Page 54 of Her Sinful Duke

“Oh,” she said softly, looking at the pillow then at Grandfather who was standing in the doorway, obviously having witnessed the entire angry spectacle. “I didn’t know anyone was here.”

“Obviously, my dear,” he acknowledged. “But I must say, that was a mighty good punch. Some gentlemen would even envy you on it.”

She smiled back, unable to resist being amused by his comments as always. “Thank you.”

“May I ask what is the cause of your ire?” he asked, entering the drawing room and gently closing the door behind him. He obviously wanted to show her that it was all right to speak to him, and that their conversation would not leave the confines of this chamber in which they found themselves. She appreciated this man more than he would ever know. His presence was a comfort for her, the likes of which she had never known before, not having a father who knew how to fulfill his fatherly duties.

“My sister… Vanessa,” Penelope said with a heavy sigh. “She is back home.”

“Ah.” Grandfather seemed to remember, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, as if that might help his memory. “She returned from her… unexpected trip?”

She could barely prevent herself from chuckling loudly. “Yes, I suppose you could say that.”

“Well, that is good news then, no?” he asked, waiting for her to reply.

“I suppose,” she shrugged, trying to control her temper. She still had so much pent-up rage inside of her, and she wanted to punch all the pillows she could find. But that would require too much explanation.

“You suppose a lot, my dear,” he pointed out, smiling amusedly, as if he knew much more than he was willing to let on. “Is her return making you so angry?”

“I… I’m not sure I should tell you this,” she started, stopping herself at the last minute.

Then, she reconsidered it. She didn’t owe Vanessa anything. She didn’t owe her parents anything. She could say the truth to whomever she pleased, and they couldn’t do anything about it. Not anymore, at least. She was married to the duke herself as her parents arranged. She couldn’t understand the reason for this unexpected celebratory dinner. It simply made no sense. And that made Penelope fearful of that evening.

“Vanessa wasn’t on any unexpected journey,” Penelope explained, deciding that she would no longer hide the truth from the only two people who had ever seemed to care about her. “She ran away because she didn’t want to go through with the arranged marriage.”

Grandfather’s words surprised her. “I had a feeling something like that happened.”

“You did?” she gasped, not expecting that response.

“Well, yes,” he nodded. “Don’t tell me you think this was the first time a young lady tried to evade her fate by running away. Only, it never really works in their favor. Running away only creates more trouble as she herself will come to realize at some point.”

“My father will try to keep it a secret, of course,” she added with another heavy sigh.

“Of course,” he nodded.

“But he wants James and me to come for a… celebratory dinner,” she grumbled.

“Celebrating her return, I suppose?” Grandfather asked although the answer was clear.

“Yes,” she confirmed. “Needless to say, that is the last thing I wish to do.”

“You have to,” he reminded her. “After all, they are family.”

“I know, but…” she started, but she managed to stop herself in time not to reveal more than she thought would be appropriate. She didn’t want to burden him with her own troubles. And she didn’t want to make it appear as if she were saying bad things about her family.

“But sometimes your family can be your worst enemy?” Once again, Grandfather surprised her with his insight and wisdom, something she should have been expecting but wasn’t.

She gasped silently, stifling it in her throat, not wanting to reveal how surprised she was. “Well… not enemies,” she tried to soften the truth. “But I do wish that sometimes, they treated me a little better.”

He smiled, walking over to her and pressing his hand to her shoulder in a tender, reassuring manner. “You are a lovely young woman, Penelope. If they cannot see that, then I feel sorry for them.”

She swallowed heavily, feeling an unexpected onslaught of tears which she tried to keep at bay. She blinked heavily several times before speaking. “Thank you for those words, Grandfather.”

“You are very welcome, my child,” he replied. “I am here for you if you need me.”

His words stirred her. She suddenly wondered if he could help her do something special for James. She looked up at him, the words lingering on the tip of her tongue.

“Grandfather,” she started softly, “thereissomething you could help me with. It is about James.”

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