“I am unsure if I believe you, fully.” Frankly, he had no reason to, either.
“Oh,” she let out a drawn- out breath, “If I really did have a secret lover waiting for me, I would not have come here. If anything, that would have made this mess a lot easier. I am not asking much of you – just shelter for a few days, until I can get into contact with my sister. I am certain that she will be able to help me.”
Silence stretched between the two of them again, and he noticed Penelope growing restless as she began to pace around the narrow length of the room.
“Perhaps,” she murmured, “you could use some help around here. It would not be so bad. Your daughter seems like a handful.”
His jaw tightened almost involuntarily. Odette was not the easiest child to get along with, he knew that, of course.
He thought back to the scene from earlier: Penelope lecturing his daughter, even though it was cut short with his arrival. Most grown men didn’t know how to speak to Odette. But Penelope seemed to be entirely at ease with the whole process.
That thought lingered in his mind longer than it should have. But in the meantime , the silence between them had perhaps stretched far too long.
“You believe my daughter is a handful?” he asked dryly.
“I believe that there is some room for improvement when it comes to her behavior, yes,” Penelope nodded.
“And you believe that person is you?”
“I believe I am better equipped than most,” she said, undeterred. If she was bluffing, he could not yet tell.
“You mean to exchange the care of children for your keep ?”
“If that is what is required of me, then yes, I suppose that I can,” Penelope said. “I am quite adept at matters like this , especially when it comes to teaching useful skills and manners. That last one seems particularly useful at the moment.”
“You’re awfully confident for someone hiding in my establishment.”
“I’d say that’s evidence of good judgment.”
Alexander didn’t answer right away. He was still watching her.
“I only need a few days,” she said again, this time more gently. “Just long enough to contact Isadora. You needn’t concern yourself with me beyond that.”
He let out a breath through his nose. “And if your father comes looking for you?”
“Then he shall find himself in an argument he will not win.” She met his eyes squarely. “But I will not go back until I know I have another choice."
Once again, Alexander said nothing. But she seemed to mistake his silence for refusal.
Penelope let her shoulders sag as she slowly retreated towards the door. She did not know what else she could say at this moment. It felt like she had exhausted all avenues. The last thing she wished to do was appear desperate.
“I understand that I cannot get you to change your mind,” she said quietly. “I’ve caused enough trouble. I’ll find somewhere else.”
She turned to leave.
“Wait,” Alexander called out immediately.
“Have you changed your mind?” she asked, suddenly more hopeful than before. “That would be splendid, if you have. I promise not to be a bother in the slightest!”
Alexander raised his hand to stop her.
“Do you have a habit of putting words in other people’s mouth?” he asked her, raising an eyebrow.
She looked as though she had been offended at first, but then quickly smoothed out her expression into a neutral one.
“You must understand,” she started, “that I do not have the luxury of being patient, at the moment. I am sure that you would jump to conclusions, if it had been you in my place.”
Alexander smiled, this time feeling a touch amused. He had to give it to her; she had quite the spirit, one that was on display even when she was visibly restraining herself.
