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“Do you think he would mind if I did that?”

“I can’t imagine he would,” she said, squeezing her hand. “Why don’t you give me her address, I can send over an invitation for a visit?”

“Thank you!” Rebecca wrote the address down.

“How soon should I tell her she can come?”

“As soon as she would like! I would be delighted to see her.”

And so, the very next day, Rebecca raced to her parlor to see Penelope waiting for her. When she saw her, Penelope lit up, pulling her in for a tight embrace.

“I have missed you!”

Rebecca laughed. “It has only been a few weeks.”

“And that is far longer than we have gone without seeing each other since we were children, but now that you are receiving visitors, I shall have to call on you more often.”

“I’m sure your family would prefer you to remain home so gentlemen could call on you.”

Penelope scowled. “And I simply can not abide the notion! Spinsterhood can not come soon enough! You have no idea the indignities I must suffer.”

“So you have said,” she chuckled, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, but I haven’t even asked about you yet. I have been so worried. How have you been?”

“I have been all right.”

“All right? Surely you have more to say than that. How do you like your new home? How do you like your new husband?”

Rebecca looked away. “I like it all well enough. The estate is lovely, but I haven’t seen much of my husband.”

“Why not? Is he terribly busy ?”

“He must be. I haven’t seen him since the day of our wedding. We had dinner together then he went into his study and that was that.”

Penelope laughed. “You lucky duck you.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because, it means you have all the freedom of being married, being out from your family’s house, and having a home of your own to run with none of the drawbacks, having a husband breathing down your neck. You are free to do as you please.”

“But what if he decides he isn’t happy with how I run things?”

“I doubt you will do anything that could displease him there. Just do what would make you happy. You are a duchess now. Embrace it, andbe happy. He will follow or he will leave you to your own devices. Either way, there is no reason you can live your life in a way that makes you happy now.”

Rebecca sat stunned. “I shall think about that.”

“I sincerely hope you do.”

“But enough about me. How have you been? How were the balls? You must tell me about them.”

“Must I?” she sighed. “There is nothing new there, I can assure you. I am forced to put on a gown of my mother’s choosing, I am told to dance with men who only wish to speak of trivial things until I am blessedly allowed to return home.”

“You make it sound like you are being tortured.”

“Because I am. It is misery. I do not wish to speak of it. Please, tell me what you have done with your wardrobe since becoming a duchess. How many new gowns do you have?”

Rebecca shrugged. “I haven’t gotten any new ones. The ones I brought from home seemed perfectly serviceable.”