Dancing With the Gull (Revenge of the Wallflowers, #14)

Chapter Thirteen

Penelope found herself pouring out a good bit more of the story about Lord Sharpe than she intended. It was possible that having no one to truly tell the story had made it fester. Lady Wilkins looked sympathetic, but Mrs. Baxter began to look angry.

“That arrogant bastard,” she bit out.

Pen was a bit surprised at the vitriol, but noted that Lady Wilkins patted her friend’s arm.

“War is very protective of Henny,” Lady Wilkins said. “He would have no tolerance if he believed you meant any harm.”

“Why does everyone treat Lord Greer as though he can’t know his own mind?” Pen had to admit that the arrogance of his friends annoyed her.

“Of course he can,” Lady Wilkins said placatingly, “but he also tends to see the best in people.”

“He’s not as foolish as some people seem to think.” Pen could hear the mulishness of her own tone, but couldn’t stop herself.

“Not foolish,” Mrs. Baxter mused. “More he is... innocent.”

“Saying a man of six and twenty is naive is tantamount to labeling him addled,” Pen argued.

Mrs. Baxter chuckled. “I never said he was naive. He isn’t lacking in experience. Even I’ve heard about his exploits in his younger days. I mean free from any moral judgment of others because he is free of moral corruption himself.”

Lady Wilkins nodded. “Unless War or Kit warns him, he assumes the best of everyone.”

For a moment, Pen’s heart ached. That sounded like such an excellent, yet precarious frame of mind. It had been so long since she’d assumed the best of everyone that she could hardly remember it.

“And he wanted to know about courtship?” Pen asked.

Lady Wilkins nodded. “Of course, I don’t know the details of their conversations since we’ve arrived, but Kit has spent a good bit of time with him.”

“Have you set your cap for him?” Mrs. Baxter asked.

Pen tried not to reveal any of her inner thoughts. She wished she could be honest with these women, but a secret was hardly a secret if everyone knew it. These were Lord Henry’s friends, so if he chose to reveal their plan it should be his decision, not hers. “Lord Greer and I may be... arriving at a mutual agreement.”

Mrs. Baxter leaned forward. “Have you talked to him at length? Do you know his mind?”

“I... perhaps?”

“Have you danced with him?”

“Y-yes.”

“Have you kissed him?”

At this question Pen felt herself blush a bright scarlet. “Yes.”

Mrs. Baxter glanced at Lady Wilkins again. “She’s completed almost all of the steps.”

The fair woman nodded thoughtfully.

“Steps to what?” Pen asked.

“Whether he will be worth the trouble he causes you. This one,” Mrs. Baxter tipped her head toward her friend, “thought she was finding a lover, but she married him. I think the steps proved even more important in that case.”

“What other steps are there?”

“Oh, just one. You must lie with him to find out how much pleasure he can give you.”

Penelope felt herself blush from the tips of her ears to her toes. She squeaked out, “What?”

“Men will cause you no end of trouble,” Mrs. Baxter said. “You’ve barely begun your courtship, and you are already beating off the treasure seekers daily. How can you be certain Lord Sunny will be worth the trouble if you don’t know what pleasure he can bring you?”

Penelope didn’t want to consider what Mrs. Baxter was proposing, but she couldn’t help herself. What would it be like to feel Lord Henry’s kisses on other parts of her body? Would he let her taste him as well? What did his strength feel like without the barrier of clothes, without the barrier of propriety?

She was drowning in goosebumps and burning flesh, just from considering it!

Mrs. Baxter smiled her mysterious smile. “Baxter House will, of course, be at your disposal, as it was for Sarah.”

“What?” Pen could hardly focus.

“If you wish to meet with him, to learn how deeply your attraction runs.”

Could she do that? The possible consequences of a misstep seemed catastrophic. How completely inappropriate, especially as they did not truly plan to marry. But also, how thrilling! She’d never considered the idea of a lover. Was that a memory she wanted to take into her spinsterhood? His scent, his touch, the flavor of his skin under her tongue? Lud! She needed a fan or a cool drink.

“My mother would never let me have the privacy for such a liaison,” Pen said.

“Certainly she would let you visit with me,” Lady Wilkins said.

There was truth in the lady’s point. Sister-in-law to an earl would rank high in her mother’s esteem if Pen were to develop a new friendship. Friendship with a woman whose husband was the best friend of her potential betrothed.

Today was perhaps not the best day to decide such a thing, so she merely nodded tightly. “Perhaps.”

Admittedly, she wanted to be far more certain about the plan. She wanted to stand and demand that these infernal women bring Lord Henry Greer to her right now. How dare they put such thoughts in her head when she needed to deny them?

It also bothered her to wonder if there was no end to the number of people who would try to guide Lord Henry’s path. She hoped to not do that herself, to only allow him the opportunity to make his own decisions. His own choices. However, she was hoping more and more fervently that he would choose her.