Tyrion returned home by evening just as the servants were carrying in boxes which had to be from Penelope’s trip.
"Winston! Pets belonging to my wife are in the carriage, and more will arrive tomorrow after a bird cage has been made in the garden. Be on the lookout for it and ensure they are all well taken care of," Tyrion instructed the butler.
Tyrion walked with a black cat in his arms to surprise Penelope with.
Tyrion went to the room he shared with Penelope and opened the door to find her being undressed by Matilda.
"Tyrion- Oh!" Penelope smiled, rushing to see her cat. "You have brought him along. Thank you. Was Lily sad to see him go?"
"No. She helped with finding him," Tyrion replied.
Penelope hugged her cat. "I hope he will not miss his brother, but I am happy to have him here. He will have so much to explore. What of the others?"
"Your birds and dogs? You will need a bird cage before they come. How is it possible that you have a specific fish as pets?" Tyrion inquired, starting to understand Edgar’s troubles.
"Lily, Isabelle, and I picked which fish we liked most, and our father built us each a pond in the garden. There are other dogs and cats I share with my sisters, but I will leave them there. Raven is mine alone," Penelope said, setting Raven down.
Tyrion watched as the tiny creature rubbed itself against Penelope’s dress. "I’m afraid there might not be enough room here for him."
"Our chamber is quite large," Penelope said, disagreeing with Tyrion.
"There is not enough room for him to cling to you and for me to do it as well. Besides, would you like your cat to see what occurs here?" Tyrion asked.
"Tyrion!" Penelope exclaimed, her cheeks flushed.
Penelope palmed her face as all she could think of was Matilda standing behind her. Why couldn’t Tyrion be more aware of who was present?
Tyrion didn’t understand Penelope’s reaction when Matilda was unaffected by what he said.
They were married, so everyone knew what occurred here. Even if Tyrion didn’t say it, others had their imaginations.
"Matilda, take the cat and go. I will serve my wife," Tyrion said, to bring Penelope some peace of mind.
Matilda quietly picked up Raven, who was already used to her presence and exited the room.
"Now she will think something will happen between us," Penelope said.
"Will it not? After being away from each other all day, I thought you would have missed me and want to have me to your liking," Tyrion said as he approached Penelope to help undress her.
Penelope looked down at the floor. "I do not know. I want to be able to look Matilda in the eye when I see her again, so can you be careful?"
"Why are you so shy, Penelope? My words were not vulgar, and we are married. There are other things I could have said to have her running for the door. Would you like to hear them?"
Penelope shuddered when she felt his breath blowing against her ear.
His hand lingered on her back more than it needed to. This was not how he was to undress her, but Penelope would not point it out.
"No, I do not want to hear," Penelope replied.
Penelope was already weak to his words, and knowing what he thought of her now would have her crumble.
Penelope gripped a handful of her dress when his lips touched her neck. He left a kiss right above the necklace he needed to remove.
"Are you helping me or are you trying to seduce me?" Penelope asked.
Penelope did not believe Tyrion. "Then why are your hands on my waist?" She asked, turning around to see him.
Penelope held onto the dress so it wouldn’t fall, but her current state was still enough to amuse Tyrion.
"I did miss you," Penelope confessed. "But I did like knowing you spent the day with my father. Did you have fun?" She asked, letting go of the dress to wrap her arms around Tyrion’s neck.
Tyrion welcomed the sudden change in Penelope’s behaviour.
He noticed that she was shy when there were others around, but was bold once they were alone, and her shyness passed. In time, Tyrion believed she wouldn’t care about who was in the room once she became accustomed to the fact that they were a married couple.
"I did," Tyrion replied, his hands going to her back to finish discarding her clothing.
"Did you kill anyone?" Penelope inquired.
Tyrion’s eyes widened momentarily since he didn’t expect her to ask him such a question in a calm tone. "I didn’t. Does that disappoint you?"
"No," Penelope shook her head. "I would have prepared you a warm bath if you needed to get rid of anyone’s blood."
"I am still in need of a bath and a helping hand from my wife. To save the servants the trouble of going back and forth, you should join me," Tyrion suggested.
"Oh, you are being kind to think of them," Penelope said, seeing right through his kindness. "How thoughtful of you. I am certain they will sing praises of your name for it and be loyal to you forever."
"You are in luck that I am in a good mood to fall for your kindness. I will have Matilda get the maids to prepare our bath," Penelope said, agreeing to join him.
The last time they bathed together had not been as bad as she thought it would be. She managed to escape before Tyrion could carry out his plans.
This time, Penelope knew she might not be so lucky, but she did miss him.
"I will have to spoil our mood soon. Would you like it spoiled now or later?" Penelope asked.
"Now, so you can make it up to me during our bath," Tyrion replied.
"I have received an invitation from your grandmother to attend-"
"No," Tyrion responded, not needing to hear anymore. "We have agreed that you will not sit with her. You have not seen a woman as stubborn as my grandmother. She once tried to turn my aunt against my mother."
"You must let me finish. It is a gathering held every year which I have attended. Your grandmother has taken charge of it. I intend to go and get this over with. If I don’t, she will poke for a long time until she gets a reaction," Penelope said, determined to show she was not a lady Tabitha could trample.
Penelope was going to nip this in the bud now.
"I have already sent a guard to inform my grandmother so she will escort me and Lily. You must trust me," Penelope said, hoping he would understand.
Tyrion sighed. He wanted to keep Penelope from his grandmother, but she was determined.
"Very well," he agreed.