She was only half-joking, but he didn’t know that. At least, she hoped he didn’t. He didn’t need to know how much effort it had taken her to win even a sliver of Odette’s trust.
“Careful, Your Grace. If you keep staring at me like that, I’ll begin to suspect you’re impressed,” she said to break the tension, for he had not stopped looking in her direction.
“Would that be so unthinkable?” he said, not taking his eyes off her. Stubbornness, it seemed, ran in the family.
“I… well,” she faltered, then recovered with a sniff. “It would be suspicious, certainly.”
“I am finding that you are full of surprises,” he commented. “I’m only trying to determine whether that’s a good thing.”
“I’ll save you the trouble, it is a wonderful thing,” Penelope rolled her eyes, mostly to distract herself from how very warm her cheeks felt.
“And I am meant to take your word for that?”
“You ought to,” Penelope looked away, annoyed at how easily flustered she was in his presence. “Actually, there are some things I would like to discuss with you regarding the estate.”
Alexander noticed the abrupt change of topic, and for a moment, Penelope wondered if he was going to call her out on it. But to her relief, he nodded.
“Go on, then.”
“There are repairs needed in the west wing, and the paths near the orchard have been left completely wild. I thought we might clear them,” she said quickly.
Talking about impersonal things was exactly what was needed here, she thought. It was a bit too close to comfort otherwise.
“And you are asking me because?” he said, sounding bored.
“I thought that it should be brought to your attention.”
He dismissed her with a subtle flick of his wrist. “There is no need for that. You are the Duchess now. Asking for permission for things like this is not necessary.”
Penelope’s eyes widened slightly. His response was so unlike the controlling image she had of him in her mind.
“You’re serious?” she asked before she could stop herself.
“Do I strike you as the sort to jest?”
“Forgive me for being surprised,” she defended herself. “But you were the one who handed me a list of rules the day I came into this house. It is not entirely ridiculous that I thought I would need to get these things approved from you.”
Alexander shook his head, “Different things.”
Different things, Penelope thought to herself. But conveniently, only he seemed to know the distinction.
“But in case you are still unclear,” he continued. “Let me remind you once and for all. You are the duchess, and you are free to do whatever it is that you wish with the estate.”
Penelope looked up, blinking once. The words struck her with far more impact than she was prepared for.You’re the Duchess.
The blush that she had been trying hard to control now surged up to her ears. Her mind scrambled to form a response, though none came.
“Right. Of course. Well then, I should… go… do… Duchess things,” she stood up, abruptly.
“Duchess things?” he repeated, clearly amused.
“Yes,” she asserted with more force than required. “I am quite busy today, actually.”
In earnest, she did not have much to do. But she did not wish to give him that impression. That was when an idea occurred to her.
“Before I forget,” she turned to face him again, “I’m planning a small picnic. Just something for Odette. I thought it might be nice… for her to see us all together. If you’re free.”
“A picnic?”
