Just a remainder: Robarte and Mr. Reverale are 2 different characters in this book.
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Penny didn’t know how to react but sit stoically without speaking a word with Mr. Reverale. Though the man sat there quietly as if minding his work, she couldn’t brush the awkwardness around her. Trying to ignore it, she looked outside the window until Quinn’s mansion finally started to come in view.
As the mansion approached closer and closer, the carriage was pulled towards the bridge and Penny couldn’t tell how happy she was. Internally sighing to herself, her eyes finally shifted away from the window to look back inside to find the man who had been staring at her.
How long had he been staring at her? Even after her eyes met his eyes, the man refused to look away from her.
“Why do I feel you haven’t accepted my apology yet?” he asked her, his elbow resting on his leg while the edge of his hand supported his chin. He gave her a smile that looked slightly threatening as if wanting her to know he was much superior to her. As a creature as well as in the term of status.
With the carriage that was nearing the mansion and heading towards the bridge, she gave him a tight smile, “I think we should both put the event that took place behind us. Some things are better to be forgotten don’t you think?” she didn’t want to start any ill fight. She was already aware of the strength of a vampire. The last thing she needed was him trying to behave as if he were superior to her.
The last time the situation had been different. He had not only ridiculed her status but also had looked down upon her, trying to be rude and crass with his words for her. She didn’t regret slapping him one bit and if the opportunity presented itself, she would slap him again with the way he was looking at her right now/ But Penny knew her limits and sometimes it was better not to test it.
She would have to hold herself back for some time until she learned how to turn people into toads.
“Is that so?” she heard Mr. Reverale say, his red eyes looking at her face and not her eyes. She could feel it move across from her cheeks to her lips and then to her neck. Men like him didn’t learn did they, thought Penny to herself. His mouth twisted, as if he were remembering her hand slapping his face, “I must say your slap was very weak.”
Penny’s palm itched hearing this. Was he some kind of masochist who was asking to be slapped again?
Keeping a neutral face she said, “I will be sure to deliver the next one harder if the opportunity ever presented again,” her nails dug into her palms, unable to resist the words from spilling out. The man took no offense but threw his head back to laugh at what she just said.
“You are a funny woman, Lady Penelope,” he stressed the word lady as he addressed her, “I think I now understand why Damien kept you beside him. You are quite an amusing woman,” he said to her.
“I will take it as a compliment,” she smiled back at him.
“Oh, you should. I don’t give out compliments that easily,” his thumb moved up to move across the bottom of his lips with his chin that had gone back to rest on his hand. The carriage slowly started to pull over, the coachman pulling the reins of the horses as they had reached Quinn’s mansion.
Penny who was closer to the door readied herself to step out when the coachman opened the door for them. But Mr. Reverale had other plans. His hand was quick to move forward and block her from stepping out while the coachman waited for them to step out.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Mr. Reverale?” Penny questioned the man whilst keeping her tone polite as she stared at him.
“Actually, yes. I do,” with his other hand he waved his coachman away who went back to the front to stand near the horses, “With you being a former slave, how about you come to my house? I will treat you better than a queen,” he gave her a suggestive look with his eyes roaming around her chest.
With one strong push on his hand, Penny hopped out of the carriage. Mr. Reverale instead of letting the matter go who was entranced and l.u.s.tful for the human girl with green eyes followed her quickly on his heel.
He caught hold of her arm, spinning her to look at him, “I was not done talking to you,” he said with a slight irritation that he couldn’t hold the girl’s attention.
“Maybe not, but I am done talking to you. I appreciate the ride back home here. For your soul, I hope you leave and not treat women as some kind of object. You would not only be doing a favor to the women around you but also to yourself,” Penny’s words were something which excited the man instead of turning him off.
She pried his hand away from her arm by this time the butler had heard the sound of the carriage. Being the one to always greet people as it was his job, he expected it to be Master Damien and Lady Penelope.
Stepping out of the mansion, he caught sight of Lady Penelope who was with another man, who had his hand on her arm. Lady Penelope was cheating on master Damien?! Was the first thought that occurred in Durik’s mind.
On a closer look, it didn’t appear to be the case. Leaning closer and giving his ear he heard the man say,
“Tell me how many gold coins you need? I will give you more than a thousand gold coins,” saying that he stepped closer as if wanting to kiss her but Penny’s hand had already raised.
SLAP!
Penny had not been gentle and had slapped him with all force. Two of the maids who were in the garden witnessed this and stood stunned without any movement.
Mr. Reverale didn’t take her actions too kindly and in a second had his hand wrapped around her neck, choking her. His eyes flared up, his fingers digging into her neck, “Do you think just because you are pretty your actions and words can be forgiven?”
The butler who was witnessing this quickly jumped from behind the large pillar, walking towards them, “Mister, take your hands of the lady before I call Senior Quinn,” his words were firm as he spoke those words. Reverale released Penelope’s neck leaving her to cough.
Reverale didn’t look away from Penny, his eyes fixed on her, he said, “Think about what I said,” Penny could only imagine that something was wrong upstairs in the man’s head. He then looked at the butler when the butler opened his mouth to speak, saying, “Do you want to be sliced into pieces? I come from the family of Reverale’s for you to interrupt me while I am speaking.”
Once the man left in his carriage, the butler turned to look at the lady’s neck that had fingerprints. He could tell that the day was not going to be smooth and soon hell was going to unleash on the land of Bonelake.
