The Maid Under the Stairs - Chapter 43
< Chapter 43 >
On a day when the sunlight filtered in between late summer and early autumn, Mary sighed as she flipped through the pamphlets distributed by the college for the incoming second-year students.
“Already second year. Why does time fly so quickly?”
Julia, who was also examining the pamphlet, felt the same. After a successful party and vacation on the Isle of Wight, they had to return to Summerhill on the last day of summer vacation.
Their joyful reunion with the friendly dorm rooms and the beautiful campus was short-lived as they were greeted with pamphlets about concentration subject selection tailored for second-year students.
“Even if we slack off, we have to graduate within a maximum of three years… That means we have to take exams for all those subjects!”
Mary shivered.
At Summerhill College, there was a two-year curriculum. Most students either graduate within two years to enter the workforce or return to their hometown within three years. However, there were exceptional cases like Lorelei who continued at the college for graduate studies.
“What major are you going to choose, Mary?”
Julia, with a relatively brighter expression than Mary’s, asked.
“I don’t know. I just want to travel. Experience the delicacies of different places, regardless of whether they are warm or cold. Oh, I heard from my brother that luxury sister passenger ships, Olympic and Titanic, are being built shuttling between Britain and the US. I wonder if there’s something worthwhile there.”
“A young lady from a good family working on a ship. I can already hear your parents groaning in illness.”
As Irina spoke with a sarcastic tone, Mary buried her face back into the desk. Her gaze shifted to Mabel quietly choosing her subjects across from her.
“Mabel seems lucky. She came to college determined to become a writer, so she doesn’t have to worry about her career.”
“Oh, Mary, do I need to repeat that I came to college knowing what I wanted to do?”
Julia retorted to Mary’s words.
“Just keep saying you’re going to be Robert’s wife again.”
Irina gritted her teeth firmly. Unlike Irina and Mary, who wanted to delay graduation as much as possible due to career concerns, Julia was eagerly anticipating graduating from college as soon as possible so she could marry Robert.
“Julia, you came to college just to wait for Robert’s graduation. I had to persuade my parents, who kept calling potential suitors as soon as I turned eighteen, to come here.”
Irina’s usual confident demeanor was replaced with genuine concern as she spoke.
“So if I graduate without any plans and just go back home, my parents will think I’ve wasted my time and immediately try to marry me off.”
Mabel, who had been silently listening to Irina’s concerns, suddenly asked.
“What about George then?”
“Spending time with George is nice, but I’m not sure if I want to marry him yet. It’s only been six months since we officially started dating, how can I make a lifelong commitment to this person?”
“Goodness, only six months? I was proposed to by Robert after just a week of meeting him!”
Julia interjected with a surprised expression, but Irina continued without paying attention.
“We only go on dates about once a month, just hanging out with other friends. At least we should spend all four seasons together, right? I still don’t know a lot about George. How he acts when he’s angry, how we’ll resolve disagreements, and…”
One of Irina’s sharp black eyebrows twitched slightly as her voice trailed off.
“And what about in bed? I’m curious about that too.”
Julia jumped up from her seat at Irina’s subtle whisper.
“Oh my, Irina! How can you know that before marriage? And marriage is something that God arranges, considering a sacred spouse with such immoral criteria!”
“Oh, Julia. How important compatibility is. Upper-class ladies I know married men chosen by their families and constantly complain to our mothers about how terrible their marital intimacy is. Of course, initially, it might be frustrating, but not being able to make each other happy for a lifetime… How can they have a proper married life?”
Irina said to Julia with a stern and solemn expression. Mary, who had been watching Irina with interest, chimed in.
“That’s right, especially for us women. Men can openly have affairs, but wives are treated as if they’re denying their husbands if they want intimacy. If we happen to meet someone we get along with, it’s like finding a rare gem, but it’s really rare.”
“But to call it intimacy from unmarried ladies…”
“Humph, I’d rather live as a promiscuous lady than live in a lonely marriage like those ladies known to my mother. If I’m going to be married, I want to live with a man who knows me well and fulfills my desires, spending hot nights together. Right, Mabel?”
While Irina and Mary enthusiastically exchanged conversation, leaving Julia flustered with her fan, Mabel, who suddenly realized the magnitude of what William and she had done, became stiff under the gazes of her friends asking for her agreement.
“W-well, that’s true…”
Mabel barely managed to respond to Irina’s question. She couldn’t bring herself to admit that she was one of the promiscuous ladies Irina was talking about.
Meanwhile, in Mabel’s mind, instead of the initial difficulty that Irina mentioned, she remembered the great joy she experienced during her first night with William. His passionate exploration of her body and her response to each of his touches.
‘Maybe Mr. Edmundstone and I are one of those rare cases where we get along well…?’
* * *
“Literature majors, in the next session, we’ll discuss the clash of gender and Christian values presented in Thomas Hardy’s ‘Tess of the d’Urbervilles.'”
As Professor Webster, with her brown hair piled high, finished speaking, the students streamed out of the classroom like a flood. Mabel, who had been sitting at the back, hurriedly approached her through the crowd, clutching her leather bag containing textbooks.
“Professor Webster, do you have a moment to talk?”
The young professor, who looked to be in her late thirties, turned back with a kind expression as Mabel addressed her. Jane Webster was a first-generation graduate of Summerhill College for Women and an active writer based in Italy, also Mabel’s favorite literature professor.
“Of course, Miss Willis.”
The professor, wearing a neatly pressed skirt under a white silk blouse covering her neck, smiled warmly at Mabel.
“Well, it’s about… joining the student council. I need the signature of my major professor stating that my grades and class participation are good enough.”
Mabel said nervously as she felt a thrill knowing that the professor remembered her name. She was collecting credits as fast as she could for early graduation. In the process, she learned through Senior Lorelei that she could earn credits by joining the student council and helping with the autumn festival preparations.
“Oh? The student council? Ah, is it because of the suffrage movement?”
Professor Webster asked with a slightly surprised expression.
“Um, not exactly… I need credits for early graduation. Of course, I also support women gaining suffrage.”
Mabel blushed. With the women’s suffrage movement in full swing, there were increasing numbers of students joining the student council to actively participate in the protests. However, she felt embarrassed that she had come to the professor for selfish reasons, just for credits.
“Of course, Miss Willis. Whatever the reason, your grades and attitude in class are excellent.”
Professor Webster, as if reading Mabel’s mind, smiled calmly and signed the paper she handed over.
“If you don’t mind me asking… what’s the reason for wanting to graduate early? You’ve also received scholarships, so it doesn’t seem like you’re trying to save on tuition fees…”
Professor Webster asked as she handed the paper with her signature back to Mabel. Mabel was taken aback by the unexpected question.
Was it because she had spent the summer vacation with William? His advice to stay true to her current happiness seemed to have helped her interact with her friends more comfortably than before. But on the other hand, she couldn’t help feeling anxious about stopping her lies once this semester ended.
“Well, actually, there’s someone who helped me get into college, and I want to repay them by entering society quickly.”
The reason for deciding to graduate early was not only because she didn’t want to lie to her friends anymore, but also because she wanted to graduate quickly and become a respectable writer to please Lord Alfred.
Of course, finding a way to leave Summerhill and London sooner, even for just one day, to consider her deepening feelings for William, was also important.
“Hmm.”
A slightly subtle smile appeared on Professor Webster’s face as she looked at Mabel’s complex expression.
“There’s a saying that education is the shortcut to eternal change, isn’t there? Perhaps the person who gave everyone, including Miss Willis, the opportunity to come to college had a similar mindset?”
“Excuse me?”
Mabel, who was about to pick up the signed paper and get up, paused at Professor Webster’s sudden words.
“I wonder how much that person is eager for Miss Willis, including how quickly and greatly Miss Willis succeeds. Of course, it could be just me expressing my regret that Miss Willis wants to graduate early. But actually, I have something I want to propose to Miss Willis.”
Professor Webster smiled again and winked at Mabel.