The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 168: Disagreeing (4)

Tyrion used another room to wash up and waited for the maids to finish dressing Penelope before entering their shared chamber.

He found her sitting before a mirror, brushing her hair. Penelope wasn’t dressed to go down for dinner. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Am I welcome to sleep here?" Tyrion asked, testing the waters.

"It is your bed as much as it is mine, is it not? I wouldn’t banish you from our bed," Penelope replied.

Penelope set the brush down and shifted her body so she would sit facing Tyrion. "I am not angry with you, and I know that how I left would make it hard to believe, but I truly am not angry with you. Are you angry with me?"

"No," Tyrion replied, walking toward Penelope now that it was settled. "I am not angry. I was worried you would not want to share the same bed."

"I wouldn’t keep you from your bed. That is something I would expect from a child. We have argued over far bigger matters, and I have never avoided you. Like the time you pushed Kyle into the pond because he gave me a flower. I had every right to be upset, but I stood by you that day," said Penelope.

"Because I was not in the wrong. He brought you a dangerous flower," Tyrion said, standing by his past actions.

"It was a rose!" Penelope responded.

"It had thorns. You could have pricked your finger," Tyrion gave his reasoning. "I protected you and the little bastard since your father or brother would have gone after him."

Penelope’s shoulders shook from her laughter. "Do not try to twist it. You were angry that he handed me a flower. I will not believe anything else."

"A flower he picked from my mother’s garden. He didn’t know how to court anyone," Tyrion muttered.

"We were children. Honestly, what was he supposed to know about courting anyone? See, our arguments are always like this. I cannot be upset for long, and neither can you. I understand you wish to keep me safe," Penelope said, trying to hold her laughter. "So, I will let you do this somewhat alone."

Tyrion raised his brow. "Somewhat? I don’t want you in it at all."

"And I won’t be," Penelope promised. "Matilda will listen to the gossip the maids share and report it back to me. Then I will tell you. I have already instructed her to be careful. This will all go faster if you allow me to make use of the servants here."

"I will leave it to you to go speak with the men who run their mouths in brothels or where they gamble. You will be surprised by how much men gossip even when they are not drunk. When I did my hobby-"

"Gamble," Tyrion corrected Penelope.

Penelope ignored Tyrion. "When I was having my fun, there were men who were on their last bit of money who decided to drink instead of saving it for their family. Once they are drunk, they start telling all their private affairs."

"The answers you need are right in front of you. It will only take you going to the right place, but not you. A prince would make the men run. You need a man who isn’t known as one of your guards to go. Go to the brothels and pay the women to speak," Penelope suggested.

Tyrion pinched the bridge of his nose. "Your mother would lose her mind if she knew the things you speak of."

"That is why we must keep it from her," Penelope replied, smiling to convince him.

Penelope would not be able to bear her mother’s scolding. She was now a married woman, but it didn’t change how afraid she was of her mother sometimes.

"I won’t speak of it to her, just as you shouldn’t speak of it to anyone. Not even to Julie since her mother is close to the duchess. So," Tyrion said, touching Penelope’s face. "This is settled?"

"It is," Penelope nodded. "I don’t want to go against your wishes."

Tyrion stooped down so he was at Penelope’s eye level where she sat and said, "I hope you know that I am not trying to control you. It is only to keep you safe."

"I know. The day you try to be controlling, I will walk out those doors and return to my father. Then you could have the bed all to yourself, but I know this marriage will never face such a moment. I know that you are being protective. I am the stubborn one who wishes to solve this with you," said Penelope.

Penelope continued to say, "It is more than just this case. I want to be useful to you since you have left so much for me. I thought I could at least find out which women you should keep an eye on to protect."

Penelope wanted to give more than her father’s money.

"You are very useful to me. I don’t need a wife who will help with the cases from the court. I didn’t want you to be placing yourself in danger to appear useful to me. What I want from you is for you to be safe and happy. That is enough for me," said Tyrion.

"Whenever you feel this way, you must speak to me. I don’t want you to be feeling this way, and I know nothing of it. To be even, there are times when I think that I am not good for you. Right now, I cannot give you the life you were once used to, but I will aim to do so," Tyrion promised.

Alongside searching for the culprit behind the murders, Tyrion was looking for ways to grow the money he had, along with what Edgar gave to him.

Penelope’s way of life wasn’t going to change, and Tyrion would ensure that the children she spoke of would be well taken care of in the future.

"I don’t need to live as I did with my father. I have accepted that I am no longer under his care. He has given me plenty for me not to turn to you for anything I need. I am satisfied," Penelope said, only seeking love from Tyrion.

"I know you have the means to take care of yourself, but as your husband, I want to take care of you and spoil you without any worry. We both have things we feel are concerning this marriage. We should communicate it often," Tyrion suggested.

Penelope nodded, agreeing with Tyrion. "Perhaps we should have a time during the day to sit and speak about how we feel."

"We sit and speak about our day often. We managed to keep other feelings from each other. Still, it is good for me not to have to rely on when you are mumbling in your sleep to know what you feel," Tyrion said, standing up as he spoke.

"Why must you lie?" Penelope exclaimed, not believing she spoke in her sleep.

Tyrion faked a cough. "After the things I have heard you say you want to do to me in your sleep, I should be afraid to stand here with you."

"Tyrion!"

"Fear not," Tyrion said, laughing as Penelope stood to cover his mouth. "I will let you have your way with me."

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