“Not unless you had placed a bet on the consequences of me not knowing the truth.” Cecil replied dryly.
“Precisely,” Nora nodded proudly. “And so, I need you to listen closely to my words. You are a good man, Cecil. You are kind, you are brave, and your heart is full of unrelenting love. You stepped forward when Father could not, and you took good care of us. There is nothing we could do to repay your goodness, no matter how hard we might try. But I urge you to realize that you have long since proven that you were a different man from our father. So, I implore you to let him rest on, so you can live your life — unburdened by the fears of him you might harbor within you. You deserve a good life, Cecil. The kind you fought to obtain for me. The kind you could have with Penelope.
“I saw you both, during my party. Even when you were in separate rooms, it was obvious something was afoot with how happy you both were. And together… it looked like someone had put the sun in the room. Do it give up what might be the greatest love you could find over fears of what will not be. You have lived enough for us, Cecil. It is time you chose to live for yourself.”
Cecil took a moment to let himself think — really think of all the feelings he had tried to suppress, long before the party had ended. The warmth that had enveloped him each time he spoke to Penelope, the way his heart grew restless whenever she was far from him.
The signs had been there, long before he had thought to look. It had just been safer to pretend he did not know what they meant.
And then he recalled their last night together, how he had lied about how the words he had said to her meant nothing. How his chest seemed to cave in on itself as he took in the look of disappointment on her face afterwards.
Her expression had haunted him for days after that, much like the taste of her on his tongue and the echoes of her moans in his head.
When he danced with her at the ball, some part of him had accepted it, had acknowledged how much he desired her.
“I made many mistakes with her, Nora,” Cecil heard himself confess, feeling disheartened all over again. “What if she doesn’t forgive me? What if she doesn’t feel the same?”
“There is no certainty in your concerns. Only the potential loss you will face of you let her go. Do not let Penelope go, Cecil. Do not give up without trying.” Nora urged, her eyes bright with encouragement.
And Cecil realized that he had been given a precious opportunity to make things right this time with the choices he had.
He could let Penelope go, and spend some time — likely the rest of his life — devastated over the loss of what might have been the best decision he’d ever make. Or he could face the woman he loved bravely and gain himself a chance at happiness.
His mind recalled how beautiful she had been during the ball and how he had wished he could stop time when he kissed her later.
And his decision was made.
“I’ll do it. I’ll try to win her heart,” Cecil stated with determination, much to the glee of his sister, who was smiling proudly. “I’ll do whatever it takes.”
He couldn’t let her go again. Never again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
“What do you think, brother?”
Lionel paused, lifting his head from where it had been bent over documents scattered across his desk for the last hour. Once his gaze was fixed on Penelope, a smile climbed onto his lips, and he set his pen down.
“My, my,” he grinned, leaning back in his chair. “Don’t you look quite lovely this morning. Is there a specially occasion I do not know about?”
He suddenly sat up straighter, eyes wide as he nervously asked.
“I haven’t missed your birthday, have I?”
Penelope giggled, shaking her head as she walked further into her brother’s study, running her hands down the smooth chiffon fabric of her dress.
“If you missed my birthday, I would make sure you were on edge for days, so you would certainly be aware of you’d committed such an offense. There isn’t a special occasion — I am merely going for tea at Nora’s, like we regularly do. I thought I might wear one of my new dresses today, though. What do you think?”
She twirled around delicately, showing off the shimmering lilac material that sat on her body prettily. It had been a while since she had let herself revel in the joys of womanhood, and now that she was working hard to move past the devastation of her heart, it seemed like a good time as any to do so.
Lionel beamed, his eyes full of so much warmth and fondness that Penelope thought she might melt on the spot.
“You look lovely, my darling sister. Absolutely lovely. I am glad to see that you are spending time outside the house with your friends again. I was worried I would have to build a pavilion in the backyard to ensure you spent some time outdoors,” Lionel teased with a smile.
Penelope scoffed at her brother’s antics, though she understood his concerns. She had not fully comprehended it when Nora was so distraught when she believed that her now husband held no feelings for her whatsoever.
But as she eventually adopted the understanding that the man her heart yearned for would never be hers the way she wanted, she finally understood what her friend had gone through.
Daytime was easier for her. She could busy herself with reading, walks around the town, and mundane conversations with Lionel. The nights were much harder to face.
