“Penelope, I …” he stopped speaking as her eyes widened with horror and suddenly the only thing to fill the church’s empty sanctuary was silence.
Chapter 33
Penelope swallowed. He was going to walk away. She knew it the moment the vicar asked him he if wanted to take her as his wife. For that terrible moment when he did not answer, she could see it in his face. He wanted to say he could not. The hesitation had all but caused her to run out of the church herself. Yet, he’d gathered himself and said, “I will” at last. But it did not hurt any less.
Why does everything hurt so much when it involves him? Why must I always find myself in these impossible situations when it comes to him?
She sighed, as there was no point in thinking about it anymore. They were about to arrive at Branigan Manor and then she’d have to tell her father the truth. Or as close to the truth as she could. She’d have to tell him she was a married woman and would be moving into Carlton Manor at once. Daniel had agreed to return to London at the end of the next month and remain there for some time, but for the next six weeks they would have to pretend to be husband and wife.
As the carriage stopped and he assisted her out, she could not help but stare at him. He was her husband. Now and forever. He smiled at her but there was some sadness in his eyes.
“Penny. I am sorry I hesitated in the church. I did not mean to, I just felt a little overwhelmed in the moment and…”
“I understand. I was inclined to run away myself. But it is done now and for the sake of my father we must pretend as though we are pleased with the arrangement.”
Daniel seemed suddenly uncomfortable with the situation and the prospect of speaking to her father. She understood this well. She worried what he would say, how he’d react. She agreed to the whole idea in great part to please him and ensure his health was not affected by the scandal. Still, she worried about his reaction. If he considered leaving the task to her, he fortunately did not say so. Instead, he took a deep breath.
“I suppose there is no point in delaying the inevitable…” He extended his hand to her and she was for a moment confused, but then realized. She was his wife; it would be expected that they show affection. Everyone but the two of them and her father had to believe they were truly married. They needed to look that way until Daniel departed.
She took his hand and they made their way into the Manor where they were greeted by an anxious-looking butler.
“Lady Penelope, His Grace is ever so worried about you.”
“He is?” She had to admit, she was pleased that her absence had still alarmed her father as he had been acting as though he did not care for her at all. “Where is he?”
The butler indicated the drawing room, a room her father used rarely. With a frown, she looked at Daniel and together they stepped into the room. Her father was seated in the armchair near the fireplace and had his eyes set on the painting above, the painting of her late mother. Penelope cleared her throat.
“Papa?”
He turned at the sound of her voice and at once smiled. Although when he saw Daniel beside her, he gasped.
“Daniel? What are you doing here? And where have you been, Penelope? I was worried sick.” He looked at the bandeau on her head. Of all the things that were happening at the present, this seemed to confuse him the most.
Penelope hesitated for a moment but then Daniel let go of her arm and stepped forward. “We went to Banbury, Your Grace. To be married.”
“Married?” The Duke stood up and at once sat back down as if overcome by a wave of weakness.
“Papa!” She called in alarm and rushed toward him. He held out his hand to stop her coming closer to him.
“No! Explain yourself. Married? How could you?”
“I purchased a special license and found a vicar to hold the ceremony in Banbury. I knew of no other way to restore Lady Penelope’s reputation, after what I did. I had to do the right and honorable thing.”
“The honorable thing would have been to stay away in the first place. Now you’ve ruined everything! Married! How could you?” He looked at Penelope and the disappointment in his voice was almost too much to take.
“I did it for you, Papa! I thought if we are married the gossip will stop and we will at last be returned to the standing we always had. We will be respected again without the whispers and the talk. My reputation is restored as I am married to the man who so scandalously kissed me at the Festival.”
“Nobody can talk about us now, for it was simply a passionate kiss shared between a man and a woman who were soon to be wed, nothing more. Nothing scandalous or wrong about it. To attempt to make it so would only reflect badly on the person telling the story.”
The Duke sat, his mouth slightly ajar. Penelope could tell he was thinking on how to react to this. At last, his face fell entirely and he paled.
“So, this is not a love match at all? It was for the benefit of our family? Our line?”
The two exchanged a glance and Penelope nodded in agreement. “It was, Papa. We are not lovers. We are not even friends. It is an arrangement. I will remain with Daniel when he is here and he will travel extensively. It is not what either of us wanted, but it is what has to be.”
“Be with him?” The older man’s voice was full of alarm. “Be with… Are you to abandon me and move to Carlton Manor? Penelope…” He clasped her hand. “You cannot leave me in my state. I am not a young man. I am ill and I’ve been growing more so these past few days. I beg you do not leave me.”
Her father’s sudden change in mood and his pleading almost broke her heart. She did not want to leave him. In fact, the thought alone had hurt her more than she was willing to admit. She’d never been without her father, as he was her only parent. Prior to the scandal she always planned to care for him until his death. Devastated, she looked up at Daniel. To her surprise she saw his face was a mask of upset as well.
