It is as if she wants my permission to spend time with her father. How can I deny her? It is clear His Grace does not wish for us to be alone together, even though we are married. If I insisted upon our agreed walk it will only make me look bad, both in her eyes and in his. I must step back. I must remind myself she is my wife on paper only. I have no say over her activities, nor any right to demand any of her time. Not that I would make such claims even if ours was a true marriage. She is her own person, and always will be.
“Please, read to His Grace if it gives him pleasure. We have done enough to cause him worries these past few days. We will be married for the rest of our lives and there will be plenty of opportunity to walk.”
“I thank you for being understanding. I….”
Besides them, the Duke fell into a coughing fit so severe, Penelope rushed to tend to him and Daniel jumped up at once.
“Papa? Do you require the physician?”
The older man shook his head. “I do not. But I do require rest. Daniel, would you assist me into the library? I would like to sit in my armchair and collect myself. And Penelope? Perhaps you might not mind fetching my novel from my bedchamber while Daniel settles me in the library?”
“Of course, Papa.” She rushed out of the room while Daniel assisted the Duke into the library. His heart was beating faster as he knew the old man well enough to understand this had been in part a ruse in order to be able to talk to Daniel alone.
As he’d expected, the moment the Duke was settled in his chair with a blanket draped over his legs, he looked at him.
“I see how you look at her. She may be fooled into thinking this is but an arrangement to save her reputation. But I know you. I know better. I may be old, but I am not blind. I am not so far removed from the world as to be unable to see when a man is in love. And know the kiss was no accident.”
“Your Grace… The kiss was not planned. I would never intentionally hurt Penelope…”
“Not intentionally. I know you care for her, more than care for her.” He looked up at him, a steely expression in his eyes. “I hope you remember our conversation.” Daniel did not have to ask him what he was talking about, he knew. He remembered. He swallowed, a chill running through his body.
“I do.”
“Good,” the Duke replied. “Be sure to never forget it. Let the past be a lesson to you. Do not give in to the darkness that overwhelmed your father.”
“I understand. And I won’t. You have my word.”
The Duke continued to stare at him. “Penelope told me of your plan to spend most of your time in London. It seems a sensible plan. Best for everyone. Especially for her. You may go.”
Having been dismissed as though her were still a small child, Daniel rushed away. In the hall, he passed Penelope who was making her way to the library, her father’s novel in her hands. She smiled at him brightly.
“Daniel, perhaps we can go on our walk in the morning instead? I thought of another part of the house I wanted to show you. There’s been an addition to….”
He shook his head. “I cannot. I must return to London sooner than I thought. I am sorry. I will return soon, but…” His voice broke as the memories of the past and the burden of his father’s terrible actions crashed down on him once more. He rushed away, leaving her alone without an explanation. Again.
Chapter 35
Penelope woke up when a thunderclap boomed almost directly above the house. The sound was so loud that it seemed to shake the entire house. She rolled onto her side and saw the lightning flash outside her bedchamber’s window. What a ghastly night it was. The large oak tree wavered in the wind outside of her room, casting shadows on the wall where her candle was still burning.
She’d craved the quiet of the night and looked forward to the refuge of her bed. After her encounter with Daniel in the hall that night she’d been utterly shaken by his behavior.
I cannot understand him at all. He seems so changeable. One moment he is kindness and sweetness itself, and the next he brushes me off and tells me he is leaving again. I can never be sure of his intentions or of his meaning. I can never trust his word or his agreements. Why? Why does he treat me as though I do not matter at all?
Suddenly, a gust of air blew open her window and her candle went out, drenching her room in darkness. She sat up and rushed toward the window, fighting it against the blowing wind. When at last she was able to close it again, the curtains were already damp. She stretched, reaching to lock the window when a bolt of lightning illuminated the garden below. For a split second she thought she saw a figure walking in there, but dismissed it.
Who would be walking at this time of day? Nobody, surely. However, when another flash struck, following by a thunderclap, she realized that someone was indeed walking in the garden. She learned forward to see better but her view was obstructed by the streaks running down the glass. Reluctantly, she opened the window just enough to she could look out. The darkness and rain made it nearly impossible to see and she was forced to wait for another lightning strike to illuminate the garden.
Down below was a figure. They had stopped moving and were standing still in the middle of the garden. She squinted to make out who it was when the person turned and she could see the outline of their shape, their posture, and——
“Daniel!” She called his name through the open window but the wind and rain drowned out her voice. Panicked, she rushed to her armoire and took out a cape and her boots before running out of the room and down the stairs.
He is sleepwalking again. I know the posture, I know it well. How many times have I had to wake him from this state when we were children? I thought he had recovered from this habit when he made his peace with his parents’ deaths. At least that is when the sleepwalking stopped then. So why is it happening again now?
She remembered well that he was prone to put himself in danger. Once she found him almost at the edge of the lake where he would have drowned. She’d assumed over the years the sleep walking stopped entirely, but it seemed not to be the case.
“Daniel!” She called out as loud as she could. Rushing across the wet grass she reached him at last and grabbed him by the arm, shaking him. “Daniel, wake up! You will catch your death out here.”
She had to shake him multiple times and scream in his ear before his glazed-over eyes came to life.
