Had Penelope deliberately kept women who might be a match from his house? If so, had she been aware?
Did she really want him for herself?
Henry wanted it to be true, but if that were the case, she would not have been so quick to warn him not to propose.
Penelope suffered another restless night as she tried to reconcile her emotions where His Grace was concerned.
How did one even know they were in love?
She wanted to ask Rosalind, but was certain she would then mention the conversation to Noah and he would assume that she would soon wed.
Even if she were in love, she still would not marry His Grace because he only liked her, and Penelope would not marry for anything but love. She also wanted the promise that she would enjoy freedoms and not have to constantly ask permission of a husband.
With those thoughts and reminders, she was certain that any desire to be kissed by His Grace again could be set aside and warned herself of the dangers if she succumbed—she might be forced to marry without love.
She could be in his home and do what was necessary to prepare the sisters for the ball and see to the details without being distracted by His Grace.
Except, it would be far easier if she could go back to not liking him very much, but as that was not likely to happen, she took a deep breath and knocked on the door of his mansion. Once she entered, she found her way to the parlor where the sisters waited.
“What are we to do today?” Judith asked.
“Final preparations. The ball is tomorrow evening,” Penelope answered.
“What must be done?” Chloe asked.
“Let’s visit the ballroom so we can imagine how it will be.”
She followed the sisters down the corridor to the ballroom and watched as Jael went to the center of the dance floor and did a turn then pretended to waltz with an invisible partner.
“Do not forget that none of you should waltz until permission has been given.”
“I do not understand why we should wait,” Chloe complained.
Oh, how to explain. “Such a dance could signal a potential romantic relationship because of the close physical contact involved. A miss should not waltz with someone a guardian would not approve.” Except that rule did not always apply because she had waltzed with gentlemen with no intention of being courted.
“So, it is Cousin Henry who we must ask,” Damaris asked.
“Yes, and no,” Penelope answered. “It is very important that His Grace grant the permission but even before him, those in Society bow to the patronesses of Amack’s. Hopefully vouchers will be received for each of you within only a few days after the ball. Once they have given permission, it is His Grace who will approve your partners.”
“What if we do not receive one?” Bernice worried.
Penelope could not imagine that they would be rejected, especially since their guardian was the Duke of Eldridge.”
“You will,” Penelope promised and was also confident in making such.
“Oh, I am so excited for tomorrow night,” Chloe expressed while Damaris worried her bottom lip.
“Have your ballgowns been delivered?” Penelope asked.
“Yes, and they fit perfectly,” Bernice answered. “We tried them on immediately, of course.”
She nodded.
“And, we have ladies’ maids. Three of them,” Chloe said excitedly. “We met them yesterday. I am so happy that we will have help to arrange our hair. We still have not managed to make it look as nice as Petrucio did.”
She had not been aware that the servants had been hired, but was thankful that they had been, thus Penelope would not worry that the five would not be turned out perfectly.
“It truly is unfair that we must wait for permission,” Bernice mumbled. “As if we cannot make decisions in our own best interest.”
