“I do not doubt that,” Penelope frowned, glancing down at his injury. She cut a small piece of the bandage, and began to wrap it around his hand. Once again, he offered no resistance. “Is this a recurring occurrence?”
Alexander shot her a look.
“Define recurring.”
“How often do you show up at home, injured?”
“Not often,” he flashed her a small grin. “You should have more faith in my fighting abilities. I am not really built to lose.”
At his statement, Penelope could not help but peek at the way that his shirt clung to his muscles. He had an impressive build , which was something she had noticed before as well. Only now it was much more apparent. She tilted her head to the ground, hiding the blush that had once again reappeared on her cheeks and fastened up the bandage.
“There,” she said. “All done. Though, there will be another change of dressing needed tomorrow. I suspect it should heal up well within the week, and fade into a light purple, at best.”
“You have much knowledge on these things,” he commented, pulling back his hand to examine it. “I wonder what other gentlemen you were bandaging up to get this experience.”
His comment caught her completely off-guard, and blood rushed to her face immediately.
“Heaven forbid that a woman might read, and learn on her own,” she replied defensively. “I do not need to practice on others to know what I’m doing.”
“I shall have to take your word for that,” he said, his tone once again impossibly nonchalant though his comment earlier had indicated something else entirely.
“Your Grace,” Penelope pressed her lips together, “If I did not know any better, I’d say that you’re sounding like a rather jealous husband.”
“Do you know better?” he asked, eyebrow shooting up. The intensity of his gaze flustered Penelope instantly, and she looked away from him.
“I am not sure if I do,” she breathed out. “In any case, I urge you to stay out of such scuffles in the future.”
“Hm,” Alexander muttered nonchalantly though the intensity of his gaze had not lessened in the slightest. “You worry too much, wife.”
“And you worry too less,” she countered defiantly, “at least when it comes to your own well-being. Perhaps it would do you some good to channel your worries about Odette to yourself, for a change. The distribution needs some equalizing.”
Alexander let out a loud laugh at that.
“Is that so?” he prodded, amused. “You really think a man my age requires the same worrying as a fourteen year old?”
“Considering your work environment, I would say yes.”
“I truly wonder what your reaction would have been if you had married me ten years ago,” Alexander said to himself, as though he was thinking out loud.
“Why?” Penelope asked, eyebrow raised. “What was so different, then?”
“Let’s just say that a strained hand would have been one of the more fortunate injuries incurred by me back in those days,” he said smugly. Penelope gaped at him, startled.
“Why do you involve yourself in these matters?” she asked, voice tinged with frustration. “Do you get some sort of a rush from putting yourself in dangerous situations?”
Alexander seemed to ponder over her question for a moment, bringing one of his hands to rest on top of his chin.
“I suppose that is one part of it,” he admitted, though his honesty surprised Penelope. He was rarely ever this candid – and she wondered whether the lateness of the hour had anything to do with it. A natural truth serum, if you will. “But largely, my actions have been guided by a sense of duty.”
“I cannot imagine what orientation of duty demands one to injure themselves,” Penelope replied, and he shot her a look that made her feel suddenly naive.
Alexander’s gaze lingered for a moment.
“Duty is one aspect of it,” he said quietly. “But the weight of legacy comes with its own set of challenges.”
“Legacy?” Penelope drew her eyebrows together. It was refreshing to hear him speak so candidly, and she did not want to ruin the moment by saying something out of line.
“The late Duke left a rather heavy legacy in his wake,” Alexander said in a tone so detached that it sounded like he was speaking of a stranger. “It took a while for me to adjust to it, though I am not certain if I still have.”
