A Season To Remember

by Gayle Ava Stone, Jerrica Knight-Catania, Catherine

  “Oh!” Penny turned to look out the window, eager to see Flitwick Hall. She knew it wasn’t the official family seat—that was in the south, and they referred to it as “The Castle”—but still, it was a lovely and impressive residence, with large pillars out front and sconces in every window to light the ever-darkening sky. “It’s lovely.”

  “Yes, well…you might not want to get used to it. As soon as Father drinks himself to death, we’ll head south to The Castle.”

  “You shouldn’t speak that way of my father-in-law,” she teased, hoping to lighten whatever dark mood had come over him.

  “You’ll be speaking just as poorly of him once you meet him—if you ever meet him, that is.”

  Penny decided to hold her tongue this time. Clearly, Drake was bothered by something—nervous, perhaps?—so she thought it best not to goad him anymore. Whatever it was that was bothering him, she’d find out soon enough, she hoped. In the privacy of their chambers.

  A little thrill shot down Penny’s spine at that thought, and she sighed loudly. How wonderful and romantic to have a husband and to share his chambers. Would they sleep in the same bed? Or would they have separate rooms? Either way, she would wait for him to wake her up every morning with kisses and whispers of how much he loved her. It would all be so very romantic and perfect.

  She took Drake’s hand as he helped her from the hack. Once she was firmly on the ground, she gathered the ribbons of her hat and tied them as she looked up at the house. Really, it was lovely. The grounds and everything were very well kept. Drake must have spent a great deal of time here to invest so much in keeping it up to par.

  A man in a crisp, black uniform walked purposefully from the front door to greet them, a tall woman in a serviceable gray gown close on his heels. These were clearly Drake’s most trusted servants.

  Penny smiled kindly at them. They both offered cordial head nods in return, but then turned worried eyes on their master.

  “Welcome home, my lord,” the butler said, his tone even and sure.

  “What is it, Harris?”

  Clearly Drake sensed there was something wrong, too.

  Harris obviously didn’t want to answer him, but he took a deep breath, and said, “You have a visitor, my lord. And he’s not terribly happy with you.”

  Penny’s stomach sank. They both knew who was inside, waiting for them. What would Devlin say? Or worse, what would he do? There were many an unhappy tale of eloped couples, and those stories plagued her now. Would someone be shot today? Would she lose her brother…or her husband? She wasn’t sure which one would be worse, so it was preferable they both stay alive.

  She shook her head, trying to rid her mind of such morbid thoughts. Be practical, Penny. No one will do anything foolhardy.

  “Well,” she said, grabbing Drake by the hand. “I suppose we have no choice but to face the devil, do we?”

  It was bad enough that Drake was going to have to deal with the secret he’d been keeping about his daughter, but the fact that Devlin was here was going to make the situation ten times worse. He was planning to tell Penny about Clarisse as soon as they were settled upstairs. The servants had explicit instructions to keep Clarisse busy in the schoolroom until dinner, by which point he would have explained the situation to Penny.

  Certainly Devlin wouldn’t allow him to have a quiet moment with his new wife to do that now. Of course, it was Drake’s own fault. He’d had a week now to say something to her, but he’d avoided the topic as if it were the plague.

  But perhaps he could still have a moment alone with her. It wasn’t ideal to tell her about Clarisse in a rush while her brother waited inside, but it was better than Devlin telling her. She’d never trust him again, and that wasn’t the way he wanted to begin their marriage.

  “Penny, wait,” he said, pulling on her hand to keep her from moving forward toward the front door.

  She turned her round hazel eyes on him and blinked. “What is it, Drake?”

  “There’s something—”

  Harris cleared his throat loudly, drawing both their attention toward the front door. Devlin stood just under the portico, his arms folded across his chest, glowering.

  Damn it all!

  No one moved or said a word. The only sound Drake could hear was the beating of his own heart, which thumped loudly in his ears. Clearly, Devlin wasn’t going to offer him a warm welcome into his family.

  Penny released his hand and rushed forward toward her brother. “Devlin, I can explain!” she cried, clearly distressed at how angry her brother appeared.

  Drake rushed after her. “You don’t have to explain yourself, Penny. What we did, we did because of…because of…”

  “Yes?” Penny’s hazel eyes shone with hope. He knew what she wanted to hear, and it was what he meant to say. He just hadn’t said it yet, and now, with her furious brother looking on, just didn’t seem like the right time. But it was the truth, so what was he supposed to do?

  “Because of love,” he finally said.

  A hint of pink stained Penny’s cheeks and she smiled shyly at him. She opened her mouth to speak, but Devlin cut her off.

  “Love?” He nearly fell over with laughter, though it was more a sinister sort than jovial. “Well, that’s rich. Tell us, Flitwick, how did Clarisse take the news of your marriage?”

  Penny’s forehead creased into confusion. “Clarisse?”

  “Ah, so she doesn’t know yet? You see, Penny, your marriage is based on lies.”

  “Lies?” Penny turned to Devlin and shook her head. “Drake would never lie to me.”

  “Oh, is that so?”

  Drake shook his head ever so slightly, praying it would stop Devlin from saying any more, but knowing deep down it wouldn’t. His stomach turned sour, his heart sank—dear God, Penny was going to hate him.

  “Why don’t you ask him, Penny darling.” Devlin’s eyes narrowed on Drake, piercing him with an accusatory glare. “Go on. Ask him.”

  Clearly, Penny didn’t want to ask. Her brow furrowed as she turned his direction, and her lashes batted a few, quick times, as if she might be on the brink of tears. But with her brother standing there, forcing her, she had no choice.

  “Drake?” she said cautiously. “Is there something I should know?”

  Drake swallowed over the lump that had formed in his throat. He wasn’t sure his voice would work, but he had to try. “I-I wanted to tell you, Penny…”

  She stepped forward, her entire body growing tense. “Tell me what, exactly?”

  “About me, I suppose,” came a soft, feminine voice.

  Damn it! Just when Drake had thought this couldn’t get any worse.

  “Clarisse, go back inside,” he ordered, feeling the worst sort of father for such a harsh greeting.

  “Did you marry her?” Clarisse asked, ignoring his demands, as usual.

  “I said go back inside, Clarisse.”

  “No.” This came from Penny, who studied the girl with great confusion. “I’d like to know who this is.”

  “I’m Clarisse,” his daughter replied, a smile spreading her lips wide.

  “And you’re Lord Flitwick’s…ward?” Penny ventured.

  Clarisse giggled. “No, no. Not ward. Can’t you see the resemblance?”

  Drake wanted to interject. He wanted to send Clarisse back inside so he could sort all this out with Penny, alone. But he knew Clarisse would just ignore him, and Penny seemed rather intrigued by his daughter. Perhaps if Clarisse was the one to deliver the news, it would go over better than Drake anticipated.

  Penny was staring at Clarisse now, her mouth agape, her breath becoming more and more shallow. “His…niece?” she ventured again, but it was clear she didn’t believe that Clarisse was his niece. The resemblance was too striking—even Drake knew that.

  Clarisse shook her head with another giggle, at which point Penny turned her stupefied face to Drake.

  “She’s…she’s…”

  Drake nodded. “She’s my daug
hter.”

  “There now, sister,” Devlin put in, a sardonic edge to his tone. “Aren’t you happy you married him?”

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Penny snapped to look at her brother, anger flashing in her hazel eyes. “Go home, Devlin.”

  Devlin softened a bit. “Penny, we can fix this. No one has to know you were married.” He stepped forward. “He is a liar and deceiver, and—”

  “And he is my husband,” Penny finished.

  Drake finally started breathing again. She wouldn’t go home with Devlin. That meant there was a chance for them. At least, he prayed there was. He’d been foolish by not telling her—he didn’t deserve a second chance. But perhaps her plan was not to give him a second chance. Perhaps her plan was to exact revenge.

  The relief he’d felt for mere seconds was quickly replaced by panic. Hell hath no fury…

  There were a few things Penny knew for absolute certain in her life. For one, she knew she was madly in love with her husband. She also knew her husband had wronged her in the worst possible way she could imagine. He’d lied to her—or, if not lied, omitted a very, very large truth.

  But she also knew that this situation involved more than just Drake and her. There was a young girl (though not that much younger than Penny) who could be irrevocably scarred should Penny react poorly in this situation. If she acted rashly and climbed aboard her brother’s carriage to go back to London, Clarisse might think it her fault. And Penny would never want Clarisse to feel responsible for the swift end to her father’s marriage.

  “Devlin!”

  Penny looked up to find her sister-in-law, Louisa, rushing from the house to where they stood in the drive. Loose locks of her blonde hair caught the breeze and whipped across her face as she approached Devlin, clearly not happy with him.

  “Devlin, we talked about this. You were supposed to wait inside, give them time to settle before you pounced on them.”

  “Hello, Louisa,” Penny said, forcing a half smile to her face.

  Louisa returned the smile and pulled Penny into her arms. “I’m so sorry about all this. Are you all right?” She put a hand to Penny’s cheek in a motherly gesture.

  “I’m fine, Louisa,” she said quietly, and then she turned to look at Drake. “But I need a moment alone with my husband.”

  Drake nodded and started silently toward the house.

  “I will come with you and wait outside the room, in case you need me,” Louisa said, and Penny had to admit she was grateful for that.

  The three of them passed through the front door of the manor and walked a very short distance to what Penny assumed was the main parlor of the house. Drake stood just outside the door and gestured for her to step through. With one last look at Louisa for reassurance, she entered the parlor.

  Once he’d closed the door, leaving Lady Marston just outside, Drake moved into the room. He stood facing Penny, with a good deal of space between them. He hated that there was so much distance now, both in the physical and emotional sense. They were married—happily married—yet everything felt so very awkward now.

  Drake shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the heavy silence that hung between them. Penny eyed him carefully, as if she didn’t quite know who he was anymore. As if she was trying to put a name with his face. Which was ridiculous. He was still the same man—he was still Drake, the man she’d married. The man who loved her more than any woman he’d ever loved before, and who would love her for the rest of his days. Nothing had changed. At least not for him—not in his heart. If only she would forgive him.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about her?” she finally ventured.

  Drake let out the breath he’d been holding on a loud sigh. “I was scared, I suppose,” he said with a shake of his head. “There is a great deal of history regarding Clarisse…and your brother Simeon.”

  Penny reared back slightly. “Simeon? What does he have to do with all of this?”

  “Not as much as he should have, that’s for certain.” When Penny’s forehead crinkled in confusion, he went on to explain. “I was young and very, very foolish. Your brother was in love with a woman—a girl really, I suppose—but I thought to play a game. I wooed her away from Simeon, to put it lightly, and the result was Clarisse.”

  “Am I to assume her mother is…gone?”

  Drake nodded. “For many years now.” He released another long breath of air. The worst of it was over, he hoped. She knew everything now.

  “And that is why Devlin was so angry about our match. Because of how you wronged our brother.”

  “That, and because I tried to keep Clarisse a secret.” He scoffed at his own foolishness. Why would he have ever thought he could keep his daughter a secret from his new wife?

  His heart twisted painfully at the shimmer of tears in her eyes. Damn it all to hell!

  Drake moved forward, eager to comfort his wife, but she took several steps back, away from him.

  “Louisa,” she called, her eyes still trained on him.

  The door to the parlor slid open and Louisa poked her head inside. “I’m here, Penny.”

  “You can take me to my room now.”

  Drake couldn’t just let her go. Not like this. He had to know what she was thinking.

  “Please, Penny, don’t go,” he begged, hating the desperation in his voice.

  She turned back to him, sadness so prevalent in her hazel eyes. “I need some time to sort this all out in my head.” And then she turned away and followed Louisa from the room.

  Drake collapsed onto the nearest chair and put his face in his hands. It would be pure torture, but there was nothing he could do now but wait.

  Part of Penny didn’t want to leave Drake’s side. Her heart told her to run into his arms for comfort. But her head wondered if she’d ever be able to get past this deception. The wound was so fresh, and she was far too confused about everything. If she followed her heart, she’d never sort out all these conflicting emotions.

  The worst of it all was that she knew just how Clarisse felt. She knew exactly what it was like to grow up without a mother. That stabbing pain every time she saw a mother and daughter strolling through Hyde Park together or choosing coming out gowns at Madame DuPont’s dress shop.

  Sure, she’d had her sisters, whom she loved dearly. But it wasn’t the same. It could never be the same.

  Mrs. Little met them at the staircase with a curt nod of her head. “I’m happy to show you to your room, my lady. Just follow me.”

  Penny followed, thinking how strange it was to be called my lady. She’d been a miss all her life, and in all the chaos of the last week, it had never occurred to her that her title would change.

  Mrs. Little led Penny and Louisa through the house at a moderate pace, talking rapidly as they passed each room, attempting to familiarize Penny with her new home. Penny, however, barely heard a word she said. She was far too focused on what she was going to do about her marriage. About her new daughter.

  My, how strange that sounded. Penny was barely eighteen, and now she had a daughter who couldn’t have been any younger than twelve or thirteen. She’d always imagined her first child would be…well, her own, of course. That would have meant a very long time before she had a child as old as Clarisse. Was she prepared to help a young woman with her coming out? With teaching her how to become a woman? Was Penny even a woman herself? Part of her still felt very much like a girl sometimes.

  “And here is your chamber, my lady,” Mrs. Little said, turning the handle on the large oak door and pushing it open wide before walking into the room.

  She continued to chatter on as she pointed out the washroom and the dressing room and the door that adjoined her chambers to Drake’s. Penny tried to listen, but she was still focused on her own thoughts about Clarisse, and at the same time taking in this space that would be hers forevermore. It could certainly use a woman’s touch. Not that it wasn’t a nice room. On the contrary, it was spacious and clean and very well appointed. But the colors—g
reen and gold—weren’t terribly feminine or…appetizing.

  Penny hadn’t noticed the silence in the room until Mrs. Little started speaking again.

  “I’m sure he meant to tell you,” she said, a sad look in her eyes.

  Penny nodded, attempting to hold back the tears that suddenly threatened to spill down her cheeks. “I am sure he did,” she replied. “But he didn’t.”

  “Men do foolish things when they’re afraid. I’d wager he was very afraid he’d lose you if he told you about Clarisse.”

  “Well, he can’t lose me now, can he? At least not physically.”

  “I did say it was foolish, didn’t I?”

  Penny gave a small smile to Mrs. Little. “Yes, you did, indeed. Thank you, Mrs. Little. We won’t keep you any longer. I’m sure you have much to tend to in such a large house.”

  “Just ring if you need anything,” Mrs. Little said on her way to the door. “Missy will come straightaway to see to you.”

  She shut the door behind her, leaving Penny alone with Louisa. She was glad to have her sister-in-law there with her. She was new to the family, so they didn’t know each other terribly well, but Louisa was kind and lovely and…well, she was an impartial party in all this, so Penny felt she could talk more easily to her about the situation.

  With a sigh, Penny plopped onto the edge of the bed and put her face in her hands. “What am I going to do?” she cried, praying that Louisa would have sage advice for her.

  The bed sagged a bit more as Louisa sat down beside her. A comforting arm came around Penny’s shoulder and pulled her close. Louisa was going to be a wonderful mother, with her soothing embrace and shoulder that she didn’t mind having soaked with tears.

  “I can’t tell you what to do, dearest,” Louisa said quietly. “But I do know you’re smart and strong, if not a bit impulsive.”

  Penny couldn’t help but laugh through her tears. “More than a bit, perhaps.” She pulled away to dry her tears on her sleeve. “But I love him, Louisa. I know that seems impossible, but I do.”

  “It doesn’t seem impossible at all,” her sister-in-law replied with a sweet smile.