of her hand, and then silently pressed it to the panel of the door, holding it very near where the cheek of a tall man might be.
Then she heard his body shift, and his steps retreating down the hall, and the opening and closing of the bedroom door beside her own.
Chapter Ten
When she woke the next morning, she found herself listening for sounds from the next room and hoping for a knock on the connecting door. Surely Adam would come to her as soon as he was awake, and explain his behaviour the previous evening?
But she heard only silence. Perhaps he was a late sleeper, or simply did not wish to be disturbed.
When she could stand to wait no longer, she called for her maid. She would go downstairs and wait for him at breakfast. But when she arrived in the breakfast room, she was told that his Grace had been up for hours, had had a light meal and gone riding in the park.
Very well, then. If he had wished to speak to her, it had been nothing of importance. Or perhaps she had only imagined it, for things often sounded different through a closed door. Whatever the case, she would go on with her day as if nothing had happened.
She gathered her papers from her bedroom and returned them to the sitting room, where the morning light made working easier. And in daylight, with her husband nowhere about, there seemed to be fewer romantic fantasies clouding her mind. But to avoid temptation, she turned the figurine of the lovers to face the wall.
She had barely opened her books before there was a quiet knock on the door, and a servant announced a visitor, offering a card on a tray.
Lady Clarissa Colton.
The card lay there on the tray before her, like a dead snake. What was she to do about it? ‘Tell the lady that Adam is not at home.’
The servant looked pained. ‘She wished specifically for you, your Grace.’
‘Then tell her I am not—’
‘Hello.’ Clarissa was calling to her from the hall. She laughed. ‘You must forgive me, darling. I have viewed this as a second home for so long that I quite forget my manners.’
‘I see.’ Penny had hoped to load those words with censure. But instead they sounded like understanding and permission to enter, for Clarissa pushed past the servant and came into the sitting room.
She sat down next to Penny, as though they were confidants. ‘Adam and I are old friends. Particularly close. But I’m sure he must have told you.’ Clarissa was smiling sweetly again, but her eyes were hard and cold. She reached out to take Penny’s hands, giving them a painful squeeze. ‘And when I heard the good news, I simply could not stay away.’
‘News?’
‘Yes. He told us last night, at the party. Everyone was most excited.’
‘Party?’ Obviously, there was much Adam had not told her. And now, she was left to parrot monosyllables back to Clarissa, until the horrible woman made the truth clear.
‘Ooo, that is right. You did not know of it.’ Clarissa made a face that was supposed to represent sympathy, but looked more like concealed glee. ‘Adam came to our house last night after dinner. Not for the whole evening, as I had hoped. But he could not bear to disappoint me. The man is beyond kind.’
Far beyond it, as far as Penny was concerned.
‘We knew you would not mind, of course, for you did not wish to come. In any case, he told us about the ball.’
‘Ball?’ She had done it again. Why in heaven could she not find her tongue?
‘That you will be hosting, to celebrate your marriage. I am sure it will be the most divine affair. Your ballroom is magnificent, is it not? And Adam uses it far too seldom …’
Obviously, for she was not even sure of its location since her husband had neglected to show it to her. She nodded mutely, along with the flow of Clarissa’s words.
‘It is more than large enough to hold the cream of London society. We will begin the guest list this morning, and the menu, of course. And in the afternoon, we can see about your gown.’ She glanced down at Penny’s sombre grey day dress. ‘I do not know what fashion was like where you came from—’
‘I came from London,’ Penny interjected.
‘But these clothes will hardly do. We must fit you with a new wardrobe, gloves, perhaps a turban for evening. With an ostrich feather. You will adore it, I am sure.’
Penny was quite sure that she would look ridiculous with her hair dressed in plumes. And that was probably the point of the suggestion.
‘We will go to my modiste, together. And I will instruct her on just how you must look, to display your true self to the world.’
There could not be a more horrifying prospect than that. Must she be polite to this woman, for the sake of her husband? Or could she say what she thought, and risk making a powerful enemy?
‘Penelope. So sorry to intrude, I had no idea you were entertaining.’ Adam stood in the doorway, still in his riding clothes, expression unreadable.
‘That is all right, dear. You are not interrupting anything of importance. Only discussion of our ball.’
Discussion had been a charitable way to describe it. ‘Clarissa says that you announced it at her home last evening. It was most unwise of you to give the secret away before we set a date.’ Or before telling your wife.
He seemed to pale ever so slightly at being caught out. Then he regained his smile and said, ‘So sorry, darling. I could not help myself.’
‘Really?’ They would see about that. ‘No matter. Clarissa has come to offer her help in the matter, if I need it.’
Adam smiled again. ‘How kind of her. But I am sure you have the matter well in hand, so she needn’t have bothered.’
Clarissa laughed. ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Adam. She will have no experience in handling a gathering of this sort. She knows nothing of our set, or what will be expected of her. And you have thrown her into it, assuming that she will not embarrass herself. It will be a disaster.’
Penny hardly dared breathe, for fear that Clarissa would notice how close to the truth she had come.
But Adam waved his hand and shrugged. ‘I doubt it is so hard as all of that, and Penny is a most enterprising and intelligent woman. No need for you to bother about it. But thank you for your concern. Let me show you out, and we will leave my wife to her work.’
‘I could not think to leave the poor creature in the state she’s in.’ Clarissa spoke as if Penny was not in the room. ‘At least convince her to leave her books long enough to go shopping, like a normal female.’
‘You were going shopping, eh? Well, I know how much you enjoy that, and we mustn’t keep you from it. Perhaps, some day, when Penny is finished with her book, you may come back for her. But for now …’ Adam reached out a hand to her.
Clarissa weighed, just for a moment, continuing the argument
