“I told you,” Percy said to Louisa in a superior tone.
Nev smiled at his friend. “Your engagement to Percy, naturally. But it will have to be a long one, Louisa. A year or two at least. You can live here in the meantime-”
He didn’t get farther than that, because Louisa and her new white dress flew into his arms, heedless of dirt and blood.
Penelope and Nev smiled at each other over their eggs and toast. Penelope eyed the honey jar thoughtfully, reaching for it just as Edward walked in. She drew back her hand with a sigh.
Edward fidgeted with the brim of his hat. “I just-I just wanted to say good-bye.”
Penelope glanced at Nev, who nodded. “All right,” she said. “I’ll see you out.”
She followed him in silence to the door, where his trunk was already lashed to the coach. On the first stair he turned. “I’m glad you’re safe, Penelope.”
“I know. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” he said bitterly. “If you had had to rely on me, I suppose you would be dead.”
She gave Edward a crooked smile. “Well, it’s true I was rather irked when I heard Miss Raeburn’s story, but you thought you were acting for the best. I don’t blame you, truly-”
“Of course not. You’re far too good-natured for that.”
Penelope thought again how little Edward really knew her.
“But I blame myself,” he said in a low, troubled voice. “I can’t help wondering-did I really believe she was delirious? I was angry with you, I think. I was angry that you didn’t love me. I told her you had a husband to take care of you, and I felt so spiteful-what if I knew? What if I knew you were in danger and I didn’t help you because I was angry?” His knuckles were white on the handle of his valise.
Penelope reached out and touched his arm. “You didn’t. I know you didn’t. Edward-I didn’t know this either until recently, but it’s all right to be angry. It really is. If you’re afraid of your emotions, it only makes them more dangerous. You have to-you have to let yourself feel.” She put her hand over his heart. “I know you, Edward. There’s nothing in here that you have to be afraid of.”
He looked down at her hand. “I wish I could be as sure.”
Even though she had been half wishing he would go for days now, she said, “Stay another few days, Edward. I don’t want you to leave like this.”
He smiled at her. “I’d only be in the way. I know that.”
“You’re still my best friend. Nothing will ever change that.” A thought struck her. The doctor had said that Amy’s exertions had weakened her greatly, and recommended she not be moved from the Grange. Penelope was surprised at how little she minded; and Amy’s pleasure at being back in a feather bed had been hard to resist. “Besides, Miss Raeburn is going mad from boredom, and if you’d sit with her a little it would be doing me the greatest favor.”
He hesitated, and then-Penelope hid a grin-blushed. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
“I suppose I could read to her…”
Amy must be used to Nev ’s reading. “Just talk to her. I don’t think-I don’t think people have really listened to her enough in her life.”
“I certainly didn’t,” Edward muttered, and asked the coachman to take down his trunk and send back the carriage.
The door opened, and Penelope slipped back into the breakfast room. “Now, where was I?” she asked, reaching for the honey.
Nev hastily swallowed his bite of muffin and put his napkin on the table, in case Penelope should decide to sit in his lap.
Louisa and Percy walked in; Nev devoutly hoped they had met on the stairs. Penelope picked up the jar of honey and began to demurely drizzle it onto a slice of toast, blushing only a little.
Nev stifled a sigh. He supposed he had better get used to having company at the breakfast table; Louisa would be living with them, after all, and Percy would start eating with the family again. Nev wondered for a moment where Thirkell was, since he’d moved his things in last night, then remembered that he never woke early enough for breakfast.
“Brioche!” Louisa exclaimed rapturously, and fell upon the spread. “Oh, Nate,” she said around a mouthful of brioche, “if you’re planning a daring raid on the jail to free the poachers, I want to come.”
Nev closed his eyes.
“Louisa,” Percy said.
“ Nev?” Penelope asked. “What is she talking about?”
“Nate told the poachers that if they helped him save you from Sir Jasper, he would free their families,” Louisa explained. “Thirkell told Percy.”
“Sorry,” Percy said, shamefaced. This was going to be odd, knowing that everything he said to Percy might get back to his sister. But it also meant, Nev realized suddenly, that Percy would be family. Percy would be his brother. He had been so worried for Louisa that it hadn’t even occurred to him before. He grinned at Percy.
Percy smiled back, looking startled but relieved.
Nev looked around the table, at his wife and sister and best friend, and the happiness of the future that he hadn’t been able to imagine burst on him all at once, with interest. Ever since his father’s death it had seemed that if he did not fix things quickly enough, disaster would strike. Well, it had struck, and they had come out of it whole. He could see now that there was plenty of time. He wasn’t going to get himself shot. There were years and years, and he would learn how to be a big brother to Louisa again, a friend to Percy and Thirkell, a landlord to his people. A husband to Penelope. He was learning already.
There was plenty of time to fix Loweston. It would be beautiful and prosperous and safe when he handed it over to his son.
He would learn how to be a father. Penelope might already be carrying his child. Well, there was plenty of time to find that out too. Nev beamed.
Penelope looked at him uncertainly, flushing. “You didn’t.”
It took him a moment to remember what they were talking about. Right, his promise to the poachers. “Of course I did.”
“Are you planning anything very rash?”
“Something very rash indeed,” he told her. “There’s nothing for it. I shall have to become a justice of the peace and drop the charges. They should be out and back to their families in a couple of months at the latest.” True, he’d originally been planning something more in line with Louisa’s suggestion, but with Sir Jasper safely dead, this was a better way.
“Oh, Nev, you’ll hate it.” Penelope’s eyes were bright.
He smiled at her. “I expect I will. It will be dull and dreary and quite a lot of sitting around indoors doing paperwork. But I made a promise, and I don’t do things halfway.”
She catapulted into his lap after all. “You reckless fool,” she said, and kissed him right there in front of everyone.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my editor, Leah Hultenschmidt, and my agent, Kevan Lyon, for liking this book and for all their guidance and support.
I’d like to thank the members of the Demimonde: Karen Dobbins, Alyssa Fernandez, Vonnie Hughes, and especially Susan Wilbanks. Without you, I would never even have finished my first draft, let alone turned it into a book. Your encouragement, understanding, and thoughtful feedback have meant more to me than you can know.
I’d like to thank all my friends who listened to me ramble on about this book, helped me brainstorm, and gave me their thoughts on earlier drafts. There’s too many of you to mention, but you know who you are. I’d also like to thank my online reading and writing friends-you guys are amazing!
And finally, thanks go to my family, who told me that “writer” was a perfectly reasonable career goal.
Rose Lerner
