Penelope shook her head. “Why? There is no reason to. Why should you stay on your own if you are plagued by nightmares?”
Daniel did not speak for a moment, not quite sure what to say. He knew the reasons, but did not wish to tell her outright. It would only hurt her.
“He says we are no longer little children and we must act like the adults we will soon be.” He paused, remembering the unfortunate news he still had to share with his best friend. He swallowed. “He also said that I am to go to school. At Eton.”
As he’d feared, her eyes grew wide and watered at once. “Eton? But that is a boarding school! You will have to move there for much of the year. Why is he sending you away?”
“He says as I am an Earl and I must receive an education befitting my station, and he does not have the time to teach me. He says I must study so that one day I can be in charge of my estate instead of the steward.”
Tears ran down Penelope’s face and he placed a hand on her head, stroking her soft hair in an attempt to comfort her. “I will come home for holidays. And in summers. And you and your father can come visit me. You’ll see, everything will be well.”
Penelope’s tears stopped flowing as she blinked. “Do you promise me?”
“I do. I promise. We will always be the best of friends. We will always be together. I will write to you while I am away and you will write to me as well. Now, sleep. It is late. See? The candle is about to burn out.” Penelope nodded and turned on her back, her eyes fixed at the same canopy he’d looked at just minutes before.
She reached across and placed her cold hand in his and they laid that way until her breathing slowed and became even. Daniel pulled his hand gently out of hers and pulled the duvet over her. He would miss her so much. Since the day he’d arrived here, Penny had been his best friend, his family. He loved her above all else. In fact, he could not imagine a life without her in it.
“When I am an adult and take control of my estate, I promise I will marry you, so that nobody can ever separate us again.”
He turned and closed his own eyes completely unaware that Penelope was no longer asleep. As he fell asleep, she opened her eyes, a broad smile on her face. She could not imagine a future that did not have him in it, either.
Chapter 1
Nine Years Later
Penelope Richmond strolled through the vast and beautiful garden of the Branigan estate. It was a beautiful summer’s day. The sun stood bright in the sky, bathing the world in its glow. Penelope turned her face toward the sky to soak up the rays with her eyes closed when beside her, her father coughed.
At once, she whipped her head around. “Papa?”
The Duke of Branigan coughed and banged his closed fist against his chest in an effort to help his breathing. Penelope wrapped an arm around his back and steadied him as he coughed. Once his fit subsisted, he straightened up and placed his hand on her cheek. “Thank you, my flower. It is better now. Do not fret.”
“Of course I fret and worry. You have been growing sicker and sicker these past few weeks and refuse to see a physician. What am I to do if you die?”
He winked at her. “I won’t die anytime soon, not until I am good and ready. And I’m not ready. I will see you wed, with children, first. I shall die an old man. That I swear!”
She smiled at his conviction and hoped it was true. Since the death of her mother and the departure of her former best friend—her father’s ward, Daniel—Penelope had nobody but her father. The thought of him leaving her, too, caused her excruciating pain. He was not a well man, older than the fathers of her friends. He was only growing frailer as time passed.
“Perhaps we ought to go back inside, Papa.”
“I suppose so. Although I’d prefer to sit in the garden,” her father said in reply, as he held on tightly to her hand. “I feel rather in the mood for a nice cup of drinking chocolate and perhaps some fresh honey bread.”
Penelope nodded. “I think that can be arranged.”
Her father was not supposed to be eating too many sweets as they further upset his stomach. However, his sweet tooth was not easily combated.
They had just made their way toward the table and chairs which always remained set up for just such an occasion, when a carriage stopped at the front of the house. A young lady dressed in a light peach-colored round gown stepped out of the carriage. Her arms were tucked into a striking white spencer jacket. Her flaming red hair was tucked underneath a capote and she waved enthusiastically at them.
With her free hand Penelope waved back, a smile on her face.
“Is that Bridget Hughes?” Her father asked as he squinted.
“It is. I was to have tea with her this afternoon.” She looked at him uncertainly. “Would you rather I send her away?”
Her father shook his head with a grin. “Not to worry. I have to meet with Mr. Percival anyhow, to discuss matters of the estate. I’ll have him summoned and he can join me in a cup of tea while you attend to your friend.”
She watched as her father turned and gingerly went up the steps into the house. He’d been unsteady on his feet these past few days, which worried her a great deal. She decided then and there to consult the physician on his next visit.
“Penny!” Her friend Bridget called, diverting her attention. She was one of her dearest friends.
