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He didn’t answer. For a moment, he considered the benefit of imposing such a rule. He had two bodyguards; one could be with both at any given time.

“It is not the worst of ideas,” he muttered under his breath.

“You cannot be serious,” Penelope was already shaking her head, clearly in disbelief.

“You’re not leaving my side,” Alexander said, and the words came out harsher than he intended. “And if I am not there, then the bodyguards will do the job just fine in my absence.”

“Why?” she demanded. “Do you not see the ridiculousness of your own words?”

He looked at her, jaw clenched. Why really?

“Because I’ll never allow anything to happen to you,” he admitted finally in a low voice, stepping closer to her. “You are mine.”

Finally, he had articulated the possessiveness that he had felt all evening. It had to be conveyed. She was his. If he had to make it clear by branding her skin with his own name, he would do so.

Penelope only stared at him. Her lips parted as though to respond, but no words came. She was startled, clearly. And so was he. He had never intended to admit it out loud to her, but she had truly pushed him to the brink this evening.

But now that the words had been spoken, he had no intention of ever taking them back.

“Be that as it may,” she said finally, “but you can’t protect everyone from everything. Especially Odette.”

“I can, and I will,” Alexander shrugged with ease. “You underestimate my abilities. If you were really that interested in speaking to Oliver tonight, perhaps you should have asked him how ruthless I can be when the situation demands. He would have explained it to you perfectly.”

“Right,” she said through gritted teeth. “And what will you do when Odette finally debuts? Will you send her armed with bodyguards to balls as well? She will have to step out into society and interact with all manner of people.”

The thought itself was disturbing.

“She will not have to interact with those I do not trust.”

“So you will guard her even then?” Penelope said, aghast. “Do you not, for a moment, see just how terribly controlling that sounds?”

“To you, perhaps. But as a father, it is the right thing to do.”

“That isn’t your decision to make,” Penelope said in response. “She will eventually pick her own suitors, which may not be exactly like how you wish for them to be.”

“The man who marries my daughter,” he said, “will understand exactly what she is worth. I will make sure of that, and you do not need to worry about it. Both of you ought to get used to that.”

Alexander was being ridiculous, and Penelope could hardly believe the things that were coming out of his mouth.

“Both of us?” she repeated, unsure if she heard him correctly.

“Yes, both,” he said.

It was like he was delivering a verdict that had to be followed no matter what she thought. Her spine straightened and she sighed loudly, curling her hands into fists at her sides.

“So that is what you think of me. That I’m some porcelain creature to be kept in a case, only moved about with your permission.”

“You love twisting my words into something they are not,” he said, but did not offer any explanation. That was perhaps the most frustrating thing about Alexander in Penelope’s view.

“I don’t need to twist anything, Your Grace . You’ve said them plainly enough,” She felt the heat rising under her skin. “You think I cannot go anywhere unless you're there. That I need protection at all hours like a child.”

“You are not a child,” he corrected smoothly, “You’re my wife.”

“As if that makes it better,” she said, incredulous. “And what do you mean by that, exactly? That marriage gives you some right to keep me in your sight at all times?”

“Yes,” He didn’teven flinch.

“You’re not even trying to hide it,” Penelope replied.

“Because I have nothing to hide. I have made my intention quite clear. You are not allowed to leave my sight.”

“Is that what you truly believe? That you have that right over me?”

“I will not risk something happening to you. Nobody will ever hurt my wife.”

The words crashed into her like a wave; they were protective in a way that both enraged and unsettled her. Penelope could feel a reckless flutter rising in her chest. She was not sure if she wanted to give a name to that feeling.

“Are you jealous?” she asked suddenly. “Is that what this is?”

The side of Alexander’s mouth twitched.

“Because one can only associate this sort of behavior with a jealous man,” she continued.

“I had my doubts but now I am beginning to think that this is yet another thing that I do not know about you. You get jealous, in secret, and then take it out on me without telling me the real reason behind what you feel.”

Penelope made a move to turn away, not to leave but just enough to reclaim her footing. But he reached out and caught her wrist before she could take a single step.

“If you think about going next to him again…” he started.

Him? He was still thinking of her brief interaction with Oliver?

“You’ll what?” She turned, challenging him now. She wanted to see how far she could push it, in order for his real feelings to come out into the open. “What will you do if I decide to go seek him out downstairs now, and laugh at what he says?”

She meant none of it, of course. It was only a way to get him to react. For a moment, he was impossibly still. She worried that she had said too much, and that it was actual fury that was consuming him now.

“You will do no such thing,” Alexander growled in a manner that was so primal that it made her shake. Without warning, he pulled her closer to him, roughly. And then his mouth was on hers.

He was kissing her. Penelope could not believe it. The duke was kissing her! There was no hesitation in the kiss either, his lips were moving with determination.

Penelope, who had never before been kissed by a man, had expected that her first kiss would be a gentle one. But there was nothing careful about the way that Alexander was embracing her. It was almost like he was trying to stake a claim.

You’re mine. His words ran through her mind, over and over. They seemed to match the kiss perfectly, which she now felt herself melting into. Her body reacted on its own accord, and kissed him back. Though his own intensity was difficult to match.

For a moment, she forgot why she had been angry at all. Or why they wasted so much time arguing when they could simply be doing this instead.

This was much better, and Penelope did not dare pull away.

It lasted only a moment, but it felt like an eternity had passed when they finally broke apart. Penelope noticed that Alexander’s breathing was coming out faster now, as was hers.

“You…” she brought a hand to her lips. “You kissed me.”

Alexander muttered something underneath his breath, and then rubbed the side of his temples.

“You provoked me,” he said. “I need to remind you that you are my wife, and that you belong to me.”

His words were so possessive that it sent a shiver down Penelope’s spine. Except, instead of growing annoyed by them, she found herself getting excited instead.

“I belong to you?” she repeated.

“Yes,” he did not miss a single beat. “You belong to me, and if you decide to do anything to challenge that… ”

“You will kiss me again?” she said, smiling now. The tension from earlier had broken, and there was a strange euphoria in the air. “Is that meant to be a threat?”

“It is,” he said, though he was smiling now as well.

“And what if I enjoyed it?”

His eyes darkened at the words, and for a moment, she wondered if he was going to pull her back in for a second kiss. She would not mind that, in the very least.

But then a small party of guests stepped out into the balcony, and their private moment was ruined. Alexander cleared his throat at this, straightening his back.

She noticed the front of his shirt had crumbled, and a blush formed on her cheeks as she realized that she had been the cause of it. It was from where her hands had gripped him tightly, pulling him closer to her.

“Your Grace,” she said to him, and then made a move to adjust the front of his coat. Alexander protested initially, and then caught on to what she was trying to do, his own mouth twisting into a smirk.

“Are you trying to hide evidence?” he asked her once she was done.

Penelope scoffed. “I am trying to make you presentable so that the ton does not have a fresh round of gossip after you leave this balcony.”

Alexander shrugged. It felt like he did not really mind if anyone found out, though the thought alone made her blush furiously.

“You are rather accepting of your choices,” she admitted after a moment. “You do not care that people will notice the crumple in your shirt, and make conclusions of their own.”

“Why would I waste my time in caring about such a silly thing?” he asked her blankly. “Whatever conspired between us happened between a husband and wife. They have no jurisdiction over our private matters.”

She blushed harder at the way that he had phrased things.

“But rather, only you have jurisdiction of whatever happens between the two of us?” she asked, slowly bringing the conversation back to what they had been talking about before. Though now, the idea of him controlling her life did not seem so frustrating.

If anything, it almost felt a bit romantic. Though she would not dare admit that out loud to him, lest it gave him license to extend his control even more than it already was.

“I am the head of our household,” he told her. “And I am your husband, so yes, I do control you.”

“And what if I am not someone who is easily controlled?” she prodded, “What then? My father thought the same about me, and he quickly found out that it was not something that was possible.”

Alexander smiled smugly. As usual, he thought he was the exception and none of the rules applied to him.

“Or you will find that I am capable of doing what I say,” he said in a low voice.

Once again, Penelope shivered. She hoped that he would think it was only due to the passing wind, not his words.

“Well, I am not to be underestimated either,” she said finally. “But perhaps, it would be best if we were to find a middle ground , something that works for the both of us.”

“If you are referring to Odette getting permission to go to the park then I am afraid that there is no middle ground that can be reached there,” he told her flatly. “And you are only wasting your time in trying to do that.”

Penelope sighed. She knew that she had to play this smartly, if she had any chance of getting a semblance of a win from this conversation.

“Well, then. Let me be the first to compromise,” she said. “I can lead by example.”

Alexander raised an eyebrow in her direction, curious to know where exactly she was headed with this.

“I shall ask my sister Isadora to accompany us on the walk,” she started. “And you may let Fergus and Lewis tag along, but they are to remain at a distance where we cannot see them.”

Alexander tightened his jaw.

“That is still a lot.”

“It is better than a complete absence,” she wagered. “And if you wish to keep me happy, then you will agree with my terms.”

“So suddenly this has become about your happiness?” he asked. “Are you trying to imply that I do not keep you happy, as is?”

Penelope blushed again.

“You do,” she said in a small voice. It was the first time that she had admitted such a thing out loud to him. “But for the sake of us not arguing further, it would be good if you agree to what I am suggesting .”

Alexander pressed his hands against his face.

“Why couldn’t you be someone who was more easily agreeable?” he said more to himself than to her.

“Then I would not be me,” she answered anyway. “You know this. Besides, I am slowly coming to accept you the way that you are. It would be good if you do the same.”

“Fine then,” he said bluntly. “I will agree to your terms.”

“Good,” A smile spread across her face. It was contagious, as a moment later she caught him smiling, too. “Now, we should head back inside. We have been away for too long, and it is rude to the hosts.”

Alexander muttered a faint agreement.