Page 25 of Saved By the Rakish Duke

Penelope flashed a supportive smile at the older woman.

“You see, Lady Pen?” shrugged the duke, “I am, in fact, most sympathetic to your plight. And I do hope that whatever is causing your restlessness soon resolves itself.”

“I thank you,” she mumbled sarcastically, poking at the eggs on her plate, “but somehow, I have a feeling that is highly unlikely, Your Grace.”

In fact, as she recalled last night’s events she knew for certain that it would be practically impossible.

Last night at the library, the pair had exchanged looks of dismay when the dowager duchess knocked.

Grabbing her hand once more, the duke—inexplicably—led Penelopecloserto the library door instead of away from it.

Panicked, she whispered, “What are you doi-”

With his free hand, he urgently raised a finger to his lips.

“Yes, Mother!” he called back, gesturing to Penelope to stay behind the door. “I just needed to look over a couple of treatises for my meeting with Ashfordshire tomorrow.”

From her spot, Penelope watched as he quickly hid one of the glasses behind one of the armchair’s cushions and hastily gathered the papers together.

She scoffed internally,His Grace has clearly found himself in similar situations before.

After taking a moment to fix his hair and regain his composure, he opened the door fully, thus completely covering Penelope with it.

“I thought you went to bed,” she heard him say innocently.

“I certainly attempted to do so,” his mother sighed, “but I couldn’t stop worrying about Lady Punton. How did she seem to you on the promenade earlier?”

The duke leaned against the doorframe as he contemplated his answer, but it moved the door and slightly squeezed Penelope even tighter against the wall.

Now on her tiptoes, Penelope breathed as slowly and silently as possible. Past the door’s hinges, she could see the dowager duchess in her own robe and carrying a lamp.

After a brief moment of consideration, His Grace answered, “She seemed all right to me, Mother. Still melancholic, but that’s to be expected, of course, given how early it still is.”

Penelope looked upward, silently praying they would cut their discussion short.

The older woman sighed. “This morning, I explained to Lady Penelope that at this point, there's little else to be done apart from waiting for time to work its healing powers. However...”

“However, it wouldn’t hurt to do as much as possible to speed up the process.” His Grace finished her sentence. “I couldn’t agree more, Mother. I tell you what...”

Through the gap, Penelope watched him throw an arm around his mother’s shoulders and slowly walk with her into the hallway. “I still need to prepare for my meeting. However, once that’s done, I shall contemplate the matter in-depth.”

“I don’t know what I would do without you.” The dowager duchess beamed, reaching up to lightly pat his face. “But don't stay up too late now. Otherwise, you might find yourself snoring in the Duke of Ashfordshire’s office.”

“Of course, good night, Mother.” He planted a kiss on her forehead. “Do you want me to escort you back upstairs?”

“Nonsense!” She waved a hand dismissively. “I got myself down here, didn’t I? Focus on your work now.”

He watched her depart for a few seconds before slowly closing the library door. Penelope heaved a sigh of relief, which he appeared to mirror because his shoulders relaxed considerably.

Presently, at the breakfast table, as Penelope recalled the depth of Her Grace’s concern for her and Mother, she felt even guiltier about lying.

Last night, she had voiced a similar sentiment to His Grace after the dowager duchess had left them.

“How can you lie so casually to your own mother?” Penelope had asked with a shudder.

“Out of necessity, one finds the strength for anything and everything,” he returned. “What? Would you rather that you and I opened the door together and given her a heart attack? Don’t we have a right to keep some secrets? For example, you're still extremely secretive about the reason you suddenly want to find a husband, yet I’m here covering for you regardless.”

Penelope wrung her hands together. “I know. I was just... pointing out that you make it look so easy.”

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