Page 45 of A Duke's Wicked Secret
Finally, the time to prepare for dinner arrived, and Bessie gave her a bath and then helped her dress in a lovely gown with simple jewels. She put her hair up in a loose bun with many small locks of curls hanging delicately down around her head.
Once Penelope was finally ready for dinner, Bessie had Frank, who worked in the kitchen and was very strong, carry Penelope down to the drawing room to await the guests’ arrival. As she sat on the lounge sofa with her foot elevated on a pillow, Penelope watched Georgina come down to the drawing room.
She was wearing a lovely green dress that complemented her complexion and eyes. Amethyst jewels dangled gracefully from her neck and ears and gave her a very distinguished look.
“Georgina, you look marvellous tonight!” Penelope exclaimed.
When she did so, Georgina giggled and twirled a couple of times, giving Penelope a look at all angles.
“Thank you, I do feel quite pretty tonight. And you look gorgeous too, but you always look stunning.”
“You are very sweet to say so. How has your day been? I have missed you so much. It has been a dull day of reading and naps for me,” Penelope stated.
“Honestly, mine was not much more exciting. It felt as though the day would never draw to a close so that Mr Davenport and the duke would finally arrive. You must tell me about what happened this morning with the men. I have been nervous about it all day!”
“Everything is fine …” Penelope said and proceeded to share all that had transpired that day.
“Oh, it just gets better and better! I so hope my Mr Davenport will not wait long to propose to me so that we may all marry sooner than later. The waiting is torturous!”
“I am sure he will ask you soon. Do not fret about it, Georgie.” Penelope advised, though she knew Georgina would do so regardless of what she said—and to be truthful, so would she, if she were Georgina.
Penelope’s mother walked in, and the three began speaking of plans for Penelope’s wedding when she was healed. They hoped that her recovery would not take too long, so that they could begin preparing for her wedding: her dress, her trousseaus, to the flowers and the cake and so much more.
They could have continued talking about all this for much longer, but they were required to pause at the announcement of the duke and Mr Davenport’s arrival. They all stood up, aside from Penelope, of course, to welcome their guests. Theo and Alexander bowed, and each of them handed their lady the huge arrangements of flowers they had brought for them.
“Oh, thank you so much, they are simply lovely!” Georgina cried.
“Thank you as well; I love them,” Penelope said much more quietly, as Theo handed her the flowers and bowed, kissing her hand as he did so.
“How are you feeling, Ms Ainsworth?” Theo asked, sitting on a chair close to Penelope.
“I feel much better and think I will be back on my feet in about a week. The doctor came back today and said that he thinks it is not severely twisted and not a sprain after all.”
“I am so relieved! I am also so happy that you are not still confined to your chambers but will be with us for dinner tonight.”
Penelope’s father walked in and greeted both Theo and Alexander warmly, and a few moments later, it was announced that dinner was served. Again Frank came to assist Penelope to the dinner table, but Theo would not allow it. He insisted (if her father would allow it) that he be given the honour of assisting her to the table, and when her father gave a smiling nod, he leaned down and picked her up.
It felt so good to feel Theo’s warm body and strong arms around her again, even for a few moments, and when he sat her at the table, she found herself already looking forward to the end of the meal when he would carry her once more.
The evening was a pleasant one with much laughter from everyone, but nothing much of note happened until they all retired to the drawing room. Mr Davenport surprised everyone, getting down on one knee and proposing to Georgina along with the ring he had found to display his affection for her.
Georgina’s hands flew up to her mouth, and she then joyously nodded in answer to his request to be his wife. Unable to speak, Georgina extended her small hand and slipped the ring on her little finger. Then she finally found her voice again and said that he had made her the happiest woman ever!
The rest of the night, she fluttered around the room showing off her ring. And she told Penelope that now that she was officially engaged, they must have a shared wedding day as they had always talked about when they were little girls.
In a moment of quiet, Theo leaned over to Penelope and told her that he had a ring for her as well, but that it needed to be resized, and that he hoped she would like it because it had been her mother’s ring and had been in the family for generations.
“I am sure I will love it, and I am deeply honoured that you would wish to give me your dear mother’s ring!”
The night was still quite young when Penelope’s mother announced that she felt like there had been quite enough excitement for Penelope for one night and that she should go ahead and retire to her chambers to rest.
This frustrated Penelope because she was not ready to say goodnight to Theo so soon, but if she were being completely honest with herself, she was getting tired. The men stood up and said they should take their leaves, but that they would call on the ladies tomorrow afternoon if it was all right. This was happily agreed upon by everyone present, and they all said they looked forward to it.
Theo once more insisted on carrying Penelope, and when it was only Bessie there, and her back was turned, he kissed her forehead and whispered, “Good night, my lovely bride to be. Sweet dreams, my love!”
“Good night, Theo …myTheo,” Penelope whispered in an equally quiet tone.
After Theo had gently shut her door, Bessie helped her ready for bed and required that she once again take the medicine the doctor had prescribed. Penelope did not want to as it made her so drowsy all that day, but it had helped her to sleep without any pain waking her in the middle of the night, so she asked only to take a small dose tonight.
