Penny glanced at Jonathan, then spoke. “I shall tell you this, sir, that if anyone attempts to force me to wed the Toad, I shall flee the country. Ireland, even if cut off from all I hold dear, seems far more entrancing than being married to him."
“The Toad?”
Narrowing her eyes with determination, Penny admitted, “I am sorry, sir. I forgot myself. You see, we call Ernest the Toad, my Aunt is the Crow, and the girl Ernest ought to wed, the Mouse. Quite wicked of us, I know.”
The chuckle from the rather awesome stranger gave Penny heart. “I suspect I shall meet them ere long. You wasted no time in finding me.”
“The Countess Lieven informed us of your progress,” Jonathan said. “She urged us to wed before you arrived, to avoid any difficulty. I have gone to the Court of Chancery to obtain the necessary papers and have a special license in my pocket even now.”
“Hm.” Shaggy brows rose, while that lean hand stroked his chin once again as he surveyed the two before him. Penny imagined it must be akin to standing before a headmaster at Eton for some dire crime.
“And my coming just at this juncture complicates matters,
I fear. Allow me to consult with your solicitor, my dear girl.
I trust we shall be able to work this out to the satisfaction
of most of us.”
“Well,” Penny said with great daring, “I believe that to marry a girl off to an odious cousin merely to keep a pot of money in the family is perfectly dreadful.”
The two men looked over her head and smiled in mutual understanding.
“May I call upon you later, Lanscomb?” Jonathan asked, a speculative quirk to one brow.
“Indeed, I think that to be most helpful. Since you are the head of your side of the family, you stand also in line as an authority for Lady Penelope. Along with her solicitor,” he added as an afterthought. “It might be well were you and your solicitor to join me at his law offices. I daresay you know where they are located?”
Jonathan looked to Penny, who gave the required information. Shortly, they were walking downstairs to the outside. Silently they entered the curricle for the drive back to Upper Brook Street.
“Well,” Penny said in speculation, “I feel we made some progress. I shall await your news with anxious ears, sir.”
It was as well she did not see the annoyed look he tossed her, for it promised retribution for her formality, her intention of going off without him, and a few other matters if he could remember them all.
Inside the house on Upper Brook Street, they found a chaos of a different sort. Miss Nilsson was seated with Henri in the little morning room off the entry. He had captured her slim hands in his own, and sat gazing into her eyes with admiration rather than the exasperation usually to be observed. When Penny and Jonathan entered, he jumped up, bowing with correct formality. Miss Nilsson sat as though struck all of a heap.
“I have good news. I found my family estate in decent-enough repair, and a neighbor anxious to buy it. While there I discovered I had no liking for the place. It is no longer my home, you understand? So I sold the property and returned. I am now in the position that I may marry. Miss Nilsson has done me the honor of accepting my suit.”
He drew his dear lady to her feet. The companion still had
a bemused expression on her face. “Oh, Penny, I hope you
do not mind, dear girl. But you shall be married soon, and
I simply could not resist this gentleman.”
Penny felt as though her world was shattering into tiny pieces, never to be the same again. Pinning a smile on her face, she swiftly walked to her dear friend’s side. “You know I wish you every joy. I shall miss you both.”
But how would she manage without them?
Chapter 15
intend to run a very superior sort of inn,” Miss Nilsson confided in her refined way. “With Henri as the chef, and myself to guide the operations, we shall cater only to the most elite of people. Perhaps in Brighton, Henri?” Henri, now that Penelope had sunk down upon a chair,
joined his beloved once again on the sofa. “I know you fancy being near the sea, and that seems a promising place.” He looked at Lord Harford for confirmation of his assessment.
“Very wise. We shall do our best to filter the word about the ton once you become established. Indeed, perhaps Penelope and I can pause there while on our honeymoon, if you are ready by that time. At least we shall visit.”
Penelope wished to refute his remark about their coming honeymoon. He knew very well that their so-called marriage was a subterfuge. Only, it seemed to her that everyone else was taking it quite seriously. Perhaps he needed her money and was willing to take her on without any love on his part.
Penelope now desired more than mere expediency. Mayhap she could simply give him a sizable sum of money, then retreat to Fountains? If she might persuade her guardian and solicitor that she was quite sincere in her desire to remain unmarried, and perhaps offer to guarantee that her money and estate would revert to the Winthrops after she had gone aloft, this pressure would cease?
Of course, it would not appease Aunt Winthrop in the least, for she had it in her mind that her dolt of a son would have Penelope’s fortune at his—and her—disposal immediately. As domineering as Aunt was, Penelope wondered if the old lady could be deterred in her aim.
On her part, Penelope looked forward to the completion of her new greenhouse, and the subsequent planting of herbs from around the world. She would renounce marriage to become an expert on the subject. She resolutely pushed aside the truth—that the idea brought her cold comfort.
Jonathan wondered at
