Chapter 2: Death at the ball (2)
Penelope stared at Tyrion’s hand for a moment before pushing it away from her. "I am not falling for your joke. You are hiding because you don’t want to get married."
Penelope knew very well not to take his offer seriously.
"When did I say that?" Tyrion replied, putting his hand back at his side.
"Our mothers are close, so I hear things, and you always hide at balls because you don’t want to court anyone. I think it is fair that you don’t. They are awful with their proposals," said Penelope.
"Why don’t you marry me so your proposals can end and I have the wife my parents want me to have? It works for the both of us," Tyrion suggested.
Penelope laughed at the joke. "You want me to enter into a fake marriage with you? It worked for a couple I know, but it won’t for us. I want to marry for love eventually, and my father doesn’t want me in the palace. I don’t want to be here."
Penelope had heard enough awful stories about the palace to never want to live here.
Penelope looked out at the garden before them. "You have plenty of offers."
"I have plenty of women who try to sneak into my bed to find their way to the throne. If they would simply ask, I could give directions to the throne and allow them to sit on it before I send them to the dungeon," said Tyrion.
Penelope smiled. "Instead of hiding, you should be inside telling some wonderful lady this joke."
Tyrion missed where he told the joke.