His breath was warm, the fumes of the scotch he’d consumed nearly overwhelming.
Suddenly, the setting for losing her virginity was horribly, horrifically wrong! They were on a settee, in the Duke of Cortland’s study, for God’s sake. And Hugh was drunk out of his mind. Was she insane? Alarm bells sounded in her head but there was no turning back.
He was pressing into her. She wanted to pull away, but she had nowhere to go.
It hurt.
The pushing, the invading, oh, God, the tearing. Penelope couldn’t stop the scream that suddenly pierced the late afternoon quiet of the study.
Chapter 2
Hugh was awakened early the next morning by Chester, his valet of over a dozen years, to read an urgent missive sent from his mother. Splitting head aside, Hugh knew Chester took enjoyment insisting his master rise early. He’d said the courier had declared the correspondence to be urgent. And the damnable thing of it all was, Hugh loved his mother.
Swinging his legs over to the side of the bed, he unsealed the note while Chester threw open the heavy curtains. The bright sunlight was punishment, surely, for the previous day’s overconsumption of brandy and scotch. Hugh rubbed his forehead with one hand and attempted to decipher his mother’s handwriting. It was atrocious, as always—barely legible.
Hugh,
I’ve purchased new capes(drapes?)for the foyer. The old ones are not allowing enough sunlight in to chase the cold of winter away. These new ones will be made of a lighter fabric and consist of a yellow and green floral print. I’m thinking of having a dark green egging(edging?)added so they aren’t overwhelmingly feminine. This is your estate, after all. For I would never guess. It has been so lonely(long?), my dearest, since you have spent any time here.
Your dodder(sister?)is departing soon to participate in the season, but I am considering forgoing Town to stay at home. What with having to fight off this scarlet fever and all.
Anyhow, I would simply ask that you keep an eye on your sister while she is there and offer her your lemon(escort?)on a few occasions.
Love,
Mother
It took a moment or two for the words to penetrate the fog of his brain. He had to read through the entire missive in order to ascertain that he was not mistaken. Even then, he was not entirely certain.
Scarlet fever? Good God, why had no one contacted him sooner!
“Chester, we’ll be departing for Land’s End immediately. Why did no one see fit to inform me that my mother had contracted scarlet fever? Damn me, I’ve been told nothing of it. Is there an epidemic at the estate? In the village? Do you know anything of any of this, Chester?” Hugh was near panicked at the thought of his mother’s mortality.
“I’m certain I do not, my lord,” Chester responded uselessly as he pulled one of Hugh’s large traveling trunks out of the dressing room and began folding clothing into it. “Might I suggest you journey ahead of the traveling coach on your mount instead of waiting? The weather looks fine, and you’d make quicker time that way.”
Hugh rubbed his hand through his hair and nodded in agreement. Of course, what was he thinking? He could be back at the estate in half the time. Oh, hell, he simply wished his head would stop pounding. He’d not be imbibing again anytime in the near future. “Of course, of course.” He glanced around in frustration. “Where are my damn riding boots?”
Less than half an hour passed before Hugh and Dicky, one of his outriders, rode off the estate together. The sun had barely yet risen. Glancing over his shoulder, Hugh knew Cortland and the duchess would not take offense at his quick departure. He’d left word of the situation and adamantly instructed nobody follow. He needed to verify the facts of his mother’s letter first.
His conscience niggled, however, as though he were forgetting something very important. He searched his memory to the best of his ability before dismissing the thought. Whatever he’d forgotten would most likely be taken care of by Chester.
He had just over one hundred miles to travel before reaching Morrow Point, his estate near Land’s End, located along the coast of the most southwesterly point in Great Britain. If he and Dicky changed out their mounts a few times and took very short breaks, weather permitting, they could arrive late tomorrow night. His heart raced at the potentially devastating situation he might be heading into.
And what of his sister, Lavinia? Surely, she would not leave Mother at such a time. Surely, she was not that selfish. She’d not been the same woman since losing her husband a few years ago, but she was still quite levelheaded. In fact, she’d never been like other frivolous ladies of theton. This entire situation made no sense.
The question of an outbreak of scarlet fever at Morrow Point, nonetheless, was nothing to ignore. He pushed his horse a bit harder. As Summer’s Park disappeared behind him, he again dismissed the thought that he was forgetting something.
* * *
Penelope’s first thought upon awakening was that she was not in her own bed. She was at Summer’s Park.
Lilly had given birth to the most adorable baby boy yesterday. A smile spread across Penelope’s lips as she pictured the screaming, squirming bundle of innocence.
And then other memories swept her thoughts of delight aside.
Merciful Heavens! She heaved the bedclothes over her head and groaned. She’d truly gone and done it last night. She’d made the most spectacular mistake of her entire lifetime.
Or perhaps not.
