Silence followed.
Lady Sophia's expression softened, though the displeasure had not quite left it.
Simon—on the other hand—studied her as though waiting for the emotion he expected to find, but there was none. It was as though the woman before him had made her choice long before revealing it.
However, to Penelope, it wasn't because the past no longer hurt. It did—but pain had become something different inside her over the years.
It no longer made her reach for approval. But instead, it had taught her to stand without it.
"Penelope, no one is asking you to accept another unsuitable man," Lady Sophia started, still unable to recover from her decision that had left the entire room still. "Abandoning the prospect of marriage is quite different,"
"Not yet," The quietness of her response made Lady Sophia hesitate.
