Chapter 294: Attack (1)
Alessandra sent Erin off and then returned to where the girls sat as though they had not been eavesdropping. Everyone, including Melody, pretended to be innocent, but they were far from it.
"We shall not speak of this," said Alessandra.
"We won’t," Penelope promised.
"Can I have dresses from Erin again?" Isabelle asked.
Alessandra raked her fingers through Isabelle’s now messy hair, which was filled with grass. "I have yet to decide. Give me a moment to think it over. I have already sent for a dressmaker to prepare dresses for you and Lily."
"We should eat the biscuits before they get cold," Melody said, picking up a biscuit from the pile her nieces made.
At first touch, there was something odd about the biscuits. Still, Melody placed it in her mouth to take a bite and came to the horrifying conclusion about the biscuits.
Melody didn’t take a bite of the biscuit, in fear that she would lose her teeth.
"It is why our father said he could throw them. Was it too much flour?" Lily wondered, looking at Penelope.
"Perhaps it is how long we baked them for, but they aren’t so black. I thought they were a nice golden brown," Penelope said, picking up one of the biscuits to hit it against the plate. "I should save one for Tyrion."
Lily worried for Tyrion’s life. "It wouldn’t be good for you to kill the prince. He might choke on the biscuits. Wouldn’t it be better if we gave a little piece to Elijah and stopped him from having water?"
"Lily," Alessandra said in a warning tone. "You will not do such a thing to your brother. You must give him a break."
Melody set the biscuit back down. "Unfortunately, a good smile helps with my work. I would have taken a bite of the biscuit if not for this fact."
"You are an awful liar, Aunt Melody. Still, I agree that no one should eat the biscuits. We thought we had done so well and were going to try making bread to feed the ducks, but then we would have duck for dinner," said Lily.
"I don’t think father would be pleased if you ruin the pond he made for our mother. You can come to my home so we can try baking there. There are plenty of guards to try our food, and they never say no to what I ask them," Penelope said, eager to try again.
Lily stared at her clueless sister and said, "They don’t say no because they fear your husband. I will visit your home soon because I am curious how your husband commands his knights."
"There is nothing to see," Penelope said, lying on the soft blanket.
Penelope closed her eyes to rest again, but she listened to the conversations around her.
Three hours later, the men returned.
Penelope was eager to see if Tyrion was still in one piece.
"I didn’t realise before how much I missed our times sneaking out of the estate to have fun. Is it still something you would do now?" Lily asked Penelope in a soft voice.
"Go to gamble?" Penelope asked, sneaking a glance at Tyrion. "It is not something I seek to do anymore. I got caught last time and would have needed to use my gun if not for Tyrion. We can do something fun that doesn’t entail my husband becoming angry."
Lily pouted. "You have become boring."
"No," Penelope replied, shaking her head. "I have come to learn that now that I am married, those risky games will affect my husband and worry him. If I am caught gambling, I shall never hear the end of it from the townspeople. I must be careful."
"I understand," Lily said, not angry with Penelope. "I do miss the fun we once had together."
"We can still have fun, but in a safer way. You should visit me tomorrow," Penelope said, her mind filled with ideas of how to have fun. "It will be like the old days, but in a home where I make all the rules."
"That does sound fun already. Are you certain it will be fine? Tyrion stares at you like he wishes to keep you to himself," Lily noticed.
"It is how he always looks when we have been away from each other. I will send a carriage for you tomorrow if we do not stay in the palace long. I promise we shall have fun," Penelope said, sticking out her pinky finger.
"We must, and you must come here so we can trouble Elijah together. Rue told me of her plans to go riding with Elijah," Lily whispered.
Lily wasn’t going to miss the chance to tease Elijah about having a lady he liked.
"Then, I will return here soon. I must leave now so we can get to the palace on time," Penelope said, bidding goodbye to Lily.
Penelope left Lily’s side and went to Tyrion. She inspected his appearance for any signs of Tyrion being in a fight.
"You are back just as you left. Does this mean you have taken the time to bond with each other?" Penelope asked, peering at her father to check for bruises.
"We did bond," Tyrion replied.
Something in Penelope’s hair caught Tyrion’s attention, and after looking further, he noticed that it was grass.
Tyrion picked the grass from Penelope’s hair and flicked it away. "It seems you had a good time rolling around in the garden. Does this mean that you no longer feel ill?"
"I have felt better since this morning. I did have a good time here. I thought I removed all of the grass," Penelope said, picking at her hair. "It is time for us to go. I feel as though I did not get enough time with you, father. Would you come to our home next time?"
"I will," Edgar agreed. "Stay out of trouble."
Penelope wondered if her father had somehow overheard Lily asking for them to sneak out at night. He always claimed to know when she was guilty of something.
"I always stay out of trouble," Penelope said, playing innocent.
Edgar didn’t fall for it. "Stay out of trouble. Both of you," he said, staring right at Lily as she came close.
"I don’t get into trouble," Lily said, smiling in hopes it would distract her father. "Not anymore."
"Whatever you two are up to, don’t do it," Edgar advised the pair.
"How did he know?" Penelope whispered.
"Know what?" Tyrion asked, curious about what Edgar figured out. "What trouble were you planning to get yourself into?"
"Oh look!" Penelope pointed into the distance.
Tyrion didn’t take his eyes off of Penelope. Whatever was outside couldn’t be more important than her.
Penelope slowly lowered her hand since the distraction didn’t work. "We must go," she said.