"I also know that you don’t want to put your parents in a position where they have to explain your absence to the court. Then your brother will be tasked with taking your place. It is so much more than you dropping everything for ," said Penelope.
Penelope continued, "I will admit that part of feels good that you like so much you would leave the throne behind, but I don’t see a future where you leave the palace or I enter it. You should court soone else."
"No," Tyrion objected.
Penelope frowned. "Why not? I have given you my answer."
"I don’t want to give up. I will court you like every man in town will do and win you over. Besides, is there anyone better than to marry you?" Tyrion asked, knowing there wasn’t.
"You’re being very cocky right now," Penelope muttered.
"I prefer for the word confident to be used, and you know it is true. You saw tonight that many of the bachelors in town are after your father’s wealth. Why be bothered by them when you can have ?" Tyrion asked.
"I would rather have none of you, and it is quite possible. My father says we don’t need to marry if we don’t want to. He has prepared a great sum of money for each of us and has plenty of hos around the town for us to pick one," Penelope shared.
Penelope loved that her father was so well prepared to give them the freedom to choose their future. This freedom was what she wanted to keep.
Tyrion expected nothing less from Edgar. While many fathers were listening to offers for their daughters’ hands, Edgar was finding ways to stop his children from getting married.
"Your father seems to be one of the obstacles in the way of courting you. The border could use his help-"
"Tyrion!" Penelope gasped.
Tyrion laughed. "I am only joking. If I send your father away, I know you would hate forever. Besides, Duke Edgar has turned down every suggestion that he go to the border. When your brother’s na ca up, I heard your father almost massacred the court."
"As he should," Penelope agreed with her father’s reaction. "Your father is also close to the leaders of the border, so why bother my father? Many try to say my father is always an or rude, but it is others who bother him. He is very wonderful when left alone."
"He is. That is why I am careful with what I say around him. I do wonder now if I let him know that I saved you, would it place well above the other suitors?" Tyrion asked, seriously considering it.
"It would place you at the bottom for . Go on and waste your ti courting . Do not bother in the future saying that I wasted your ti," Penelope replied, once again looking out the carriage.
"I’m going to rember this mont well for the future, Penelope. It’s going to be fun for us to look back on one day. I have been quiet from the start of the season, but now I will be quite loud for your hand. Prepare yourself," Tyrion advised Penelope.
Penelope didn’t have an answer this ti. Instead, she watched the lands they passed by until they reached the Collins estate.
"Here is good enough. Beyond this point is my father’s land, even though the gates are up there. Thank you for tonight. I am sure you will not let forget it, but I am still grateful you escaped the palace for a mont. I owe you," Penelope said.
Tyrion opened the carriage door before the palace guard ca around and stepped out to offer his hand to Penelope. "You don’t owe ," he replied.
"How odd. I thought you would have taken the chance to have et with you," Penelope said, accepting his hand out of the carriage.
"I am the crown prince. If I want you to et with , I can put out a royal order. I don’t want you at my side because you felt you owed . Goodnight, Penelope," Tyrion said, lifting her hand to leave a kiss.
Tyrion let go of her hand and stepped back into the carriage before he could be attacked by the Collins’ guards.
Penelope stood still, watching as the carriage left her. Again, she knew there was going to be trouble coming from Tyrion courting her.
She looked down at her hand.
"Penelope?"
Penelope’s eyes widened. She slowly turned around to look at the guard who called out her na. "Uncle Caleb."
"What? Why are you out here so late?" Caleb Chambers, a personal guard to the Duchess, questioned, exiting the gates in ti to see the carriage. "That is a royal carriage. Who were you riding around with? The prince? The king?"
Caleb touched Penelope’s face, turning it to the right and then to the left.
"Please stop," Penelope pleaded. "I am fine. I was given a ride ho, and now here I am."
"You’re trying to get your father to kill , aren’t you?" Caleb asked.
Penelope shook her head. "No. You’ve been saying that for years, yet he’s never tried to kill you. Besides, you’re my mother’s guard, so why would you get in trouble for this? Can you pretend you didn’t see the carriage?"
"No," Caleb firmly replied. Edgar had to know everything. "I am not the only guard here."
"How odd. I thought you were the fun twin, but it turns out Reed is the fun one. It is cold, so I would like to return inside," Penelope said, slipping around Caleb.
"I’m more fun than that fool. I heard what happened at the ball, so now is not the ti for you to be sneaking off the estate. You can find yourself in danger. At least keep your guards at your side," Caleb advised Penelope.
"I won’t be sneaking off anymore. It has lost its fun. Say hello to Aunt Sally and the others if you are going ho," Penelope said, waving goodbye.
Caleb shook his head. He thought Elijah would be the troubleso one, but it was turning out to be Penelope.
Caleb remained at the gates to watch Penelope go inside before he headed off to be with his family.
Penelope took a stroll up to the front doors, taking in the view of the night sky. When she opened the front doors, she poked her head inside to see that the view was clear.
There was no one around. Not even the butler, Gerald.
"I made it," Penelope smiled.
"Penelope?"
"Mother," Penelope straightened up, turning to her right to look at her mother. "You are up late."
"And you were out late," Alessandra said, walking toward the door. "Did all of you sneak out again?"
Alessandra was calm until she opened the door more and realised her other children were not present. "Please don’t tell that you snuck out alone."
Penelope kept her mouth shut to follow her mother’s wishes.
Alessandra pinched the bridge of her nose.
"I’m sorry," Penelope apologised. "Must you tell father?"
"If I don’t, he will hear it from the guards who spotted you, and I don’t want to keep it a secret from him. We will speak of this in the morning. Go to bed," Alessandra said, sending Penelope off.
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