Penny could hardly find words to respond to Genevieve's audacious comments. To think, her sister was encouraging this sort of behavior! But then, it shouldn't surprise her; she knew Gen well enough to know that her twin lived to defy conventions. How could Gen possibly understand that the idea of pursuing a relationship as such went against her very nature?
"Gen, he doesn't even have a proper place in society," she insisted softly. "It couldn't possibly work out. Besides, he surely would know that we aren't well-matched in the least and that pursuing such a match would only lead to disappointment. He's an intelligent young man, you know, not silly and winsome in the least." Penny nodded emphatically to emphasize her point, though the color had still not fully drained from her cheeks, the paleness of her skin always quick to betray her every emotion. Still, it was clear that she believed what she said, right down to the part where she declared Matt to be intelligent, something she quite admired about the young man. In fact, she had been quite surprised by how educated he was and it certainly impressed her. She had come to realize that he was far more interesting to speak to than just about any young man she had encountered. But that was neither here nor there.