Page 37 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
April Thirtieth, 1811
Dear Journal,
I missed Theo so much this morning on my ride and he will not be able to join me tomorrow either. Although my heart aches to be alone with him again, I am so glad that the reason he will not be with me tomorrow is because he will be hunting again with my father.
I did not dare ask too much of my father about how the hunt was, but he did say that it was enjoyable, and the mere fact that they are going again tomorrow morning is extremely promising! Oh, I am so excited to see what these efforts with Papa will bring! I know that he simply must see that my handsome, talented, and steady Theo is not mad and that he is the best man to pursue me.
If my father would give his approval for Theo to court me, then all would be right with the world, and I shall be one of the happiest girls in all of England! I know that we would make the most dashing couple, not to mention the most beautiful children together. Please, God, please, may the hunt tomorrow go well without any issues and my father finally change his opinion completely on my lover!
Penelope knew that it was high time she changed into something appropriate for breakfast. She would never forget the time that she got lost in the moment, enjoying herself in her bed after an excited ride with Theo, and chose to finish her pleasure to completion behind the locked door of her chambers.
She had to go down to the breakfast table still in her riding habit. Her mother looked as though she might as well have arrived utterly naked. Her mother lost it, and Penelope did not hear the end of it for weeks to come. She was never going to make such a mistake again!
The rest of the day passed by without anything happening out of the norm. The girls practised their music pieces together, went for a couple of walks in the gardens and continued on their needlework after teatime. Penelope was glad to see the sun setting so she could return to her chambers and ready herself for bed.
As she brushed through her long luscious chestnut curls, Penelope looked out the window at the old tree outside and thought of Theo when he had been in that tree. Penelope wished he were outside her window at this moment, but sadly as he was not, so she resolved to blow out the candle and try to find him in her dreams that night.
***
Theo and Alexander rode their horses home after having bid the viscount good day the next morning. They were riding at a bit slower pace because Theo’s horse, General, was laden down with a sizeable doe he had killed. The viscount had also had a great time hunting: he had killed a buck, not as big as the one he and Theo had come across the day before but still a great size.
Alexander sadly had not killed anything, but that was probably because he had a bad habit of humming or whistling when he was bored and thus scared off much of the nearby game. However, getting an excellent kill on this hunt was not truly the purpose of it for Theo and Alexander. The true purpose was of course ensuring that the viscount approved of Theo.
Theo and Alexander had spent much of the morning regaling Viscount Ainsworth of their many adventures together, most of which showed Theo as the hero of the day, being the wise one, and keeping his cool composure in challenging times.
Alexander was an incredibly talented storyteller, and it was not in the slightest bit obvious why he told these tales aside from passing the time and pure entertainment.
All three of the men laughed a lot during their hunt and enjoyed themselves greatly. Theo often commented and added poignant details to Alexander’s stories. By the end of it, they were in very jolly moods and said that they looked forward to their next hunt or perhaps a trip to some of Theo and Alexander’s secret fishing holes they were more than happy to share with the viscount.
“Well, I think it is safe to say that it will not be long before you have the viscount’s complete and hearty approval to court Ms Ainsworth!” Alexander stated happily on their ride home.
“I also think that things look hopeful for her and me as well!” Theo said in a happy tone, but with a bit more reservation in his voice than Alexander.
As they reached Theo’s estate, Alexander and Theo both agreed that they were starving and could not wait to see what Cook had prepared for breakfast this morning, and they were not disappointed. It was a feast to be sure, and when they had both had more than their fill, Theo said that he was going to take a long hot bath and then try and go back to sleep, as he had not slept well the past two nights.
Theo had been nervous about the past two hunts, so much rested upon the outcome of them. But now they were past, and both had been quite successful as far as bonding with the viscount was concerned.
The bath felt incredible, and afterwards he was so relaxed that Theo was soon fast asleep. His rest was not as peaceful as he had hoped it would be, though, for his dreams were consumed by images of his sweet Penelope.
But in all of them something was happening to her where she needed his help, and he was always unable to get to her and rescue her from harm. Therefore, when Theo awoke finally, he was filled with this sense of impending doom that he simply could not shake, and he felt certain that the feeling would not cease until he had Penelope safely in his arms once more.
The rest of the day passed slowly, and Theo could not wait to see Penelope tomorrow morning for their ride, which in such a short time had become what felt like the correct routine for his mornings. The past mornings of not riding with her had felt like a lifetime apart but also had thrown him off for the entire rest of the day. He longed to see her graceful form as she skilfully rode her mare.
He loved how talented she was in so many aspects, one of which being her horsemanship. He knew in his heart that if his efforts to win over her father were successful, they would spend countless mornings going for rides throughout the year. As the day drew to a close, Theo’s butler entered the parlour where he and Alexander sat enjoying a nightcap and handed Theo a letter.
For a moment, Theo’s heart raced with excitement thinking it to be a letter from Penelope, but quickly he realised that the handwriting on the front was not that of his lovely lady. The letter was simple and to the point, it stated:
Your Grace,
It would be my honour and great delight to have you and Mr Davenport for dinner at our estate this coming Monday eve, if you are not otherwise engaged.
Kind Regards,
Viscount Charles Ainsworth
Theo handed Alexander the letter after reading it himself, and once Alexander had looked over the letter, he jumped up to slap Theo on the back in excitement.
“See? Did I not tell you, man, that your efforts were not in vain? The viscount has written you personally and asked us to dinner tomorrow night!”
