Read Online Never Had a Dream Come True by Jennifer Wenn - Free Book Online Page B

husband. Maybe she should keep that in mind and behave as she had been brought up to do, instead of throwing every caution aside and behaving as she was used to with the Darlings.
    “Oh, look!” Thomas interrupted her thoughts. “There’s your family. Do you want me to call them over?”
    Penny looked across the large room and found her parents and Charmaine in the midst of the cheerful crowd, greeting their friends.
    Her father stood between his ladies, his wife at one arm, his daughter at the other. His booming laughter echoed throughout the room, sounding jovial and kindhearted, as he always appeared among others.
    Lady Nester didn’t look as happy. Penny could see the pain she tried to hide behind a gentle smile, but no one else seemed to notice, as all were concentrated on one thing—Charmaine.
    Her sister looked like a diamond among rocks. Her beauty shone brighter than the sun at midsummer, made even more breathtaking by the little smile she bestowed on an admirer. Everyone surrounding her gawked with a mixture of admiration and envy. No one noticed the strange sorrow hiding deep behind the shiny exterior.
    “No, please don’t,” Penny finally answered Thomas. “They are obviously having a wonderful time with their friends, and I think I would prefer a quiet cup of tea. If you don’t mind?”
    “No, of course not.”
    Thomas gave her one of his kind smiles, and with a wave of his hand he caught the attention of one of the serving wenches. Soon two steaming cups of tea were placed in front of them.
    “I must admit I’m not used to being surrounded by family. I lost my father in a hunting accident fifteen years ago, and my mother died six years later after catching a cold she never recovered from. As I have no siblings, I have spent most of my time alone this last decade, living life in my own head.”
    “Haven’t you felt lonely, having no one to share your life with?”
    Thomas shrugged. “Not really. My house is filled with servants who have known me since I was a little boy, and even though I eat most of my meals in solitude, I tend to use the time to read a good book. My days are usually filled with managing my estate, which is far more time-consuming than for those who employ a supervisor, and most nights I go to bed early. I need my sleep too much to be able to rummage around the countryside, searching for any available party to join.”
    He was a man to admire, Penny thought, as she watched him butter a scone. His devotion to his estate and the people in his care reminded her much of Hannibal Darling, the Duke of Berkeley, a man she held in high esteem. In her eyes, it was just one more thing which made Thomas the perfect choice of husband.
    “But I have a distinct feeling my life is about to change in the year to come.”
    Penny blushed as the meaning of his words dawned on her. “I hope it will be for the better.”
    “Oh, definitely better,” Thomas said, and the smile he bestowed warmed her all the way down to her toes. “I can’t think of anything I would welcome more than this possible change in my life.”
    She wished they had been alone, as she wanted nothing more than to grab his hand from the table next to hers and hold on to it as hard as she could. She knew the Duchess of Berkeley had only had Penny’s best interests in mind when she made Thomas promise to wait until after her first Season, but right now Penny wanted nothing more than to haul him down the aisle of a church and make him hers forever.
    “I too find myself in favor of the future,” she admitted shyly and then laughed out loud when he made a funny face, looking proud as a peacock.
    The serving girl came back to remove their dirty dishes, and while Thomas asked the girl about the well-being of her family, Penny leaned back with a contented sigh and let her gaze roam the crowd on the other side of the room.
    She met the eyes of Charmaine, who stood in the midst of a group of too-admiring beaus, and her sister sent