Page 17 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
“Oh, of course. I did that within two minutes of reading the letter, and I said you would come with me!”
“What? Why did you say that, Georgina?” said Penelope incredulously.
“Oh, you must, you simply must, Pen. I could never be brave enough to go alone. What if I cannot think of anything to say? You know how shy and stupid I can get. Please come, Penelope!” Georgina implored, as though on the brink of tears.
“Of course, I will go with you if you wish, Georgina. I just thought you would want to speak with him alone and get to know him better.”
“I do, but I need your help. Thank you so much; now hurry up and do not take too long on your morning ride. I need your help selecting the perfect attire for today, from my slippers to my jewels. You have such flawless taste!”
“That is very sweet of you to say, Georgina, and yes, I will not be too long on my ride.”
Penelope was disappointed that she did not see Theo during her ride but thought it was probably for the best since Georgina was impatiently waiting for her to return at home.
The event of finding Georgina a suitable outfit was an affair that took nearly all morning and some of the afternoon. At one point, Penelope thought dressing the queen would probably be simpler, but finally, Georgina was satisfied and ready for her outing with Alexander.
“I am so pleased you could come today, Ms Georgina. And Ms Penelope, it is wonderful to see again,” Alexander said as they met for their promenade. His mother and aunt walked far enough ahead of the couple so as to give them privacy to talk, and Penelope tried to do the same, but Georgina would not let go of the vice-like grip she had on Penelope’s arm.
“It is a pleasure to see you as well, Mr Davenport.” Penelope paused to allow Georgina the opportunity to lead the conversation, but after an awkward lull, she decided to do her best to get Georgina to open up and show her authentic wonderful self to Alexander.
“Georgina, tell Mr Davenport about when we went to Scotland and saw the highlands. We had such marvellous adventures there!” Penelope prompted, and with that, Georgina began regaling him of their many stories of their time in the highlands.
Georgina was an avid storyteller, and the fact that she had the habit of stretching the truth just a hair only served to further enrich the story. Soon Georgina was so invested in the tale that she did not even note that Penelope had fallen about twenty paces behind her and Alexander after stopping to don her gloves.
Walking slowly behind them gave Penelope a chance to observe the couple together. She could not help thinking how adorable they were and what a beautiful match they would make for each other. If only Georgina would let go of her shyness so that Alexander could truly see what an incredible woman she was. The two made Penelope think of Theo and how she wished she had seen him on her ride this morning. What would it be like to go on walks with him and talk about anything they wished?
***
The night of the Collins ball had finally arrived, and both Penelope and Georgina were eager to spend an enchanting evening. Alexander had called on Georgina almost daily, and they were now officially courting.
Since that first promenade in the park, Georgina could be with him without the safety of Penelope there with the two of them, and they appeared to be very much on the brink of falling in love with each other. Penelope had never seen Georgina so happy.
She constantly had this sweet glow about her and walked around each day as though she were floating on pink and lavender coloured clouds. It made Penelope very pleased to see Georgina so elated.
She, on the other hand, had to endure countless hours of the attention of every bachelor of the ton—every single one but the one she longed to have call on her. She knew he did not call on her because her father had made it painfully clear that Theo would not be allowed to pursue her, but still, she yearned to be with him.
Since he also had an invite to this ball, she and Theo could interact, and nothing would appear untoward. At long last, the chaise halted in front of the Collins’ estate, and the footman assisted Penelope in stepping down. She wore a stunning light blue gown with hanging jewels that gently made the slightest tinkling sounds as she moved.
Penelope’s handmaiden had really outdone herself with Penelope’s hairstyle for this evening as it was gracefully tied into a bun that looked like a beautiful flower in full bloom, and the jewels in her hair also hung and swayed with each step.
The entire time Penelope was getting ready, she thought about how she had heard Alexander mention, in passing conversation with Georgina, that light blue was Theo’s favourite colour. Hence why she had intentionally selected this dress for tonight.
Would Theo notice her tonight, and would he possibly even ask her to dance? Penelope doubted this since it was obvious that he did not like dancing, but still, she held the slightest pearl of hope that she might have the opportunity to dance in his arms tonight.
“My lovely lady, I am so beyond pleased that you are in attendance tonight! And if I may be permitted to be so bold, to say how utterly enchanting you look this evening,” Henry exclaimed, not wasting a moment to steal Penelope’s attention. Penelope forced a polite smile for Henry.
“It is good to see you tonight as well, Henry, and thank you for your kind words; you are too sweetto me, myfriend,” Penelope stated, doing her best to emphasize they were friends and nothing more!
“Never, it is impossible to be too kind to you, my fairest! Since you have come tonight, may I have the pleasure of your first two dances?” Henry asked.
Unfortunately, as Penelope did not have anyone on her dance card, she had no option but to allow Henry the dances he desired. As Penelope allowed him to write his name on her card, she looked up and saw over on the other side of the room the man she wished to fill every space on her card, the duke. Theo was not looking at her, for he was conversing with Alexander, but she hoped to catch his gaze before long.
***
Shortly after Penelope had looked away, Theo’s eyes had found their way over to her lovely small form.
“Hm, how is it that every time I see her, she seems even more beautiful than the last; she tortures me like none other!” Theo also saw how the weasel, Henry, had been sure to secure his time with Penelope. It vexed him how Henry seemed so familiar with Penelope, as though she belonged to him.
Although many other young men commonly swarmed her like a bunch of bees around a garden rose, none were as presumptuous as Henry. At times, Theo had wondered if Penelope was also interested in Henry, and the thought of her with that vermin of a man sent him fuming.
