6: Surprises And A Few Lies In The Garden

It was dawn when Quinlan left his study and headed for his room. He spent the rest of the early hours sleeping there because it was safer than sharing his room with a wild, wild woman. Although he had sustained a bit of neck pain.

On reaching the door, he hesitated before knocking, somewhat on alert because he didn't want to see what he wasn't prepared for. Who knows if she was naked, waiting for him by this time? He just could not trust her anymore, after last night.

Releasing a puff of breath, he knocked some more, pausing to respond to the greetings of his female servants who were cleaning the hallway and dusting cobwebs off the windows and every other thing that required dusting.

Quinlan wondered why there was no response from Penelope. He took hold of the doorknob and pushed the door gently, trying to peep through the small opening of the door. His maids exchanged weird glances, wondering why he was behaving that way when it was his room.

"Penelope?" Quinlan called out as he popped his head through the door. Contrary to his thoughts, he couldn't find her. And the bed was made like no one had slept on it. Surely she didn't rush to have her bath when she heard his knock?

Or did she leave?

Quinlan averted his gaze to the maid closest to his side, "Dolores, I suppose you cleaned my room already?"

"No, my lord." She too was confused as he was, "I was on my way to come clean it up and then I saw you, so I was waiting until you'll leave."

"And no other servants did?" Quinlan uplifted a brow.

"No, we take turns in tidying up your room and the roaster stated it is my turn today," the maid answered.

"Come take a look," he held the door open and the maid pushed her head in with wandering eyes.

"I suppose my lady cleaned it up, I saw her with a broom earlier," Dolores responded and then stepped backward.

Quinlan blinked in uncertainty. Penelope didn't wait for the maids to come clean up when she woke up, she did the cleaning by herself? Quinlan was astounded. He wondered where she was though.

He walked into the room, locked the door, and stripped naked to go have his bath. For a moment he was wary, looking around everywhere if she might just come out and beg to have his dick in her mouth. The flashback of last night was still so fresh like it happened a minute ago. He could still feel the way she had touched him like her life depended on having him inside of her.

Quinlan hopped into the large wash basin of warm and soapy, perfumed water and put his arms on each side to have his body soaked clean.

Penelope had bathed in this washbasin and made his own bath for him, after adding his perfume to it. He wondered how she would walk around knowing she smelt like him.

Today, his parents would voice out their disappointments regarding his marriage to Penelope. They couldn't hide their hatred towards the whore last night. His mother nearly went mad. But he wasn't a boy anymore. He was a man of Twenty-five and should have had kids if he had married at the age of eighteen. So he had rights to his life without having them butt in.

Quinlan pondered where Penelope was as he finished having his bath and dressed up with the assistance of an under butler.

"Have you seen my lady?" He asked, doing his buttons as she looked at his reflection on the full-length mirror.

"No, my lord," Came the reply.

He left his room and asked some more servants only to be told she was in the garden with Eddard Gallagher, the head meddling butler.

Quinlan headed for the garden and was welcomed with a sight he wasn't expecting. She had the sleeves of her gown rolled up, hands in gardening gloves that were engrossingly trimming edges and grasses with the gardening shears.

"I see you've awoken, my lord," she beamed at him, looking almost innocent. But that enthralling mouth of hers ruined it all.

"What are you doing, Penelope?" Quinlan shot her a serious look. How could she stoop so low to trim his garden when there were servants?

"Gardening, husband. Eddard was showing me around and then I noticed the rose bushes need trimming." Her hands were working professionally as she made this known to him.

Quinlan glared daggers at the butler who immediately faked a cough and turned his head aside, aware of why he was being glowered at.

"You should leave them for the servants, you only just arrived yesterday and you needn't touch anything with those pretty delicate hands of yours," Quinlan stroked his scanty beards, aware everyone was listening to him, "I don't want you sustaining bruises."

"These rose bushes have been neglected by your servants, my lord. Just let me carry on, you'll see the magic soon." Penelope still had her mouth curved upward. Although Quinlan didn't want to find anything interesting about her, he couldn't deny that mouth of hers could do a lot of nasty things.

He got a grip of himself immediately and cleared his throat. "How about breakfast?" He asked, making his way into the garden because it felt like if he stayed where he was, his servants would be suspicious.

Penelope stopped, kept the gardening shears aside, and went to meet him.

"You can have breakfast alone, I can't leave these rose bushes until I'm done," she discarded the gardening glove off her right hand, and then stretched the hand to touch his cheek.

Quinlan knew this was an act, but it rendered him unsettled. He wasn't expecting her to touch his face like that. And now she was smiling at him with those brown eyes clouded in velvety warmth. Her bow-shaped lips were pale-brown, looking different from when she wore lip gloss on them yesterday.

Quinlan swallowed hard and this made Penelope withdraw her hand. She wondered if she had Side-stepped her boundaries because she noticed how he tick his jaw as his gray eyes had the shade of a dark cloud. Ever since she got turned down last night, she was beginning to accept the fact that Quinlan would never touch her, although a part of her still wanted it.

"You should go, my lord. Have breakfast without me."

Quinlan nodded and then turned his back to her immediately. He didn't like the way Cecile completely wore out his mind since this morning. Call him a fool, but he wasn't willing to forget about his first love so soon.

Just then he remembered the meddling butler was still there, asking Penelope if he could take over the gardening so she could join him, but she declined.

"You," he directed this to Eddard Gallagher, went to his side, and hooked the meddling butler by his collar.

"Are you still mad at me, my lord?" Eddard shivered because he knew he was going to get yelled at. "Oh, save me, my lady," he said to Penelope who was wearing her gardening glove back.

She made to speak but Quinlan held up his free hand to silence her.

"You're coming with me," he told the butler and then pulled him along with him out of the garden.

"I suppose lord Quinlan doesn't treat his servants like this, will he relieve Eddard of his duties?" Penelope asked the remaining servants and it was only one who responded.

"No, my lady. Eddard would only get yelled at and cautioned. But Lord Quinlan would never fire him. He's really kind and considerate."

"I see," Penelope breathed out and then carried on with what she was doing.

"My lady," the second maid rushed to meet her, looking flushed and scared at once.

"Larissa Hawksworth, is it?" Penelope snapped her head to face the maid.

"Yes, my lady. You remember it quite well," the maid avoided Penelope's eyes and weaved the end of her hair.

"Is there something you'd like to ask me, Larrisa?"

"Yes, my lady," Larissa blushed some more, and her round body shivered a little, "how did you meet lord Quinlan?"

Penelope raised her head to see a few maids hiding at some corner. Even an under-butler was with them. They had gossiped about her.

"I'm sorry if this doesn't settle well with you, considering your er.. previous job," the maid blurted out, "please don't tell lord Quinlan. I'll leave now." Fear and regret were evident on her face.

"Well, my dear. There's nothing to feel ashamed of. You see, Quinlan visited the Pleasure house once, and paid for my services. Of course, I rode him to all hell and back.." Penelope paused and chuckled when the maid gasped and then blushed furiously. She was red like a tomato in the garden.

"Thereafter, he visited the Pleasure house frequently because of me. Our intimacy formed a connection between us before it blossomed into true love," Penelope lied some more, while the maid bubbled with giggles.