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“ N ancy, my family will be visiting this afternoon,” Penelope said to the maid that morning.. “I’d like everything to be in perfect order before they arrive.”

Nancy paused mid-dusting and turned to her. “This afternoon, Your Grace?”

Penelope offered a reassuring smile. "Yes. I know it's short notice, but I trust you,” she nodded. “Please make sure that everything is in order.”

“Do not worry at all, Your Grace,” the maid nodded. “I will see to it that everything is in place. You must be very excited for their visit.”

Penelope mulled over the thought for a moment. It was always a pleasure to meet Isadora, but the thought of having her father at the house felt a bit nerve-racking. She could only hope that he would not cause any trouble.

“It’s been a while,” she said after a pause, choosing her words with care. “So I suppose it’ll be... nice to have them here.”

Nancy didn’t push. She simply nodded. “Would you like me to inform the young lady of their arrival?”

“No,” Penelope shook her head. “She would be quite busy with lessons, I do not wish to disturb her.”

In reality, Penelope felt that it was too early to introduce Odette to her family. It was only now that she had made any progress with her, and moving forward, she would have to take things slowly. Introducing her now might overwhelm her and cause her to retreat back into her shell.

“As you wish, Your Grace,” Nancy nodded and then slipped out of the room.

It was not until late afternoon that her family finally arrived.

Penelope stood by the window, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as she watched the carriage pull into the driveway. She saw Isadora step out first, and then George followed.

Even from the window, Penelope could tell that he was already scrutinizing the place. An old and consistent habit of his. She felt a flutter of nerves again.

It’s going to be fine, she tried to reassure herself.

“Inform the duke that my family has arrived,” she said to one of the staff members before heading downstairs to greet them formally.

“Welcome,” she said, entering the drawing room where they had been sat. “I am happy that you could make it.”

Isadora rushed forward with a warm smile and pulled her into a tight embrace. “Penelope! You look so well.”

Penelope held her sister a moment longer than necessary before letting go. “It’s good to see you.”

“Penelope,” George grumbled, not bothering to stand.

“Father,” she replied, feeling the uneasiness creep up inside her already.

Isadora leaned in as George distracted himself momentarily, “I tried to come without him, I swear. But he insisted. Said it would be improper if he weren’t present.”

“It’s fine,” she murmured back. “I’ve endured him for most of my life. I think I can manage another afternoon.”

Isadora gave her hand a small squeeze in response, as if to say if you say so.

“I’ve been keeping busy,” she said more brightly, her voice raised just enough for her father to hear. “We’ve made a number of changes to the house. Come, I’ll show you.”

She led Isadora around the drawing room, “I had the walls repainted. This new color, I believe, makes the room appear larger.”

“It’s lovely. Very tasteful,” Isadora nodded encouragingly. “It’s really amazing to see you step into the Duchess role. I feel like a proud mother, really.”

“I see he lets you play decorator now,” George said, still from his place of sitting. “I imagine the two of you must not have much to talk about, so it is good that you are given something to do around the house.”

Penelope closed her eyes for a moment, preparing herself. She knew that George would not rest until he had caused some kind of stir.

“The Duke values my opinion,” Penelope said . “And I think that we have plenty to talk about. You need not worry about it, Father.”

George scoffed, crossing his arms in front of him.

“And during these little conversations of yours,” George’s mouth turned upwards into a smirk. “Does he tell you anything about that business of his?”

George was predictable. He always went for the lowest hanging fruit, and for Alexander, that happened to be the gentleman’s club. Penelope knew better than to let it rile her up.

“His business is his own,” she replied. “And it’s not something that concerns you.”

“But it does concern me, dearest,” George went on, putting up an act of concern. “I have heard many things about his little establishment, and it is only natural for a father to worry. I would not wish for him to drag my daughter’s name through the mud.”

“He is not dragging anything through the mud,” Penelope said sharply. “His business is successful, respectable, and legal.”

George scoffed again. “You think a place like that is respectable? Or is that something he told you to say?”

“You’ve never been there,” she said, growing more irritated by the second. “So I would advise you to not speak of things you don’t understand.”

“Let’s not get into an argument so quickly,” Isadora jumped in. “We have only just arrived, and it would be better if we behaved well, Father. We are guests, after all.”

It was sad, really, how a grown man had to be lectured like this on etiquette by his own daughters. Penelope muttered a small ‘‘thank you’’ under her breath to Isadora.

“I am not arguing,” George countered with a shrug, seeming bored already. “I am only curious to know more. I have heard things about him. Does he gamble?”

“He does not,” Penelope said firmly.

“I find that hard to believe,” George replied. “Considering the nature of his business, especially. I would ask you to keep a watchful eye on him.”

Penelope gritted her teeth. Her father was crossing all boundaries already. She had half a mind to tell him off, but realized that it would only reflect badly on her, if she did.

“In fact,” George continued on, “I would advise him to stay away from such things. You do not wish for him to blow his fortune away.”

“Well, thank you for the unsolicited advice, Father. We are doing just fine, though.” Penelope said sweetly.

“But for your sake, I’ll be sure to pass it along to my husband, right after I tell him how fortunate he is to have the guidance of a man who’s never managed to hold onto a fortune of his own. ”

Isadora pressed her lips together tightly to hide her amusement.

George’s eyes narrowed. She had clearly stuck a nerve with him.

“Well, then,” he said, adjusting his coat. “If everything’s going so well… are you expecting yet?”

Penelope froze. She had not expected him to bring up the topic so bluntly.

“I say this for your own best interest,” he continued in that same faux-concerned manner of his. “You ought to give him an heir at the very least. Otherwise, what was the point of all this?” he gestured vaguely around him.

“That’s enough.”

The voice came from the doorway, startling all three people present inside. Penelope looked at Alexander walking into the room.

“My lord,” he greeted George curtly, who stood up now.

“Your Grace,” he sputtered . For all his talk, he did not know how to hold his own in front of a duke.

“Whether my wife and I choose to have children, and when, is no concern of yours,” Alexander said calmly. George turned red, embarrassed at having been overheard.

“Your Grace, I meant no disrespect?—”

“You meant to insult her,” Alexander interrupted calmly. “And I don’t tolerate that. I don’t think it is wise for you to remain here, now that you have crossed a line which I think should not have been crossed.”

For a moment, there was only silence. George’s mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

“If you ever wish to return here,” he continued, “you will first offer my wife an apology. A sincere one. Otherwise, you are not welcome.”

Penelope did not even know how to intervene. No man had ever spoken in her defense like that, certainly not her own father. Even George looked speechless, for once devoid of any snarky retort.

“Well,” he muttered finally, casting a glance at Penelope’s direction. If he was hoping for her to come to his defense, that would not happen, “ If that’s how it is. Then we are leaving.”

“Safe travels,” Alexander muttered dryly, making no effort to ask him to stay, even though they had only just arrived not too long ago. George stomped out the door, not bothering to even say goodbye to his daughter.

Isadora looked stricken, but she stepped to Penelope and quickly took her hands.

“I’ll come back,” she whispered. “On my own. Soon.”

“Of course,” Penelope squeezed her sister’s hands. “I… do not know what to say about this.”

“He deserved it,” Isadora muttered under her breath, “don’t you worry, I shall speak to him in the carriage.” Then, with a final glance toward Alexander, Isadora turned and followed George out.

Alexander turned to Penelope then. “Are you all right?”

She gave a small nod. “I didn’t expect you to step in like that.”

“You shouldn’t have had to endure that,” he said simply. “Least of all from family.”

“Father has a habit of speaking when he ought to stay silent,” Penelope pressed her lips together.

“You should not let him,” Alexander reminded her pointedly. “You are the Duchess now, lest you forget.”

“You always say that to me.”

“Because you seem to always forget it ,” he raised an eyebrow. “Your father is welcome to return when he decides to behave in a proper manner.”

“I am not sure that will be possible this lifetime,” Penelope let out a mirthless laugh.

Alexander began pacing in front of her, and Penelope wondered what was going on in his mind. He had a strange look on his face, and she could tell that something was brewing inside.

“Are you upset?” she blurted out.

He stopped his pacing to look at her, “You have just been on the receiving end of bad behavior, and still you are wondering if I am the one who is upset?”

“I am only asking because you seem rather disturbed ,” she sighed, walking up to him.

“Penelope,” he pressed his lips together, and looked down at her. There was an intensity in his gaze that locked her into place, making it impossible to move even an inch. “Why do you let people walk all over you?”

The question caught her by surprise, and she was not sure if she had an answer for him.

“I…” she started, and then stopped again. “I am not sure what I am meant to do in situations like this.”

“Stand up for yourself,” he exclaimed, flustered. “That is what you are meant to do. I have seen this as a pattern with you.”

Penelope’s cheeks began to warm. He did have a point, though she had willed herself not to think about these things.

“I was not always like this,” she admitted finally, catching his attention immediately. “I suppose that I’ve changed, over the years.”

Alexander knitted his eyebrows together, trying to figure her out.

“Why is that?”

“I…” she stumbled on her words again, and toyed with the hem of her blouse. “I suppose I’ve realized that it is best to stay out of trouble by keeping my mouth shut. I’ve gotten into trouble before, and it’s not had the best impact on my life.”

Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose. “By chance, does this have anything to do with the first time you were at the altar?”

Penelope froze. It had happened over a year ago, and she had never brought it up with him before.

“I do not mean to overstep,” Alexander said, more softly this time. “It was just something I have been thinking about. Those ladies at the ball, they mentioned it as well, and I realized that…”

“We have never talked about it before,” she completed his sentence for him. “Well, I suppose it was no longer relevant, considering that it happened a while ago. But if we are going to speak about it, now is as good of a time as ever.”

Alexander said nothing, only listened.

“I was to marry a lord,” she said, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth at the memory alone. “My father arranged the marriage. He said that his decision was final, and I was to marry him, whether or not I wished to.”

“Heavens,” Alexander muttered under his breath, clenching his fist. “Has that man ever had a good idea?”

“It was a great idea. In his head,” Penelope shrugged. “My father thought that me marrying a lord would be lucrative for him.”

“In business terms?”

“Or social ones,” Penelope shrugged. “I do not really understand his logic, so I cannot speak for him. Isadora protested against it, however. She knew it immediately, and pleaded with my father that Harry was not the right man.”

“Harry,” Alexander repeated the name with such venom that it startled Penelope.

“But Father went ahead and arranged for the ceremony. It was only on the day of the wedding that Isadora managed to stop it from happening,” Penelope recalled. “She had made a deal with the Duke of Galston.”

“Her husband?” Alexander’s eyes widened slightly.

“Yes, he had the influence to stop the wedding,” Penelope nodded. “I was lucky. Most women aren’t pulled out of situations like that. But I suppose Isadora would have sold her soul to keep me safe.”

“My father only ever saw me as a means to an end,” she added after a moment, the bitterness slipping through. “First Harry, and then another. Both were dreadful men, but they were useful to him. In his eyes, that was enough.”

Alexander’s jaw had clenched and he was now staring at the floor, unmoving.

“What felt like an escape for me,” she sighed, “was a smear on my reputation. The ton was happy to discuss my private life, and I am sure that if I did not marry you in time, Father would have attempted to marry me off to a third, worse off man.”

“That would not have happened,” Alexander interrupted loudly. “You would not have married anyone else.”

There was a strange possessiveness in his voice that left her speechless momentarily.

“I was just…” she whispered, “I was just suggesting a possibility to explain how Father is.”

“Well, then in the future, please do not make such suggestions,” he chided her. “I appreciate you telling me this.”

Penelope opened her mouth to retort, but Alexander had already concluded the conversation, as he began walking upstairs to his study without so much as another word. Penelope could see that his fists remained tightly clenched as he walked.

“Why does this bother him?” she thought out loud to herself. Understanding Alexander Walford was a task that she had not yet mastered.