Garden of May — Chapter 28

LOVE...

IS A KIND OF MADNESS.

DESTRUCTION AND HATRED,

A CURSE.

SCORN AND PLEADING,

AND THE LUST THAT FOLLOWS.

SO NO, THIS FEELING ISN'T LOVE.

IT'S JUST

THIS DESIRE FOR THE WORLD

TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE MINE.

NGH...

AND AT THE SAME TIME,

HAA

A HOPE THAT NO OTHER MAN WILL EVER KNOW YOU.

RIVER...

I WANT THIS SUMMER TO LAST FOREVER,

AND YET I WANT IT TO END AS SOON AS POSSIBLE,

SO THAT EVERYTHING CAN RETURN TO ITS PROPER PLACE.

I WANT YOU TO ALWAYS REMAIN

IN THAT GARDEN IN MAY.

POSSESS EVERY PART OF YOU.

AH... I WANT TO

1 WEEK LATER

EXCLUSIVE! DUKE BATTENBERG TO MAKE MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN THE SOUTH!

THE PRICE? A WOMAN.

OUR SOURCES HAVE CONFIRMED THAT DUKE BATTENBERG

HAS STRUCK A DEAL WITH EARL E.

THE PRICE IS SPECULATED TO BE

THE EARL'S NIECE, LADY V,

WHO CAME OF AGE THIS YEAR.

WHAT IS THIS...?

IT'S CLEARLY ABOUT ME.

IT SAYS DOWN HERE THAT THE TWO OF YOU HAD

A SECRET RENDEZVOUS AT A BOAT PARTY.

THEY SAY THE DUKE ATTENDED THAT PARTY ON BUSINESS.

THE RUMOR MUST HAVE STARTED BECAUSE YOU WERE BOTH IN THE SAME PLACE

ON THE SAME DAY...

MY LADY,

IT’S NOT TRUE, IS IT?

OF COURSE NOT, MARY.

I’VE NEVER EVEN SEEN DUKE BATTENBERG’S FACE.

THAT'S WHAT'S SO PUZZLING.

HOW ON EARTH DID A RUMOR LIKE THIS START?

HMM...

DON'T TELL ME

SOMEONE MISTOOK RIVER

FOR THE DUKE?

BUT HOW ON EARTH COULD THEY HAVE MISTAKEN RIVER FOR THE DUKE BATTENBERG?

WELL, I GOT THE SCANDAL I WANTED,

AND I KEPT RIVER'S IDENTITY A SECRET.

SO WHY DO I HAVE SUCH A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS?

MY LADY.

THERE'S A CALL FOR YOU FROM LINDEN.

OH, VANESSA!

I FINALLY GOT AHOLD OF YOU!

DID YOU GET HOME ALL RIGHT THAT NIGHT?

I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU EVERYWHERE AFTER YOU DISAPPEARED WHILE TALKING WITH MY GREAT-UNCLE.

AH, YES...

I MET UP WITH ROSALIND AFTER. I GOT HOME ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONCERN.

ANYWAY, ARE YOU...

OKAY?

THE GOSSIP RAGS ARE FULL OF STORIES ABOUT YOU.

TO BE HONEST, I’VE BEEN WORRIED EVER SINCE I SAW YOU.

FROM THE MOMENT I SAW YOU WEARING THAT NECKLACE...

THERE WAS ALREADY A LOT OF TALK THAT THE DUKE’S REASON FOR MAKING A HUGE INVESTMENT IN SOME RURAL BACKWATER

WAS BECAUSE OF A WOMAN.

BUT THAT NECKLACE YOU WERE WEARING

JUST ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE.

JUST ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE.

I THINK YOU NEED TO BE SUSPICIOUS OF THE PERSON WHO GAVE IT TO YOU.

SUSPICIOUS...?

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?

THIS RUMOR SEEMS TO HAVE A MALICIOUS STREAK, RIGHT FROM THE START.

YOU KNOW MY AMILY RUNS A NEWSPAPER, RIGHT?

OH... I FORGOT.

ANYWAY!

IT SPREAD SO FAST, ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE PLANNED THE SCANDAL

AND WAS DELIBERATELY MAKING IT KNOWN.

I MEAN, ALL SORTS OF RUMORS FOLLOW THAT DUKE AROUND,

BUT...

THIS ONE IS UNUSUALLY SPECIFIC.

I’M JUST SAYING YOU SHOULD GIVE IT SOME THOUGHT.

THINK ABOUT WHETHER THERE’S ANYONE

WHO STANDS TO GAIN FROM THIS SCANDAL.