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“ N ever fall in love with me, ” Penelope repeated to herself, trying to match the tone of the duke. She stood in front of a tall mirror in what was now her new home, inside of her chambers. “As if I could be so tragically foolish.”

It was her first morning in her new home, and she did not have much company to keep her occupied. All she could do was amuse herself by mimicking her husband, and his ridiculous rules.

“Who says that to their bride on their wedding day, anyway?” She muttered under her breath. And the fact that he had said it with such conviction, as though simply existing in his presence was enough to make her fawn!

Penelope scowled at her own reflection across the room.

“Well, don’t worry, Your Grace,” she said to the empty air, “you’re about as romantic as a pile of rocks. I do not anticipate falling in love any time soon.”

But then she remembered the way he’d looked at her father. The way he had said, I do not intend to fail her. She bit the inside of her cheek.

No. She could not let herself think like this.

If she was forbidden from ever falling in love with him, then it was best that she find enough activities around the estate to keep herself as busy as possible. So that she would not have to worry about things like love.

There was a knock on her door, one that interrupted her train of thought. She froze, and then slowly relaxed herself enough to speak up.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open and a young maid stepped in. Nancy, the same one who had shown her to her quarters yesterday.

“Your Grace, I did not wish to disturb you,” the maid said brightly. “Though, I am surprised to find you alone . I was under the impression that the duke was here with you.”

Penelope laughed out loud at the assumption.

“Do I sound that much like him?”

The maid’s eyes widened.

“Were you trying to emulate his tone?”

“I was only having a bit of fun,” Penelope nodded. Heaven knows that she would need it, if she were to survive here.

“Well, you certainly had me fooled, Your Grace,” Nancy nodded. “You had the tone just right. ”

“Well, perhaps I am a better actor than I thought,” she said, laughing instead of being embarrassed at the prospect of being caught.

“I just came to let you know breakfast will be served in the smaller dining room this evening. His Grace requested it be informal.”

Penelope pursed her lips.

“And how is breakfast usually served in the estate?”

“The same way, Your Grace,” Nancy replied. “His Grace does not like to make too much of a fuss about these things.”

That much was apparent to Penelope. The man did not believe in making a big deal out of anything. Breakfast was a small thing in comparison to marriage.

“I see,” she nodded, keeping her expression neutral. “And what of the activities of the rest of the day? It was awfully quiet yesterday when I came in.”

“It’s a quiet place, that’s true,” The maid glanced up, her expression softening. “But it’s not without life. The staff keep to their duties, and His Grace… well, he doesn’t entertain much.”

“I gathered as much,” Penelope said dryly. “And what of his daughter? Odette?”

“She’s spirited, my lady,” Nancy brightened up as she spoke of the young girl. “Clever, too, though she has her moods. His Grace keeps her close. He doesn’t like to leave her care to anyone he doesn’t trust.”

“Ah,” Penelope mused. “Yet he made the decision to marry me the day I met him for the first time. He must trust me more than I think.”

Nancy only nodded awkwardly at the observation. There was only so much that a maid could say to something like this.

“Does His Grace trust easily?” was her next question. The maid hesitated again.

“As for His Grace’s private affairs, I must say that I am not much privy,” she replied. “He likes to keep his personal life separate.”

“But you must have observations, surely,” Penelope pushed, gently.

Alexander had no siblings, nor did he have living parents whom Penelope could consult. All he had was a daughter, and more house staff than she could count to turn to, when it came to gleaning some information about him.

She was not about to take any chances.

“My observations?” Nancy repeated, and then folded her hands out in front of her, “Well, yes. I suppose that I have observed him to be someone who takes his duties quite seriously. And he dislikes disorder more than anything. I scarcely see him angry, but whenever something is out of order, his composure wavers.”

Penelope found herself taking mental notes. Dislikes disorder. A frown formed on her face.

So, the duke was prim and proper. That was a given, for a man of his stature. But still, Penelope had hoped in secret that he was a bit wilder than what he appeared.

“What of his friends?”

“His friends, Your Grace?” the maid repeated. “Well, to be honest, I do not know them much. He does not like to invite them over too often.”

“They must meet him at the club,” she mused to herself. She decided to stop pestering the poor maid with detailed questions about her own husband, but she was not done talking yet. “And the rest of the house? I haven’t seen much of it .”

“It is grand,” Nancy commented. “There’s the library, of course, which you might be interested in visiting. The west wing’s rarely used. Only opened when guests arrive.”

“West wing?” Penelope repeated, intrigued.

“Yes, it’s beautiful,” the maid nodded. “Though His Grace does not prefer us to go there.”

“I see. So where do you recommend I go when I’m trying not to lose my mind with boredom?”

“The gardens, if the weather holds,” Nancy laughed softly. “Or the stables, if you ride.”

“Ah, that was more of something my sister liked to do,” Penelope said. Suddenly, she missed Isadora more than ever. “Maybe I can take up the hobby now finally, if only to get her to visit me.”

“That would be a most splendid idea,” the maid nodded, smiling. “Though, you are not short of company here, too. It’s a strange place at first, Your Grace. But you might find it grows on you.”

Penelope met her eyes in the mirror and offered a faint smile.

“We will see about that,” she said. It was only her first day, and it was too soon to say what the future held for her in this estate.

Penelope dressed herself, and made it down to the table for breakfast. It was empty, to her surprise.

“Am I expected to have breakfast by myself?” she asked one of the staff members, who nodded sympathetically in her direction.

“His Grace has own times for his meals,” the butler responded.

“And what of the young one?” Penelope said, reluctantly seating herself.

“Lady Odette is quite unpredictable when it comes to showing up for meals,” came the response. “The lady prefers to eat in solitude, and very rarely shows up for meals.”

Penelope raised an eyebrow, glancing at the spread of breakfast in front of her. Everything done to perfection. Except that there was no one for her to share the breakfast with.

“Very well, then,” she unfolded her napkin across her lap. So this is what married life looks like.

Not that she had expected anything else. Alexander had made it abundantly clear: this was a marriage of convenience, not companionship. Still, part of her had assumed she wouldn’t spend the better part of her first morning in the estate only conversating with the staff.

She looked at the empty seat on the far end of the table.

“I am wondering if His Grace prefers to take that seat out of preference or,” she bit down on her lip, “or if it is because he wishes to put as much distance between him and I as possible?”

“His Grace has… long preferred distance at the dining table, Your Grace,” he said with practiced diplomacy. “Though I daresay you are not the first to wonder about the reason.”

“Is that your way of saying even you haven’t figured him out?” Penelope turned slightly.

“It is a work in progress, surely,” the butler nodded. He was polite, as expected. But he gave her just enough to get the wheels in her head turning.

“And how long have you been enduring him?”

“Seventeen years, my lady,” he replied at once. “Though one might say I’ve grown fond of the challenge.”

Then, maybe Penelope would grow fond of it as well.

“What of the young lady?” Penelope asked. The butler looked up with a slightly more reserved expression than before.

The way that the staff reacted whenever Odette was mentioned, Penelope had to wonder what sort of a menace she was around the house.

No wonder Alexander needed a wife so badly.

“As I said before,” the butler cleared his throat. “Lady Odette prefers to do things in her own way. Any interactions with her are mostly on her own terms.”

“And how old is she?” Penelope knitted her brows together.

“Fourteen,” the butler answered eagerly.

“Oh,” Penelope said, surprised. Looking back now, she should have known that she was older, given how tall she already was. But fourteen was only a few years away from debut. “I am not surprised now at how His Grace seemed to be in a hurry.”

“I am not sure if I understand what you mean, Your Grace,” the butler replied.

“Nothing,” Penelope diverted the subject. But she had a feeling that she was going to have her hands full while living here.

That evening, Penelope kept asking the staff for any signs of Odette. First, she was in her lessons and Penelope was warned against disturbing her.

Then, she was in the baths, where again, Penelope was not to disturb her.

It seemed that Penelope’s attempts at engaging with the young lady were… futile, at best. A few more days passed, and every day was the same story.

Each time she knocked on the girl’s bedroom door, there was no answer. Sometimes, the room was empty. Other times, she was certain someone was inside, simply choosing not to respond.

“I have had enough,” she told herself one morning. Nancy, who was standing by the corner of the room, looked up expectantly.

“Something wrong, Your Grace?” she asked.