Discovering the Devil

S i x t e e n

She felt Lord Hawthorne's eyes lick her from eye to toe. Penelope shivered. "You look beautiful," he said.

"Thank you."

He cleared his throat. "We should get going. We have a long journey ahead of us."

The Capitol was a day and a half's journey from Hawthorne Castle. They went along with brief stops along the way until they reached a cozy little inn at dusk and resumed their trip in the morning.

"Who are we visiting?" Penelope asked once the Earl alerted her that they were ten minutes away from their destination.

"Mr. Whilhem and Mr. Cartwright. They stayed over when I had the duel with Solomon."

"Oh, I remember them." She recalled Mr. Wilhelm's kind green eyes. "I liked Mr. Wilhelm."

The Earl raised a brow. "And Mr. Cartwright?"

Penelope wrinkled her nose. "I don't think we met."

Lord Hawthorne laughed. "You needn't pretend. Percy is an acquired taste." The carriage rolled to a stop. Lord Hawthorne flashed one of his rare smiles. "We're here."

Mr. Wilhelm, a woman, and a child were already waiting on the front steps. When they were within throwing distance the child—a sprightly young girl—ran into the Earl's arms.

"Uncle Harry!" she cried.

The Earl laughed and hugged the chubby creature back. He planted a kiss on a cloud of black hair. Penelope stared at the naked display of affection. "It's nice to see you, Grace," he said. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Grace said sweetly. She craned her head to look at Penelope.

"Who are you?"

Penelope crouched down to meet Grace's eyes. "I'm Penelope. It's nice to meet you.

The girl's eyes lit up. "Are you Uncle Harry's new wife? Can I call you Aunty Penelope?"

Penelope felt her cheeks heat. "No, Grace, Penelope is just a friend," Lord Hawthorne said.

Grace opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by her parents. "I hope you've had a nice journey," said a woman, presumably Mrs. Wilhelm. Penelope couldn't help admiring her. She was short, with soft curves and deep, ebony skin. She also had the most excellent coiffure—half of her hair was swept atop while the other half rained down her shoulders in soft waves. When Penelope got back to Fleurs, she would have Geraldine do her hair just like that.

"We did Charlotte, thank you," Lord Hawthorne replied. "I'd like to introduce Miss Redwood, she is my housekeeper at Hawthorne Castle." Just then, the ridiculousness of their predicament descended on Penelope. Who brought their housekeeper with them on a weekend with friends? It only added to the rumors about their alleged affair.

If Mrs. Wilhelm was surprised or confused, her face betrayed nothing. "It's so nice to meet you, Miss Redwood."

"Please, just Penelope. The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Wilhelm."

"Oh, just Charlotte. You are a friend after all."

"I'm so glad you could join us," Mr. Wilhelm said. He sounded like he meant it.

"I apologize for the intrusion," Penelope said. "I wasn't able to make arrangements for the weekend."

"It's no bother," Charlotte said breezily. "If I had to guess, it was some oversight of Harry's. He's so forgetful."

Penelope felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at their familiarity. Harry. She'd never heard anyone use his first name, especially a woman... "He might've forgotten to tell me that he leaves for the Capitol every few weeks."