asking. You came at just the right time. We need a singer for weekend evenings, so if you’re interested, come audition the afternoon after tomorrow.]

And so, as if by fate, she ended up auditioning here today.

If she were hired here, she could steadily build stage experience, and since she’d only work on weekend evenings, she wouldn’t have to leave Dylan with someone else for long periods. She’d also still be able to help out at the inn in between.

For Maylily, it was the ideal job. Wanting it so badly she couldn’t bear to lose it, her throat went dry.

[I like your sense of song selection. For now, let’s go with what you’ve prepared, Miss Aile. Start coming in on Saturday.]

After what felt like only seconds, the decision came down in her favor. In that moment, Maylily was so happy she almost screamed. She hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes sparkling wildly with joy and excitement.

[Thank you. Thank you so much. I’ll do my very best!]

After bowing repeatedly to express her gratitude, Maylily received a brief explanation of the working conditions and left the restaurant. Her steps felt light, as if she were floating through the air. A surge of emotion washed over her, even stronger than when she first joined the Roden Opera Company.

If I keep taking steps like this, one by one, I’ll be able to stand on the opera stage again.

Maylily was making plans to leave for Cereno once Dylan grew a little older and she’d saved a bit more money. There, following Michele’s advice, she wanted to start her career anew as an opera singer.

Life as a stranger would never be easy, but in a place where no one knew her past, she felt she could gather the courage to stand on stage again.

She wanted to pursue her dream once more. This time, step by step, by her own strength.

While thinking about what stage outfit she should wear this weekend, she soon reached the square near the inn. Before turning into the restaurant-lined alley that led to the inn, Maylily stopped by a flower shop on the main road and bought a bouquet of coral-colored gerberas. They were flowers to celebrate a new beginning.

[Seeing you holding such pretty flowers and even humming to yourself, I guess things went well.]

Carlo said this as he spotted Maylily entering the inn. Ah…. Only then did Maylily realize she’d been humming. She flushed and smiled sheepishly.

[Yes. I’ll be performing on stage starting this weekend.]

[Oh, that’s wonderful! Congratulations, May. Truly.]

[Thank you. It’s all thanks to you and Auntie.]

[Thanks to us? Not at all. That’s all because of your singing.]

As if trying to hide his embarrassment, Carlo quickly changed the subject.

[Oh! When you go inside, tell Michele to hang out the laundry in the backyard. Giovanna asked me to pass that along when she went in to prepare dinner, but I completely forgot.]

[All right. I will.]

When Maylily went inside the house, she found Michele asleep on the bed with Dylan.

I want to tell him the good news right away. I’ll have to wait a little.

A faint smile spread across Maylily’s lips as she looked at the endlessly peaceful faces of the two of them. She quietly closed the bedroom door, went out to the living room, arranged the gerberas in a vase, then headed to the backyard to hang up the laundry.

***

[Welcome.]

Carlo, who had been organizing the check-in ledger, instinctively greeted the presence he felt at the inn’s entrance with his usual lively voice. A beat later, as his gaze shifted toward the door, his eyes widened at the sight of the guest who stepped inside.