Chapter 27: The Favor of the Young Ladies

Standing behind the door was a young woman with dry, yellowing hair, a face full of freckles, and a timid, shrinking gaze.

"Lisa!?" Elena’s voice rose to a shrill pitch.

"Elena?" Lisa took a small step back.

Elena’s notorious reputation was known to everyone in Lourmarin village, and Lisa had no desire to be close to such a volatile, crazy woman.

"What are you doing here?" Elena’s brows furrowed deeply. Why was there a woman at Ronan’s house?

"We’re here to fix Mr. Ronan’s windows."

Before she could finish, Henry appeared behind Lisa, carrying a hammer. He had a nail clamped between his teeth. He glanced at Elena and said guardedly, "Lisa, don’t let strangers in. Ronan didn’t say anyone was visiting today."

"Okay, Papa." Bolstered by her father’s presence, Lisa stiffened her posture and made a move to close the door.

Elena blocked the movement with her body. "Where is Ronan? I want to see him."

"Mr. Ronan has gone into the mountains." With that, Lisa shut the door.

Elena retreated to the muddy dirt road and looked up at the window—the same one Ronan had climbed out of when she first met him.

"Henry is the most snobbish guy in the village. Is he trying to suck up to Ronan lately?" Elena thought this was a reasonable explanation. But could Lisa even fix windows? The anger on Elena’s face was replaced by a look of gravity. Things were certainly not that simple.

She struggled across the vineyard, reached the village’s main road, and headed toward her home at a brisk pace. She hadn’t gone far before bumping into two acquaintances. Calling them acquaintances might be a stretch; "mortal enemies" would be more accurate. They were also wealthy young women from Lourmarin, and she had traded barbs with them on many occasions.

Elena immediately halted her hurried, disheveled pace, shifting into a leisurely, carefree stroll as if she were out for a spring excursion. The two girls ahead were chatting animatedly, completely oblivious to her approach.

"Are you going to the market again tomorrow?"

"Of course."

"To see Ronan again?"

"Hardly. But we’ve run out of truffles at home, so I might consider buying some."

"If that’s your excuse... then I’m going to go talk to him!"

"You wouldn't dare!!"

"Haha—not admitting it? But Ronan is handsome, capable, and wealthy; it’s only natural to like him."

"Well... my parents said the same thing."

The roads in Lourmarin were narrow enough that every word of their conversation drifted clearly into Elena’s ears. Forgetting all sense of poise and elegance, she hiked up her skirts and broke into a trot.

The situation was even more dire than she had imagined! She had to notify Lucas immediately!

***

"Keep your voice down. Do you want the neighbors to laugh at us?" Lucas rubbed his ear, which had been jarred by her outburst, and pulled the curtains shut. Although he knew it wouldn't help, he wanted to distance himself from the "manic" Elena.

"How is this an emergency? Henry is a dog who follows others to scavenge scraps; he won't stop Ronan from doing his truffle business. He’s probably hoping to ride Ronan’s coattails while he makes money. I don’t understand what you’re so nervous about." *Did you drag me all the way here just to tell me this?*

"That’s not it, Lucas!" Elena jumped up from the sofa and paced the living room nervously. "Someone is using the same scheme as you! They hope to bind themselves to Ronan by 'selling out' their own daughter or sister!"

Lucas poured himself a glass of red wine. "They aren't in the truffle business. If they have a scheme, it’s for something else."

"Are you only thinking of yourself?" Elena asked, her expression twisted. If she were facing Theo, she would have called him a selfish piece of trash.

Lucas drank half his glass and shrugged, bewildered. "Who else should I be thinking about?"

Elena completely broke down, letting out two frustrated screams. Lucas seemed to have guessed the reason for her collapse and spoke over her shouting: "If you don't want Ronan to think you're a lunatic, you'd better be composed by the day of the party!"

Elena stopped shouting instantly, asking with a pitiful, delicate air: "You’ll help me, right? This was your suggestion, after all. You want Ronan and me to end up together, don't you?"

Lucas downed the rest of his wine. "Mother Earth teaches us that you only get what you give. Elena, what have you sacrificed for love? Do you want to hear what Phil thinks of you? Relying on money alone won't work if you want to win Ronan. That’s all I can do for you."

Elena sat back on the sofa, dejected, and hugged herself tightly.

***

It was Friday again.

The heavy snow had given Ronan a brief vacation, and he had only gone into the mountains twice this week. The snow, thicker than an ankle, made digging for truffles much more difficult. He had only harvested seven small ones, but even so, his stall was still "teeming with people."

Many beautiful young women braved the freezing cold to linger at the truffle stall for half an hour or longer, only leaving reluctantly after ensuring Ronan knew their names, ages, their parents' professions, and their family circumstances. It was difficult to ask Pierre’s gang to maintain order when dealing with young ladies, so Ronan’s stall had once again become a unique "scenic spot" at the market.

Fortunately, with little stock this week, he always sold out eventually, and those people grew too embarrassed to make awkward small talk, gradually drifting away.

Ronan folded up the 1,700 francs he had earned today and carefully placed them in his pocket. This amount was exactly the same as his expenses for repairing the windows this week. If he had hired a professional, it would have cost at least three times as much, but after learning the [Construction] skill, he only spent 1,500 francs on new windows, with the other 200 going to Henry.

Henry, that fellow, was always hovering around Ronan, so he couldn't hide the window repairs from him. Henry didn't know how to install windows, but he was fine at reinforcing the others. Seeing how much he had helped lately, Ronan had contracted the work to him. He had expected Henry to demand an exorbitant price, but to his surprise, he only asked for 200 francs. Ronan guessed it was because Henry’s reputation was so poor that other farmers wouldn't give him work, leaving him in a financial bind, so he took any job that paid.

Ronan had checked the work last night; it was well done, without any cutting corners. It was just that Henry’s daughter, Lisa, insisted on cooking dinner for him, which gave him a bit of a headache.

Henry had said that Provençal people placed great importance on window decorations, and that Ronan’s home looked too bare, suggesting it needed some "touching up." Ronan decided he had to find an opportunity to make it clear to Henry: if he wanted to keep earning this money, he absolutely could not let Lisa appear at his house.

Seeing the other vendors starting to pack up, Ronan asked Zoe, who was beside him, "Eating together?"

Having a meal together after the weekly market had become a habit. But Zoe didn't even look up as she replied, "No, I’m going home after I pack up."

Ronan tilted his head back. Was it because he didn't provide a reasonable excuse for dinner today?