The Unwilling Earl (4 page)

“Papa, I would rather become a penniless spinster than stoop so low,” Penelope stood to leave the room, her cheeks burning with sha
me that her father would even consider such a scheme.

“Penelope, you
are
a penniless spinster,” were the words that followed Penelope through the door and increased her discomfort.

Chapter 5

Penelope left the house, she was unaccompanied, but had to escape. She was not one for dwelling in self-pity but the irony of finding someone she could fall in love with, if she had not already, who her father would not consider because he was a businessman was not lost on Penelope. She was shocked that her father had suggested compromising Mr. Wiseman in order to marry, she could not understand this obsession of his for a title, but this obsession with a true blue-bloodied title was highly uncomfortable for this member of his family.

She aimed for the Earl’s land, angry she may be but she could not walk the streets of the village without comment being made, so she headed for the place she felt safe.
As Penelope skirted the Vicarage, she met Emily leaving the property.

“Good afternoon Penny, I was just about to pay you a visit. I see you are walking in the opposite direction. Would you like some company?” Emily asked.

“I would welcome it, we can walk in whichever direction you wish. I had no plan,” Penelope replied. It was no longer necessary to seek the sanctuary of the Earl’s land if she was accompanied, but that did not mean she did not suffer a pang of regret not to be walking there. “I have not seen you alone for too long.”

“Yes, I had noticed I have been abandoned for a tall, handsome stranger,” Emily teased her friend as she linked her arm.

Penelope laughed, “Now, now Emily, you are in danger of becoming the village gossip. I am as friendly with this Earl as I was with Richard.”

“I don’t remember the last Earl accompanying you on your early morning walks,” Emily responded, looking closely at her friend.

“I well, I, oh, you have me there,” Penelope stuttered with a blush.

“I am not the only one to notice Penny. The lane is used by
many, perhaps it would be more appropriate to part earlier in the walk? You know how gossip travels and to be walking unchaperoned on the land of a single man, with the man himself, is asking for trouble. If your father heard.....”

“He would be disappointed that it was not Mr. Wiseman,” Penelope answered.

“He wants a match for you with Mr. Wiseman? Has he not seen your partiality?” Emily smiled at her friend’s shocked expression. “I’m sorry to pain you, but anyone who knows you can see how you prefer his Lordship to anyone else. I had hoped your father would welcome and encourage your feelings.”

“No,” Penelope groaned, grateful to have her friend to talk too. “He doesn’t like his Lordship
’s background, so even if there was a chance of anything developing between us, it would not meet with my father’s approval. He would rather see me in a loveless marriage, than one to a businessman.”

“Oh Penelope, I am sorry. I am sure he would come round in time, if your feelings were strong enough. What about the Ea
rl? Does he return your affection?”

“I have no idea,” Penelope answered. “I think he likes me, but how much
, I could not tell.”

“He favours you more than anyone else, male or female, I think he likes you very much and who could not? My best friend is beautiful,” Emily smiled, squeezing Penelope’s arm. “Just be careful my dear, the gossips only need the weakest of excuses to seize onto scandal. I would hate to see you embroiled in something that would ruin you.”

“I have been foolish,” Penelope said with a sigh. “I have not been thinking that people may talk, even though I know I have been spending time with him.”

“He is very handsome though,” Emily grinned.

“Yes, he is, isn’t he?” Penelope giggled.

*

The friends parted, Emily wanting to help her friend, but not sure how and Penelope realising her behaviour would have to change. She had thrown caution to the wind with regards to the Earl. Perhaps it was because she had never felt such feelings with anyone else, but she had opened herself up to criticism and that would have to stop. It was true what she had said to her father, she did not want to trap anyone into marriage, even the man she could see herself being blissfully happy with, so her habits had to alter.

For the following three days she took her maid and walked around the village instead of venturing onto the Earl’s land. It was a walk that neither party enjoyed. On the third day clouds had gathered and although it did not rain, Penelope could not face the grumbling that would occur if her maid
needed to accompany her again. She joined her parents for breakfast without going on a walk, her mood matching the clouds overhead, grey and heavy.

“Now Penny,” her father began as soon as she walked through the door. “You have the first two dances with Mr. Wiseman
at the assembly, I expect you to take full advantage of the opportunity.”

“I shall be as I normally am with Mr. Wiseman,” Penelope replied firmly.

“Do not start this nonsense again,” her father snapped. “I have been thinking though that perhaps a marriage to the Earl would not be so bad after all.”

Penelope looked in disbelief and to her shame,
felt a little bit of hope at her father’s words. “Not so long ago Papa, you were disgusted that he was a businessman. What has changed?” She asked calmly.

“I have come to realise that the title will gain him entry to where ever he wishes. Most will overlook his background. The title should have been yours
anyway, perhaps it does not matter after all if it is a different Earl? The goal is the same, to get you a title.”

Penelope gasped and le
ft the room without another word to her parent. She was mortified for what her father had said about Richard and Daniel. She burned with shame, her father had professed to be Richard’s friend and in reality he had been using him to reach the title. That damned title!

She marched up the stairs and put on her pelisse and bonnet. She had to get out and get out alone. She was not fit company for anyone at the moment. There was one place she needed to be, the one place she could seek
the peace that she needed so much.

*

It was less than twenty minutes later when Penelope began to regret her decision of marching out of the house. It had started to rain at the same time she had reached the Earl’s land. There had been a moment when she considered turning around, but the lure of the shelter of the woods and the reluctance to return home had made her decision for her.

The rain started to fall heavier, but Penelope did not really notice
, she still stung at her father’s words. She did have feelings for Daniel, she had since the moment they first met, but she was not sure if he returned those feelings. He liked her, of that she was confident, but there was a great deal of difference between liking someone and loving them. She worried that if he heard of any of what her father had expressed, any chance of happiness with him would be lost. He was a proud man, of that she could tell and would not take kindly to such mercenary sentiments.

The horse was almost next to her, before it
startled her from her reverie. She looked up to see Daniel, wrapped in a greatcoat, raising an eyebrow at her. “Miss Hall?” he asked, looking at the sky through the trees.

“Yes?” she responded tartly. She did not think she could take more criticism at the moment, even from Daniel.

“I somehow knew I would find you walking today,” Daniel responded, failing to mention that he had patrolled the woods for the last three days in the hope of seeing her.

“In that case why are you surprised to see me, I was enjoying the solitude,”
came the clipped reply.

Daniel’s mouth quirked.
“In the rain?”

“I had hoped it would be naught but a shower,”
came the quiet reply.

“With this dark sky?”
Daniel teased.

“Oh, join the rest of the village with their criticisms and condemnations. Please excuse
me, I need to get out of the rain.” Penelope knew she was being teased, but whether it was from shame of her father, or despair that she thought she was not going to be allowed to be happy, she just could not respond to the teasing and over reacted with anger instead.

Daniel had noticed on his approach how upset Penelope had looked and had tried with teasing to bring her out of it, but her retort had brought him up short. She was really upset and he had to change that. Penelope had turned away from him, but he reached over and hooked his hands under her armpits. It was difficult at his angle, but he lifted her onto the horse, sitting her firmly in front of him.

“What do you think you are doing?” Penelope gasped, blushing at being so close.

“I am getting you out of the rain and providing you with somewhere away from the gossipers until you feel better,” came the firm response. The words were accompanied by Daniel opening his greatcoat and wrapping it arou
nd them both. He pulled her closer to make sure she was covered as much as possible. Penelope was going to protest, but before she had uttered a word, he took the reins and moved the horse forward.

Penelope could not decide if she was mortified, or in heaven. She was being held firmly against Daniel’s chest, with
one of his hands circling her waist, while his other held the reins. Her face was concealed by her bonnet, but her cheek was laid against his chest, the greatcoat forcing the closeness.

The softness of the material of his frock coat against her cheek was a
welcome comfort after the morning she had gone through. She smiled at the smell of the damp wool of his greatcoat and the smell of musk that she had thought previously belonged to Daniel. She snuggled in closely as they moved in silence through the trees.

Daniel felt every movement that Penelope made as if there was nothing between them. He had acted on impulse, seeing her distress had removed the usual restraint he clung to when she w
as around. The urge to hold her had haunted him since they had first met and now he had her in his arms and it felt as good as he had imagined. He could not speak for fear of losing control completely and taking advantage of her, even on a horse in the pouring rain.

Daniel brought the horse to a stop outside an estate cottage. He jumped down a
nd then lifted Penelope down, covering her with the greatcoat. He took her hand and led her into the cottage.

“I hope my instructions have been carried out,” he said more to himself as he pushed the door open.
“Ah, good.”

P
enelope had allowed herself to be led without speaking until she entered the cottage. It was obviously empty but there were signs of someone moving in. There were pieces of furniture and the fire was laid. “What are you doing?” She asked when Daniel started to light the fire.

“Do not worry, we are not intruding. There are a few cottages on the estate that were not being used. I asked for them to be made ready so that we could use them for some of the more needy families in the area. There is no point to them lying empty when there is a use for them. No-one is due to move in until next week, so plenty of time to rebuild the fire.”

“Oh.” Penelope did not really know what to say or do, she suddenly felt very cold and shivery.

Luckily, Daniel was able to think for them both. He pulled two chairs in front of the fire and took off his greatcoat, hanging it over the table to dry. “Come here,” he said gently, leading Penelope to the chair nearest the fire. “You will be lucky if you haven’t caught a chill Imp, what were you thinking?”

He took off his frock coat and laid it over the chair. He made Penelope stand. “Your hands are freezing, so let me do this, it will be quicker,” he said before removing her bonnet and quickly undoing the buttons of her pelisse. Once removed he laid it next to his greatcoat before insisting that she put on his frock coat. “It still has my body heat and will help warm you while the fire takes hold.”

Penelope was sat down, while Daniel filled the kettle with fresh water and set it on the stove. He then removed a hip flask from his greatcoat pocket and poured two generous portions of brandy into two cups. “There is no food or drink here, but you need something warm inside you. I will add some hot water to this brandy and it should do the trick.”

Only when the water was heated and Penelope had taken her first sip of the warming drink did Daniel sit next to her. They did not speak for a while, Daniel was making sure that Penelope drank while the drink was still hot. She was grateful for the warmth of the brandy and the heat provided by the frock coat. She felt her fingers and toes begin to tingle as life returned to them and started to wriggle them.

“Feeling better?” Daniel asked, glad that the colour was returning to her face.

“Yes, thank you. I didn’t realise how cold and wet I was,” Penelope replied sheepishly.

“No, you were too busy in your own little world,” Daniel teased, this time confident she would not be upset by his comments.

“Oh that,” Penelope groaned. “Parents,” she offered in explanation.

“Anything I can help with?” Daniel offered.

“My father tends to have notions sometimes that others do not share and objects strongly when I have the opposing viewpoint. He accuses me of not considering my future. It is a conversation that he raises at least once a week and has done for many years, he does not realise that by constantly raising it, I have the opportunity of thinking of little else.” Penelope did not want to go into too much detail, she was not confident enough that their friendship would last if she explained her father’s views.