Page 5 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
Henry laughed.
“But I suppose there probably will not be any more games of tag now that we are both all grown. Also, Penelope please take me at my word that you really should not put yourself in the path of the Duke of Winchester. Do you not know that he is mad and can be quite dangerous to a chased and kind girl such as yourself! It is fortunate that our dance came at the time that it did, and I was able to rescue you from his clutches.”
“Henry, I can assure you I was perfectly safe, and although I appreciate your concern for me, my friend, the duke was merely being a respectful neighbour and introducing himself,” Penelope answered, hopeful Henry would drop the matter from there.
“Oh, sweet naive Penny girl, you are too kind-hearted as you have always been. The whole ton knows that the duke is crazy. Why I once heard that he locked a group of his servants in the stables for two whole days, and when asked why he would do such a thing, he simply laughed and said that was where they wanted to stay for holiday!” Henry said.
“Oh, that is terrible, but Henry, you know how tales can get so twisted as they go through the ton that they end up so far from the truth of the matter,” Penelope stated.
“Well, I also once saw him at my favourite club, and he was gambling, and then he proceeded to eat some of his coins at the table and remarked how delicious they were. And that is just a couple; I could tell you countless more. All of which are true!” Henry stated with disgust.
And with this, he proceeded to tell Penelope about the duke’s father and that he had also been mad and passed the sickness to His Grace.
With that, the dance was finally at an end, and Penelope went to the powder room for a few moments of peace before the final dance of the ball. Shortly thereafter, they would finally be returning home. It had been a wearisome night, and Penelope now had blisters on her feet, and she just wanted to have Bessie, her handmaiden, soak them in hot water and put a soothing salve on them.
She thought of her large feather bed with her silk sheets and warm cotton quilts and ached to fall into it and dream sweet dreams. Penelope thought back on her dance with Henry and how he had pulled her in closer to him than she preferred, and at a few points, she felt his fingers quickly brushing against the bare skin slightly above the hem of her dress on her back. It frustrated Penelope greatly that Henry would take such liberties.
For now, though, it was time to go and dance the final dance. As she left the powder room, the duke crossed her mind again, and she wondered if he were still at the ball and if perhaps they would get to speak once more before the night was done.
After that dance, Penelope went to find somewhere she could sit quietly and not be disturbed by anyone else until it was time to head back home. Penelope decided that the balcony overlooking the gardens would be the best place for her to find the sanctuary she sought, and she made her way out there after donning her shawl since it was slightly chilly that night.
That night, a cool breeze fluttered about and sent a lovely aroma from the flower beds, and the clear moonlight gave everything a peaceful ambiance.
Penelope sat on a bench surrounded by flowering vines that provided enough cover to lean back, look up into the stars, and breathe easily for the first time that night.
Moments later, Penelope realised she was not the only one who had thought to seek solitude outside and saw that Theo stood at the edge of the balcony. Penelope began to get up, but at that moment, he turned and saw her sitting there.
“My apologies, Your Grace. I did not mean to disturb you. I will not impose on your privacy further.”
The moonlight framed his chiselled jawline so perfectly that Penelope hated to have him exit her view.
“No need, Ms Ainsworth, please stay. You are not disturbing me, and I was just about to leave the balcony. I just needed some fresh air,” the duke answered. With this, Penelope relaxed again and expected him to leave, but the duke seemed to have little interest in returning to the ball. Instead, he made his way closer to where Penelope was seated.
“It is much nicer out here than in there, is it not? I can only imagine it must be overwhelming for you to be here,” Penelope stated, hopeful that this would break the silence. The duke gave her a quick look, and she soon added what she meant by that not to be misunderstood and offend him. “Being a duke, everyone must want your attention, which can get tiresome quickly.”
At this statement, the duke gave her a small smile, and Penelope was surprised that she had managed to say something that pleased him. That smile gave Penelope an unexpected thrill down to the base of her womb.
“In truth, I have never been much for balls, but I wanted to respect your family's arrival and welcome you as my new neighbours,” the duke said gently.
“That is very gracious of you. It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintanceofficially,” Penelope answered, reminding him covertly of their morning.
After Penelope made this statement, there was a shift between them, and Penelope felt her stomach flutter with excitement as he appeared to be considering sitting on the bench beside her.
Although it was clear Theo was a man of few words, he was not as intimidating as she had thought at first. At that point, he appeared something of a mystery to her and one that she wanted to discover in more depth.
***
But instead, he bowed to Penelope and wished her a good night. After Theo retrieved his coat, top hat, and gloves, he made his way to exit the ball, and once he was halfway down the steps, Theo came face to face with Rupert Lancaster.
Rupert had been his father’s business partner and managed his many properties and tenants in his absence. They had been very close, and Theo’s father had trusted Rupert implicitly. Because of this, in the last few years of his father’s life, he had relied almost solely on Rupert to handle his business affairs.
Theo girded himself for an unpleasant encounter and donned his most stern facial expression. Theo had not seen him since his father had died, and Theo had ended his business dealing with Rupert, and he had left for France in an attempt to grow his wealth there.
Rupert was not pleased about losing the business with the Winterbournes, even though Theo had given him pieces of land and investments and took some losses in doing so. However, Theo did this so that Rupert could never come back claiming he had been unfairly treated by him. Still, Rupert made it clear to Theo that he was unsatisfied with his decision to cut ties.
“Well, this truly is a surprise to see you here, Your Grace!” Rupert stated.
“As you can see, I am leaving. The greater surprise is that you are back in London. I did not think you to ever return from France. Especially since you were so at home with the French by all reports,” Theo retorted.
