Chapter Text
Penelope decided that everything that happened that night was a dream, that was the only explanation, because there was no way Colin would want to marry her, specially after finding out she was Lady Whistledown, and there was no way he would do what he did in the carriage to her or any other respectable lady, he was a gentleman. So it was clear that her mind had played games with her.
She sat in her desk determined to write a letter to Lord Debling asking him to come to visit her so she could accept his proposal, but the second the link touched her feather she found herself unable to write anything, she tried to find the words, but the only thought present in her mind was Colin lips practically devouring her, and that hand between…
She slapped herself.
She couldn’t lose her mind over something that most definitely only happened in her head, in those moments Colin was probably in his own bed sleeping and dreaming with any girl who was not her.
In that moment one of her maids entered into her room with a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
“Someone brought this for you.” She announced.
Penelope immediately assumed it was sent by Lord Debling, she thought it was a lovely detail, and felt so guilty over the thoughts and feelings she had experienced in the last few hours.
However when she read the little note that came with flowers she felt the air leaving her lungs.
“For my future wife:
You’re the only thought that has been present in my mind since last night, I cannot wait to see you again.
Forever yours.
Colin Bridgerton.”
So it hadn’t been a dream.
Colin was already outside her house when she opened the door with the intention of taking a long walk to process the things that were happening to her.
“Good morning my love, I hope you had a pleasant sleep.” He said with mischievous smirk.
She started to walk away but he followed her close behind.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“Why not? We are going to get married, I must be able to visit you whenever I want to.”
She stopped.
“We’re not…Why would you want to marry me any way? Have you forgotten how much you claim to hate Lady Whistledown?”
“It’s easy to forget my hatred towards Lady Whistledown when my love for you overwhelms me, and it’s even easier to forget it when Lady Whistledown became the perfect tool to ensure me your hand in marriage.”
He started to caress the back of her neck.
“This is extremely inappropriate.”
“I can think of a few things that are even more inappropriate.”
Penelope blushed trying to shake away the memory of the carriage.
“You didn’t even dare to kiss Marina arguing you were a gentleman and yet last night you…”
She was unable to say it aloud.
He put himself front of her.
“I happen to find you far more tempting than I ever found Marina.”
Penelope couldn’t breath, she could feel her heart beating so fast.
Colin was looking at her lips like a starving man would look at the most splendid feast.
“You cannot kiss me in the middle of the street.”
“Do wish to go somewhere more private?” He asked as he was getting closer to her.
Yes she wanted to go somewhere private, yes she wanted to kiss him, and finish what they started in the carriage, but she knew that would be a terrible idea.
She just shacked her head slowly as a sign of denial.
He just smiled warmly.
“It’s alright, we have all the time in the world.”
He grabbed her chin and kissed her cheeks.
“I won’t let anyone take you away from me.”
He walked away while she watched him thinking that he would be the death of her.
Penelope found Eloise at the art gallery she was looking at a painting with little interest.
“We need to talk.” She said to her former best friend.
“I have nothing to talk about with you.” Eloise replied without taking her eyes away from the painting.
Before Penelope could say anything else Cressida Cowper appeared with a condescending smile.
“Penelope, you shouldn’t be here, this a place where people try to get away from the ugliness of the world and your presence here ruins it.”
Penelope wasn’t sure why, probably it had to do with all the emotions she experience in the last 24 hours, but the thing was, she no longer had the patience to deal with Cressida Cowper’s bullying.
“Nobody likes you Cressida.”
“Excuse me?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, we debuted at the same time and you’re just a single as I am, in fact I have already received a marriage proposal.”
“Two if we count whatever Colin did in the carriage.”
“How many proposals have you received Cressida? Wait you don’t need to tell me cause I already know, the answer is none, and you know why? Because it doesn’t matter how many gentleman feel attracted to you, the second they have a single conversation with you they realize how awful is personality and they run away as fast as they can. And you know what is the worst part? at least for you, I am almost certain that by the end of this season I will be married and you will be still single, so even if you manage to get a husband next season you’ll still be getting married after me, the wallflower.”
Penelope could see Cressida’s lower lip trembling, she was about to cry, the redhead could not say she was proud herself but she couldn’t say she was disappointed in herself either.
Cressida walked away immediately.
Eloise stared at Penelope with absolute shock.
“Don’t look at me like that, as if you have not wished to tell her that for years.”
Eloise looked away trying to hide her amusem*nt.
“What do you want Penelope?”.
“Colin found out about my secret”
Eloise smirked.
“Let me guess, he hates you now and you want me to help you to regain his friendship, we both know that is not going to happen.”
“Quiet the opposite…”
It felt so surreal to said it out loud.
“He said he would tell everyone unless I marry him.”
“WHAT?!!”
Eloise’s scream caught everyone’s attention, so she and Penelope smiled awkwardly and proceeded to leave the place.
“Is he out of his mind?” Eloise asked as soon as they were out of the building.
“Probably.”
“Penelope you cannot marry my brother.”
“Don’t you think I know that?”
“How did this happened?”
“Last night I went to the publishing house, and he was there…”
“What was he doing there?”
“I’m pretty sure he was going to a brothel.”
“Ugh men.”
“The point is one thing led to another and he discovered it.”
“And he threaten you with telling everyone unless you marry him.”
Penelope nodded.
“What are you going to do?”
“I was hoping you would help me with that.”
“Me? How can I possibly help you with that?”
“He is your brother.”
“Yes, that’s why I know he is stupid and stubborn.”
Both girls walked in silence for a few minutes trying to figure how to get out of that mess.
“You will have to tell you’re Lady Whistledown, I cannot think of other solution.”
Penelope shacked her head.
“That won’t do, even if I tell the truth, he can still use some… other … information.”
“What does that mean?”
Penelope could her cheeks turning red.
“Some stuff happened in the carriage in our way back home, some… compromised stuff.”
“What happened?”
“He kissed me, so I pushed him away and slapped him.”
“Good.”
“And then I kissed him.”
A million of emotions crossed Eloise face, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself.
“Why did you do that? What were you thinking?”
“Eloise, I cannot emphasize enough how little I was thinking.”
Eloise sighed.
“Was that it?”
“No, but that is the only part I can say aloud.”
Eloise looked at Penelope with confusion.
“Are you sure you don’t want to marry him?, because your actions sounds like something I woman in love would do.”
“I don’t know how I feel about Colin, or Lord Debling or anything, all I know is that I don’t want to be blackmailed into marriage.”
Eloise nodded in agreement, then an idea crossed her mind.
“Wait… I really don’t want to know what happened between you, but do you think that could be the same thing that got Marina with child?”
Penelope’s heart stopped beating.
“I haven’t thought about it, but… oh my god, I could be with child.”
Both of them covered their faces in horror.
Colin was sitting in the library reading or at least trying to read, but it was nearly impossible to focus with the eyes of Anthony and Benedict set on him.
“Is there something you need?” He asked his brothers.
“We just wanted to see how you doing buddy?” Anthony replied.
“Listen I understand your worries I will be the first one to admit that searching for the rifle to shot Lord Debling was not the best way to react at the news of his proposal to Penelope.”
“Or trying to jump off a bridge when she confirmed the proposal.” Benedict added.
“Or going to a brothel to find someone who looked like Penelope.”
“That was Benedict’s idea.” Colin corrected him.
Anthony looked at Benedict accusingly.
“Oh come on, that was the least harmful idea of them all.”
“Listen, I understand your concern but you must be sure that’s in the past.”
“That was yesterday.”
“What I am trying to say, is that I’m in a better state of mind and there is nothing to worry about.”
“… So that means you have accepted Penelope’s marriage with Lord Debling?”
“No of course not, but I made sure that marriage is never going to happen.”
Both of his brothers started to get away from him and whisper.
“So he is in denial.” Benedict said.
“Or he is planning to do something really stupid.”
Before Colin could tell them he could hear them the door of library opened allowing the entrance of a very angry Eloise.
She was looking at Colin.
“May I have a word brother?, in private.”
“I think he already did something stupid.” Benedict whispered.
Anthony nodded in agreement and both of them walked out soon after.
Eloise stood up in front of Colin.
“You are not marrying Penelope.”
“You really need to get over that fight of yours.”
“This has nothing to do with our fight, and everything to do with the fact you are taking advantage of her.”
“So you are friends again, good, she is to become your sister.”
“You are not listening, you cannot blackmail people into marry you.”
“You say it as if it is something I do in a daily basis. I’m just doing it once.”
“One time is more than enough.”
“Listen, I know what I’m doing is wrong, I know that Penelope doesn’t deserve to be wed in this circ*mstances, but I just can’t help it, I cannot see her marrying another man.”
“You’re behaving like a child who sees someone else playing with a toy he never paid attention to and suddenly that toy becomes his favorite one.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Then prove it, step back, let Penelope make her choice.”
Colin remained in silence for a second.
“I cannot do that, I can’t take the risk of loosing her, if she rejects me I would die.”
Before Eloise could reply a different voice intervened.
“Who are you talking about Colin?” their mother asked.
Colin smiled at her.
“Penelope, I just proposed to her.”
In the middle of the night two dark figures reunited.
“So how did it go?”
“Well, the good news is that according to Colin nothing that happened in the carriage could have gotten you pregnant.”
“Oh that’s a relief.”
“The bad news is, he is not backing down, he is determined to marry you no matter the cost.”
“That was what I was afraid of.”
“We still have 6 days to fix that, also another no so good news, he told our mother he proposed.”
“He did what? Oh no, its only a matter of time before everyone in London find out about this.”
“…Well at least you know Lady Whistledown won’t write about it.”
Penelope and Eloise looked at each other for one second and then both of them burst into laughter.
“I shouldn’t be laughing, Lady Whistledown is what got me into this mess.” Penelope said.
“You are in so much trouble.”
“Why did I had to defy the queen so much? She is going to have me beheaded.”
“And that’s the best case scenario.”
“That’s not true.” A different voice said.
Colin appeared in the middle of the shadows.
Penelope and Eloise stopped laughing.
“The best case scenario is that you marry me and we live happily ever after.” Colin continued.
“What are you doing here?” Eloise asked.
“I want to speak with Penelope, privately.”
Eloise looked at Penelope to make sure if she was alright with it, Penelope nodded, and the young Bridgerton left them alone.
Colin stood so close to Penelope their noses almost touched.
“I will start by saying that I don’t appreciate you recruiting my sister to help you out with our little agreement.”
“Colin…”
She couldn’t say more, because he was already kissing her.
