Penelope went still. The words settled slowly, like cold water seeping into her bones. It had taken her completely off guard, and for a fleeting moment, her expression faltered.
Confirm himself?
"I would, of course, arrange for a physician," he added, as though that softened the demand. "It'll be a discreet examination."
She felt disgusted, but she forced a neutral expression at once. Her fingers tightened slightly against the fabric of her gown. So this is it, she thought. The cost. A cold, clinical, invasive proof.
A strange mixture of relief and dread settled within her. Relief that he had not meant something more immediate… more dishonorable. And dread at the reality of what he had meant.
Penelope had heard of a method used to verify the fertility of women. An examination, it's known, for puncturing and extracting… the lower part.
