A Penny’s Worth Of Affection: A Novel (4 page)

"I have no idea Lucy, never mind we will try to finish the tea and cakes on our own."

Philip tugged off his cravat with a curse, his mood foul. This was what happened when he tried to be helpful, have it thrown back in his face. He should have left the two women to walk home, but instead, had given in to Jane's pleas to offer a lift, something that went against his very nature. He cursed once more as he thought of the unbidden wave of desire that had washed over him when he held Penelope Inglewood in his arms, she had looked so
vulnerable he had been quite overcome with a inexplicable urge to kiss her freckled nose, or better yet that soft, full inviting mouth, carry her to bed and...

"Bloody hell!" he growled, shaking his head as though to rid himself of the image. He unbuttoned his shirt, shrugging out of it, and her scent swamped him, stirring up something in him. The woman was a menace, a small, but annoying menace. No woman had ever stirred his blood, or invaded his thoughts the way Penelope Inglewood managed to do and he despised the effect she had on him. He would get her out of his system, find a willing woman and purge himself of this wretched desire.

Finally undressed, he crossed to the window and gazed out at the clear night sky, the cold breeze hitting causing goosebumps on his bare flesh. Cursed with the inability to sleep at night, he had often spent many a night losing himself in drink till the early hours of the morning, where he would finally doze off for an hour before he was awake again. His mistress had called him the Devil's Spawn, because of that.

Tonight, he needed something other than spirits, he decided, moving away from the window, crossing to his wardrobe. He dressed in sporting breeches and a light shirt, donning the special pair of shoes he'd had made for such a purpose and quietly made his way outside. He took a few breaths of the night air, then set off on a grueling run.

"Miss Inglewood! A moment please." A voice called out just as Penny exited the church. She paused and turned, seeing Victor Barstow, the vicar's son hurrying towards her, an earnest look on his young face. Beside her, she heard Lucy let out a groan.

"Oh for heaven's sakes," Lucy muttered crossly, glaring at the approaching man, "Does he not have anything better to do?"

"Hush now Lucy," Penny admonished, even though she shared her sister's sentiments. She beamed at Victor, "Hello Mr. Barstow, you wish to have a word?"

The shy young man turned red at her bright smile, clearing his throat nervously as he tried to remember what he'd been about to say. Beside her, she heard Lucy snort in barely suppressed laughter and Penny frowned at her.

"L-lovely service today, y-you sing marvelously well Miss Inglewood," Victor cleared his throat again and fiddled with his necktie, looking even redder if possible, Penny felt a smidgeon of pity for the man. "Y-your rendition of the hymn was p-particulary extraordinary. I-I have n-never heard it s-sung with such passion"

She smiled and inclined her head graciously, even while Lucy struggled to contain her mirth. "Thank you Mr. Barstow, that is quite a lovely compliment, I am glad it pleased you."

He seemed to gather courage at her words and finally looked up to meet her gaze, a lock of his blond hair falling over his face, giving him a youthful look, even though Penny knew he must be about twenty nine. "Oh yes indeed quite moving, quite moving. I felt like I was being touched by the very hand of God."

"Oh lord!" Lucy muttered.

Oh lord indeed. Penny agreed, though she nodded in agreement at Mr. Barstow's words, "You flatter me too much Mr. Barstow. I am not good by any standard."

He adjusted his coat and beamed confidently at her, his shyness now a thing of the past, "Are you by any chance walking home? May I escort you lovely ladies?"

"NO!" Lucy practically shrieked in horror.

"Yes, we would be delighted." Penny cut in, shooting a disapproving glare at Lucy, who simply glared back defiantly, annoyed at having to put up with Victor a moment longer than necessary.

"Splendid," Victor rubbed his hands together in delight, "Simply marvelous."

They set off, with Lucy muttering crossly, then thankfully wandering off to join a group of young ladies also walking in their direction, leaving Penny alone with Victor.

They walked in silence for a while, Penny wondering why Victor had offered to accompany her if he was going to keep silent for the entire journey. He had never offered to escort her home before, and hardly ever spoke except to compliment her singing every Sunday. She stole a side glance at him, noting the way his rather ill-fitting clothes hung on his reed thin frame and his awkward gait. Yet despite all these, the younger Mr. Barstow was considered quite the catch amongst the young ladies of Millcote.

Victor cleared his throat. "What did you think of the service Miss Inglewood?"

"Oh it was simply wonderful. The sermon was quite touching indeed, your father delivers them very well."

He nodded in approval, hands clasped behind his back and an earnest look on his face. "yes indeed. I wrote that sermon for him, so I dare say it is extremely good"

Penny stifled a laugh, picturing Lucy rolling her eyes at his implied arrogance. "Then you must allow me to commend you on a brilliant sermon. Your father must be proud."

"I imagine so. May I ask a rather personal question Miss Inglewood?" He paused in his walk, detaining her with a light touch on her arm. His nervous look returned, and Penny wondered what on earth he had to ask.

"Of course." she replied, looking up at him in puzzlement.

He reddened and tugged nervously at his necktie. "P-please you must not t-think me forward, I have been mulling over the matter for a while..and I-I have put it off for too long but..." He broke off and looked at her helplessly, seemingly pleading with her to understand his unspoken request.

Penny's heart sank. Oh no, surely he did not mean to offer for Lucy's hand? That would be most awkward indeed considering that Lucy had no interest in him whatsoever, but had been chattering non-stop about the earl's intended visit and she had constantly professed an acute dislike for Victor so to have him offer to court her would not turn out well. She felt distinctly uncomfortable as she pondered how to let him down gently, but nodded at him to continue speaking.

"I-I would like y-your permission to call on you Miss Inglewood. I know it is rather sudden, but I assure you, my intentions are honorable and I would be honored if you will accept my request"

Penny was astonished. She stopped and stared at him in stupefaction. Of all the things she had expected, this was most certainly not one of them. "Mr. Barstow! Surely you are joking?"

He appeared offended by her words and frowned down at her. "I beg your pardon, I assure you I am not jesting in any form. I wish to court you, with your consent of course. As you know, I shall soon be assuming a new position at Illingshire, and it would be splendid if you will go with me, as my wife."

"Mr. Barstow...I confess I am most overwhelmed by this. It is rather sudden-"

"Oh I am quite willing to give you time to think on the matter, perhaps pray about it before you make your decision. After all, it is not every day one receives a proposal." he took her hands in his, gazing deep into her eyes, and Penny blushed as she imagined how it must look like to passersby. She glanced around quickly and sure enough, she could see a few groups of women huddled together tittering excitedly and looking in their direction. Then her eyes fell on Lucy and she stifled a groan at the look of utter horror and dismay on her face. Good lord! The news would be all over Millcote by dinner, of that she was certain.

She turned her gaze back to Victor's with a pleading look. "Please Mr. Barstow, we are attracting quite a lot of attention, can we not discuss this matter in a more private setting?"

He looked contrite and immediately dropped her hand and sprung back a step. "My apologies, I got carried away. With your permission, I will like to call on you later, we can talk in private then?"

She nodded, conflicting emotions running through her mind. He bowed and turned to returned back to the vicarage, leaving her staring after him in confusion. She had always known she would have to marry someday, but she had never given more than fleeting thought to the means or the man to whom she would bind her life to. Penny had always pictured herself in a comfortable cottage somewhere with a nice quiet man, but till now, that man had never had a face. She shut her eyes briefly and an image of the scowling duke filled her vision, just as it ever since that night in her living room. She shook her head to clear the image and frowned. The man was obnoxious and arrogant, so why did he dominate her thoughts so?

Lucy hurried up to rejoin her and grabbed her arm. "What on earth happened with Mr. Barstow?" she demanded, "why was he holding your hand like so...as if he...heaven forbid...has developed an affection for you? I almost fainted at the horror of the thought. Please tell me it is not so!"

Oh dear lord! Spare me this torture. Penny thought, even as she grabbed Lucy's arm and tugged her to begin walking. She had a pressing need for a good cup of tea to calm her nerves and clear her head of a riot of thoughts. "I will answer your questions later. Come let us be off, Edward must be starving by now and so am I"

"PENNY! I declare I will expire of curiosity by the time we get home if you do not tell me. Did he propose? Mary says he did but I refuse to believe it . I do not like him so you cannot marry him."

Penny groaned. Damn the man for choosing such a public manner to declare his intentions. "Lucy, it matters not if you do not like him, but I have not made my decision"

"So he did propose. Damnation, surely you are not considering accepting his proposal?"

"Lucille Inglewood! How many times must I tell you you should not use such foul language?"

Lucy snorted, not in the least bit intimidated by her admonishments. "Bah! Eddie swears all the time, and you allow it. Why must it be different with me?"

Penny sighed and rubbed at her temple, feeling another one of her constant headaches coming on. "Do I need to tell you again? Besides, if Edward swears, he certainly does not do so in my presence or I will not hesitate to wash his mouth out with carbolic"

Lucy laughed, the sound piercing the still morning air. She slipped her arm through Penny's and the two turned into the lane that led to the house. "Fine. But please say you will not accept Mr. Barstow's offer?"

"Oh Lucy, surely you know I must be married someday."

"Oh I know. But I do not like Victor. in my opinion, the man is proud and insufferably boring. I do not understand why Kate and Mary are in raptures over him. He is certainly not interesting, not like Lord Henry or even Lord Farnsworth...speaking of Lord Farnsworth..."

Penny felt some alarm, she did not wish to talk about the duke. It was bad enough having him in her thoughts, a constant annoying distraction that she'd much rather do without. "Lord Henry intends to call on you today. What are you going to wear?" she cut in hastily, hoping Lucy would forget about the devilish lord.

Lord Farnsworth was instantly forgotten as Lucy launched into a description of her wardrobe. Penny sighed in relief, grateful that her distraction had worked. She listened intently as they entered the house. The sight in the living room made her gasp.

Lady Jane and Edward broke apart hurriedly, a guilty flush staining both their cheeks as they stared at the two shocked women. Then Edward hastily got to his feet. "Penelope! I had no idea the service ended so soon"

Penny gasped in shock, taking in the sight before her eyes, dread filling every inch of her, goosebumps rising on her skin. "Edward! What do you think you are doing? Have you lost your mind?"she shrieked at him angrily. "He will kill you if he discovers you."

Lady Jane arose hastily, her face white with fear. "Please, you must not tell him. Philip will kill us all"

Edward's jaw set stubbornly, "I will fight him if need be, I am not afraid of him, duke or no."he declared defiantly, fists clenched by his side, "I will willingly die for the woman I love."

Penny stared at him in astonishment. Was he mad? Fight the duke? There would be no fight, the man would simply have him killed and thrown in a ditch to rot. She remembered the rumor that had been whispered in every drawing room of how a business rival of Lord Philip had been mysteriously murdered. It had been suspected the duke had ordered the killing but no proof or open accusation had ever been made. She felt cold dread sweep over her again.

"You are risking our lives for the sake of foolishness. The Duke is powerful and no one will question his actions, and he will certainly be justified in defending his honor. I beg you to leave off this idiocy, it will lead us nowhere but harm." she turned pleading eyes to Lady Jane. "Stop this folly, I beg you. You know the kind of man your betrothed is, think of the scandal and destruction this will bring upon us all. If you truly love Eddie, you will set him free and spare his life."

Lady Jane burst into sobs, sinking back down on the couch in despair. "She is right Edward, this is madness."

Edward glared at his sister, then stooped to gently take Jane's hands in his, lifting them to his mouth. "Hush my love, we must not let this come between us. I am not afraid of Lord Farnsworth, and I will be honoured to fight for your hand, regardless of the outcome"

She gazed at him a wild look in her tear filled eyes. "You do not understand, he will ruin Papa as well if I do not marry him. Phillip will have him thrown in debtors prison and Papa will not be able to survive such horrible conditions. No, your sister speaks the truth, we must end this at once Edward. I will not be responsible for your demise, or Papa's"

Penny let out a sigh of relief, thankful that the Lady had come to her senses. "Thank you, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear those words."

"NO!" Edward exploded, startling the women. He rose to his full height, his handsome face contorting fiercely. "I will not allow him to take you away from me. He does not love you Jane, and he will make you miserable if you succumb to him. You are mine!"

Beside her Lucy gasped in shock, mirroring Penny's horrified expression. "Eddie! You mustn't do this.

She moved to grasp his arm, but he shook her off angrily. "Do not tell me what I must not do. I am not an imbecile."

Lucy stumbled back, hurt by his vehement rejection, tears spilling down her cheeks. Penny felt a wave of fury and stepped up to him, delivering a stinging slap to his cheeks. His head turned from the force of her blow and his jaw clenched once more, working furiously to control his anger.

"You fool." Penny spat at him, "You are an imbecile if you think you can drag this family into danger. Do the right thing and find someone else to love, that is wisdom."

He looked down at her coldly, "You know nothing of who I am." he growled menacingly, but Penny refused to back down. Not until he came back to his senses would she let him be.

"Then prove that you are a good and honorable man by doing the right thing." she countered, crossing her arms over her bosom stubbornly.

Lady Jane touched his arm pleadingly, "Please Edward, do not fight with your family for my sake. They only seek your safety as do I."