Penelope inclined her head once in acknowledgment, though the movement cost her more effort than she wished him to see.
The ache low within her body had not subsided entirely as it lingered sharp beneath every breath she drew. Still, she gathered her gloves carefully from the chaise and began pulling them onto trembling fingers one by one.
Only when she reached for the second glove did she realize Lord Philip was watching her with an expression she could not entirely decipher.
"You should rest before returning home," he said at last.
"How thoughtful," Penelope replied, fastening the final button at her wrist. She gritted her teeth in pain. "Though I suspect surviving this afternoon has already proven my constitution sufficiently durable,"
The longer she remained standing, the worse the agony coursed through her veins. But seating felt even worse.
A flicker crossed his face again, gone almost before she could name it—regret, perhaps, or irritation at himself for possessing any.
