“Against all odds,” Penelope tried for a smile, “I do.”
Moving from her sister’s room, she entered hers and dropped the pins in her hand on her dressing table, then rolled her neck. Her thoughts flittered to Edward and her heart twisted a little at thinking of him; his fierce gaze, how his voice would go from warm with those he cared about to icy steel for those who deserved a set-down.
Her hand trailed to her neck where the spot he’d sucked on that night still felt tender and sensitive.
Somehow, despite their disastrous first meeting and subsequent conflicts, she had slowly and steadily lost her heart to him. Edward was a very complicated man; his aloof disposition held a passionate nature and for good reason. She had no inkling at what others would think of his intimate predilections, but she didn’t think many would think highly of them.
Was it normal for a man to want to tie a woman up and spank her?
A knock came on her door and curiously, she answered it, “Pene—oh, Sarah. How may I help you?”
The maid held a flat white oak wood box in her hand, “This came for you today, Miss. It is from Lord Valhaven.”
A frisson of shock ran through her for a moment, but she reached out and took it. “Thank… you.”
Closing the door, she set the box gently on her bed as though it were a sleeping serpent, then took a step back, pulse thrumming in her ears. Slowly, she reached over and lifted the lid, only to have her vision peppered with black spots. Resting on the black velvet inside was a white-gold necklace, its five teardrop-shaped pendants cradling glittering diamonds.
The links between the pendants were made with white gold flowerhead detail, and beside it was a pair of similarly designed ear pendants. It was a necklace fit for a queen.
Her heart found another rhythm under her breastbone.
Tucked under the necklace was a card that she had not noticed before; drawing it out, she read Edward’s slashing hand, “For you, Alice. E.”
“He is out of his mind…” she whispered, daring to reach out and touch the jewels, only snatching her hand away when she felt the cold ice of the diamonds. “He has truly taken leave of all his senses...”
She couldn’t cover the box and shove it in a drawer fast enough to stop her heart from beating through her chest.
There was no question she would be returning those jewels to him by daylight, with a polite demand to know what from the nine realms of hell had possessed him to give her three generations of fortune in a box and what he had expected to happen after.
“It matters not if I love him,” she breathed out. “I cannot accept this from him. It feels… it feels like a bribe.”
Sighing, she fell to her bed. Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.
CHAPTER 21
Frustrated, Edward struck a bold line through the closing words of his next speech to Parliament and groaned. If he couldn't find the words to convince Parliament to amend the agreement with the royal charter of the East India Trading Company—granting smaller merchants a foothold in commerce—how could he possibly stand and speak with conviction in the halls of Westminster?
Dropping the quill, he groaned, not caring much about the ink splattering over his hand.
He temporarily gave up on the speech and briefly wondered if a trip to Gentleman Jacks for a round of bracing boxing would do him any good.
“It might knock some sense into me for buying that jewel set and sending it to her with no notice,” he grumbled. “When did I turn into such a coward?”
Ramsay came in—and Edward was sure he’d missed the man’s knock—with a cup in hand. “Another coffee, Your Grace, and I have taken the liberty of adding a few drams of whiskey.”
“Very astute of you, Ramsay,” Edward gazed at his work with the dour feeling that it might never get done. “I think I need—”
“What in God’s name is wrong with you!” Alice swept in, her cloak billowing after her while a hapless footman followed in her wake.
In her hands, she held the box from Rundell’s Jewelers, and while Ramsay stepped aside to let her pass, he also silently intoned for Edward if he should step in.
“Leave us, Ramsay,” Edward gave his response as she rested the box on his desk. When the door closed, he leaned back in his chair. “Good morning, Miss Alice. As usual,incenselooks rather good on you.”
“Are you mad?” she demanded, a stray lock of her untamed hair curling near her lips. “What is the meaning of this? Why would you give me jewels fit for a queen?”
“I had presumed they would look rather beautiful against your collarbone,” Edward replied matter-of-factly.
“For what reason?” Her brows knit in confusion now. “What am I to you that you would go to such extravagance?”
