Page 7 of The Pleasure in Persuasion

Chapter Three

“Your children certainly have grown since the last time I saw them,” Frederick said to his sister, Penelope, the following afternoon.

The two were seated on a bench beneath the shade of an oak tree in her well-tended garden, watching her three oldest children playing on the lawn, while her youngest, two-year-old Jasper, burbled nonsense from her lap.

“They certainly have,” Penelope said. “Gretchen just turned ten this summer, and never have I met a more headstrong, opinionated girl.” An affectionate smile plumped her freckled cheeks, and her dark blue eyes twinkled with pride. “I have exceedingly high hopes for her.”

Frederick chuckled, gazing out at the children. “And what about Willie?” he asked, as his oldest nephew chased his sisters across the grass and through the hedgerows. “Is he as headstrong as Gretchen?”

“Oh, no. Willie is my introspective child. He questions everything and will not rest until he finds the answer. And Cathy is my bookworm chatterbox. She can be quite shy, but once she knows you, she’ll talk both your ears off if you let her.”

Frederick nodded. “I experienced that for myself at breakfast. She taught me more than I thought there was to know about the classifications of rocks.”

Penelope laughed, her arms tightening around Jasper as her shoulders shook with mirth. “Welcome to my world, Freddy. Welcome to my world.”

He smiled, his gaze falling on his little nephew with the wispy brown curls and dimpled cheeks. “Jasper looks a lot like your William, doesn’t he?”

Penelope had given the Darrington blue eyes and coal-black hair to all her children save Jasper, who had inherited his father’s green eyes and light brown locks.

“Yes, he does,” she said, looking down at her son. “He looks more like his father every day, it seems. Sometimes this look will come across his face, a stubborn look that reminds me of William whenever he was close to losing an argument.” Her smile faded a bit and her eyes grew misty.

“I’m sorry, Pen,” Frederick said, reaching over to lay a hand on her arm. “It isn’t fair, William leaving you like he did.”

It was an odd way of phrasing it, he knew, as if William’s absence was of his own doing, instead of an unfortunate accident involving his horse. But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say that William had died. It felt kinder, somehow, to say that he’d left.

Whether it was kinder to himself or to his sister, he didn’t know.

“It isn't fair, no,” Penelope said with a sniffle. “It’s been over a year, though, Freddy. I feel as though my days of crying ought to have ended by now.”

Her gaze flitted to his, searching yet vulnerable, and Frederick knew what she wanted to hear.

“That’s silly, Pen. William was your husband, and you loved him.” He squeezed her arm. “You mourn for him as long as you need to, hm?”

A grateful smile turned her lips. “Thank you. I needed to hear that.”

She looked down at her son and kissed his cheek before bouncing him on her knee, which earned an ear-splitting peal of joyous baby giggles.

Frederick couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“I’ve missed you, you know,” she said a moment later, and though she was looking at Jasper, Frederick knew the words were for him. “I’m so glad you’re here, even if there was an ulterior motive to your visit.”

Frederick’s stomach sank with dread, and he shifted uneasily in his seat. Penelope had granted him a reprieve yesterday, but apparently that reprieve had come to an end.

“A married woman, Freddy?” Her gaze met his, the weight of her stare cumbersome. “What on earth were you thinking?”

“An unhappily married woman,” he said, though he knew it would make not a bit of difference to her, nor should it. Unhappy or not, Serena was married, and he knew trifling with her was wrong, but he’d done it anyway.

“Married is married,” Penelope said firmly. “And you were raised to comport yourself with decency and honor.”

He sighed. His sister always had known just how to twist the knife.

“I know that,” he grumbled.

She raised one brow.

“I know, Pen,” he repeated.

“Then why did you do it?”