Before Liars Loved (Before Series, Book 3)

Arrangements

For most of dinner, Leo had been trying to determine how people as uptight as the Duke and Duchess of Warwick had spawned a daughter like Lady Penelope.

All three of them were exceptionally courteous and kind, but where the duke and duchess presented as a tad bit stuffy and, well, uninteresting, Lady Penelope was wholly engaging.

Currently, she was describing the recent exhibit at the National Gallery, her eyes bright as the candles reflected their glow across her face. Leo had to admit it. She had a lovely face—large, luminous blue eyes, a little button nose, and a warm smile. Her auburn hair curled gently around her features, framing them.

"Lord Farrington," she began, drawing Leo's attention to the conversation.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Have you visited the continent?" she asked, and Leo was shocked to see genuine interest in her eyes. She wasn't asking questions just for the sake of talking, as it was with many debutantes that Leo had met.

Leo cleared his throat. "Why, yes, I have. Are you familiar with Lord Trotten?"

"What a silly question," Lady Penelope retorted with a dry laugh. "Who in London is not familiar with Lord Trotten?"

Leo nearly choked on the wine he'd just drank, attempting to gulp it past the laughter stuck in his throat. This slip of a woman was as direct as they come. "Right," Leo managed to get out. "Well, he spent several years on the continent after we graduated from Cambridge. I visited him in Italy one summer."

Lady Penelope tilted her head to the side, taking a delicate bite of lamb as she did. "Did you have an opportunity to visit the Uffizi Gallery?"

"Uh," Leo hesitated. "I did not have the pleasure."

"I see," Lady Penelope said, disappointment lingering in her eyes.

Leo hoped she wasn't going to continue down a list of questions on the art in Italy, because Leo, admittedly, had not seen any of it. The way that he and Will had spent their time in Italy was not precisely conversation meant for the dinner table.

But Leo didn't enjoy falling short or displeasing any woman, so he racked his brain for something he could tell Lady Penelope about his time on the continent.

"Many of the buildings were a work of art themselves, though," Leo offered. "The Duomo of Florence is the most magnificent cathedral I've ever seen."

That seemed to do the job in piquing Lady Penelope's interest again. "Do tell, my lord. How so?"

After taking a swig of his wine, giving him a moment to think of what to say, Leo replied, "Even the outside facade of the monument is covered in kaleidoscopic designs."

"Oh?"

"Oh, yes. Why, I've never seen a church painted with rosy hues and detailed in ivy greens. Besides, it towers above the city, seen for miles. Even in lush fields of vines, it can be seen peeking above the grapes with its red-shingled roof."

Lady Penelope looked captivated, ceasing her eating while the rest of the members of the table continued their meal.

"Do not be afraid; our fate cannot be taken from us; it is a gift," she recited, blinking across from the table.

Leo's father smiled from his seat, giving Leo a knowing look. "You are well-versed in your text, Lady Penelope," he said, applauding her with a slight nod of his head.

"Yes," Leo agreed politely. "Though I would argue that speaking of Dante's circles of hell is not a conversation we should linger on," he added dryly.

"Yes, likely." Lady Penelope gave Leo an odd little look and smiled softly. Leo wagered he had just passed some sort of test; perhaps his time at university had finally paid off. "It just made me think of it as you described the cathedral," she added. "I heard that Dante would write as he watched the church being built."