Salvation Equation - Chapter 16. Party Preparation

The past continued.

It wasn’t just about decorating the chapel. It was a small gathering, but Madeline had too much to prepare as the hostess.

In fact, making the invitations was the most difficult part. She couldn’t decide who to invite because they didn’t have much interaction with the people to begin with.

She searched a personnel handbook for the area and consulted maps and phone books to find out who the people were. Parish priests, farmers, general store owners … photographers, typists, doctors, lawyers, etc.

Uniformly, these were people who maintained acquaintanceships with Nottingham Mansion. It was only natural. Because Ian Nottingham never approached anyone except in a business relationship.

“Hmmm…”

It was hard to know whether they would gladly accept the invitation, or whether they would come with a screening process to see what they could see, or whether they would decline.

“How about putting an ad in the paper?”

Actually, she didn’t expect people to visit the Nottingham mansion, which was famous for its cursed house, out of the purest of intentions. Wouldn’t it be possible for luxury people to find interesting stories?

It was certainly up to her and the people here to persuade such people.

‘I hope we can take this opportunity to change the atmosphere…’

For Madeline, this was no mere pastime. It was more than that…

If she could clear the stigma of this mansion even a little, and if that would allow the Count to advance in society….

‘Am I being too silly? I’m not his babysitter.’

Madeline did not know the latest psychology of her time, but she could see that her husband needed healing. And that some changes were necessary to do so.

In her ignorance, she wanted to find the best way to even that.

‘Not suddenly, but slowly… that it would be a slow change.’

Someday the man will be able to laugh. She wanted to let him know that there was not only misery in the world, but that there were also bright and beautiful things. That didn’t mean he was particularly worried or thought it was his fault….

Madeline defended herself forcefully against her inner voice. Still, it was a natural human emotion to want one’s spouse to be happy. That was just about it.

It would not have been so bad if her little idea had made Ian Nottingham a little happier.

* * *

Days then passed in a frenzy. Madeline wrote and sent out invitations as sincerely as possible to the people of the village, and decorated the empty chapel like a movie theater. Posters were also put up.

Under the conditions, it was not possible to show the meteor movie. She planned to borrow a film from the U.S. and invite a small orchestra to play background music.

She prepared everything. She prepared tea and refreshments for everyone to enjoy after the film screening was over.

She worked with the chefs downstairs to create a menu. The budget was sufficient.

The reaction of the people looking at Nottingham Mansion, which was alive and kicking for the first time in a long time, was different.

Sebastian could not hide his bummed look, but he followed Madeline’s orders. Gardener Ben Homer complimented Madeline’s choice. Charles the footman was confused between ups and downs and worried. The female servants mostly sympathized with Madeline.

“In fact, the mansion also needed a change of atmosphere.”

Lilibet confessed shyly.

“It was very depressing to read the letters from my friends in the city. I must confess that the atmosphere here is gloomy… No, it is true that there are not enough sights to see.”

And finally there was the Count. The Count who just quietly did what he had to do without any pretense of anything.

Madeline was the only one who hated him, but for the rest of the village, he was the hero of an intriguing story. All kinds of rumors and gossip were rampant about him, and he deserved it.

He was the son of a prestigious family, a war hero, and a rich man.

But if there was one defining characteristic that best defined him, it was the fact that he was a veiled mystery.

He rarely went out, was difficult and did not make friends with people, and his atmosphere was overwhelming.

There were stories of him buying tens of thousands of acres of land in the vicinity to cut off contact with people, of his thorough surveillance to prevent people from approaching the rose garden where his beautiful wife grew, of seeing him crying out in a field on a rainy day, calling out for someone.

Madeline saw that such interest was not entirely bad. In any case, Ian Nottingham was just a person.

It was a fact that Ian himself had to realize.

While each of them reacted differently to Madeline’s plan, Ian Nottingham’s reaction was hard to define in any way. It was a consideration disguised as thorough indifference.

Consideration and Ian Nottingham must be the most distant combination in history. But he kept an eye on Madeline. Keep a distance that she would not be aware of.

With a hood over her head and even an apron, she looked more like a maid than the mansion’s hostess.

Sebastian was seen in the background, sweating profusely and stopping her.

Pfft. Ian was surprised by the little laughter that leaked from his mouth, and shut his mouth tightly.

Happiness was so close now that he could almost hold onto his hand, and he would be lying if it didn’t scare him.

It was a close call. He changed his face and put on his stern appearance.

It was just before Madeline finished her work and turned around. He hurried upstairs.

“…….”

But there was an edge of shadow that did not disappear completely. Madeline looked at the place where the shadow disappeared for a long time and then left.

* * *

The day before the screening, the video technician and his assistants visited the mansion along with a black and white video reel. The piano and violin players also arrived. For the first time in a long time, Nottingham Mansion was filled with the sound of people’s voices.

The Count did not come down from his study, as he had delegated the task of entertaining the guests to Madeline. But Madeline did not complain. She did not want to expose her husband to too much stimulation from the start.

Thus, when they all went to bed, Madeline was too hyper to sleep. She began to worry that she had pushed it too hard.

What if she had overworked her husband, who absolutely had to rest, and had caused him trouble; what if none of the people to whom she had sent invitations had shown up; what if the film wouldn’t be interesting, even though she had invited the orchestra and the technicians, and so on.

In the end, she had to go upstairs in her pajama dress with a shawl over it. She needed to be certain about something.

Madeleine knocked cautiously when she saw a faint light seeping through the crack in the study door.

“Come in.”

The man’s cavernous voice made her smile with some relief.

Madeline opened the door and entered to see the Count sitting in an armchair, holding a document closed to his eyes as he read.

“Are you still at work?”

“…this is also a way to relax.”

He replied curtly. But there was no sarcasm. Madeline moved closer to him. She could see him turning slightly, but Madeline wanted to see him closer today.

“I’m nervous.”

“…….”

“I invited people over for the first time tomorrow. If something goes wrong….”

“That won’t happen.”

Ian replied in a casual but confident tone. But he did not look at Madeline.

“We’re going to have a tea party and then we’re all going to watch a movie together. You’re going to join us, right?”

“…….”

“If you don’t want to, that’s okay. I understand. People…”

“You don’t need to worry.”

Ian folded the papers and placed them neatly on the side table.

“I’ll make sure you don’t become someone…”

“Don’t say that. You just have to enjoy it.”

Madeline chuckled. Whenever Ian said something so unsure, there was an unexplainable urge to correct him.

“You haven’t seen a movie in a long time, have you?”

“Only once. At the Paris Fair.”

He was very young. He saw a train come rushing into the audience. It was an amazing sight. Ian suddenly stopped talking as if he was reminiscing about the past.

It seemed to be the first time he had ever told her a story about his past. It was difficult to picture the man who at one time must have traveled from place to place as a promising young man.

“Then, let’s watch it together this time. It’s going to be fun.”

Madeline gently squeezed Ian’s shoulder. She left without seeing the man’s ears were red.

The palm of her hand that was holding the hard shoulder felt hot and she squeezed and stretched it repeatedly.