Page 53 of All Duke and Bothered

He hoped the Duchess of Ashton would introduce her to the right people, and he had no doubt they’d see Penelope’s talent like he’d seen it, admire her as he admired her.

When she returned from the outing, he’d ask for her forgiveness. He’d tell her he didn’t want to fight anymore. He’d ask her if they might forget about their last fight and move on.

And then, she’d tell him all about her brilliant, fabulous evening. Then he’d make love to her.

Heavens, how much he wanted to make love to her… An entire week without her had been agony. He’d kept himself away only because of his damned stubbornness.

But he was ready now to push away the guilt that he dared to be happy with his brother’s beloved while Spencer was dead in the ground.

Joel laid the cravat carefully onto the dressing table. “I’m glad to hear it,” he responded to Preston’s comment about the dinner.

Just then, sharp, quick footsteps approached from the corridor. Then the door swung open, making the candles’ flames jump wildly.

Penelope stormed into the dressing room, and Joel’s hands froze as he and Preston both stared at her pacing the length of the room.

Preston took a step towards her. “Sweetheart, what’s the matter?” She looked distressed and agitated, her eyes wide and so dark they were pure steel. Her cheeks were flushed, her chest heaving. Then a dark thought bolted through his mind. “Did someone offend you? Damnation, I should have come with you.”

“What’s the matter? Who offended me? I’ll tell you what’s the matter. You. You offended me. What is all this about some auction you bought me at?”

Joel, who had been neatly folding the cravat, stilled and looked at Preston. Preston’s face burst with heat. He had known that one day the truth about the auction would come out. That their happiness had an end date. That he couldn’t be happy with her forever because he didn’t deserve her.

And of course, sooner or later, she’d know what her father had done and why Preston was after revenge.

“Joel, that will be all. I’ll manage.”

“Very good, Your Grace,” said Joel with a nod. “Good night.”

When Preston and his wife were alone, she stood still and stared at him with her blazing eyes, her pretty, perky breasts, supported by the corset into two half orbs he ached to lick and suck. He went to her, but she took a step back.

“Is it true?” she asked, her voice low and slow. “That you bought me at an auction like a cow? That my father sold me?”

Well, he guessed there wouldn’t be any gentle lovemaking tonight. Instead, tonight would be the beginning of the end.

There was no point in denying it. Neither was there a point in continuing to lie to her and postponing what she would inevitably find out in any case.

He lowered his chin onto his chest and said, “Yes.”

She sucked in a shaky breath. “And I had to find it out from the prince regent himself. The prince knew before I did!”

A cold slap of shock had him curse under his breath. Rumors in the ton were incredible. Still, why was he surprised? Any sense of secrecy in Tyche was an illusion. The real place where things were buried and would never be revealed was Elysium.

Penelope started pacing again. “Do you understand how humiliating this is?”

“I do—”

“How hurt I am?”

“Yes, darling…”

He watched the light hem of her skirt waver in the air behind her. “Clearly you didn’t pay any money to my papa, or he wouldn’t have been in such a state. So then how did you buy me?”

How could he tell her? How could he tell her and see her fall apart even further?

“What was more important to Papa than money?” she insisted. “Is it whatever is in that red folder?”

He wanted to tell her. He wanted there to be no more secrets between them. He wanted her to stop hating him, wanted to stop their feud forever.

But for that, he had to let go of revenge.