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The butler bowed immediately upon the door opening and said, "Forgive the interruption, Your Grace, but the stable master has just sent word that your carriage shall be brought up shortly, and I thought you would wish to know."
"Thank you, Cartwright," Anthony said.
"Might I send for your valet, Your Grace?" Cartwright asked the moment he saw Anthony was still in a state of undress. The duke quickly shook his head.
"If I am in need of assistance, my wife shall help me," he assured the man, and the butler nodded. "Please ensure everything is ready for my departure."
"Yes, Your Grace," the butler replied, and having been given his orders, he quickly bowed once more and scuttled away down the hall.
As he closed the bedroom door again and turned to finish dressing, Lady Rose said with a sweet yawn, "You will offer my best wishes to Mr Patterson, won't you?"
Having made love to her twice in the last twelve hours, being married to the woman, Anthony couldn't help feeling as though he were betraying her entirely. He couldn’t help feeling as though he was being unfaithful, lying to her the way he was.
I shall have to pay a visit to Mr Patterson and offer him her well wishes just to feel less guilty,he told himself as he assured her, "Of course, I shall, sweetheart."
Chapter 29
Waking up the next morning after Lord Chatham's departure, Penelope couldn't help feeling odd. She had grown so used to waking in bed beside him that when she rolled over in her own bed to find the far side cold and empty, where he would have been had she been in his bed, it caused her heart to clench painfully.
Though he had promised only to be a day or so, it already felt as though it had been several. Being alone save for the servants in such a huge countryside manor made Penelope feel quite lonely.
She would have liked to spend more time with Lady Elizabeth and Lady Emily, but as they were beautiful, young, and single socialites, she rarely found them with spare time. Keeping herself busy with the running of the estate, helping the common folk with their problems would have all been very well, but without the duke at her side, it did not feel right.
Something else also didn't feel right. Since her husband's leaving the day before, she had received no letter of warning, threats that she was going to be exposed for the liar that she was. It almost made her more uncomfortable than when she received such letters.
Yet after a fine morning walking down the lane to check up on the estate’s residents and the repairs being made to the small hamlet, she returned home to find something else had arrived for her. This time it was not a letter but something much, much worse.
"My Lady, I was just about to send one of the footmen down to you with a message," Mr Cartwright announced as he awaited her taking off her bonnet to hand it to him. The previous duchess's clothes had served her well, and she was finally getting used to wearing them, yet the moment she heard his words, she found her fingers stopped working, and she could barely untie the ribbon around her chin.
"You have two visitors, My Lady."
"Oh, good, have Lady Elizabeth and Lady Emily returned?" she said, hoping to sound much more pleased than she felt. She knew that the two young women weren't likely to be the visitors he mentioned, yet the alternative was much too painful for her to admit.
"Not the duke's sisters, My Lady," Cartwright responded with a shake of his head. Finally, Penelope managed to remove the bonnet from her head, careful not to disturb the pins holding her hair in place, and when she handed it to the butler, she saw that he did not look best pleased.
"I attempted to learn the identities of said visitors, but they were quite insistent that they wished to surprise you. They claim to be family."
At that, a stone sunk deep into Penelope's gut, and her throat clenched, her tongue growing so dry that she could barely speak.
"Where are they, Mr Cartwright?" she asked, trying not to sound entirely beside herself. She struggled to stop herself from trembling as she handed her shawl to Holden, who had quietly escorted her to and from the hamlet.
"I had them situated in the parlour, My Lady."
Penelope's heart beat unbelievably fast as she forced a smile for the butler and thanked him, preparing herself for whoever she might find in the parlour awaiting her. Whoever it was, she was certain they would not be who they claimed to be. After all, she had no family. The only family she had ever known, her mother, was long dead and buried all the way in France.
There were only two explanations. Either they were lying or the family of the real Clara St Clair. Either way, Penelope was almost beside herself with fear. A part of her wished to instruct Mr Cartwright to send someone for the authorities, to have the visitors removed from the house before they could utter a word to expose her, and yet the smallest part of her was curious as to who might be awaiting her.
What if it is Betsy?she thought, allowing only a moment to wonder if maybe the old cook had somehow learned all that had happened, that she had changed her mind about never setting sail without her late husband and had come to visit her.
"Shall I announce you, My Lady?" the butler asked, looking expectant.
"No!" Penelope snapped a little too harshly, and she felt her cheeks heating. Shaking her head, she added, "Please do not trouble yourself. I am perfectly capable of seeing myself into the parlour. Thank you, Cartwright."
With that, she accepted a bow from the butler and instructed Holden to return her things to her room before making her way down the hall to the parlour. With every footstep, she felt her heart racing faster and her palms growing increasingly sweaty.
Her chest tightened painfully, and she had to fight to keep her breathing steady. Her ears were ringing by the time she stood before the closed door of the parlour, and for several moments, she remained there absolutely still, feeling as though she might collapse out of sheer terror.
Come on, Penelope, it's time to face the facts,she told herself firmly, sucking in a deep breath before she reached out and pushed open the door.
