“I will see you soon,” said Caitlin before following the butler without offering a word to the two men she had come along with. Alexander appeared to go back to his own room leaving Damien and Penny alone.
Damien walked forward to pull Penny in his embrace, “What are you doing?” she whispered, her eyes looking left and right to see if someone had caught them and in time a maid who appeared out of the door to only turn and go back in when Damien leaned forward to kiss Penny on her lips.
“I missed you,” he whispered against her lips. His lips pecked the tip of her nose making her smile. Damien was glad to see she wasn’t escaping from his hands and was welcoming him no matter where and what time they were together.
“I missed you too, cat,” she responded back to him before correcting herself, “Wait, not cat. You are a wolf.”
Damien circled his arms around Penny’s waist, “Call me anything you want,” moving one hand away from her waist, he used it to move the single strand of her hair that was near her temple.
“Peasant too?”
“Except that,” he answered, happy to see her like this, safe in his arms. It wasn’t that Damien hoped but knew that he would give Penny the peaceful life she deserved and he would be there to experience it beside her. Once they sort out the necessary danger, like her mother out of the picture, Damien had promised himself to take Penny somewhere far and quiet where there would be no one to disrupt the life they would have built together.
“Look at the two love birds chirping in the middle of the hall. Was the bedroom not enough?” Elliot commented as he pulled out the maid who had been standing in the dining room waiting for the Lord’s cousin and the lady to walk away from there as if she had seen nothing. But Elliot, who was walking first spotted the maid who had a coat of blush on her face and he couldn’t resist but tease by pulling the girl.
Damien didn’t let go of Penny and continued to hold her waist, “Bedroom is never enough,” Penny elbowed Damien’s side hearing this, not wanting him to shoutout what he had in his mind in regards to this matter.
Elliot wiggled his eyebrows at Penny before sending her a wink, as he continued to pull the maid along with him, “You both love birds have been busy in the hall that she was scared to walk past you both,” by this time even Sylvia who was in the other room had appeared along with Isaiah.
The red-haired man let the maid’s hand go but Sylvia’s expression turned slightly dull when she saw Elliot catching hold of the maid’s hand in his.
“We’ll be mindful next time,” Penny apologized to them, but not missing the look that Sylvia had which vanished in a blink of an eye making one think if it was only their imagination. After spending some days here and conversing with both Elliot and Sylvia, Penny somewhere came to the conclusion that maybe Sylvia did like Elliot but Elliot being a frivolous man who touched and held a woman without meaning anything didn’t share the same feelings as her which was why Sylvia never reacted to his advances.
As if she had seen nothing, she joined everyone in the dining room and after some time, Caitlin appeared in the room who took a seat next to Sylvia which was spare. Having a round of introduction, Penny saw how the table was a little full.
It reminded her of the words Sylvia had spoken about Alexander. About him living his life alone without anyone directly close to him right now who was living here or around in Valeria.
While they were eating, Penny leaned close to Damien, “Why did she look mad earlier. What did you do?” her voice was meant to come out quiet and maybe it would have if people at the table were speaking instead of concentrating on their food.
“Just the usual. I thought she would be used to it,” Damien replied back.
Penny’s eyebrows furrowed together in question, “Used to what?”
Though the others heard it, none of them answered but they were sure interested in what it might be as Elliot, Sylvia and also the black witch, Isaiah decided to lend their ear closer to the conversation.
Though Caitlin appeared much calmer right now than when they had arrived, and she hadn’t spoken much at the table and was instead busy eating her food, picking up one food after another as it had been years since she had had a decent meal.
Penny was still waiting for Damien along with the rest when Damien said,
“We had a bit of scene in the slave establishment,” he sliced the tender meat with his fork and knife that was on his plate, “Just some loss of fingers and broken bones.”
All of it happened in forty minutes?
“Was it the warden?” there was a tinge of excitement in Penny’s voice as she asked him.
Alexander who had been quiet was the one to answer her, “More than the warden. There were some guards who got involved in it. I wouldn’t be too surprised if I get a letter in two days about it. Or if Nicholas gets one,” the Lord of Valeria picked up the glass of wine, sipping it like it wasn’t a big deal.
When the meal was done, Penny searched for Caitlin who was in her room without wanting to go out at the fear of someone spotting her. Penny knocked on the door to hear Caitlin say,
“Come in.”
Turning the knob, Penny stepped inside the room to see the woman who was sitting on the bed in front of the fireplace. The woman appeared to be much more approachable and friendly since the first time they had shared the cell room together.
“Come sit, Penelope,” Penny could tell something was really different. She took a seat next to her, the bed dipping down as she made herself comfortable.
“I apologize for bringing you here so abruptly,” Penny started with an apology as the last time they had met Caitlin had been clear enough to refuse the opportunity to step out.
“No worries. I gave it some thought after you left and got one,” the woman pointed out her jaw to show the bruise that had formed on her face, “Maybe it would be good to frame my uncle and aunt than I run and hide forever from them. It might also save many lives.”
Penny was glad to hear this, at least the woman was not angry about being forced to leave the slave establishment.
