Page 31 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
Penelope slept away the rest of the morning and struggled to rouse herself when it came time for the midday meal. In truth, she was not very hungry but knew that it would worry her mother if she did not eat, so Penelope took a small portion for her plate and ate quietly.
“Is your headache gone, my dear?”
“What? Oh, yes, I am much better now; thank you, Mamma,” Penelope replied, having forgotten what she had told Georgina to say to her mother to explain her absence that morning.
“I am very glad to hear it. Georgina, did you receive a response yet from your suitor if he can attend dinner tomorrow night? If so, I need to speak with Cook to go over the meal and see that it is suitable for company.”
“Yes, I did!” replied Georgina merrily. “He stated here in his reply that he would be delighted to come to dinner and bring the duke with him as well.”
As Georgina made this last statement, both of Penelope’s parents looked up from their plates in surprise but said nothing.
After a moment’s pause, Penelope’s mother said, “Well, then, I suppose I will inform Cook to be sure to prepare for a party of seven as we go over the menu for tomorrow’s dinner.”
The annoyance in her mother’s voice was apparent, but she said nothing more about the rudeness of another guest coming to dinner without a specific invitation.
Georgina gave Penelope a quick smile and a look of satisfaction; nothing more was said until the meal's conclusion. After the meal, the girls said they would take a turn in the greenhouse and tend to some of the plants there that needed trimming.
As they walked, Georgina chattered about her excitement for tomorrow night’s plan.
“Oh, I really hope this will all work out according to plan! I am so glad your parents did not object to the duke coming to dinner. But, of course, they could not. He is still a duke, after all. Have you decided what you will wear tomorrow night yet, Pen?”
“No, I have not even begun to think of it, to be honest, Georgina,” Penelope replied.
“What? I have had it decided since you first made mention of the plan to me. Come on; we must go to your chambers and find something for you to wear tomorrow night!”
After this statement, Georgina dragged Penelope up to her chambers and spent hours requiring her to try on different dresses until finally, Penelope said that the light pink one with the gold beading (which happened to be the very first she had tried on) would do just fine, and Georgina agreed that it was also her favourite, looking quite pleased with herself.
Chapter 12
Alexander and Theo dressed in fine suits for their dinner at the viscount’s estate. Instead of riding horseback, they chose to journey there via a chaise since they had suffered rainstorms all day.
“How are you feeling about the night ahead of us, Theo?” Alexander asked.
“I am concerned that no matter what I do or say, the viscount might not see that I am worthy of his daughter.”
“I understand. I would not expect the man to have a complete change of heart tonight, but rather I am hopeful that this will plant a seed for him to see you for the incredible man you are and later have a completely different perspective of you, my friend.”
“Well, do you have any ideas on how to continue watering this ‘seed’ as you so eloquently put it, Alexander?”
“As a matter of fact, I do! If this dinner is going well, I will invite the viscount to go hunting with us this coming Saturday morning.”
“You think he will come?” asked Theo.
“Well, I have it on a very good authority that the man is an avid hunter and always eager for an opportunity to do so. So yes, I feel certain he will join us.”
“All right, I suppose that is a good next step. So long as I do not make any massive blunders tonight in front of him.”
“That is bollocks, Theo, and you know it! Now pull yourself together, man; we are arriving at their estate now.”
He is right. I know who I am. I am the Duke of Winchester and will show this man I am worthy of his daughter no matter what the ton thinks of me!The two gentlemen stepped from the chaise and were given a warm welcome by the entire household.
Theo would only allow himself a brief moment to gaze upon Penelope as he bowed in greeting towards her, but he saw in her eyes that she was full of the same hope and nerves that he had felt twisting inside his soul that night.
Due to the raging storm that day, they had been unable to see each other that morning as they usually did on their daily ride at dawn. And it felt as though he would die if he did not have the privilege of seeing her tomorrow morning. The thought of climbing up the giant tree outside her window later tonight after everyone had gone to bed was extremely alluring.
But he knew they needed to stay as formal and unfamiliar with each other that night as possible, which would make it exceedingly bothersome for him to tell her of his desire to spend the night with her tonight, so Theo pushed the desire from his mind.
Theo bowed low for the viscount and the viscountess and thanked them sincerely for their invitation to dinner, saying how honoured he was to be welcomed into their home to share a meal with them. To which they both replied that the honour was all theirs. They both looked surprised, having never heard the duke say anything more than a simple greeting of three words or less before tonight.
