“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 was about to say. Beside her, she heard Lucy snort and barely suppress laughter, and Penny frowned at her.
“L–lovely service today. Y–you sing marvellously 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–particularly 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 marvellous.”
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 he 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. 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. Your father delivers them very well.”
He nodded in approval, his 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, and she had been chattering non-stop about the Earl’s intended visit and 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 she 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 honourable, and I would be honoured 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 passers-by. 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 return to the vicarage, leaving her staring at him in confusion. She had always known she would have to marry someday, but she had never given more than a 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 join 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 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 that 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 Westbrooke or even Newbridge…speaking of the Duke…”
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 Westbrooke intends to call on you today. What are you going to wear?” she cut in hastily, hoping Lucy would forget about the devilish duke.
The Duke of Newbridge 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.
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.” Miss Rosebury 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 not,” he declared defiantly, his 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 him in a ditch to rot. She remembered the rumour that had been whispered in every drawing room of how a business rival of his 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 honour. I beg you to leave off this idiocy. It will lead us nowhere but harm.”
She turned her pleading eyes to Miss Rosebury. “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.”
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 Newbridge, 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. Newbridge will have him thrown in debtor’s 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 Jane 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.
Lucy 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 honourable man by doing the right thing,” she countered, crossing her arms over her bosom stubbornly.
Miss Rosebury touched his arm pleadingly. “Please, Edward, do not fight with your family for my sake. They only seek your safety as do I.”
Her words seemed to calm him. He sighed and reached for her hand once more. “Come, I will see you home safely. We will resolve this matter on the way home.”
“You cannot be seen with her, Edward!” Penny protested.
“We will not take the main roads. There is a path through the woods,” he replied coolly, leading Jane outside.
Penny opened her mouth to protest, but he shut the door firmly. She sighed and sank on the couch. “What am I to do, Lucy?” she moaned. “I do not believe he knows just how much danger he is getting himself into, and Miss Rosebury is no help. She says they should cease their relationship, but it is quite clear she does not want it to end.”
Lucy sat down beside her sister and leaned against her shoulder. “I have never seen him act so violent.”
“Indeed. It was most frightening, but do not worry, he will come to his senses soon enough. Will you make some tea? I am gasping for a cup.”
Lucy nodded and went into the kitchen, leaving Penny to her thoughts. Something must be done to prevent disaster, she mused silently. But what? Papa will not be here till a fortnight, and things are getting out of hand.
She needed help, and she needed it quickly.