Dancing!
What else might she have planned and what would be required of him? Not that he didn’t want to see his cousins have a successful Season, especially after the first attempt had been an utter failure, for which he accepted responsibility, but he hated that Lady Penelope saw him as an inattentive guardian.
It was her opinion of him that had Henry visiting White’s last evening.
It should not matter what Lady Penelope thought, yet it did.
Why did he want her approval?
Was it because she did not like him very much?
Those words still haunted him because he had wanted her to like him, but could not understand why. The opinions of others had never mattered before.
Was it because she was the only female who did not care for him? Did he see her as a challenge and nothing more?
Oh, he wished that was the case because Henry did like her, far too much. However, that did not mean he wanted his female cousins to adopt her independent tendencies, so he needed to find a way to distance Lady Penelope from his family.
But first, he knew that he would need to get through the dancing lessons. Thus it had been providence when Henry encountered his distant cousins, the grandsons of his grandmother’s brother, at White’s. It had also taken some convincing, and possibly begging, but after they had drunk enough ale the three had agreed and now stood in the center of the drawing room where all the furniture had been moved out of the way for lessons to begin.
“Lady Penelope Johansen,” the butler announced as she entered and took in the room and frowned.
“I thought the lessons were for your cousins.”
“These are my cousins,” Henry announced.
“Female cousins,” she corrected.
“I am certain they will be along shortly,” Henry assured her. “But, given there are five of them and only one of me, I engaged additional toes to be trod upon.”
He also hoped that it would make the lessons go much quicker and he would not need to spend all morning and potentially afternoon dancing or teaching. “My second cousins, Misters Chadburn, Jude and Vance Grell.”
“We are acquainted,” Lady Penelope answered before she greeted them.
Henry supposed that he shouldn’t be surprised. Lady Penelope was five and twenty, observant and did seem to know everyone in Society. And, given her independence, it is likely she may have asked them to dance with her at one time.
Did that mean if she found a gentleman she preferred, she would ask to court them?
He would not be the least bit surprised, which was the very reason that he needed these lessons to be completed as soon as possible because once his cousins were clothed in a manner more becoming and they knew how to dance, Lady Penelope would no longer be an influence in their lives.
There had been no negative effects thus far, but exposure of a long duration might make them…well…less manageable.
“Cousins,” Judith greeted the Grell brothers cheerfully. “We were not aware that you were to call. It has been too many years since we have seen you.”
“Had your father approved, we would have visited more often,” Chadburn responded.
“Did he approve of anyone,” Henry grumbled to Vance who only snorted then chuckled.
“Should we ring for tea?” Chloe asked.
“Not as of yet,” Jude answered. “We are here because we have been given the task to serve as your partners.”
“For what?” Bernice asked.
“Dancing,” Lady Penelope answered.
“I know how to dance,” she responded.
“Yes, you do, but only because you had an excellent partner in Mr. Peter Storm. Your sisters, however, have not yet danced nor did your father believe it necessary that you know how. Therefore, you shall learn today.”
