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“I don’t know what to call you,” she muttered. “You’re not really my mother. And ‘stepmother’ sounds so… cold.”

Penelope smiled, a little sadly. “Then don’t call me anything you don’t want to. You can just call me Penelope.”

“Father would think that is too rude,” Odette giggled. “He does not like it when I call people by their names.”

“Well,” she said lightly, “if your father raises an eyebrow, I’ll take full responsibility.”

Odette tilted her head, thoughtful. “What if I called you something else?” she asked. “Not Penelope, and not... stepmother.”

“What did you have in mind?” Penelope asked, amused.

“I don’t know yet. Something not awful,” Odette frowned.

“That’s a good place to start,” Penelope laughed.

Odette tugged up another blade of grass, twirling it between her fingers. Her gaze flickered toward the well again. “Do you think she would’ve liked me?”

Penelope’s heart squeezed. She did not need to ask her who she was referring to.

“I think she would’ve loved you. You’re her daughter,” Penelope replied immediately.

“But she didn’t know me,” Odette said quickly. “Besides, Father always says that I am too troublesome for my own good.”

“He says that with affection, Odette. I’ve seen the way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention,” Penelope said. “He really loves you.”

“But he’s always so serious. Like he’s waiting for me to break something.”

“He’s scared of losing you,” Penelope said gently. “You’re the most important person in his life.”

“He never says things like that,” she murmured.

“Your father doesn’t always use words to show how he feels,” Penelope sighed.

Odette made a small, frustrated sound. “It doesn’t feel like love when I’m being scolded for wanting to go outside or ride past the stables.”

“It’s because he’s afraid,” Penelope smiled, “Sometimes, people love so much, they mistake protection for control. Especially when they’ve lost before.”

The girl didn’t answer, but her gaze softened.

“He always acts like he knows what’s best for me.”

“He acts like he’s never wrong,” Penelope nodded.

“Exactly,” Odette gave a tiny laugh, surprised.

Penelope let out a slow breath and leaned back on her hands again, glancing toward the edge of the field where the old stone wall stood, marking the boundary of the estate.

“Well,” she said lightly, “this conversation has gotten rather heavy, hasn’t it?”

Odette looked at her with a half-smile, then shrugged. “You started it.”

“I suppose I did,” Penelope said with a grin. “In that case, I should be the one to lighten the mood.”

“How?” Odette raised an eyebrow.

Penelope tilted her head toward the distant fence. “What if we stepped outside it? Just for a short walk. Nothing scandalous, we won’t go far. Just enough to stretch our legs beyond the borders.”

“Outside the fence? Father would…” Odette’s eyes widened slightly.

“Faint?” Penelope teased. “Yes, most likely. But he’s not here.”

Odette hesitated, chewing on her lip.

“It’s not a rebellion,” Penelope added gently. “It’s just a walk. A little taste of freedom.”

A pause. Then a spark lit in Odette’s eyes.

“All right,” she whispered. “Just a little.”

“Just a little,” Penelope echoed, rising to her feet and brushing grass from her skirts. Apollo barked once, as if in approval.

Odette grinned as she stepped closer to the fence, hands gripping the rough stone as she tested her footing.

“Come on. It was your idea, and now you are being so slow.”

Penelope laughed under her breath, “I’m coming, I’m coming.”

She swung one leg up and placed her boot on the middle stone, poised to pull herself up.

Apollo barked and jumped up, placing his paws on the bottom ledge of the wall like he wanted to join her.

“See?” Odette said, glancing back with a triumphant smirk. “Even Apollo gets it.”

Penelope laughed and stepped closer, lifting her skirts slightly to follow. Then, just as Odette was about to hoist herself fully over the top, a sound broke the quiet.

“Odette.”

Both Odette and Penelope turned sharply. Alexander stood several paces away, his expression fuming.

Odette slid back down to the ground, shoulders stiff, and looked at Penelope.

“We were just going for a short walk,” Penelope explained. “Only a little past the fence.”

Alexander did not even acknowledge Penelope.

“Go inside,” he said evenly to his daughter.

Odette opened her mouth. “But Father….”

Fergus and Lewis appeared just behind the trees. They said nothing, only nodding once to the Duke and then flanking Odette.

Odette gave a single, small nod. Whatever words she’d been about to say died on her lips. She turned away with a frustrated exhale, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Apollo barked once and padded forward as if to follow her, then stopped halfway. He looked from Penelope to Odette, clearly torn.

“Go on, boy,” Penelope whispered. “Go with her.”

But Apollo didn’t move. Instead, he trotted back to her and sat firmly by her side, eyes trained on Alexander.

Alexander watched the dog for a short moment. Then his gaze shifted to Penelope.

“Was this your idea?”

“She just wanted a moment of freedom.” Penelope straightened her spine, matching his stare. “We were not going to go far.”

He took a few steps closer, stopping only a breath away from her. “That’s not your decision to make.”

“Yes, but I did nothing wrong. We were not going to put ourselves in danger.” Penelope blinked, her chin rising. “She’s not a prisoner, need I remind you.”

“She’s my daughter.”

“And she’s suffocating,” Penelope shot back before she could stop herself. “Can’t you see it? She wasn’t trying to rebel or run away. She just wanted to breathe.”

“There are safer ways to breathe,” he said through clenched teeth.

“She wasn’t going to vanish into thin air the moment her foot crossed the fence,” she countered. “There’s no threat out here, Your Grace. It is all in your head.”

“Once again, I would advise you not to speak about things that you do not know,” he warned.

“I know that fear has made you build walls so high even she can’t see over them,” Penelope snapped. “She’s a child. She needs boundaries, yes, this really was not an issue.”

“You think that the world outside is safe,” Alexander chided. “But I keep telling you that you are mistaken and naive.”

“Don’t call me naive,” she argued.

“But that is exactly what you are,” his voice raised slightly. “Odette could have put herself in some serious danger here today, if it was not for my intervention.”

“Or she could have had a fun activity for a change,” Penelope said. “Have you ever considered that to be a possibility or are you so impossibly set in your ways that you refuse to see that?”

“You are not to take her outside anymore without my permission,” he told her firmly. “Not even to the gardens. You have proven that you cannot be trusted.”

That stung. Penelope tried to hide the hurt that was already forming on her features.

“You cannot stop me,” Penelope said to him.

“I said no!” Alexander raised his voice, louder than he had ever spoken to her before.

The instant the word rang out, Apollo launched himself forward with a sudden bark. With surprising force for a dog of his size, he leapt at Alexander’s chest.

Alexander stumbled backward, caught completely off guard. As he did, his boot slid in the slick grass. He fell hard, directly into a shallow puddle left behind by the morning rain, the water splashing up all around him.

Penelope froze, while Apollo stood over him triumphantly, tail wagging as though he had just saved the day.

What has just happened?

Alexander swiped water from his face and looked down at the dog. “You traitor!”

“He was only trying to protect me,” The laugh burst out of Penelope before she could stop it.

“You’re laughing,” Alexander looked up at her, drenched.

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, eyes watering, “it’s just, oh, heavens?—”

The serious moment had been transformed at once into something lighthearted, and the tension had eased.

Alexander looked at Apollo, then back at her. And then, before she could even blink, his hand shot out. Penelope barely had time to squeal before he caught her by the wrist and gave her a sharp tug. She lost her balance, stumbling forward.

“No, wait, don’t you dare…”

But it was too late. With a splash, Penelope landed beside him in the puddle, muddy water soaking through the back of her gown and her palms as she tried to push herself up.

“Alexander!” she shrieked.

It was his turn to laugh now.

Apollo barked again and came trotting over to investigate, then promptly flopped beside them both in the puddle, splashing more water over Penelope’s skirt.

“You're enjoying this far too much,” she scowled.

“Oh, I really am.”

They were both breathless now, their laughter finally fading into uneven breaths. Penelope glanced sideways and suddenly realized how close he was. His shoulder brushing hers, his face only inches away.

Alexander’s smile faded slowly, as the reality of the moment came rushing back.

“I’m sorry,” he said finally, “For raising my voice at you. For what I said.”

Penelope looked up at him, surprised by the gentleness.

“You and Odette… you’re all I have,” he continued, eyes flicking down to the muddy water before returning to hers. “You’re my family now. I would destroy anything that ever tried to hurt either of you.”

She didn’t know what to say. The words sat between them like a truth he hadn’t meant to speak but couldn’t take back. Her heart fluttered painfully in her chest.

He was so close. But neither of them made any effort to move. His eyes dropped to her mouth for just a second but then…

“Bark!”

Apollo’s muddy paw slapped into Penelope’s lap and she jumped, startled. The dog let out a triumphant yip and flopped happily between them again, clearly demanding they start playing again.

Well, there goes the moment.

“We should get ourselves out of this mess,” Alexander exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck.

They stood slowly, water sloshing in their boots. Penelope winced at the state of her gown, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to care. Not when her heart was still racing.