Excellent. I will need him to sneak Penelope away.
Dorothy was well aware of his plan and had already agreed to convince Harry to assist him as well. Now it was only a matter of putting distance between the four of them and their parents, and then slipping from the ballroom without drawing attention to themselves.
With Penelope secured at his side, he began leading her through the crowded ballroom. Dorothy and Harry were close behind. As they walked, Andrew grew lost in his thoughts as he went over his plan for his surprise again and again. After several minutes, however, he realized Penelope was being notably silent. Glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye, he was alarmed to see her eyes cast down and her mouth set in a hard line.
“Madam, is something the matter?” he asked, keeping his tone light so as not to catch the attention of the people they passed.
She did not look up at him, but her throat bobbed as she gulped.
“My Lord, I must confess to feeling some concern.”
“Concern? What concern is that?” What could possibly be the matter? Had he done something thoughtless again to return her to such an apprehensive state? Casting his mind back over the last few weeks, he tried to remember if he had done or said anything that could have offended her. Nothing came to mind, however, no matter how hard he thought.
At last she turned her face up to look at him. The bleak look in her eyes gutted him, and he was overwhelmed with the need to make that look disappear.
“My Lord, are you no longer interested in me?”
Her question startled him so much, he froze in his tracks. She almost walked away from him, his halt was so sudden. Nearly tripping over her own feet, she came to a stop and stared up at him with wide eyes.
“Why would you think such a thing?” he demanded to know.
“Is everything all right?” Dorothy’s voice reminded Andrew that they were not alone.
Penelope nodded her head quickly. “Yes, everything is just fine. I apologize for my silly question.” She appeared ready to bolt from him, so he gripped her hand with his arm to keep her trapped. Her cheeks heated with clear embarrassment and she gazed up at him imploringly.
“Please, My Lord. Forget I said anything,” she mumbled, glancing over her shoulder at Dorothy and her brother, who were both watching them with a mixture of curiosity and concern.
“Madam, I am sorry to cause you distress,” he said in a low voice. “But I am afraid I cannot let you go until you explain yourself.”
She pressed her lips together and slid her eyes once more to Dorothy and Mr. Snowley. Andrew shot them a hard look, and blessedly they got his meaning and gave him and Penelope their backs. He waited until they had lowered their heads together and grew entangled in their own conversation before turning his attention back to the lady at his side.
“Now, explain yourself, if you please. Why would you believe I had lost interest in you?”
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and nibbled at it, a clear sign of her anxiety. It pained him to press her like this, but he needed to know her reasons for believing him apathetic toward her.
When it became clear he would not relent, she released a defeated sigh.
“You…you have not come to see me as often as before,” she mumbled, her voice so soft he could hardly discern her words.
When he comprehended her concern, his heart melted for her. She had been missing him, and when he thought of how he had been neglecting her, he flinched. He had done so to prepare for this evening, but he now realized he should have explained his sudden absence from her so that she did not misunderstand.
He smiled down at her, fighting a chuckle. “Madam, I apologize for deserting you so. It was not my intention. I did not realize you would feel so…lonely, without me.” He inserted just enough heat in his tone to make her gasp. Her breathy little exhale when shocked was quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds.
“Andrew,” she whispered, her eyes darting around to make sure no one listened in on their conversation. “You are being too bold again.”
“I am sorry, sweetheart,” he rumbled. Then, in a louder tone. “I did have a reason for not seeing you as often, I promise.”
“What reason?” She pursed her lips together in a little pout, and his heart hammered in response. He felt no small amount of relief that she appeared herself once more.
He winked at her. “It is a surprise.”
Her eyes lit up with excitement. “A surprise? For me?”
“Yes, for you.” He looked around in search of an easy exit from the ballroom. “I wish to show you, but we must slip away from the crowd.”
Penelope’s body instantly tensed against his. “My Lord, I do not think that is wise…”
He patted her hand, which was still tucked into his side. “Fear not. I have no intention of smearing your stellar reputation. Lady Dorothy and Mr. Snowley will accompany us so that no one may accuse us of impropriety if we are discovered.”
She visibly relaxed at his reassurance. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“I hope you appreciate more than that once I show you what I have prepared,” he murmured. Before she could respond, he turned toward Dorothy and Mr. Snowley. “We will go through the far door there.”
Dorothy met his gaze over her shoulder. “Lead the way, brother.”
Keeping Penelope close to his side, he began to maneuver through the crowd toward the door he had indicated. It was smaller than the main entrance of the room and tucked into a corner. There were few people hovering around it, and they slipped by them without issue.
Once out in the hallway, Andrew continued to lead the small group through the manor. There were more Christmas decorations throughout, though less extravagant than those in the ballroom. They encountered no one else as the hurried along. It was still early in the evening, so most guests would remain confined to the ballroom until the more formal activities of the gathering had completed.
That was just as well. Andrew did not want any to question their destination or try to impose themselves on his group.
At last, they reached the room in which his gift to Penelope waited. Stopping outside the wooden double-doors, he turned to face her. Mr. Snowley and Dorothy came to a stop next to them. Penelope was holding her breath, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“Are you ready, my darling?” he asked, taking both her hands in his.
She nodded eagerly. “Yes, I am.”
Turning his head to Dorothy, he caught her grin, as she knew what awaited them beyond those doors.
Facing Penelope once more, he ordered, “Close your eyes.”
She did not hesitate to obey. He waved his hand in front of her to make sure her eyes were closed tight, and then moved to open the doors.
“All right, trust me,” he said, circling her so that he stood at her back. Taking her shoulders into his hands, he directed her to walk forward and into the room.
“May I look yet?” she breathed.
“Not yet.”
Dorothy and Mr. Snowley followed them, and he could hear his sister’s tiny squeaks of delight. She had thought this idea brilliant and had not hesitated to tell him so. Mr. Snowley said nothing, but Andrew doubted he had yet to recognize exactly what was happening.
When they reached the middle of the room, Andrew told Penelope to stop. He turned her so that she faced the right direction.
“All right. Now you may open your eyes.”
She blinked, her lashes sweeping up from her cheek. There was a moment where she did not react. She stared at the display before her, uncomprehending at first, but then he saw the spark of recognition light up her eyes.
“Wha…what is this?” she gasped, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.
They stood in the center of his family’s large library. The Duke was a great lover of books and had been collecting them as devotedly as art throughout the years. It was not the room that he wanted to surprise her with, however, but what was in the room. A spec
ial collection just for her.
Before her were rows and rows of the novels she loved.
“I went all around London and procured every work that I could,” he explained. “They are all yours, Penelope.”
She turned to him, and the look in her eyes made his chest ache. Adoration and pure joy shimmered in her gaze. His mind immediately began plotting different ways he could get her to look at him like this again.
“Andrew, this is so wonderful. I cannot believe you did this. I love…”
She stopped speaking, and her eyes went wide in shock. He stared back at her equally stunned.
Has she been about to say what I think she was??
What he had been praying she would say since the moment they met? As he watched her, however, her lips tightened into a straight line and her cheeks drained of color.
Her reaction startled him. It was as if she did not want to say those words. As if she regretted even the suggestion of them.
Why will she not say out loud what I already know to be true?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Penelope was horrified at herself. She could not believe what she had nearly said. Until that moment, she had not even considered those words to describe her feelings for Andrew. Yet, they had been ready to escape her lips so easily.
Could they be true? Am I…am I in love with Andrew?
He was watching her, his expression befuddled. Harry and Lady Dorothy were also staring at her with almost twin looks of astonishment. Penelope knew she should say something, but she could come up with no words to explain her behavior. She could not say those words to him now, before she had a chance to consider if they expressed her true feelings.
What do I say instead? How do I fix this?
“Penelope…” Andrew murmured her name, but he seemed at a loss for words as well.
“I…I…I am sorry.” She could not face him. Not now. It was all too overwhelming. His generosity and her own revelation…she needed to get away. She needed time and space to come to terms with everything, and she could not think straight when he was looking at her with hurt in his gaze. Without another word, she turned and made a dash for the library door.
“Penelope!” Andrew and Harry cried at nearly the same time.
She did not look back, running out into the hall and away from them. The sound of footsteps following her, had her grabbing at her skirts to pick them up and move faster.
“Miss Snowley. Stop!” Lady Dorothy’s voice slammed into her and Penelope froze in her tracks. She did not move as the lady came up behind her and did not resist when Lady Dorothy grabbed her arm to spin her around.
“What are you doing?” Lady Dorothy demanded, her cheeks flushed and eyes flashing with irritation. “Have you lost all good sense? What if someone had seen you?”
“I…I needed to get away. I am sorry…truly…”
Lady Dorothy’s expression softened and she released a deep sigh.
“Come, let us walk. Just the two of us.” She tucked Penelope’s arm into hers and began leading her down the hall again, though at a much calmer pace. When they were well away from the library, she said, “Now, tell me, were you on the verge of confessing your love to my brother back there?”
Penelope tensed, but Lady Dorothy did not pause or even slow her stride. Forced to keep up or be dragged along the marble floor, Penelope continued forward despite her unease. She struggled to respond to Lady Dorothy’s question, however.
At length, she managed to say, “I do not know what I was about to say. I was not thinking clearly. Lord Romwich’s gift was so incredible…my mind was simply a whirlwind…”
Lady Dorothy patted her hand. “There, there, my dear. No need to rile yourself back up. It is a simple question with a simple answer.”
The question was far from simple, the answer more complicated yet.
“Do you love my brother?” Penelope asked, a small amount of irritation sneaking into her voice.
Lady Dorothy did not hesitate to respond. “Yes, I do.”
Penelope gaped at her. “Truly? You are that certain of your feelings?”
The lady looked up at her, a question in her gaze. “I am. I have never been more certain of anything in my life.”
“How?” Penelope’s voice pitched higher than she had meant it to. Bringing it back under control, she repeated herself. “How, My Lady? How are you so certain? How did you come to understand your feelings?”
Lady Dorothy’s smile was blissful. “I simply realized that I do not want to live my life with anyone but him. When I imagine myself settled, with children, or growing old, it is him who I picture by my side. Being with him feels so natural to me, as if we were always meant to be.”
Penelope scrunched her brow as she released a slow breath. She could not say that she felt the same about her relationship with Andrew as Lady Dorothy did about her relationship with Harry. Things with Andrew did not feel natural. She was constantly on edge around him, and he provoked feelings within her she had never experienced before. Wild, dark feelings that she both feared and reveled in.
Do I not love him as Lady Dorothy loves Harry?
“Miss Snowley, what is it that you feel for Lord Romwich?” Lady’s Dorothy’s tone was light as ever, but there was a serious note relaying the gravity of her question.
Penelope blinked, unsure how to respond. Did she love him? How could she know? She had never been in love before, but her feelings were certainly nothing like what Lady Dorothy described her own to be.
What does this mean?
“I…I do not know, My Lady,” she confessed. “A part of me believes I do love him, but another part questions if that is correct. I do not feel the things that you do. It does not feel as though Lord Romwich fits easily into my life. Everything feels like a struggle, somehow.”
Lady Dorothy appeared thoughtful for a moment before she said, “Is he worth the struggle?”
“Yes.” The word popped from Penelope’s mouth without thought. It was as if she knew by instinct that she would always be willing to fight whatever battles she needed to in order to be with Andrew.
Lady Dorothy’s grin was wide. “I believe you just answered my previous question, Miss Snowley.”
Penelope stared at the lady with her mouth ajar. Could it really be so simple? She worked the words around in her mind several times to get a proper feel for them.
I love Andrew. I am in love with Andrew. I love Andrew. I love…
The statement felt…right.
“Have you reached any definitive conclusions, Miss Snowley?” Lady Dorothy asked with a teasing lilt in her voice.
Penelope felt her cheeks heat and she bit her lip as she shyly nodded.
“I believe I have, My Lady.”
“Well then, shall we rejoin the gentlemen? I can only imagine the conversation they must be having without us.”
* * *
What just happened?
Andrew was stunned. He stared at the door of the library long after Penelope disappeared through it. She had fled him. Rather than admit her feelings for him, she had run away.
What do I do now?
Dorothy had run after Penelope, leaving him alone with Mr. Snowley. He flushed with embarrassment at the realization that the gentleman had witnessed his humiliating rejection. What must he be thinking of the great Marquess of Romwich now?
What does Penelope think of me? Have I been wrong this entire time, and she does not love me after all?
Clenching his hands into fists, he jerked his eyes away from the door and turned his back on Mr. Snowley. He needed a minute to collect himself, and wished the gentleman would just go and leave him alone. Yet he did not. Mr. Snowley remained in the room with him, maddeningly silent.
Finally, Andrew could take it no longer.
Whirling to face Mr. Snowley, he snarled, “Why are you lingering here like a simpleton? Should you not be off making sure your sister is all right? I should like to do it myself, but I do not think she would wel
come my company at present.”
The last words tasted bitter on his tongue.
Mr. Snowley was watching him with an arched brow, his arms crossed of his chest.
“My Lord, do not misunderstand,” he began in a drawling tone. “I am here, fighting every urge to chase after my sister, because I know she cares for your wellbeing. She will want to know that you have been taken care of after her rejection.”
Lustful Memoirs 0f A Bewitching Lady (Steamy Historical Regency Romance) Page 16
