The door was answered by an elderly butler, and Penelope held herself tall, hoping that pretended confidence would lead to her truly feeling so.
"Lady Penelope Strachan, here to see Lady Fitzgerald."
The butler bowed and motioned for them to come in. The maid Penelope had brought along, Mary, stood quietly to one side, seemingly in awe of the large house. The girl had only recently come to London and entered service, and Penelope often noticed her amazement at her surroundings. She wondered what the girl would make of a place like Amblewood, which was not only much larger but had so much more space to enjoy.
"One moment, please, my lady," the butler said, leaving them in the hallway and disappearing down the corridor. When he returned, he gestured in the direction he had come from.
"Lady Fitzgerald is just this way, my lady. And perhaps your maid would care for some refreshment downstairs?"
"That's very kind, thank you," Penelope said, trying to remember exactly what she had planned to say as the butler showed her to a small parlour at the end of the house.
There were two ladies within, one older and one younger, and Penelope dearly hoped that the younger was one of the Duke's sisters. For really, they were who she wished to see – and the ones in whom she was willing to confide the troubles she was having.
"Lady Penelope," Lady Fitzgerald said, smiling kindly at her. She had tightly pinned curls, all grey, and she was a rather small woman, dwarfed by the great chair in which she sat. "Forgive me, but I cannot recall our acquaintance…"
Penelope gave an apologetic smile. "No, I'm afraid it is you who must forgive me. We have no prior acquaintance – but I'm in town and wanted very dearly to meet my betrothed's family."
The old lady's eyebrows knitted together. "Indeed. And whom, may I ask, is your betrothed?"
"The Duke of Dunloch," she said, the words sounding strange on her lips even now.
"James is to wed?" an excitable voice in the corner said, and Penelope turned and smiled at the tall, slender girl who had abandoned her sewing and seemed deeply interested in what Penelope had to say.
Lady Fitzgerald tutted. "Please excuse my niece. She is still learning the polite ways of society, so many years stuck up in Scotland…"
"My apologies, Aunt, Lady Penelope. But this news is so shocking…"
"I did not know if he would have written," Penelope said, wondering yet again if she had made a terrible mistake. Hisfamily was clearly completely unaware of who she was, and now that she had told them, she worried that she was not supposed to. Perhaps, for some reason, the news was meant to be kept quiet. Not that it could be for long… They were to be wed before the year was out.
"It is rather a recent development," she said, feeling awkward standing while the others were sitting. But she had not yet been invited to sit…
"Indeed. We are both rather shocked, as we did not envisage the Duke marrying without much persuasion. Not to say that there is a reason why he should not marry, and of course we are both thrilled to hear the news."
"Yes, congratulations. It is wonderful news, of course."
"I'm glad you think so," she said, her confidence returning a little. "The first banns have already been read, but I did not wish to miss out on the opportunity of visiting you while I was in London."
"James isn't here, is he?" the younger woman asked, looking rather shocked.
"No, I came with my parents to purchase some items before the wedding. He–" she couldn't quite bring herself to refer to him as James, even though his sister did so freely "–is still in Scotland."
"Of course he is. That man loathes leaving Scotland, for any reason."
"Lady Penelope, allow me to present my niece, Lady Cecily. And Cecily, dear, perhaps think about what is appropriate to say to someone you have only just met."
"Yes, Aunt," Cecily said, her voice full of contrition – but when Penelope caught her eye, there was a gleam in it.
"I am afraid her sister, Lady Antonia, is currently in her art lesson, and Lady Francesca is attending Miss Molineux’sfinishing school on the other side of the city, so she is not in residence here."
"Well, it is a pleasure to make both your acquaintances," Penelope said, hoping this solitary sister would have an idea of what she could do to fix this mess.
"Perhaps we could promenade while the weather is fine, Lady Penelope," Lady Cecily suggested, putting her embroidery to one side. "If you do not mind, Aunt. It would just be nice to become acquainted with the woman who will be my sister."
Penelope couldn't believe the opportunity that had been dropped into her lap. She had been racking her brains trying to think of a way to get Cecily alone, and here she was suggesting it all by herself.
"You go ahead, but make sure you come back in time for tea. I would like to speak to Lady Penelope, too."
And that was how she found herself walking through St James's Park with the pretty younger sister of the Duke of Dunloch, confessing to her that it had not been only a desire to meet her future family that had prompted her to call on Lady Fitzgerald that morning.
