Alexander shot her a pointed look, but continued .
“She likes to read books, though only what she chooses,” he said. “She has a fondness for illustrated naturalist books. Plants, birds. That sort of thing.”
“I see,” Penelope nodded, committing it all to memory. Finally, some new information that she could use to her advantage.
“She plays the pianoforte, though only when no one is listening,” he added. “And she’s stubborn. She never likes being told what to do, or how to feel.”
“Well,” Penelope said softly, “on that, we may have something in common.”
“She enjoys being outdoors. Hates being inside for too long, especially when someone tries to make her sit still.”
Another similarity, Penelope thought to herself.
“She’s closest to Apollo,” Alexander added. “The dog, and quite protective of him as well.”
“I’ve gathered as much,” Penelope quipped. “She would not let me interact with the animal.”
“Ah, I am not surprised,” Alexander shook his head. “She is not one to share her things, so you will need to tread carefully there.”
“If I tread any more carefully, I am afraid that I might not move at all,” Penelope exclaimed.
“You still have a better chance than the rest,” he countered, a flicker of hope rising in his tone. “None of her tutors have ever managed to teach her etiquette, and God knows, they’ve tried.”
His voice was laced with a tired honesty that only a father could have. For a moment, she found herself softening towards him.
“What else?”
“As she’s grown older,” Alexander’s jaw tightened. “She keeps things to herself. I suspect there are things about her now that even I do not know.”
“Have you tried asking her?” Penelope asked, as though it was the most obvious course of action. But the look that Alexander shot her in response made her feel immediately silly.
“I will let you decide how fruitful that might be,” he said. “Considering you have experienced what it is like dealing with her .”
“You have raised a stubborn daughter,” Penelope asserted. It felt strange to say that about someone else, considering that for most of her life, she had been regarded as such.
“This is what you are here for, is it not? To amend that,” Alexander said. “To make certain she is taught what she must before she enters society.”
Penelope opened her mouth to interject but he cut her off.
“I expect you to be a good influence on her, despite yourself,” he continued, “She’ll need an example to follow.”
“Despite myself?” Penelope repeated, appalled. It always surprised her how easily he was able to insult her.
Alexander didn’t even flinch, as expected.
“Forgive me for the assumption,” he shot her a glance. “But you do not strike me as the most traditional.”
“I beg your pardon?” she said, aghast. “I amentirelyproper. I have been raised in society and upheld every expectation placed upon me. Nobody haseverquestioned my manners until I stepped into your house.”
Well, that was not entirely the truth, and she knew it. But she was not about to let him smear her in an argument.
“You fled your first wedding, married me within a week,” he shrugged.
“At your insistence,” she huffed. “Let us not pretend that this arrangement was forced upon you.”
“It wasn’t forced,” he said simply. “But it was necessary for Odette. She needs guidance and discipline.”
“I am capable of being all those things,” she shot back.
