Page 84 of The Duchess' Ultimatum
Her eyes widened when she realized who it was.
“No…” she gasped, her heart leaping through her chest, the misery abating, the dim flicker of hope starting to fight back the sadness that for days had weighed her down. “It can’t be…”
It was. It could only be! Dorian, riding atop his horse, pushing it hard as if he was racing against the night, and Penelope dared not let her hopes rise too high, wondering if he was here because Albina had told him of the annulment and he wished to finalize it quickly.
But there is no way that’s the case. He would not have come so quickly. Which can only mean…
“Leave us,” she told the maid. “All of you, please.”
“Your Grace, are you certain?”
“Yes,” she said, doing her best to keep her smile hidden. “I will be in shortly.”
The maid offered a short bow and then scurried to where the rest of the staff were waiting, quickly beckoning them inside. And it was just as they vanished through the front door that Dorian moved through the gate, his sights set firmly on where Penelope stood waiting.
Her heart was racing so quickly that it hurt her.
Her insides were squirming so it was all she could do to stand still.
That same smile threatened to break across her face, but she forced it back, lips pressed firm, her expression unreadable because she did not want to give anything away. Which she felt she did quite a good job of, standing by the carriage, hands folded before her, watching as Dorian approached.
He pulled his horse to a trot as he came near. And unlike Penelope, he was not so quick to hide the look on his face which told her exactly how he felt and the reason he was here.
“Penelope…” he started, pulling the horse up by her carriage.
“Dorian.”
“Going somewhere?” he indicated to her carriage.
“On the contrary, I just arrived home.”
“Ah, yes…” His smile grew. “I had wondered how close I would be behind you. Your cousin wasn’t very clear on your travel plans.”
“Oh…” Her stomach flipped. “You… you spoke with Albina?”
“Earlier today,” he said. Then he lifted his leg around the horse and jumped to the ground. “In truth, I was surprised to find her at my home. More surprised by the reason.”
“And that is why you are here?”
“It is.”
He walked in front of his horse but stopped short of where she was standing. Five feet between them but it felt like miles, not to be crossed until permission was given.
Although Penelope suspected the reason he had come, she still did not allow excitement to take her. This was Dorian, after all, and miscommunication was a common theme in their marriage. Not to mention decisions changed without warning, on a whim it had always felt like.
Do not get ahead of yourself. Not until you know….
“You wish for an annulment of our marriage?” Dorian started. “Is this true?”
“It is…” She hesitated to admit it. “I felt that it was best.”
“Why do you think that?” he asked her. “Why now? Why not three years ago?”
“Because three years ago I did not know what the future held for us. Three years ago, I was left to wonder if… you or I… if either of us might ever want something more.”
“And that has changed, has it?”
“After this past weekend, it has.” A smile tugged at her lips because she could see the smile behind his eyes. The sadness they always wore was gone, and he looked hopeful, despite the conversation. “We tried, Dorian. Or we meant to. But…” She sighed and shook her head. “You made it perfectly clear that this marriage had no future, and I was happy to agree with you. Why pretend otherwise?”
