Page 100 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

“Yes.” Penelope swallowed, finding herself completely unable to look away from his powerful gaze. “No matter how hard I try, no matter where I go, or where I look, there you are.”

She studied his expression as she spoke, hungry for the way his features twitched as her words seemed to bring him both pain and pleasure.

It took a moment for her to realize that their faces were inching closer together almost of their own accord.

“You were so painfully right about me being a selfish bastard,” he rasped, their noses and lips so close that it would only take a slight breeze to knock them together. “Tell me, what exactly about me haunts you in those moments?”

“Your voice,” Penelope answered without hesitation. “Sometimes your eyes and the way that you roll them whenever I tease you.”

“But not my lips?” he exhaled.

Penelope’s eyes fell to them at his remark and noted that they were flushed a pleasant pink as they hung slightly parted and with an upward tilt at the corners.

She watched in fascination as his lips moved again, not even waiting for her to answer his last question when a second one fell, “Can I... have just one more kiss?Please?”

Penelope couldn’t trust her voice, so she answered him with a wordless nod instead.

Like the first one they had shared, this kiss was also unbearably tender.

But unlike the first, this one had none of the uncertainty and shaky fervor that coursed through them in the kitchen when they had desperately tried to get each other to understand the muddled emotions their words couldn’t convey.

Instead, this kiss was fuller, slower, and conveyed one solitary, clear message: goodbye.

* * *

“There!” Mother lightly tugged the shoulder of Penelope’s sleeve, adjusting it slightly, audibly fighting back a sob. “You’re perfect! And we even have a few minutes to spare.”

Penelope did her best to smile at her reflection in the mirror. But it was still nowhere near as bright as the smile that Mother wore.

“It's all right to be nervous, darling,” Mother cooed, pulling her into a hug from the side whilst taking care to avoid creasing Penelope’s dress or disturbing her hair in the process. “But to help with your nerves, just think of today as the beginning of all the wonderful things that await you and Lord Gloushire.”

Penelope squeezed Mother’s hand in thanks. Using the rest of her concentration to hold back the sob that threatened to break free from her throat.

She found herself unable to speak even when the servants wished her well and complimented her endlessly as she descended the steps and carefully made her way to the front door.

The next time Penelope found her voice was when she mumbled a short thanks to Mr. Rowley as he helped her climb onto the coach.

But she lost her voice once again when her eyes landed on His Grace watching her from the front doorway. Offering nothing but a small smile before turning his back on her to return indoors.

If it hadn’t been for their encounter yesterday, the sight would have been enough to tear Penelope’s heart right out of her chest.

But their goodbye kiss prepared her for this, having put an end to any hopes that her heart had ever harbored about being with him. The kiss served as a final bookend on the long and messy shelf that had been their friendship and infatuation.

Now they were both ready to move on, fresh slates and all.

* * *

“Duncan!” Mother’s muffled voice called through the door, “Are you sure you aren’t coming, dear? Just throw on your best coat and-”

“No, thank you, Mother,” Duncan called back, leaning fully back in his chair as he lazily sloshed the drink in his glass. “Unfortunately, I have quite a lot to do today.”

The door handle to his office turned and Mother’s angry head poked through. “Is that it, then?” She pushed the door to open it more fully. “You intend to simply sit there while Lady Penelope walks into Lord Gloushire’s arms?”

Duncan had been expecting a scolding, of course—but not about this.

“What do you mea-”

“You can drop the facade, Duncan,” Mother drily cut him off. “My eyesight may not be what it used to be, but even I can see the way you two look at each other. Now are you absolutelycertainthis is what you want? Because your time is about to run out, my darling.”

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