Penny leant back heavily against the nearest bench, her eyes wide and brows raised in genuine surprise. Elsie and Mr. Kirke were in love and had participated in sex (which was such a dirty, taboo word that Penny felt uncomfortable even thinking it). Never in a millon years would she have guessed that to be the case, nor was it really her business to. But, still. They were best friends who were in love with one another. Best friends like her and Nemo were, just without the romantic love.

"That's ... wow." Penny said stupidly. She truly didn't have much to say outside of that. For one, it wasn't her place to comment upon Elsie's relationship, but mainly she was just too stunned to have any concrete thoughts.

(It did occur to Penny as she stood in her state of shock that she did love Nemo. She loved him in every sense of he word, but any chance of a romance happening between them was almost nonexistent. Nemo would have to love her in return for that, and surely if any such feelings existed he would have made them plain by now. Penny could hardly reveal her own thoughts and make the air between them even more tense. If she hadn't lost Nemo after the events in Paris that would almost definitely do the trick.)

"This is just a lot." She commented quietly. "Are you and Mr. Kirke going to marry?"