He turned to her with his lips pressed together and shook his head.
“Your Grace, I am sorry that I have caused you such upset. I understand your wish to not be separated from your daughter. Please, accept my invitation to come and live at Carlton Manor with us. There are many beautiful chambers, any of which would suit your needs.”
Penelope’s sense of relief was great and she beamed at him. However, her father seemed less pleased at this.
“Leave my home? What Duke resides anywhere but his own home? And to move into the home of an Earl? People will think me an invalid. I am old, and I may be getting frail, but I am no invalid yet. No. That won’t do.”
He narrowed his eyes as he set them on Penelope. When he took her hand, the sudden sight of affection startled her.
“Why don’t the both of you live with me?” He turned to Daniel again. “You have lived here before, you know how pleasant it is. And you always had a dislike for your own manor, given the… circumstances. Besides, if your arrangement holds true, you will not be here much in any case and Penelope would have to travel back and forth. Given my health, nobody would think any less of us for such an arrangement.”
She could see that Daniel had already considered this arrangement as he simply nodded.
“Of course, I have no qualms about this proposal. It seems best for all concerned at the present time.” Looking at Penelope, he bowed. ‘If you do not mind, I shall recover some of my belongings and make the change at once. I will also ride into town and place an announcement in the local paper. The vicar already agreed to do the same for us at Banbury and I have sent word to Alistair to place notice in the London papers as well, to ensure the gossip ends as soon as possible. I shall return this evening. Perhaps we might all dine together?”
Noticing her father’s hesitation at the last suggestion, Penelope jumped in. “I agree. We want the servants to think of us as man and wife and as such, we ought to dine as a family.” Placing a hand on her father’s forearm, she smiled. “It will be like it always was. Remember when we were children? It was always so pleasant to dine together and share stories.”
Her father placed his hand over hers. “I suppose you are right.” Then, with a groan, he stood, leaning all of his weight on the cane before him. “I will see you this evening then, Daniel. I cannot say I am pleased at this, but it is done and there is nothing that can be done to undo it without causing further harm. So we shall have to make our best of the situation. Penelope, would you escort me to my chamber? I feel I need to lay down for some time before dinner.”
She agreed and took his arm, slowly walking him out of the room. As they passed Daniel, he smiled at her and gave her a small wink. Somehow, despite the strangeness of the situation, that small gesture meant a lot to her and she nodded her head at him before departing.
* * *
“I am sorry, Papa. I know you are disappointed in my actions. I only did what I thought was right,” she said quietly as they made their way up the steps. Her father leaned on her more than he usually did, which concerned her greatly.
“I know you did. And I fault myself. I think I might have driven you into this situation. I ought to have been more supportive. Perhaps then you would not have made this decision.”
There was something in his tone. It was not disappointment, but something else. Resignation, perhaps?
“Do you believe I have made a mistake?”
He shrugged. “There is no point in talking about this further. It is done. I only ask this, do you love him? You may take me for a fool, but I always knew you loved him before. I saw the years of torment you went through when he abandoned you. The pain he caused.”
She swallowed, unpleasantly reminded of those many years of melancholy at him having cast her aside. She wished he had not reminded her of it again, given that she and Daniel were to be man and wife forever. With a deep sigh, she replied.
“I know of the pain of my past. I suffered through it, after all. But be assured, I will guard my heart against further damage. My declaration to never marry might have fallen by the wayside, but my determination to never allow myself to be hurt again has not. At the very most, we can hope to be friends. Civil friends. No more.”
They had reached his chamber and he stopped, turning to her. With the kindness returned to his eyes, she placed a hand on his cheek.
“I am glad to hear it. For one thing you must never forget—the life he led before coming back here was not that of a gentleman. You heard of his reputation. As much as I care for him, he is not a man I would have chosen for you, but the deed is done. Only promise me this. If your heart falters and you feel as though you might be falling for him again, remind yourself of the man he has become. And of the boy he was. Both of whom have caused you harm. Do not let it happen again.” He dropped his arms then. “Now, I will rest and later we will dine together.”
He turned and left her standing where she was. A sudden bout of freezing cold overcame her and she shuddered.
Why did he have to say that? I already knew it all but hearing him remind me makes it all the harder to accept this new reality which is now my life.
Slowly, she walked back toward the stairs. As she passed the window, she spotted movement. She stopped and turned to see Daniel atop the carriage, driving it out of their driveway and toward what would soon be his former home.
She thought of the events of the day. His precious gift of the bandeau, his loving gesture of giving her his tailcoat. His amenable nature when it came to pleasing her father. Was that really the man her father was describing? Her father’s words echoed in her mind but as she stood and watched Daniel, there was no denying it. The old feelings were stirring in her heart once more.
Chapter 34
Daniel looked around the chamber which had been his for a number of years, long ago. Nothing had changed at all, and yet everything had. The bed was the same canopy style, four-poster bed. He ran a hand over the cover, wondering if it, too, was the same one that he used to climb under to hide away from the world. The armoire with the creaking doors was still sitting in the corner, his few items of clothing he’d brought from London were already neatly hung up by his newly assigned valet. The desk he’d used for his studies before Eton was in the corner.
It all looks the same, but it does not feel the same. The innocent young boy who once occupied these walls is long gone. How much of him is truly left in me? I wonder sometimes if I have not betrayed him. I’ve dashed all of his hopes and dreams, have I not? That young boy loved Penelope and wanted nothing more than to marry her, but if he’d known it would happen in this manner, I am sure he would have been horrified.
He was about to examine the desk to see if his old school papers were still in the drawer, as he was sure the chamber had been left empty for all of these years he’d been gone, when a gentle tapping on the door caused him to turn.
“Penny,” he said with surprise in his voice. She was standing in the doorframe, her body pressed against it so half of her was hidden. She had changed into a simple white round gown, a silk shawl covering her shoulders. He noted that the bandeau was still on her head, however.
