Mrs. Keith looked at Penny with her eyes filled with doubt not because she felt like the fact was hidden from her because the girl didn’t appear to look like a slave girl. Over the decades that had passed, she had seen enough slaves know one if their status was leveled up from one position to another. The slaves usually held marks and if it wasn’t marked on the bodies, it was the marks in their minds which they carried with themselves even after they stopped being slaves.
It was because the slaves were never treated well. Most of the people who brought slaves to their homes, it was for their own greed or to impart the cruelness in their minds. She hadn’t heard about Damien buying a slave and even if he did buy the girl named Penelope, it was a shocker.
A few years ago, one of his friends Meredith Hopkins had been killed by a slave boy whom she had entrusted the mansion and herself. Taking care of the boy like a younger brother as she had no siblings of her own. Those were sad times, even sadder than buying slaves because where there was a possibility of improving the relationsh.i.p.s between an owner and the slave, the trust had been broken. The people of the higher society who had slaves and who bought them never ever came to believe with that simple incident as words always spread like a fire in the dried forest.
She knew the boy would have never bought a slave for himself just for the sake of it, making her wonder again if this girl who stood amongst them with her head held high if she was truly a slave as the others perceived her to be.
Lady Helen came to the rescue of Penelope, her words kind, “Lady Penelope is one of us now and she’s not a slave anymore. Though I must say I feel very sorry for you. I have heard so many things about the establishment on how they treat the slaves. It must have been quite hard for you,” the young girl offered her a pity smile.
“Thank you for your concerned words, Lady Helen,” Penny thanked the young girl. With the eyes on her right now, she didn’t want to cause any trouble or a scene which she wasn’t that fond of.
“Helen is always such a good girl in diffusing the situation,” the man said, patting the girl’s pat and not taking into account that it was her who had put Penny in the spotlight and not the whiny woman.
The woman smiled back in agreement, “You will make a wonderful wife, Helen. How odd that a young lady as yourself has not found a suitor yet.”
“Oh, it isn’t that, Mrs. Raver. I have already found the man but I am only waiting for him. Or was waiting for him,” Helen tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear shyly while saying this and looking down before looking up at the woman.
“What do you mean by wait? He must be a stupid bloke to not know what a gem you are,” Penny could tell that both Helen and Mrs. Raver bonded well with each other. They made an excellent team of pompousness. Just that one was coy while the other was a bumbling idiot.
Helen continued to smile, “He must be stupid,” she agreed, “I mean, why would he choose someone beneath his feet when there’s a better choice for him. I have been making time for him but here he is deciding to go with a mutt. I even wrote him letters.”
“My! Is she bad? Don’t feel bad, Helen, dear. I am sure you will find a better suitor,” Mrs. Raver tried to pacify the girl.
Penny took the opportunity to speak now, “Lady Helen, did you receive his reply back? If he hasn’t it only means he isn’t interested. Perhaps you were mistaken by his words?” she tilted her head in question.
Lady Helen stared back at Penny, “He did,” Now that was a heap of garbage which the girl was spouting. Maybe if it was someone else in Penny’s place they would have believed but Penny knew it was false.
“Then I think you must demand the man for your attention. What do you say, Sylvia?” she turned to Sylvia and the woman didn’t know what exactly was going on but she slowly nodded her head. Clearly they were speaking about Mr. Quinn here, “I believe if the person is worth it, you should go for it.”
“Then I would need you to step aside,” Lady Helen said, staring at her, her red eyes looked down upon her if it was possible as she was shorter than Penny in height, “Aren’t you acting a little coy, Lady Penelope? First, you have Mr. Quinn turn you to a lady and then you have the audacity to go close to him wanting to take over Quinn’s work and have it in your name,” Helen looked at her as if she was disgusted at Penny.
Take over what?
A little chatter started to form as the girl put doubts in everyone’s mind on Penelope’s character.
“I don’t know what you’re implying, milady,” Penny responded back to her false allegation, “One shouldn’t tell lies. I have no interest in Damien’s family money.”
“What a disgraceful lady you are. Calling my truth to be lies,” Helen replied back to her.
Mrs. Raver who had no direct business in the matter stepped into the conversation between Penelope and Helen to comment, “If you have turned to a lady you must have left the mansion but you leaching on him right now only shows that you are waiting for him to spend more on you.”
“You aren’t fit for him,” Lady Helen pressed her lips, trying to keep her thoughts to herself which was building up in her mind, “You don’t belong here,” she added with a kind smile still placed on her face.
“If it is Mr. Quinn, I am sure all we need to do is remind who this girl is,” stated Mrs. Raver, winding the black fur around her arm, “His mother would have been truly disappointed. How ashamed would the soul be to know what is going on? I knew her personally and she would pick you Helen and not this low-status girl,” Mrs. Keith only continued to watch on the sidelines like many others, observing the girl and watching how she was handling the situation in regards to her character.
“Mrs.Raver,” Penelope turned to the woman, “Damien and I like each other, and if two people like each other there is no space for a third person like you or a fourth person like Lady Helen.”
The woman was unhappy with what Penelope spoke, upset almost, “Do you think just because you are no more a slave you can speak to us like that?”
“No,” said Penny, pausing herself for a second, “For people who are ‘whispering’ and don’t have the gall to speak loudly. It only shows that they are trying to hide this matter they are ashamed of being caught on.”
