Page 67 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

“I like yellow!” the boy exclaimed, a stubby finger poking at one of the daffodils.

As the conversation progressed, the children appeared to become more relaxed, which in turn relaxed the adults around them.

Just as the discussion was on the cusp of turning sour as the children began to debate whether ponies are preferable to lions, Lord Gloushire lowered himself onto a knee and placed hands on each child’s head,

“Given that we have some very special guests today, we should ensure that we treat them as such.” He raised two mischievous eyebrows. “What do you say about taking Ladies Punton and Penelope to the ice parlor?”

The children erupted into squeals of delight, prompting their father to hastily raise a finger to his lips. But even after they attempted to lower their voices to a more polite volume, the tip-taps of their feet gave away their boisterous excitement.

Soon enough, the family found themselves squeezing back onto the coach as they set off for Lesnall Street. Now that summer was well on its way, it was no surprise that the parlor was filled to the brim with patrons looking to escape the glare.

Even so, the sudden shift in temperature as they entered the parlor sent a shiver down Penelope’s spine. She and Mother followed right behind Lord Gloushire as he carried Reggie in his arms while holding onto Lucy with his other hand.

If this is how supportive and involved he is as a father, then perhaps he was right about me not having to worrytoomuch about my imminent responsibilities as a mother.

“-Lady Penelope?” his voice jolted her out of her thoughts.

“I beg your pardon?” she stuttered in reply.

He nodded towards the menu in front of them. “I said, what flavor would you like?”

“Oh! Just vanilla is perfectly fine for me.”

Mother explained that she only wanted to share Penelope’s iced vanilla, but Lord Gloushire refused to hear it. Soon, their ices arrived, chocolate ones for the children, vanilla scoops for Penelope and Mother, and strawberry for the gentleman.

“I wouldn't have guessed strawberry was your preferred flavor, Lord Gloushire.” Penelope smiled. “It looks delicious.”

“In truth, I normally also quite enjoy vanilla,” he confessed. “But I thought I would keep with the adventurous spirit of the day and try something new.”

Penelope chuckled, “And what, pray tell, is the final verdict?”

The viscount looked around them before lowering his voice, “It tastes a little bit like they simply mixed ice and strawberry jam. Here...” he raised the spoon towards her, “would you like to try?”

A blush crept onto Penelope’s cheeks—perhaps the first time since Lord Gloushire began courting her—as she leaned towards his hand.

“I want to try, Father!” Lucy squeaked, tugging his sleeve.

He almost jolted away from Penelope, clearing his throat awkwardly before giving his daughter a smile. “Of course, dearest. Here you go.”

“Me too!” whined Reggie.

Penelope and Mother shared a laugh as they watched the children’s faces scrunch up in disappointment.

“The chocolate ismuchbetter!” the young girl exclaimed, eagerly shoving her own spoon back into her mouth.

Lord Gloushire grinned as he brushed a lock of her golden curls away from her face. “The next time we visit, I’ll be sure to stay on the safe side and get my usual vanilla.”

Even as the discussion drifted forward, the viscount’s ‘safe side’ remained with Penelope.

After all, was she not doing the very same thing? She clung to the safe choice of potentially marrying Lord Gloushire rather than taking a risk with someone more excitable or appealing to her.

Her eyes fell to her own bowl.

Iced vanilla was far from the most exciting flavor, but at least it served its purpose of pacifying one’s hunger in a cooling manner.

Iced vanilla isn’t so bad...she silently remarked, scanning Lord Gloushire’s face.

In the back of her mind, she could hear His Grace’s voice disagree with her assessment. He was probably the sort to order a different flavor every time he visited the ice parlor.

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