All Chapters of Punished by the Duke: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

~Penny~Thirteen more hours. I had thirteen long hours to wait before we reached Mountbatten. I would have to run before Leo took me over to Lawrence. There was no way I could ever tell him about the baby... if there was a baby.Leo never came inside me. I was probably panicking for nothing. I did have delayed periods in the past, sometimes I think. I might have developed seasickness over time. Was that a thing, to be completely fine on the sea for days and---"Er, My Lady, let's take a step back." Lucy's words cut through my thoughts."Huh?" I forgot I was in the kitchen with her."The milk. It was too hot when you added that ginger.""Oh..." I looked down at the saucepan to see the disaster boiling away gloriously. Lucy gave me a recipe for ginger posset, something she claimed to be wonderful during colder weather. It just needed milk, ginger, honey, and nutmeg to be mixed in four easy, straightforward steps. And I fucked up step one.I looked over the recipe again. Lucy had clearly

~Penny~"Look at me, Penny." His deep, commanding voice made my body burn from the inside out. My legs were weak from the lingering orgasm, but he didn't give me a chance to recover. His hands ran down the curve of my back, yanking on my dress as my body bounced on the bed."Please..." I begged him to hurry up, too scared to use my fingers."Show me that pussy," he ordered, spreading my knees with his.He undid his pants and flung them toward the door, his stormy gray eyes devouring my breasts and my wet heat. His gaze lingered a beat longer on my stomach, making me nervous. I instinctively covered it with my hands. Was he able to tell it wasn't as flat anymore?Yanking my hands away, he lowered his head, peppering my midriff with kisses. When his mouth found the hollow of my navel and his tongue laved the delicate curve, I threw my legs across his back, tugging his face closer."Oh my god, please, yes, suck on my skin, just like that, just like that...fuck!" I gripped his hair and roc

~Penny~I didn't know what came up in me to tell him this. I just wanted to stop the guard from clarifying about the meeting with Alice. But the flicker of longing in Leo's eyes and how he looked at me as if we hadn't seen each other for days, even when it was just one night, pulled me towards him like a magnet.Until then, a fierce internal battle was raging within me, my mind screaming at me to flee Mountbatten as soon as possible. But my heart craved his comfort and solace, his familiar warmth. It yearned to share the news about the child growing inside me."What? Leo, is this true?"His mom exclaimed before I even had a chance to process Leo's reaction. When I told him about the baby, his face crumpled as if it were the last thing he ever wanted from me. "It's just one of her new moves to force you to keep her here, isn't it, Leo? Say something!""What the fuck Leo?" His dad roared. "Can you not fuck this up any more than it already is?""Do you believe all this, Ian?" His mom aske

~Penny~"You are with child, aren't you?" Lucy's voice was sharp as I doubled over the train's wash basin, consumed by nausea.She pressed a cool glass of water into my shaking hands. She then reached out, her fingers hovering near my growling stomach. I recoiled, flinching away from her unwelcome touch and probing gaze."Is it the Duke's? Or perhaps the Prince's?"I wondered how she knew about my supposedly secret affair with Lawrence. "I'm not pregnant." My voice was hoarse. "You said you were seasick the entire way back from that cold godforsaken town. Today, you threw up the minute we stepped out of that buggy. And now, ten minutes into the train ride, you are pale and heaving again. Boy, we have a long way to go.""As I said, I am not... with child, I mean. I just feel overwhelmed. I ran away from the man who swore to protect me, and we pushed an unconscious guard off a moving carriage---""You can't fool me, Penny," she said in a firm voice. "I was a nurse for several years befo

~Penny~My chest tightened to the point that I couldn't breathe in terror. Out of all the possible ways it could have played out with Lawrence, this was the worst case scenario. I fled from Leo and Mountbatten to protect my baby, only to lose it within hours. I jeopardized Mabel's safe return, still had no idea if Ben was alive, and even Lucy's life was at risk now.Lucy tried to free me from Lawrence's relentless grip, but he sent her stumbling over onto a large boulder that jutted out from the side of the path. My heart raced as I watched her arms flail over the moss-covered dark rock. Please, God, please... I cried, praying desperately to keep her unharmed. Her kindness toward me could cost her her life today. She would have never come to Grafton if not for me. As she attempted to stand, one of the guards slapped her hard across the jaw.She pressed her lips together in defiance, glaring at Lawrence. Releasing me from his cruel grasp, he sneered at her. She was unbothered by his int