"And his name?" Penelope asked, steeling herself for this encounter which felt like it should be the domain of the dowagers in the room, not an unwed lady from Northumberland like herself.
"Mr Benjamin Pryce."
Mr Benjamin Pryce seemed to be watching the festivities from a distance, giving Penelope an easy opportunity to approach him without being overheard by anyone. She had never before approached a gentleman in a ballroom whom she had not already been introduced to, but this was not a normal situation. She needed to persuade this man that Antonia was not alone and unprotected, an easy target for whatever scheme he had in mind.
"Mr Pryce?" she said when she was before him, for it would not do to accuse the wrong man.
He frowned slightly, clearly well aware that they had not been introduced, but nodded all the same. "I am, yes. And you are…?"
"Lady Penelope Strachan," she said, forcing her voice to sound confident even though she did not feel so herself. "And soon to be the Duchess of Dunloch."
His eyes widened then, and she knew that using the title had been the right decision. Unlike her parents, she was not particularly keen on telling everyone they had ever met that she was soon to be a duchess. But at a time like this, the title – and the connection to the woman he was pursuing – would surely be useful.
He bowed and recovered himself to say, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Penelope."
Penelope did not say the same, for nothing about this conversation was a pleasure.
"I believe you are acquainted with my sister-in-law."
Mr Pryce narrowed his eyes. "I have been acquainted with all three of your sisters-in-law, Lady Penelope. Which lady is it of whom you speak?"
She was sure he was being deliberately obtuse, perhaps hoping that she would not wish to press him in a public setting and appear impolite.
But she was a desperate woman, and politeness did not currently concern her.
"Lady Antonia Cresham," she said icily.
"Ah." There was no denial.
"My betrothed does not believe it to be a good and equal match," she said. She knew she was presuming a little to use James's name in a matter of which he had no knowledge, but shetrusted Cecily, and she had to trust that she was right about her brother's wishes.
For if she was wrong, not only would Penelope be meddling in Antonia's affairs, but she would also be seen as meddling in James's – something of which he already thought poorly. In fact, the longer she stood there challenging this man with very little evidence, the more she questioned whether this idea had been a good one or just another hare-brained scheme that would only get her into trouble.
"I do not know what Antonia has told you…" Mr Pryce began. "But there is nothing inappropriate about our acquaintance, I can assure you."
"Do you intend to ask for her hand in marriage?" Penelope asked boldly.
He hesitated. "It would not…at this time…be prudent…" He stumbled through his words, but she understood the gist. If he had planned to marry her, he was not going to ask her brother for her hand. Perhaps he had some elopement in mind; perhaps ruination so she no longer had a choice.
"I see. May I suggest, Mr Pryce, for your own sake as well as Antonia's, that if you do not have honourable intentions towards the lady, you stop pursuing her."
"If you are accusing me of dishonourable conduct, my lady, then I must–" he began, his face turning red.
"I am accusing you of nothing," Penelope said, amazed at her own ability to remain calm and cut through his nonsense. "I am merely suggesting that if you have no intention of asking the Duke for his sister's hand – and I cannot tell you what the answer to that question may be – that you do not entwine your names together any longer. The Duke is not a man who forgives easily. If crossed, he will not hesitate to use his power and influence to exact revenge, especially if the honour of one of his sisters is involved."
In truth, she did not know whether that was entirely true. She knew he did not forgive easily – she had fallen foul of that herself. And although he seemed to find his sisters a little frustrating, she thought he would act to protect them, especially if the good family name was in danger.
And she did not think he would want his sister to be married to a man such as this; a man who clearly did not plan on doing things the proper way but who seemed to hope to lure the eighteen-year-old into his trap without any comeuppance from her family.
Well, she would be her family now. James was not here, but she was.
"Do we understand each other, Mr Pryce?" Penelope asked.
"Yes, Your Grace," he said, clearly forgetting in his panic that she was not yet the duchess. "We understand each other. And I apologise for any… misunderstanding there may have been regarding my intentions towards Antonia. I am not looking for marriage, and if I danced with the girl, it was only to be polite."
Penelope's heart felt as though it might break for the girl she had not yet met, who had clearly believed herself in love with this cad – a man who had proven, at the first sign of questioning, that he was not devoted to her. His behaviour only confirmed what Cecily had said, and Penelope was relieved that she had trusted her doubts about the man.
"Well, I bid you good evening, Mr Pryce. I don't expect we shall see each other again."
