Free The Roguish Miss Penn by Emily Hendrickson Page A

fetch later. “Although where he comes by all his knowledge I cannot imagine.”
    “There is a morning coach to London with a return the same evening, is there not?” Gisela said innocently.
    “You mean. . . “whispered Katherine, incensed that she had been excluded when Teddy knew how much she longed to go to the theater.
    “I rather suspect so,” Gisela said with a rueful face.
    Katherine was silent while the four made their return trip to the lower floor. The ladies paused in Gisela’s room to freshen up while the two young men continued to the saloon.
    Katherine turned to her new friend. “I worry that the costumes may be damaged seriously beyond repair. I imagine they will get hard usage.”
    “They are merely rotting away in the trunk, my dear,” Gisela said, soothing Katherine’s ruffled feathers with an offer of some lovely cologne.
    When the ladies joined the men, Lord Ramsey ushered Katherine to a chair by the window, inhaling with appreciation. “Quite superior to pond weed.”
    Katherine chuckled at the memory, then gestured toward the pond. “Gabriel makes a return visit. I fancy he longed to come, for he came up to me as we were to enter the cart. Do you suppose that is possible?”
    Ramsey bent over to study the face tilted up at him, fixed her with a warm gaze, and shrugged. “Anything is possible, have you not learned that yet?”
    “Anything?” Katherine made a reflective face, then smiled. “I shall cling to that thought, my lord.”
    “You do that, Miss Penn.”
    “Philip, I am well aware that we all observe the proprieties of society, but do you not think we might call you Philip rather than that odious title all the time?”  Gisela queried.
    He shrugged again. “Only if I may call Miss Penn Katherine. And her brother Teddy, of course.”
    “Naturally,” replied Gisela, looking remarkably smug. “That is settled, then. I shall like that. I get excessively tired of being Mrs. Cheney-ed to death.”
    Sounds heard in the hall indicated that Mr. Penn had decided he had spent quite enough of this day closeted in his lordship’s fine library. By the time he reached the front door, Gisela skimmed along the hall to halt his departure.
    “Join us in the saloon, sir, please do. We have been having such a delightful visit. How pleased I am to make the acquaintance of your children. You have done a very fine job of raising them by yourself. It cannot have been easy for you.”
    Clearly startled to receive the unexpected sympathy, he paused in his steps, obviously reflecting the past years. “You are very kind. I had not considered it as such, but I did have help - my cousin, Sophia.”
    “Ah, yes. She is the lady who longs to return to her garden by the sea.”
    Amazed that Mrs. Cheney had learned so much in such a short time, he permitted himself to be led to the saloon, where they had a good visit.
    Before they left, Gisela said to Mr. Penn, “I fear the gentleman who usually preaches our Sunday sermon has taken ill. Would you consider taking his place? I should very much like to hear you.”
    Evidently flattered at such a request, Mr. Penn nodded graciously and promised to attend to the matter.
    Katherine and Teddy exchanged worried looks. Seated behind, Gabriel honked grandly, having relished his bout with the gardener’s son who had fetched him from the pond.
     

Chapter 5
     
    “Perhaps he will come down with a putrid sore throat and shan’t be able to speak next Sunday?” Katherine said with little hope that her unkind wish might be granted.
    “No such luck,” Teddy muttered in reply as he kicked at a tuft of grass along the riverbank at the foot of the garden behind the Penn house.
    “He has a nice voice,” Katherine said in an attempt to be generous, “and a very elegant mind.”
    “That is what I fear, his elegance of mind. Last time he spoke he had an awful sermon. Nattered on above an hour. Dreadful! I tell you, Kitty, there must be something we can do.” He