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“ D oes it still hurt, Your Grace?”

Penelope startled slightly at Nancy’s voice, her gaze lifting from the bandage wrapped around her hand. She hadn’t even realized the maid had come in.

“A little,” Penelope admitted quietly, flexing her fingers. “But it’s nothing serious.”

Nancy stepped closer, frowning as she peered at the wound.

“It’s left such an awful gash in its wake,” she noted, gently adjusting the sleeve to cover it. “I cannot imagine how hard that man would have shoved you for you to bruise like this.”

Penelope winced at the memory. Whatever had happened in the park was not something she liked revisiting.

“The important thing ,” she repeated for the umpteenth time, “Is that Odette walked away unscathed.”

She said that to anyone who came into her room to ask about her well-being. And it was the truth: She cared more about Odette than she did herself.

“Lord above, Your Grace, when I heard what happened…” Nancy began, shaking her head. “Oh, I did not know what to do.”

“When did you find out?” Penelope sighed. She had thought that she had covered her tracks fully, and that no one in the estate would be able to find her whereabouts.

If it weren’t for the footman, perhaps it would have been true. But that would have meant that Alexander would not have found her in time. She shuddered to even think about what the outcome could have been then.

“There was a small commotion at the house when the duke realized that you had gone missing, Your Grace,” Nancy replied. “That was when most of the staff found out as well. He questioned us, and we told him that you were looking for Odette, last we heard of you.”

Penelope could imagine the anger in Alexander’s eyes at the scene. Even yesterday, his anger was more intense than she had ever seen it.

Biting down on her lip, she realized that it would take some time for those embers to die down.

“You did not sleep well last night , either, Your Grace,” Nancy pressed, “I heard you pacing half the night. I had been stationed outside of your room, just in case you needed something. His Grace gave me clear instructions on that.”

Penelope felt a strange feeling in her chest. For all his anger, he still seemed to be concerned about her well-being, at the very least.

Penelope looked away, toward the window. “No, I suppose I didn’t get much of a rest last night. Do you know if Odette is doing any better?”

“She has not left her room since she arrived,” Nancy replied . “I suspect she is still upset, though I imagine she will be fine as time passes.”

“And what of His Grace?”

Nancy hesitated, then came to stand behind her, hands resting lightly on her shoulders.

“I have not seen him this morning either,” she admitted, adding , “Are you worried about seeing His Grace?”

A dry laugh escaped Penelope’s throat. Was she worried?

“I am not sure what the right word to use here would be,” Penelope admitted. “Uncertain, perhaps. I do not know how he is going to behave today.”

She had made such progress in the last few weeks in her relationships with Alexander and Odette, but now it seemed as though one incident had set her back entirely.

“I’m sure he’s calm by now, Your Grace,” Nancy offered carefully.

“I doubt it.” Penelope sighed, “I have never seen the duke so angry before.”

“His anger is only an expression of his love,” Nancy argued. “You should not be wary of it; it is how he expresses himself.”

“There are gentler ways to express oneself,” Penelope muttered only loud enough for her to hear. “Last night, he couldn’t stop looking at my wound, almost as if it offended him.”

“Or rather, it frightened him to see you hurt,” Nancy added.

Nancy’s hands went into Penelope’s hair, picking up the comb to work through the curls as she prepared her for breakfast.

“I do not know how he feels, really,” Penelope mused, thinking out loud. He was truly the most confusing person that she had ever met .

“If I were to guess, Your Grace,” Nancy said, hands still working through her hair, “I would say that he loves you a lot.”

Penelope paused. The words sounded so alien, even though she wished for them to be true.

“It’s just that maybe he is not yet used to how it feels,” Nancy added.

“Or maybe I’ve made it harder.”

“No,” Nancy said firmly, “You only did what you had to do. He’ll see that.”

Penelope wasn’t so sure. She rose from the stool, smoothing the front of her gown.

“I’ll see him at breakfast,” she murmured. “If he’s willing to see me at all.”

Some moments later, Penelope made her way down to the breakfast table. Nancy followed her like a shadow, ensuring she did not miss a single step or lose her balance.

“I really am fine now,” she said to Nancy as they entered the morning room for breakfast.

“I am only making sure, Your Grace.”

She dipped into a curtsy then, and Penelope followed the direction of the curtsy to find that Alexander was already sat at the breakfast table.

He is early.

“Good morning,” she greeted cautiously, trying to read his unreadable expression as he sat at the head of the table. There was only the two of them at the table. “Odette did not show up this morning?”

Alexander did not return her greeting. He only gestured for her to take a seat.

“Odette will be having most of her meals in her chambers now,” he said as an explanation.

One of Penelope’s eyebrow s shot up. “And why is that? She had a difficult day yesterday, and I think it would be better for her to join us. I do not want her to sit alone with her thoughts for too long.”

Alexander remained unfazed, as though he had not even once considered whatever Penelope was saying to him. “Sit down,” he repeated himself, though this time there was an urgency in his voice.

Penelope felt her heart beat faster. Something was not right. Still, she obeyed, crossing to the chair opposite him.

“I’ve made a decision,” Alexander said finally.

A silence stretched between them again. For his anger, he seemed to be having trouble telling her what the decision was.

“And am I meant to read your mind?” she asked. Her tone was more sarcastic than she had intended but she could not help herself.

“No,” Alexander pressed his lips together in a thin line. “I have made the decision that you shall no longer be staying here with us.”

Penelope blinked, first unable to comprehend what he had just said to her. Surely, this was some sort of jest?

“I beg your pardon?”

Alexander did not burst into laughter, though. By all measures, he seemed to be quite serious.

“This marriage between us was a mistake,” he said, even more bluntly than the first time. “I had brought you in so that you may be a good influence on my daughter, but the events of the day before have proven to me that it is not the case.”

Penelope felt her cheeks redden, half from embarrassment and half from anger. Her thin fingers folded themselves into fists under the table.

“If you are so easily asking me to leave,” she finally said, her voice coming out shaky. “Where do you expect me to go? Do you realize the severity of your own words?”

Alexander winced but then quickly schooled his face back into a neutral expression.

“I know exactly what I am asking of you,” he said. “As for your residence , I shall give you a choice. Either return to your father’s house or take up residence in one of the smaller estates in the countryside.”

The words struck her like a slap. Her knuckles had gone white now.

“Your Grace,” she said, though the title felt hollow in her mouth as she said it , “I am not sure why you are resorting to such drastic measures.”

“I have every reason to,” he said. Where she had wished for warmth from him, he only gave her more stiffness. “This cannot continue. I should never have brought you into this house.”

“But I was not trying to defy you,” Penelope defended herself. “I never intended for what happened yesterday. I swear to you, I only went to find Odette and bring her home safely. What else would you have me do in a situation like that?”

Alexander’s jaw clenched.

“It is not about what you should have done, or what the circumstances were,” Alexander explained, once again bizarrely calm. “The truth is that I had set some rules for you and you were unable to follow them. That alone is reason enough for me to ask you to leave.”

“You expect me to follow rules when I am in a situation as urgent as one where Odette had gone missing?” Penelope’s voice rose for the first time that morning.

“That does not sound like rules that are set for my well-being. Rather, it sounds like you were keen on running a dictatorship and I have caused problems to that plan.”

“You should have told me,” he snapped. “I would have handled it.”

“But there was no time!”

“There was always time,” Alexander bit out. “You simply didn’t trust me to do what was necessary.”

Penelope’s chest felt tight, her heart pounding painfully against her ribs.

“I trusted you with everything. But I didn’t want to risk losing her while we waited for you to act, or even worry you,” She swallowed hard, blinking against the sting in her eyes. “I.. I thought you’d understand.”

“I do.” His voice softened, barely. Then it hardened again, as though he had to remind himself to put on whatever hard exterior that he thought was fitting. “But it doesn’t change the fact that what happened was too much of a violation. I cannot keep you here.”

“Why?” The question burst out of her trembling lips. “Why are you doing this? You said you wanted a marriage of convenience, fine. But why exile me now? What was the point of marrying me in the first place then?”

“I would not spend too much time pondering over it.”

Penelope could not believe what she was hearing. Alexander was acting as though he did not have a heart.

“You are abandoning me,” she said, her mouth forged into a permanent frown. “This is what you are doing. You are discarding me after you have extracted your use from me, and now that I am a liability, you are simply getting rid of it.”

Her words were harsh, but it was what she felt. She had anticipated a few hard days, even weeks. But never could she had predicted that Alexander would ever try to send her away.

“It’s the only way,” Alexander muttered under his breath. He did not dare meet her gaze.

“No!” Penelope’s hands trembled at her sides. “I am your wife. Your daughter’s stepmother. This is my home, too. You cannot simply send me away like an unwanted guest.”

“But it is my call to do so,” he said, firmly establishing his place as the head of the house. “You’ve always known what this marriage was about, and what shape it could take.”

Penelope did not know what to say, only that something inside her was screaming at her to tell him that this was not how she wished for things to turn out.

That she had fallen for him hopelessly and he was only hurting her beyond belief by sending her away like this.

But she restrained herself. Now, of all things, was not the time to make admissions that were so sensitive.

“I really hate to disappoint you,” Alexander continued, oblivious to what was going on inside her head. “But the decision has been made, and I am not looking for any kinds of negotiations on it.”

“Yes, you have made that very clear now,” Her breath left her in a shaky exhale. “You’re truly sending me away.”

“I must.”

A single tear slid down her cheek before she could stop it. She brushed it away angrily.

“And what about Odette? Are you sending me away from her, too?”

“She will understand in time.”

“She’s a child!” Penelope cried. “She’s already lost her mother. Now, you’re taking me from her, too?”

“She won’t lose you,” Alexander said hoarsely. “You may visit her. Write to her. But you won’t live here anymore.”

Penelope pressed a hand to her chest, as if she could physically hold the pieces of her breaking heart together.

“Alexander.” She got up from her place at the table and stepped closer, reaching for him. “Please. Don’t do this.”

“I’ve made my decision,” He dodged her attempt to touch him.

Penelope’s hand fell uselessly to her side, and then her blush deepened. Rejection, that was what she was feeling.

“Then I suppose I have no say in the matter.”

“You can decide where you go,” he said hollowly. “That’s all I can give you.”

“I do not know how you could be so gracious to give me that privilege,” Penelope’s lips twisted bitterly.

“I’ll have the carriage prepared by midday.” There was a flicker of emotion on his face but at this point, Penelope was not sure whether it was pain or something else. And frankly, she was too exhausted to try.

She swallowed hard, blinking back another wave of tears.

“I do not need to stay in any of your properties. I will stay with Isadora for a few days. Until I decide what to do next.”

“As you wish,” Alexander nodded stiffly.

A part of her still wished he would do something to stop her, but it was not coming. His words felt like a final blow.

“Shall I…”she bit down on her lip, “It would be good if I tell Odette before I go.”

“There will be no need,” Alexander stopped her. “I think she has had enough disruptions in her life for now. I will tell her later, if needed.”

If needed? That was her value in this house? At his words, Penelope straightened, her pride struggling to stitch itself back together. But she was not going to let him see her weak.

“I’ll have Nancy pack my things.”

“Very well.”

“Goodbye, Alexander.”

He didn’t answer. Penelope turned and left the room, walking away from the only man she had ever loved.

How her life had changed so drastically in the span of only a few days, she did not know.

But now she only knew that she would have to prepare for her future, which looked more uncertain than ever now.