Page 35

Penelope liked that analogy. “I know I’m not supposed to entertain them, but… I cannot help but wonder what happened.”

“What happened where? And with whom?” Charlotte inquired.

“With James,” Penelope admitted.

“The duke?” Charlotte echoed, her eyes widening. “Oh, you mean what happened with his family?”

“Yes,” Penelope nodded. “Do you know the story?”

“I… I’m sorry, Your Grace, but I do believe that it is not my place to share it,” Charlotte spoke wisely yet again, and Penelope appreciated her honesty. “I do know it. Everyone here does.”

“And… is it true?” Penelope asked again.

“Remember that I told you that the duke was a good man?” Charlotte asked. Penelope just nodded. “I meant it. He has somewhat of a reputation, but what gentleman does not? Still, with that said, I do believe that such matters are best discussed between the only two people who matter, and that is you and he.”

“He wanted to talk about it now,” Penelope admitted. “But I… I was afraid of it.”

“Why?” Charlotte wondered. “Why would you be afraid of the truth?”

“What if it’s a truth that doesn’t portray him in a good light?” Penelope asked, fully aware of the fact that she was making very little sense. She was discussing with Charlotte what she should have been discussing with James. He was the only one with answers for her, but she refused to hear him out.

“There is only one truth,” Charlotte reminded her of a very simple fact. “We cannot change it. We can like it or not like it, but the truth is to be accepted, not liked.”

Penelope sighed heavily. “How did you get so wise?” she asked.

Charlotte shrugged. “I’ve had my heart broken once. It… changes a person.”

“Oh, Charlotte…” Penelope said softly.

She actually didn’t know how to end that statement. What was there to say? A broken heart was something she knew a lot about, only her heart had never been given to a man to be broken in the first place. Hers was broken by the very same people who were supposed to love her and keep her safe. Now, it seemed that her heart was once again on the verge of breaking. Because… what if James was not the man she thought him to be? What if she had an idealized version of him inside her mind?

“It is all right,” Charlotte assured. “It taught me a good lesson, and that is to always listen to the truth, even when it is painful. You see, I learned the truth, but I didn’t believe it, and it made everything even more difficult. Now, I know better. That is why I am urging you to speak to him. Listen to him. And then, you will know what the truth is. You will feel it in your heart.”

Penelope chuckled. “You should really write a romance novel, Lottie.”

Charlotte laughed. “Oh, most certainly not. I wouldn’t know what to write even if I knew how to do it in the first place.”

“Everything you just said,” Penelope told her. “It was exactly what I needed to hear.”

“I am glad,” Charlotte replied with a smile. “Now, how about we ruin this lovely coiffure of yours, so you can sleep properly?”

Something told Penelope that she would not be sleeping well that night, but she was willing to try.

“Tell me about your father, Charlotte,” Penelope urged. “Tell me about the garden that you tend to for him.”

Charlotte locked gazes with Penelope in the looking glass then nodded tenderly. “He says I never arrange the flower colors properly. I don’t know, Maybe I just don’t have a knack for colors, only for digging and burying…”

Penelope listened with a blissful smile on her face. She needed this distraction. For a moment, she could believe that she, too, had a father who cared so deeply about her. As for tomorrow, it would be a new day. A day of revealing truths, whether or not they were good.

CHAPTER18

“May I?” James’ grandfather lingered in the doorway to James’ study the following morning, just as James sat alone, the weight of his troubled thoughts pressing heavily upon him.

“Of course,” James nodded, gesturing at his grandfather to come in. He would welcome the distraction. “Is something the matter?”

His grandfather adjusted himself in the opposite chair, eyed James for a few moments, then asked, “I was going to ask you the very same question.” His voice was filled with genuine concern as he did so.

James forced a tight-lipped smile, attempting to brush off his grandfather’s worries. “It is nothing, Grandfather. Just a restless night causing me to feel a little tired, that’s all.”