The Duke's Masked Wife 2: The Prince's Outcast Bride-Chapter 36: Accepting an offer (5)

Lily enjoyed every bit of Penelope being approached by man after man. It showed that despite all of what the town tried to come up with, Penelope was still a highly desired lady.

"Who is to say that he is not coming for you? We are twins, so why would they only come to me? It does not make any sense," Penelope muttered, turning to her right to avoid the stranger coming their way.

Right now, Penelope was starting to think it was some kind of joke that these men she didn’t know were coming toward her and Lily.

How many new people were present?

"Elijah, stop looking at those women and be our escort. I don’t want to dance," Penelope said, getting her brother’s attention.

To his dismay, Elijah looked away from the young woman who caught his eye to find another fly coming their way. "Father might need to get his gun. What is it that is attracting these fools? You two don’t look your best today."

Lily frowned, insulted by Elijah’s words. "Now you have gone too far. You should be thankful that our parents blessed you with good looks, since your style is off-putting. It blinds me," she said, covering her eyes.

"Yet next to the crown prince, I am the most sought-after man here. Do not be jealous, Lily. I am almost certain there is someone for you out there," Elijah said, sticking out his tongue ever so slightly.

"No wonder you have not married. You are a child," Lily said softly.

"Why does it feel like I am the oldest?" Penelope muttered.

Penelope was left to face the stranger who now stood at an arm’s length away from her.

"Lady Penelope Collins," said Zane Lennox, his hand reaching for Penelope’s right hand to lift and kiss it.

Penelope eyed the hand coming to her. "If you want to keep your fingers, I suggest that you keep your hands at your side. My father lingers close by, and my brother can be a threat when his senses are in order."

Zane pulled back his hand. Penelope was as feisty as he was told. "Forgive me."

"You are also excused," Penelope said.

All she wanted was a moment alone with her family so she could enjoy being outside again, but unfortunately, she wasn’t so lucky.

"I caught a glimpse of you and could not resist coming to see you. Also to ask that you share a dance with me. I am Zane Lennox," Zane introduced himself.

He had heard of the Collins sisters being quite the beauty, but he did not think they were this beautiful. How had he gone so long without coming across this woman, and even better, she had a twin.

It was all too wonderful.

"Thank you, but I am not ready to dance, and when I am, there are others who asked before you did. I cannot guarantee that we will have the chance to dance before I must leave," said Penelope.

It was quickly becoming tiring to have to turn men down.

Penelope glanced at Lily, taking notice of how much her sister loved the position she had fallen into. "My sister was not asked to dance yet, so you would find more luck with her. Isn’t that right, Lily?"

"Your sister is also captivating, but for some reason, I find myself drawn to you. I will not be able to calm myself until I know what it is that draws me to you," Zane said.

"It is my beauty," Penelope said, helping him find the answer sooner. "I have heard these lines before, which tells me that you are a flirt. In the end, the answer is always that my beauty captivated you. Unfortunately, that does not move me."

"It was nice meeting you," Penelope curtsied. There was nothing more to be said here.

"You are beautiful, but that is not what it is. There are many beautiful women here like your sister, but again, I am drawn to you. There is more than I see at first glance. Whatever it is, I think it is making me fall in love with you," Zane said, intrigued by Penelope.

Was her sister like this as well?

Penelope wasn’t impressed. She truly had experienced this same conversation before, and all the men were attracted to her beauty or her father’s wealth. They never saw anything more, so Penelope wasn’t going to waste her time.

"Are you new to town?" Lily asked. Why were there so many unfamiliar faces around?

"It doesn’t matter where he came from. It matters where he is going," Elijah said, wanting Zane to leave.

It would not be long before their father returned, since Penelope had been approached by three men now.

Elijah still wondered if it was something in the air or if his sisters were truly witches like he once accused them of being years ago.

"I am going wherever your sister is," Zane replied, unfazed by Elijah coming between him and Penelope.

"So, you will be a stalker? None of this is romantic to me," Penelope said, uninterested in the conversation. "It is time that we return to our mother’s side before there is a line asking for dances. Elijah, please take us to mother."

While the men asking for dances were nothing of concern, Penelope didn’t want to stay away from her parents any longer since it felt like trouble was near. Trouble could be the man standing before them.

Penelope walked with Lily at her side and Elijah close behind her, back to where their mother stood. There it would be safe.

Zane remained where they had left him. His gaze was still fixated on Penelope.

Zane thought the plan to seduce her wouldn’t be worth it since she was going to be just like any woman around the town, but once he saw her with the prince, and then she spoke with so much fire, now he was all in for it.

’Penelope Collins,’ Zane thought, looking forward to his future run-ins with her. She was going to be the one woman he would make yearn for him that he would speak of for years to his peers.