Page 29

Of course, he told himself it was not jealousy. Foolish possessiveness was an affliction that young boys had, and he was far from it… No, he was merely being vigilant. Watching to see if she was safe. And ensuring Oliver did not forget himself.

Alexander’s jaw tightened further as she laughed again.

“Your Grace,” A lord interrupted him softly. “I was wondering…”

“Not now,” Alexander didn’t move his gaze.

“Well, I was only…”

“I said not now,” he cut in, waving the man off with a flick of his hand. He had no time for idle conversation. The lord left, offended.

Alexander did not want to admit to himself that what he felt was jealousy, but it was dangerously close, whatever it was. He could not stand just watching anymore, and decided to stride towards them.

Let's see what it is that is so important they have to speak about.

Alexander set down his glass to the side and made his way across the ballroom. He could feel the weight of eyes as he passed, but he gave them nothing in return. His focus was fixed only on Penelope, who stood near the wall, her figure half-turned toward Oliver.

“Penelope,” he said in a low voice once he reached them.

“Your Grace,” she said at once, smiling as she saw him. “I was wondering where you had gone off to.”

“I need a word.” He extended his arm. He decided to offer her no other explanation. He could see the surprise forming on her face.

“At this very moment?” she asked, looking between Oliver and him. That only made him more annoyed. She should only be looking at me.

Oliver took this moment to cut in, grinning widely. “Not even a greeting, Alexander? Aren’t you going to stay and chat with me? We haven’t even spoken yet.”

Alexander barely looked at him.

“Forgive the interruption,” he said curtly. “I’ll be stealing my wife.”

“Oh, you don’t have to be so dramatic and call it stealing. You could simply say please , you know,” Oliver replied.

Alexander didn’t respond. He silently waited until Penelope placed her hand in the crook of his arm. Something about his expression conveyed to both of them that he was in no mood for jest. Or conversation.

“Good,” he muttered under his breath as he gently guided Penelope away towards the balcony. He could hear Oliver laughing as he took her away.

He did not stop walking until they reached the balcony, which was empty, thankfully. All of the guests were situated indoors.

A moment away from them was what he needed to calm himself down. Penelope pulled away from him, turning to face him with her hands firmly planted against her lips.

“Would you care to explain that display?” she asked, a hint of irritation coloring her voice. “I mean, was that really necessary? You were rather abrupt.”

“I was sufficient,” Alexander replied immediately.

“You were curt,” she corrected. “Oliver did not even say anything, and yet you refused to even speak to him. I was under the impression that the two of you were friends, but I am rather surprised to see you behaving like this.”

“Oh, so you are on first name basis with him already?” Alexander asked through gritted teeth. Something about the way she said his name made his blood boil, even though a part of him recognized that his reaction was not quite rational.

Penelope blinked, startled. “What am I meant to call him then?”

“Nothing,” he said. “You are not meant to call him anything, and I do not see why you need to be smiling at something he says as well.”

“But he is your friend, is he not?” Penelope scrunched up her nose.

“He is my friend, yes,” Alexander emphasized. “And you are my wife. I did not like how close he stood next to you, nor do I think the two of you ought to be having any kind of extended discussion in my absence.”

Penelope let out a quiet, incredulous laugh. Almost as though she could not wrap her head around what he was saying. “He was being polite, Your Grace. That is what I would expect from someone who is friends with you.”

It bothered Alexander greatly how she kept using the word friend.

“And you chose to believe him?” he asked , moving closer to her.

He expected her to take an instinctive step backward, but she held her ground firmly.

“He could well be lying to you. Tomorrow, if someone else comes to you and claims that they are a friend of mine, would you believe them just as easily?”

“I…” Penelope opened her mouth to speak, “I do not know what to say to you. You are acting as though I have done something terribly wrong.”

There was a slight sadness in her voice now that made him instantly snap out of whatever rage that had previously consumed him. He softened slightly, sobering up from his own emotions.

“I did not mean to chide you so terribly,” he admitted.

“I was only talking to him,” Penelope replied. “And mind you, we were only talking about you. You confuse me enough as is, and I was happy to finally have someone who knows you.”

A flicker of guilt registered across his face. They had been talking about him the entire time; all the while, his mind had conjured up ridiculous alternatives.

“Perhaps I reacted out of emotion,” he admitted bluntly.

“I thought you did not have space for emotion in your life.” He could feel her gaze observing him carefully as he spoke.

“I thought the same,” he replied. “But you seem to have a way of bringing out strange reactions from me.”

“I cannot decide whether you mean that in a positive way, or not,” she contemplated out loud. It occurred to him then that this was what she must mean whenever she said he confused her greatly .

He was confusing. Though, he could not help himself there. It was the way he had always been.

“I beg you to not ponder over it much,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. It was dangerous to explore whatever it was that consumed his mind when she was around. Like a Pandora’s box that was aching to be opened, even though the best course forward would be to keep it closed.

“I make no promises,” she sighed.

Penelope had suddenly gone too quiet, retreating into herself. It sparked his curiosity, and he took a few steps towards her.

“Tell me what is going on in that mind of yours.”

“I am not thinking about Oliver,” she rolled her eyes at him. “If that is what you are worried about.”

“Of course you are not,” he said, biting back the bile in his throat. “He is no competition to me. But you’ve wilted all of a sudden. Something is clearly bothering you, and I intend to find out what it is, exactly.”

She sighed loudly.

“You, it’s you,” she said. “I cannot figure you out, no matter how I try. Today, I was trying to work up the courage to ask you something, but now, after seeing you so angry over something that was not even an issue, I am worried about whether I should even say it.”

He caught her wrist mid-air as she continued to speak. “You should tell me, whatever it is.”

She looked up at him, their height difference pronounced. “Is it really that important?”

“To me, yes,” he answered without skipping a beat. “Now, you will tell me what it was that you were going to ask me.”

“Odette,” she sighed. “It was about her.”

“Go on.”

“Now, I do not know how you will react, but she confided in me that she wants to go on an outing. Just for a few hours to the park.”

“She goes to the park frequently,” he said, puzzled. “What is so strange about this demand that you felt you could not ask me?”

She sighed, bracing herself.

“Well, let me come to that part,” she rubbed her side with her free hand. Alexander realized that he had been holding on tightly to her hand then and let it drop. “She does not wish to be accompanied by any guards. She wants to go without them. Just her, me, and perhaps Isadora can also join in.”

“No,” he said flatly. “Not a chance. We have gone over this numerous times, and you already know that my answer is never going to change.”

“See, that is what I mean,” Penelope folded her arms. “You do not even consider it.”

“You know why we don’t allow that,” he reminded her.

“Yes, I know,” she sighed again, “You think the world is a threat waiting to happen. But she’s not asking for the moon. She just wants a walk and perhaps a moment of normalcy.”

“Her life is normal enough,” he stated. He hated that she was arguing over something he had long established as a firm boundary. “And you should not give in to her silly demands.”

“They are not silly demands,” Penelope was immediately flustered. “The normal thing is for a girl her age to enjoy the park, not whatever little prison you have imposed upon her.”

“And if something happens? If she is recognized, or followed? What is your brilliant plan in that case, since you seem to have thought this entire thing through?”

“I will be with her,” Penelope said simply. “That would be enough to protect her.”

Alexander let out a laugh.

“Do you never hear yourself? You are almost as delicate as she is,” he said. “That isn’t enough.”

“So I am not enough for her, is what you are trying to imply here?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Now, you are only putting words in my mouth.”

“Am I, really? Because it sounds a great deal like you don’t trust me to protect her,” she huffed.

“It is not about trust,” he said sharply. “It’s about risk. And I will not have either of you exposed like that.”

“So what, then? We hide? We never step foot into the world without your approval?” Penelope was very clearly at her wits’ end. He had seen her argue with him numerous times before, but it looked as though she had reached her final limit with him.

“If that is what it takes, yes,” he said in a voice that he knew would only set her off more. “I will not be taking any stupid risks. You are asking the wrong person.”

“You are the only person I can ask,” she said in return. “You are controlling of her movement, and now I wonder if you wish to control mine as well. Am I allowed to step out without Fergus or Lewis either? Or does the same rule apply to me now?”