A Penny's Worth of Affection

CHAPTER 4-THOUGHTS AND ASSUMPTIONS

                CHAPTER FOUR

       THOUGHTS AND ASSUMPTIONS

In all his thirty years, no one had spoken to him that way, not even his mother. He stared at the minuscule woman who was walking-no, limping away with a sense that he had been soundly put in his place... Him! Bested by a mere slip of a woman who barely came up to his shoulder? He shook his head slowly, as if to ascertain that he was not dreaming, then glanced towards where she had disappeared into the ballroom, a fresh wave of boiling rage sweeping through his entire being. The wench would learn not to cross him in future, he would make sure of that soon enough. He rubbed absently at the spot where her tiny finger had jabbed at his chest, scowling at the lingering scent of her, a fragrant mix of jasmine and lemon that seemed to have embedded itself in his nostrils.

The annoying woman had gotten under his skin somehow and he thoroughly disliked the feeling, yet something about her words rang true, and he knew she had meant every syllable of the threat. The thought made him grimace in distaste. He was hardly finished with her though. Not until he discovered exactly what her whelp of a sibling had to do with Jane.

"Foolish girl," he muttered, "she will come crawling to beg me sooner or later." He’d much rather have it sooner though, for patience was not one of his virtues, and he needed to be done with this as soon as possible to return back to London. He still did not know what had possessed him to attend the ball, for he had had no intention of doing so up until an hour ago when Jane had casually mentioned that all of the Millcote gentry would be present at the function.

A flutter of fabric caught his eye. It was the shawl Miss Inglewood had worn draped over her shoulders, caught on a branch. He reached for it, sniffing as the scent of the owner wafted over him as he curled the delicate fabric in his left hand, bringing it to his nose to sniff once more before tucking it into the pocket of his coat. Right. It was time to leave this hideously boring ball and return to his home where he intended to indulge in a few glasses of brandy for the rest of the night, but first, he had to retrieve his errant fiancée.

He turned and took a few steps back to the spot he had come upon the two women talking earlier. He found Jane seated on a garden bench staring out at the cool evening sky. She stiffened when he came to stand before her.

"Get your coat, we leave immediately," he instructed coldly, "that is if you are done with your rendezvous of course."

She looked up at him, a quick flash of intense dislike flitting over her face. "But we have been here barely an hour. It would be rude to just..."

"Unless you wish to walk all the way home, I strongly suggest you go fetch your coat. I will not wait long."

She gave a defeated sigh and rose to do as he ordered. "Whatever you wish." She avoided looking at him as she swept past him, walking quickly for she knew he was perfectly capable of doing as he had threatened. He followed her into the ballroom, intending to wait by the front door while his carriage was summoned.

*****

"Where have you been, Penny?" Lucy exclaimed the minute she spotted Penny. "We came back with the lemonade but Fiona said you had gone out to the garden."

"I went in search of you." Penny replied, hoping her face did not betray her current state of agitation. She resumed her seat, forcing herself to remain calm for she did not wish to arouse inquiries of any kind. "You were a long time at the refreshment tables so I assumed you had gone out for a walk."

Lucy shook her head in the negative and handed over a glass of lemonade which Penny accepted gratefully, downing the contents in one gulp. "Oh no, the drinks at the table were horribly tepid so Henry suggested we go to the kitchens for a fresh batch instead. Are you all right? You look flushed."