A Season To Remember

by Gayle Ava Stone, Jerrica Knight-Catania, Catherine

  “I did, but not for you.”

  “Penny,” Calista scolded, in her most motherly tone.

  Penny smiled tightly in return. “Lord Flitwick, may I introduce my sisters, Miss Calista Bartlett and Miss Miranda Bartlett.” Then she turned to her sisters and said, “Lord Flitwick. There. Are you happy now?”

  “You’ll have to forgive her, Lord Flitwick,” Calista said as she took a seat. “She’s new to all of this.”

  Flit settled back into his seat and trained his eyes on Penny. “We were all new once, weren’t we?” he asked with a wink.

  Penny wanted to throw herself into his arms right then. She probably would have asked him to take her away from here, if she had been so bold.

  “True,” Miranda said as she plopped onto the settee beside Penny and patted her hand. “But some start out greener than others.”

  “Shouldn’t you be planning your weddings?” Penny asked, pulling her hand out from under Miranda’s.

  Calista smiled. “Even wedding plans should be paused for afternoon refreshments.”

  “Actually…”

  All eyes turned to Flit as he stood from his chair. Penny’s heart sank. She had so hoped to spend more time with him, without her sisters.

  “I hope you all won’t think I’m terribly rude, however, I’m not all that thirsty.” He held out his hand, his sky-blue gaze setting off the butterflies in Penny’s stomach. “Is there a place we might have a stroll, Miss Penelope?”

  It took a moment for the words to register in her mind, they were so unexpected. He wanted to be alone with her just as much as she wanted to be alone with him.

  “Of course,” she finally stammered out. “We’ve a lovely garden out back.”

  “Delightful.” Then he turned to Miranda and Calista. “I do hope you’ll excuse us.”

  Penny could barely hold in her laughter at the look on Miranda’s face. She was dumbfounded and disappointed, obviously. But Penny had never been more grateful or more enamored of anyone in her life.

  Drake couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Good God, her sisters were protective. Or perhaps just nosy. He didn’t know them well, so it was hard to say. Either way, he was happy to be Penny’s savior in that moment, and her gratitude showed on her face as they walked through the back door into their small garden.

  It was lovely, as she’d said. Small, but lovely. There were plenty of trees to provide shade overhead, and a narrow path wound its way through an array of snapdragons, hydrangeas, and a slew of other flowers Drake couldn’t identify. It was a warm day, but between the shade and the slight breeze that blew through the garden, he was quite comfortable.

  “You still haven’t answered my question,” Penny said from beside him.

  Her hand was looped tenderly around his elbow, and she stared up at him with her large hazel eyes. Drake hadn’t thought it possible for her to be as beguiling in daylight as she’d been in the moonlight the night before, but he’d be damned if she wasn’t even more so right now. Utterly enchanting was this girl.

  “Would you mind repeating the question? I seem to have forgotten it already.” He wasn’t sure he could even remember his own name just then.

  Penny broke into a wide smile, showing near-perfect teeth beneath her plump lips. “I asked you why you were here,” she said.

  “Well, I thought that much was obvious, Miss Penelope,” he said, placing his hand over hers where it still rested in the crook of his elbow. “I’m here to see you.”

  “I know that.” Her brow furrowed just a bit. “But why?”

  Drake couldn’t stop the laughter that rose to his throat. “Are you looking for compliments, or are you really that naïve to your charm?”

  “I’m rarely looking for flattery,” she replied, much to his surprise. Weren’t women always looking to be flattered? “Honesty is really all I care about.”

  “Well, then, I can honestly tell you that I…I was rather taken with you last night. And as long as we’re being honest, I will tell you that I couldn’t sleep for thinking about you.”

  Penny stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. “You can’t be serious.”

  “But I am being serious,” he replied. “Is it so hard to believe a gentleman would be smitten with you?”

  “No, it’s just hard to believe that a gentleman who I’m smitten with is also smitten with me.”

  A sly smile spread the corners of Drake’s mouth. “I was hoping you would say that.”

  He knew it was too soon. He knew he should have waited until the third or fourth call to take any liberties, but he didn’t care to wait. Penny’s lips were parted just slightly in anticipation, plump and red as a ripe raspberry. Drake would not miss this opportunity if it was the last thing he did.

  He moved closer to her and raised his hands to cup her jaw line. As he lifted her head, her eyes shuttered closed, and then he lowered his mouth to hers. She was young, inexperienced, yet she was so eager and clearly willing to learn. Penny played along with his every move, turning her head at just the right angle to allow him to delve into her, and their tongues danced in a perfect, languid rhythm.

  Something that Drake prayed was a cat bumped into his leg, reminding him that they were in the family garden where anyone could easily see them from the house. Not the best idea to defile Penny here, and that was exactly what would happen if he didn’t stop. Now.

  He pulled away and took a couple steps back from her. Indeed, a plump orange cat moved in and out of her legs, but Penny didn’t seem to notice. Her chest heaved up and down, as if she’d just run around the square at top speed. Her mouth hung open and all Drake wanted to do was drag her into his arms and kiss those moist, red lips again.

  The silence seemed to drag on forever, but Drake couldn’t seem to find any words. He worried that anything he said right now would be completely inadequate for the moment. Thankfully, Penny was the first to speak.

  “What do we do now?” she asked, and the sweet innocence of her question made Drake burst into laughter.

  “That is a very good question,” he said, catching his breath. “I suppose I shall call on you again tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day, until...”

  “Until what?” she asked, breathlessly.

  “Well, it seems a bit early to say, but I should like it very much if this turned into something more…lasting.”

  Drake had never seen a brighter or more beautiful smile in his entire life than the one Penny wore in that moment. Her hazel eyes shimmered with adoration, her cheeks aflame not with embarrassment, but with excitement and anticipation.

  “But you hardly know me,” she said, clearly trying to tamp down her emotions.

  “I know,” he replied. “So let us not get ahead of ourselves.”

  She shook her head. “No, of course not.”

  Of course not. Truth be known, he was already far, far ahead of himself, dreaming of her as his wife. He should have been frightened by this thought. He’d spent the better part of his adult life trying to avoid marriageable women, and here he was, practically proposing to a girl he’d only met the night before. But somehow he felt… “It’s as if I’ve known you all my life,” he said, finishing the thought aloud.

  And it was true.

  Penny gave him a bashful smile. “I thought I was just being a silly girl when that thought crossed my mind.”

  “Well, then we shall be silly together.”

  They both laughed and then fell silent again. Drake wanted to approach her, take her in his arms and kiss her again, but he knew he couldn’t. He’d already done too much, gone too far.

  “Your sisters will start to worry if I keep you out here too long,” he said at last. “Come, we shall resume our courtship tomorrow.”

  Penny couldn’t keep the smile from her face the rest of that day. She was positively floating on air when she finally emerged from her chamber to go down to dinner. Thankfully, their social calendar had a gap in it this evening, so they would enjoy a qui
et family supper at home, after which Penny could curl up with the novel she’d been trying to read all afternoon. Her concentration had been poor, to say the least, but she would try harder tonight.

  The rest of her family members awaited the dinner bell in the parlor—the parlor where she’d entertained Flit that afternoon.

  She couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her as she looked at the chair he’d sat in. She knew she was being utterly ridiculous and silly, but that made her think about what he’d said to her in the garden. At least they were being silly together.

  Her new sister-in-law Louisa sat on the settee, and Penny joined her, flopping down with a sigh. Louisa looked completely out of place in this house, with her fair skin, blonde hair, and shimmering blue eyes. Mother had been full-fledged Greek, with thick dark hair, near-black eyes, and a dark complexion, which she’d passed down to her children. Not that Penny had ever met her in person, since she died the same year Penny was born. But the large portrait of her that hung in the hallway made it obvious she’d been quite an exotic beauty.

  The exoticness seemed to have been diluted a bit by the time they got around to Penny—she had the lightest hair of all her siblings, though still the darkest eyes. Louisa looked almost ghostly next to all of them, even though she had completely normal coloring for an Englishwoman.

  “What are you smiling about, Penny?” Louisa asked, curiosity and amusement drawing her lips up at the corners.

  “Oh, nothing,” Penny replied evasively.

  She wasn’t ready to talk about Flit yet. It was enough her sisters knew about him and were eager to meddle, but for now, she just wanted to keep her thoughts of him to herself. No doubt if she told everyone she was falling in love with a man she’d only met last night, they’d all pat her on the head and say, “Oh, silly Penny.”

  “How can you call Lord Flitwick nothing?”

  Blast. She hadn’t realized Miranda was close enough to hear their conversation. She’d been on the other side of the room just a moment ago, hanging on Lord Harrison’s arm. How in the world had she spanned the space of the large parlor in time to hear what was going on?

  “Lord Flitwick?” Louisa looked genuinely intrigued.

  “Oh yes, he came calling on Penny this afternoon.” Miranda shimmied her way onto the settee beside Penny, forcing her to scoot closer to Louisa. “But Penny’s being awfully tight-lipped about the whole thing.”

  Because I’m tired of everyone meddling in my affairs, like I’m a child!

  The supper bell rang before anyone could say another word on the topic, and Penny jumped from the settee and ran ahead, eager to avoid any further questioning. Thankfully, no one said much of anything as supper began. It seemed they were all too hungry to bother with conversation. It wasn’t until the second course arrived that Devlin opened his mouth to speak.

  “So, Penny,” he said, pulling the glass of red wine away from his lips and setting it on the table. “Are you finally satisfied that you’re getting your Season?”

  More than you know. “I am, Devlin. Quite satisfied.”

  “That’s good to know.” His brow furrowed a bit. “I feared you were unhappy.”

  Penny cast infinitesimal glances down the table to her sisters who sat proudly beside their future husbands. She had been unhappy, and it was surprising Devlin had waited this long to make mention of it. Of course, he’d been preoccupied with Louisa and all, so maybe he’d only just taken notice. Either way, she wasn’t nearly as unhappy now—not now that Flit had come into her life.

  “Well, I have had my share of troubling moments this year, but I do think I’m handling myself well.”

  “Indeed, Little One.”

  Penny fought the urge to roll her eyes. She hated that moniker more every day. It was so very patronizing and it took everything in her being not to toss her dinner roll at Devlin’s head.

  “Of course, she has new reason to smile tonight, don’t you, Penny?”

  If looks could have killed, Miranda would have fallen dead into her lamb chop for the piercing glare Penny cast her. Why couldn’t they just leave her alone? As innocent and well meaning as they all thought they were being, they were absolutely taking all the joy from her newfound romance. But what could Penny do about it?

  “Oh? What’s this about, Penny?” Devlin asked, leaning forward in his chair. “Have you finally set your cap for someone?”

  Finally? They were only a few weeks into the Little Season. Just because the three of them had found partners already didn’t mean she was necessarily behind in her search.

  “Oh, yes,” Miranda supplied on her behalf. “He even paid a visit this afternoon.”

  Penny wanted to duck under the table and run away. Why was everyone looking at her agog? Was it so strange that she’d been called upon by a suitor?

  “Well done, Little One! Who is the lucky gentleman?”

  There was no way around it now. She would have to admit to the table at large that she was being courted by Lord Flitwick.

  Miranda opened her mouth to make the announcement, but Penny wouldn’t allow that. She abruptly jumped in with, “Viscount Flitwick.”

  At which point all hell broke loose.

  It was obvious Devlin was trying to keep his temper in check. His face turned the crimson shade of beets, his nostrils flared and his entire body went rigid. The most frightening part of it all was the tightly clenched fist that rested on the table.

  Penny’s heart raced and every muscle tensed as she watched her brother struggle to keep his calm. Whatever could be the matter? What was it about Flit that had Devlin so worked up into such a state of frenzy?

  Devlin abruptly stood, nearly knocking his chair over in the process. As a matter of fact, it most certainly would have gone crashing to the floor, if not for a rather quick and attentive footman.

  He threw his napkin to the table and, with his eyes trained on Penny, said, “You will follow me to my study. Now.”

  Louisa lifted out of her chair and reached out a hand to stay her husband, but when he flashed her a murderous look, she retreated with an apologetic glance for Penny.

  Penny appreciated her sister-in-law’s sympathy. The others at the table simply looked dumbfounded at the situation.

  She followed her brother silently down the corridor and into his study at the back of the house. Her hands shook—no, her entire body shook—nervous for this meeting. What was so very horrible about Flit that Devlin saw fit to remove her from the dining room to tell her? Was he about to bring all her hopes for a happy future to an end?

  “Sit,” he commanded.

  Penny did as she was told and waited while Devlin poured himself a drink. He slugged back a tumbler full of brandy and then turned to her.

  “How did this happen?”

  Penny’s eyes grew round at the question. “What do you mean?”

  “How did you come to know Flit, and what was he doing in my house?” Devlin banged his fist on the edge of the desk on the last syllable, causing Penny to jump.

  “I-I met him last night, at his brother’s soiree, of course. I was…” She didn’t want to admit to crying alone in the garden, so she decided to avoid that little tidbit. “I was getting a bit of air and he’d stepped out for a smoke. We talked until Miranda and Calista came to find me. It was completely innocent,” she rushed to assure her brother. “I swear!”

  Devlin sneered. “I’m sure it was.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Penny asked, eager to defend herself and Flit.

  “Never mind, Penny. I know things about men—more specifically about Viscount Flitwick—that would make Father turn over in his grave if I allowed you to be courted by that man.”

  “Well, what are they?” She wasn’t going to give up Flit without a fight.

  “Nothing that concerns you,” Devlin replied very pointedly. As if she was supposed to accept that and completely forget about Flit now that Devlin had declared he had secrets that didn’t concern her.

&nb
sp; Penny stood, her frustration at her brother, at her sisters, at her lot in life in general, getting the best of her. “I think it must very much concern me,” she said, raising her voice in defiance. “I have a right to know, and if you don’t tell me, then I’ll just ask Flit the next time he comes calling.”

  That got Devlin’s back up for sure. “You would dare defy me?”

  “I wouldn’t have to defy you, if you’d only tell me what’s going on! If you’d only give me good reason why I shouldn’t allow Flit to call on me.”

  “Oh, it’s Flit already, is it?” Devlin moved closer. “Have you allowed him to call you Penny? Have you allowed other liberties after knowing the man for all of five minutes?”

  Penny knew she was doomed. Her family had always teased her for the fact that her face was like an open book. She had the hardest time hiding things from them, and she’d never been more frustrated by that fact than she was now. No matter how she tried to school her features in preparation to deliver a bald-faced lie to her brother, it was obvious she’d somehow already given herself away. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen Devlin so angry in her entire life.

  “What did he do to you?” he asked through clenched teeth.

  “H-he didn’t do anything to me,” Penny replied, trying to keep her wits about her. It wasn’t easy, with her brother seething so close by.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Why does everyone accuse me of lying all the time?” she exploded.

  “Because you are lying, Penny.”

  He had her there, blast it all.

  She closed her eyes, willing the tears not to come. She wanted to stay angry, to stomp her feet and slam doors and let everyone know that she was not a child anymore—that they couldn’t control her and make her do their bidding as they always tried to do. But of course, all those things would make her look even more impetuous and childlike.

  All she really wanted was Papa. He never would have been so protective and unreasonable with her. Even if he knew something unsavory about Flit, he would have led her to her own conclusions. He wouldn’t have forbidden her from exploring the courtship. He had trusted her, which was a lot more than she could say for any of her siblings.