Penelope's expression changed in an instant as her heart skipped. Her father?
For a moment, she thought she had heard wrong, but the sincerity in the old lady's expression told her otherwise.
"My father?" She repeated, confused, and the old lady nodded. "And… what did they want?"
"They would not say, miss."
Penelope stared at her. She felt something uneasy in her stomach. Or perhaps they were creditors, she thought.
As though the old lady read her thought, she shook her head. "They weren't the creditors, miss,"
Her stomach sank. "Did Mother speak to them?"
"No. Mr. Hale did."
That was their butler.
"And?" She prodded.
"They left shortly afterward," The old lady concluded.
Penelope was silent. Why would two gentlemen come in search of her late father?
The thought made her guts uneasy.
