Page 54 of The Duchess' Ultimatum
That was when Dorian acted.
He moved through the crowd, eyes set on his wife who was just now searching for Lord Westport.
“There has been a change of plan,” Dorian said, his voice low, as he came in beside her. “I am afraid that Lord Westport has found himself indisposed.” He moved to link his arm through Penelope’s.
She pulled her arm back. “What does that mean? What did you do?”
“I simply told him that I desire to dance with my wife tonight. Surely, there is no harm in that?”
Penelope scowled at him. “I told you… I do not wish to dance with you. Or to do much of anything with you. And if you think that once dance is going to change anything…”
“Penelope,” he said with a deep sigh. “I just want to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“About us,” he said.
She raised a dismissive eyebrow. “There is no us, Dorian. There never has been – you have made sure of that. And if not these last three years, then these last three days.”
He winced. “I… that is not… I just need to explain…”
“Explain what?” She wasn’t as angry as he thought she would be. More resigned, as if she had finally come to a decision that she’d been wrestling with and now knew the answer. “You never wanted to marry me. Nor did you ever desire to try and make this marriage work. And perhaps…” She sighed and her expression saddened. “And perhaps that is my fault, for thinking differently. For thinking that…”
“Thinking what?” he pressed.
“It does not matter,” she said. “But we have nothing to talk about, and one dance will not change that. So, if you don’t mind…” She moved to walk around him.
“Penelope.” He snatched her arm. “Where are you going?”
“To find Lord Westport.” She peeled her arm free. “I owe him a dance.” With that, she walked away, not once looking back.
And Dorian watched her go, his stomach writhing as if a den of snakes had hatched inside of him.
All this time, he been so convinced that he did not know what he wanted – or rather, that what he knew he wanted couldn’t be the case. He was doing this for his sister, and everything else was inconsequential. But to see Penelope reject him as she had done, to see her walk away without so much as a glance back, and he was finally starting to admit the truth of his feelings.
He was falling for his wife. Their marriage wasn’t one of mere convenience, easier to ignore than try and make something of, and it was time that he told her so. Dorian just hoped it wasn’t too late…
CHAPTER TWENTY
It had been a long day and night and now that the last of the guests were finally filtering from the ballroom, Penelope felt all the energy that had carried her across the evening flee from her body like water passing through a funnel.
“Good night,” she said to Lord and Lady Marlow, waving them from the ballroom as they stumbled together toward the main body of the manor. “Sleep well, because tomorrow promises to be another to remember.” They were being led by a member of staff, as all the guests were, because by this point in the evening most had likely forgotten where their rooms were… or they were too drunk to find them.
“See you at breakfast,” she said to Lord Westport, who had his arm around his father, helping the drunken earl stumble from the ballroom as he was well and truly into his cups by that point.
“Are you coming?” Evelina and her husband, the Duke of Dunmore were two of the last to leave. “Penelope, you must be exhausted.”
“That doesn’t even begin to describe it,” she admitted.
“See you in the morning?” Evelina asked with concern.
“Not too early,” Penelope laughed.
What surprised Penelope the most was how much she enjoyed playing host.Not that I had much of a choice.But she had taken to it like she couldn’t have predicted and was so darn convincing that most seemed to think that this right here was her permanent home and that she was the one who had done all the organizing.
Which was true enough. Another fact which niggled at her. Was Dorian avoiding her because he wanted her to fail so that he did not have to go through with their agreement? And what would he say when she told him that she had since come to a decision concerning said agreement… one that would change everything.
But that was for later. She was standing by the large doors which led from the ballroom, watching the final guests leave. Her sisters were all gone by then. Barbara had long since retired, an hour or so ago by now, but was sure to thank Penelope and even admit that she’d enjoyed herself.
