Page 97 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

“Beg your pardon, Lady Penelope...” a maid’s voice called from the other side, “but we have brought the trunks and chests requested by Lady Punton.”

Penelope stood up to let them in, thanking them as they began to help pack her things for her. With the wedding so close, she and Mother needed to get ready to move into Lord Gloushire’s manor—their new home.

As she helped the maids gather her things, Penelope hoped that Lord Gloushire’s endeavors were going better. He and the duke had agreed to get the rest of their clothes and effects from Punton Manor on their behalf in case Uncle Winston attempted to try anything underhanded.

It surprised Penelope that despite everything she had said to him, the duke graciously agreed to help when Mother and the dowager duchess asked him.

A part of her hoped that the duke had agreed to do so out of the fondness that he confessed to have for her. But she fought to put out that dangerous thought and reminded herself that he was the one who wholeheartedly urged her to marry a different man.

Entrusting the maids to carry on with the task at hand, Penelope decided to check if Mother needed any additional assistance with packing her things.

Penelope turned out to be right after all and the hours flew by pleasantly as they continued to pack.

Just three more days.

* * *

“Thank you for your help, Your Grace.” Lord Gloushire flashed him a polite smile as they climbed back onto the coach. “Lord Punton proved much more cooperative than anticipated.”

“My pleasure,” Duncan answered truthfully—not complaining at all since he received another opportunity to remind the monster to stay away from Lady Penelope.

“Shall we take luncheon at Gillingham’s?” the viscount suggested. “It shall be my treat, naturally, to thank you for all of your help.”

“Just knowing that Lady Penelope and her mother will no longer have to worry is more than enough thanks.” Duncan nodded before resigning himself to look out of the window.

“You’re uncharacteristically timid today, Blackmoore. I take it you spent most of your strength on another long night of debauched revelry?”

Duncan shot the other man a dry look. “Thank you for your concern, Lord Gloushire. If it suits you, I would prefer to be dropped off on Lesnall Street as I have some business to conduct today.”

The viscount offered no objections, and a peculiar silence filled the coach. A part of Duncan was curious to know what Lord Gloushire would have said to him if he had accepted his luncheon invitation.

Would the viscount have perhaps confronted Duncan about his feelings for Lady Penelope? Duncan was sure that Lord Gloushire suspected him by now. He also wondered whether Lady Penelope had mentioned anything to her fiancé about their encounter in the kitchen.

Was it possible that Duncan had now technically kissed Lady Penelope more times than Lord Gloushire had? After all, he only ever saw the viscount press kisses to Lady Penelope’s hands instead of her lips.

But Duncan resisted his curiosity, bearing in mind how close it was until Lady Penelope had her freedom.

Three days from now,he thought to himself.Three days from now and her future shall be secured.

When the coach finally stopped at the corner of Lesnall Street, Duncan lingered just a moment longer with his hand on the door. “You’ll be good to her, right, Gloushire?”

“Of course!” huffed the viscount. “What do you take me fo-”

“Thank you.” Duncan nodded his head resolutely, pushing the door open as he began to descend. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

* * *

“Yes, please put them over there.” The dowager duchess gestured to the far corner with an open hand and the servants complied at once, carrying a flower arrangement so elaborate that it required two people to lift it.

With the wedding no more than a day away, Penelope, Mother, and the dowager duchess worked hard to ensure that everything in Willowdale Manor was ready for the wedding breakfast. Penelope looked around at what would soon be her new home and attempted to imagine greeting the guests as they arrived, taking steps as though she was guiding them through to the drawing room and making pleasant conversation.

She did this a handful more times, each time rehearsing a different potential topic of conversation depending on the guest she was imagining.

When the dowager duchess paused to take some water, she called out to Penelope, “Have you had the chance to practice your piece onthispianoforte, pet?” She gestured to the instrument at the far end of the room. “I worry that the keys might feel different from the one you have been using for your practice at home.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Penelope smiled. “The keys here have a bit more give compared to the one you have at Blackmoore Manor, but with just a few more rounds of practice later in the afternoon, I believe I shall be fully adjusted.”

The preparations carried on at a dizzying pace only briefly interrupted by the giggles of Lucy and Reggie as their game of tag briefly entered the drawing room.

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