Penelope frowned. “You’ve hardly spent an hour with him.”
Bridget’s forehead furrowed. “And yet, you would have me court lords I never met because you deem them a good match. At least this lord I have met and conversed with. Please, Penny. I know in my heart he is the one for me. I’ve never been so sure of anything! Yes, I dare say, I am in love at first sight.”
Her friend sat, a bright, dreamy smile on her face while Penny recoiled once more at the request. She did not like these feelings that were surging through her body now, especially because she could not clearly separate them. She felt anger at having been betrayed and abandoned, and yet a joy at seeing him again. And then there was this odd dislike of Bridget liking him. She sighed. Whatever these feelings were, she could not allow them to overtake her.
“Bridget, are you sure? While he was a lovely boy, I cannot vouch for the kind of man he’s become. Father says his reputation in London is quite poor and has already followed him here.”
Bridget cheerfully shook her head. “I care little about his reputation. He is a peer of the realm, after all. How many peers had reputations as dandies before they married? Most of them, I should venture to say. No, if I could be the Countess of Carlton by his side, I would not care what his reputation was. Penny, do not try to talk me out of it. I promise you I am certain. I feel myself bloom when I am beside him. He is the one for me, I know it.”
Penelope sighed heavily. Who was she to tell her friend no? Daniel was nothing to her anymore. She owed him nothing, just as he owed her nothing. Truly he was just another lord, single and thus eligible to be made a match of like the other lords in the area. And here was a young woman seeking a match. At last, she relented.
“Very well, Bridget. If you are so sure that this is what you want, despite his reputation, despite his history, then I will help you.” She paused. “We will have a ball. Yes, a ball is in order, I declare.”
Bridget’s eyes grew wide. “A ball? How magnificent! I adore balls! We have so few here in the country.”
“That is exactly why a ball is the best way to facilitate this courtship, Bridget. I will invite all the lords and ladies in Banbury. It will be wonderful. You’ll see. Next week, we will have the ball. I will speak to my father this very day.”
Bridget bounced up and down in her seat and clapped her hands together, as excited as a young girl at Christmas.
“It will be wonderful. And in the meantime, I will speak to my father about arranging a viewing of Amberley. You must join us, for I dare say Mr. Mavis is rather taken with you. He could not take his eyes off of you even for one moment.” She chuckled.
Penelope nodded. She, too, had noticed the young man’s interest. She’d have rather conversed with Daniel, perhaps asked why he had abandoned her all of these years, but instead found herself engaged with his friend the entire afternoon.
It wasn’t until after Bridget had departed, her mood cheerier than ever, that Penelope allowed herself to take a seat in front of the fire. She curled herself up in the armchair, her head resting on her knees, and thought about Daniel.
The pain when he left and never replied to her letters had been so crushing that she never wished to feel it again. All the tender feelings he’d once inspired within her, all the sweet dreams of their future that she’d so naively dreamt as a child, had caused her more pain than joy. So much so that she’d vanquished them deep within her heart. They were still there now, trying to escape and haunt her once more. It was almost as if laying eyes on him had unlocked them, allowed them to peek out from under the cover of darkness she’d placed upon them to drown them out.
I cannot allow myself to feel anything for him. I must keep my distance for if I do not, he will only hurt me again, I know. And I cannot go through the pain of losing him a second time.
No, she decided right then and there, Daniel would never hurt her again. She would not allow it.
Chapter 8
Daniel’s horse trotted steadily back toward Carlton Manor, Alistair beside him. He felt the way his friend stared at him without even turning his head. And, as expected, his companion did not let much time pass before questioning their sudden departure from the Manor.
“So, what is this mysterious appointment that took us away from those beautiful two ladies?”
Daniel shook his head. “There is none. I simply felt rather uncomfortable being there.”
Alistair frowned when he looked at him. “Did not feel comfortable? Whatever are you talking about? They were ever so welcoming. It was you who was acting a little out of the ordinary. Rather stiff and quiet. Not like the Daniel I know at all.”
He shrugged as they approached the woods that led back to his own estate. “I hoped I would feel as I did when I was a boy. This was my home, after all, for many a year. Alas, it felt no warmer, nor more welcoming, than Carlton Manor. Penelope was once my dearest friend and now we can hardly look one another in the eye. And the Duke seemed to go rather out of his way to let me know he is disappointed in my reputation.”
Alistair shrugged. “Do not let it bother you. He is not your father, nor she your sister. They were kind to you when you were a child but you are a man now. How you lead your life is up to you. You need please nobody but yourself. Anyhow, we are only here to find you a new steward, then we will be back in London, where we belong. Although…” He stopped and winked at him. “In the meantime, I would not mind spending more time with Lady Penelope. If you do not mind, of course.”
Daniel frowned. “Why should I mind?” He was aware that his tone was more forceful than nonchalant. Something that did not go unnoticed by his friend, who raised an eyebrow at him.
“I simply thought since you were once close it may bother you. But if it does not, then I shall take pleasure in conversing with her once more. Do you believe she might come to the viewing of Amberley Hall?”
Daniel shrugged. “She said she would, did she not? I am sure she will be true to her word.”
“Well, then I cannot wait. Perhaps this visit to the country will turn out rather interesting for me after all. And for you, as Miss Hughes seems taken with you as well.”
Alistair grinned and chattered on as they made their way back to Branigan Manor, while Daniel found himself slipping further and further into melancholy and nostalgia.
* * *
The following day Daniel sat on the front veranda and took in the clear country air. It was one of the few things he missed when in London. The smell of smoke that always lingered in the air in the capital did not please him. Country air always seemed so much cleaner and fresher than that in the city. Alistair, eager to explore the area in the hopes of encountering more beautiful Oxfordshire women, had taken a horse, leaving Daniel alone.
