He caught her wrist mid-air as she continued to speak. “You should tell me, whatever it is.”
She looked up at him, their height difference pronounced. “Is it really that important?”
“To me, yes,” he answered without skipping a beat. “Now, you will tell me what it was that you were going to ask me.”
“Odette,” she sighed. “It was about her.”
“Go on.”
“Now, I do not know how you will react, but she confided in me that she wants to go on an outing. Just for a few hours to the park.”
“She goes to the park frequently,” he said, puzzled. “What is so strange about this demand that you felt you could not ask me?”
She sighed, bracing herself.
“Well, let me come to that part,” she rubbed her side with her free hand. Alexander realized that he had been holding on tightly to her hand then and let it drop. “She does not wish to be accompanied by any guards. She wants to go without them. Just her, me, and perhaps Isadora can also join in.”
“No,” he said flatly. “Not a chance. We have gone over this numerous times, and you already know that my answer is never going to change.”
“See, that is what I mean,” Penelope folded her arms. “You do not even consider it.”
“You know why we don’t allow that,” he reminded her.
“Yes, I know,” she sighed again, “You think the world is a threat waiting to happen. But she’s not asking for the moon. She just wants a walk and perhaps a moment of normalcy.”
“Her life is normal enough,” he stated. He hated that she was arguing over something he had long established as a firm boundary. “And you should not give in to her silly demands.”
“They are not silly demands,” Penelope was immediately flustered. “The normal thing is for a girl her age to enjoy the park, not whatever little prison you have imposed upon her.”
“And if something happens? If she is recognized, or followed? What is your brilliant plan in that case, since you seem to have thought this entire thing through?”
“I will be with her,” Penelope said simply. “That would be enough to protect her.”
Alexander let out a laugh.
“Do you never hear yourself? You are almost as delicate as she is,” he said. “That isn’t enough.”
“So I am not enough for her, is what you are trying to imply here?” She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Now, you are only putting words in my mouth.”
“Am I, really? Because it sounds a great deal like you don’t trust me to protect her,” she huffed.
“It is not about trust,” he said sharply. “It’s about risk. And I will not have either of you exposed like that.”
“So what, then? We hide? We never step foot into the world without your approval?” Penelope was very clearly at her wits’ end. He had seen her argue with him numerous times before, but it looked as though she had reached her final limit with him.
“If that is what it takes, yes,” he said in a voice that he knew would only set her off more. “I will not be taking any stupid risks. You are asking the wrong person.”
“You are the only person I can ask,” she said in return. “You are controlling of her movement, and now I wonder if you wish to control mine as well. Am I allowed to step out without Fergus or Lewis either? Or does the same rule apply to me now?”
He didn’t answer. For a moment, he considered the benefit of imposing such a rule. He had two bodyguards; one could be with both at any given time.
“It is not the worst of ideas,” he muttered under his breath.
“You cannot be serious,” Penelope was already shaking her head, clearly in disbelief.
“You’re not leaving my side,” Alexander said, and the words came out harsher than he intended. “And if I am not there, then the bodyguards will do the job just fine in my absence.”
