"Here?" he asked, glancing around them as though the thought had only just occurred to him. "Surely you would prefer somewhere more private."
Penelope knew better than to trust the suggestion. He was not offering her an escape. Only a fool would think so.
He wanted her to refuse, to give him a reason to insist that the matter ought to be settled before the assembled company.
Even so, she answered carefully. "You were quite clear about your wishes, my lord." She said, the words forced and unmistakably bitter. "You requested a public apology, and I intend to honour that request."
Gregory's eyes brightened. "How very accommodating of you."
"Perhaps," She couldn't help but say.
A few more guests had gathered near the terrace. They were not close enough to hear every word, but they were watching openly now, and the knowledge of it made Penelope acutely aware of herself.
