Loving a Fearless Duchess

by Abigail Agar

  When she finally made it to the altar and Nash, she was home. Facing each other, holding both hands together, standing in front of the priest felt like the most natural thing she had ever done. She had no nerves and no reservations.

  During the ceremony, the guests had plenty of time to see Penelope’s scar. When she stood face to face with Nash, it was on display. She wondered what they thought and decided she didn’t care. It was liberating.

  After the ceremony, walking down the aisle to the exit, Penelope felt she accomplished what she set out to do. They all may have thought she’d marry last. Boy, were they wrong.

  Nash and Penelope had to sit on opposite benches during the ride back to the townhouse. Her dress took up a lot of space.

  Nash smiled and laughed.

  “What are you laughing at?”

  “You. Walking down the aisle watching the reaction you were getting from the guests. You loved it, didn’t you?”

  Penelope tilted her head. “I wouldn’t say I loved it. I enjoyed it. Thank you for agreeing to this. Many gentlemen wouldn’t.”

  Nash laughed. “Ah, but I’m not any gentleman, am I.”

  Penelope laughed. “No, you are not.”

  Couples began streaming into the townhouse ballroom, getting drinks and various foods delivered on trays by footmen circling through the room.

  Edward, Cecilia, and Avery joined Nash and Penelope in the receiving line. Avery took the opportunity to show his peers the special place he had in the Duke and Duchess’ wedding.

  Nash leaned into Penelope. “He’s acting like he threw this wedding.”

  Penelope shrugged. “He took us in for all those years, whatever his motivation. Giving us a roof over our heads is never far from my mind.”

  Nash agreed. “You’re right. It would have been a good thing too, if not for Henry. I like watching him work a room. Today should be fun.”

  Penelope pulled back. “I hope so. It’s one of our wedding days.”

  Nash grinned.

  Penelope picked a nonexistent piece of lint off Nash’s elegant jacket. “I was thinking.”

  Nash perked up and gave her all his attention.

  “Now that we are married –”

  “No.”

  “But why not?”

  Nash leaned down and whispered in her ear. “Because you would want three months, and I can’t take that much time right now.”

  The lull in the receiving line was over, and they went back to greeting guests.

  As the reception went on, Penelope found her guests stared less at her scar. They got to see it, and it wasn’t such a mystery anymore. Guests were frustrated she didn’t give details when they asked how it happened. Telling them it was an accident caused disappointment.

  Nash and Penelope danced to waltzes but mostly talked to the guests. Young ladies in their season asked Penelope how she snagged a Duke. Penelope had to hold down laughter at each question. “The right man will see through all that,” she answered.

  Then Nash and Penelope had to form another line by the door to thank the guests. Except for Cecilia and Edward, Avery was the last to leave.

  He stood in front of Penelope, her hand between his. “Thank you for having me. It would have been difficult to explain my absence to my peers if you decided not to have me. Best wishes on your marriage,” he said turning to Nash then back to Penelope, “and your happiness.” He kissed Penelope’s cheek and shook Nash by his hand. Coleman handed him his hat and walking stick. He was gone.

  Penelope turned to Nash. “I think he was sincere.”

  Nash nodded. “I think you’re right.”

  “Shall we go to the parlour so we can gossip?”

  Edward laughed. “So much to say. So little time.”

  Chapter 23

  Living with Uncle Avery was everything Penelope could dream of except for Henry. She turned fourteen, and her body started to change. Henry’s rudeness ratcheted up a notch.

  Penelope and Edward had a tutor Henry didn’t need. They got a break from him during their studies. He was almost of the age to attend Cambridge. How the townhouse would be different then.

  When Penelope started becoming a woman, an uncomfortable time on its own, Henry’s comments became even more difficult to bear. He made comments about the changes in Penelope’s body, embarrassing her and making her feel self-conscious. The more she blushed or became flustered, the more he was spurred on to say embarrassing things.

  This type of behaviour was shocking to both the women and men who heard it. No one discussed such personal things. Avery lectured Henry for his behaviour, but his words fell on deaf ears. He would roll his eyes as soon as he left Avery’s study, muttering that he was going to kill Penelope.

  Edward would lose his temper. “Shut up, Henry. Do you have any idea what a jerk you sound like? Keep your ridiculous thoughts to yourself. I’m bigger and stronger than you are, and I’m sure in a fist fight I would come out the victor. You are such a bully; I would be happy to put you in your place.”

  “Father would throw you out if you laid a hand on me.”

  Edward laughed. “That’s where you are wrong, Henry. Your father would know you had it coming. Be careful, Henry. I’m itching for you to give me an excuse to let it happen.” Edward was right, he was bigger and stronger, and he wouldn’t hesitate to unleash his anger on Henry.

  It was about the time Henry began to concentrate on Penelope when the two of them were alone. His senseless prattle bothered her, but she didn’t want Edward to interfere. Henry couldn’t help it. Penelope had known for years there was something wrong with Henry. His glee in watching animals suffer was matched by his glee to watch the people around him squirm and twitch the same way.

  He couldn’t go long between his times in harassing Penelope. What Penelope didn’t know was that Henry was making plans to rid himself of his most annoying problem.

  *****

  Henry was tired of being bested by Penelope. She was a fourteen-year-old girl, and he wasn’t going to put up with her anymore. She thought she was better than him? He would show her. It was time she was no longer a thorn in his side.

  He waited until she was alone in the garden. He knew he would find her there. It was her favourite place to go. Edward checked in on her constantly. Henry knew they were afraid of him, and with good reason. After all, it was his house. It was his father, not theirs.

  “Hi, Penelope.”

  Penelope ignored him, but he was used to that. She always ignored him. No matter. He always had one-way conversations with her. He didn’t even bother having one-way conversations with Edward anymore. Edward just threatened to beat him up.

  “You can ignore me, but I want to show you something that you will definitely like. Normally, I’d say you are too mean to me to deserve to see it, but it’s so good to see that even I want to show you.”

  He could tell Penelope was interested even though she was silent. She didn’t walk away from him as usual. She took her time pruning rose bushes and didn’t turn her back on him.

  “I was walking down by the river. I like to skip stones. I’m good at it too. When you don’t see me around, I’m usually there.

  “Anyway, I was there today, and I saw a Red.”

  Penelope gasped. Red had been missing for over a week. No one knew where she was apart from Henry. Part of her was buried in the woods and the other part was buried near the river.

  “She had puppies. Cute little puppies. Some were jumping all over Red while she lay on her side while others suckled. I think you would love to see it.”

  Penelope turned. “We have to tell someone in the barn. They have been looking everywhere for her for a week.”

  “Later. They can’t be moved now. And mother and pups have to stay in the same place until they are older. Let’s go see them. We can tell them later.”

  “If they are going to be there for a while, we can wait.”

  Henry was getting frustrated with her. “What do you think I’m going
to do? Talk you to death? So you don’t like the way I talk to you. So what? Do you or don’t you want to see the puppies?”

  “Let’s get Edward. He’ll want to see them too.”

  Henry shrugged his shoulders. “Never mind. I’m busy later. I won’t be able to show you. I’ve tried to be nice.”

  He started to walk away towards the barn. “Wait,” Penelope said.

  Henry’s back was to her. He couldn’t help smiling. He schooled his face, turned around, and put his hands on his hips, seeming annoyed. “What?”

  Penelope approached Henry. “I’ll go. Will I find my way back here without a problem? I want to show Edward.”

  “It’s easy.”

  Penelope thought as they started to walk toward the trees, So that’s what happened to Red.

  “Do the pups have Red’s colouring?”

  Oh, God. I’m going to have to talk with her, Henry thought.

  “I think two have her colour if I remember correctly. Do you think the barn will want all the pups as well as Red?”

  Penelope looked at him as if he was crazy. “Of course they’ll want the pups. Why not?”

  “If she kept talking to him, he was going to go crazy. There was nothing worse than a fourteen-year-old female. Not much longer, now.

  “How long is the walk? It seems like we’ve been in the woods for a long time.”

  Henry shrugged and mentally rolled his eyes. “No accounting for where a dog decides to give birth.”

  Up ahead, Henry saw the spot. “Are you familiar with this area?” he asked.

  Penelope looked around. “No, I’ve never been here. As soon as we see the pups, I want to go back,” she said, a slight waver to her voice.

  Henry smiled. “Up this hill, and we’re there.”

  Penelope nodded.

  When they reached the top of the hill, Penelope looked for Red.

  “He’s down there,” Henry pointed to the bottom of a cliff. You have to look over the edge. Red’s at the bottom. A good secluded place to have puppies.”

  The hill gave even more height to the cliffs. The edge didn’t slowly dip down to the bottom. It was a sheared edge of land rocky and deep. No vegetation grew along the large, sharp boulders. Unless you knew there was a cliff there, you’d never see it.

  Penelope nodded and stepped closer. She looked up at Henry. “I don’t see them.”

  “Get closer to the edge and look down a little to the left.” He approached her slowly. “Over there,” he pointed.

  She leaned forward.

  He pushed her as hard as he could.

  She screamed on the way down and hit the side of her head on a sharp rock. She bounced onto another rock then didn’t move. Henry wasn’t going down there to check her pulse. If she were alive, she wouldn’t be for long. Besides, no one would look there. She was impossible to find.

  Henry ran from the woods. If anyone saw him coming out, they would look in there and might find her. They might put two and two together.

  He came over the hill and stopped. Edward was running in his direction, so Henry walked at a regular pace, not a care in the world. Edward seemed frantic. Too frantic to wonder why Henry was walking alone in a secluded part of the estate.

  Henry hadn’t thought they’d be looking for her so fast. He thought he’d get to the house before she was discovered missing. He doubted it mattered because they would never find the body.

  When he walked into the house, his father, red in the face, said, “What have you done?”

  “In my study, now,” Avery said to Henry.

  Henry followed him in and shut the door. Avery turned to him. “Penelope’s missing. What have you done?”

  Henry shrugged. “Why do you think I did something? Maybe she wandered off by herself and is hiding for some stupid reason only a fourteen-year-old girl knows.”

  Avery ran his fingers through his hair. “We both know Penelope didn’t just wander off. Since the day I brought that girl home, you’ve made it clear you don’t want her around. You have said you were going to kill her on several occasions.

  “Tell me, Henry. You can’t protect yourself. Only I can protect you. Tell me what you did.”

  Henry started pacing and raised his voice. “That’s the problem, Father. You brought her into this house, and she ignores me when I try to talk with her. Then she gets me into trouble with you. It’s true; I wanted her dead.”

  Avery closed his eyes. He hadn’t cried since he was a young boy, but he wanted to cry now. He was sure Henry had killed Penelope. He just had to figure out how to handle it.

  Chapter 24

  Edward’s head snapped up. He didn’t hear a scream, but he could feel it. Something was terribly wrong.

  He had lost track of time while reading. How much time? He and Penelope checked on each other every half hour to make sure everything was fine. That Henry hadn’t done something to one or the other of them. It was more than a half hour since he checked in with Penelope.

  There were enough people inside the house that Edward usually didn’t bother looking anywhere there. He rose and ran to his bedchamber door, down the stairs, and out the front door.

  “Penelope,” he called as he ran. “Penelope.” Circle the house, he thought. He did. Nothing. “Penelope.”

  He closed his eyes but didn’t hear anything. Think. Which direction. The stables.

  “Old Robbie,” he yelled, searching for the stable master. Old Robbie was not old. He was tall, large, red-headed with grey streaks running through his hair. His face was lined with age, but his eyes were vibrant and exhibited a youthful glow. No, there was nothing old about Old Robbie but his greying hair and a face lined with experience, “Has anyone gone for a ride?”

  “No, Edward. Are you worried?”

  Edward nodded. “About Penelope. I haven’t seen her lately.”

  “I’ll send someone into the village to see if she is there. I’ll cover this side of the house. You go around to the other side.” Edward turned his back and ran, hearing Old Robbie’s shrill whistle to call his stable boys to him. There was an understanding amongst those who worked for the Stantons that no one spoke of. All had either seen or heard what Henry was about.

  The day was windless and warm, and the sun shone brightly. Maybe she went to the meadow.

  Edward ran.

  On his way to the meadow, Edward encountered Henry coming toward him, headed for the house.

  Edward, frantic, was running as fast as possible while Henry was walking toward him at a leisurely pace.

  Edward reached him and stopped, but Henry continued to walk. Edward panted from his run and fell into step with his cousin.

  “Where is she?” Edward gritted out.

  Henry shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, his eyes shining with playfulness.

  “Have you seen her?”

  “No, now leave me, Edward. I didn’t come out here to be bothered by you.”

  Edward looked around. “What are you doing out here? There’s nothing here worth seeing or doing.”

  Henry whipped around to Edward and looked him in the eye, “What I do and where I go is none of your business. A sixteen-year-old boy will not badger me.

  Edward watched Henry walk away. He stood where they were just moments ago and slowly turned in a full circle. Penelope, where might you be? The meadow is the only place you would go. God help me, I hope you didn’t go alone.

  Edward ran. When he reached the meadow, the flowers and grasses were so high Edward wouldn’t see her if she was laying in the sun on the ground on her back.

  He began to walk the edge of the meadow looking for a narrow opening where footsteps would have displaced the growth.

  “Penelope,” he called repeatedly. She and Edward were always alert to Henry’s misdeeds. Penelope would call back to him if she could hear him.

  Old Robbie and three of the men working on the estate rode up. “I’ve put some men in a line and told them to check every inch of the land on the east sid
e. We’ll do the same here.

  “Any idea where we should look?”

  Edward shook his head no. “Henry was walking toward me as I was running here. I think we will find her somewhere in this area.”

  Old Robbie spoke louder. “Men, form a line for a search party. We’ll walk the horses in a straight line until we find something.” He turned to Edward, “If I may, My Lord, go back to the house and get the staff searching everywhere inside. She could be unconscious.”

  Edward nodded and ran.

  The butler, Waters, looked concerned when Edward ran through the door.

  “My Lord?”

  “Gather the staff. We must search every inch of this house for Penelope. She has been missing for over two hours. Old Robbie’s men are searching the property. Assign rooms to every servant and have them searched. All regular duties are to be abandoned. If there is no dinner tonight, so be it. Do you know where my mother might be?”

  “I’ll have a footman find her. Should she meet you in the parlour?”

  “Yes, Waters. Thank you, and thank the staff.”

  Waters bowed then went about following his orders.

  Edward went into the parlour and paced. “Edward, what’s happened? Is it Penelope?”

  His face showed his concern with furrowed brows and a downturned mouth. “She’s missing. It’s been over two hours, maybe longer. I’m concerned. There are search parties inside and out.”

  Cecilia’s hands moved to her mouth of their own volition. “Do we know where –”

  “I bumped into him outside in an area none of us usually go. He was heading back here as I was running there. He was his surly self and no help. I told Old Robbie, and he’s scouring the area.”

  Someone brought in tea and refreshments, but Cecilia and Edward didn’t notice.

  Cecilia went to the window. Edward thought his mother might hope to see Penelope coming back from a long walk. Cecilia turned to Edward, “He’s done it this time, hasn’t he?”

  Edward nodded. “Yes, I’m certain he’s behind it. I can’t believe I wasn’t watching her. It’s all my fault.”

  Edward put his hands on his face while Cecilia rubbed his back up and down like she used to do when he was a child.