Chapter Text
The day of the wedding in Dublin took place in the morning of July 14th 1815. When came the time for Colin to place the ring on his wife’s hand, he did it but Nathan paused and said: “Mr Bridgerton and Miss Featherington wished to add something with my knowledge and approval before the handfasting. Penelope…” He nodded.
Penelope produced the ring and placed it on Colin’s finger saying: “With this ring I thee wed.” The audience was much surprised. The women were moved. Anthony and Lawrence glanced at their wives and they nodded.
After this momentous event, the service continued by the handfasting and the rest of the service.
At the wedding breakfast, Colin and Penelope once again defied convention by dancing. They were joined by John and Francesca, Anthony and Kate, Lawrence and Aoife and even the baron and Lady Featherington. Colin caressed his wife’s cheek at the conclusion of the dance and kissed her tenderly. A teasing clearing of throat coming from Benedict made them part. During the rest of the day, they were feeding each other food, whispering to each other and laughing and danced to a lively irish jig.
As the evening drew near, they excused themselves to stay at the hotel they had booked for their wedding night.
Their night was wonderful each evenly matched in passion and desire to please the other.
The morning after, Colin awoke with his wife’s head on his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head and her forehead.
Her eyes fluttered open: “Good morning husband.”
“Good morning wife.” They kissed and made love once again.
After that, they separated to have their bath and dress for their irish travels. The rest of the Bridgertons joined them. Eloïse was ready. They put her luggage on the following waiting cart. The farewells were made quickly.
They went first to Dundalk and walked near the bay. Then they left for Belfast and stayed for a week. It was there that Penelope had an idea and presented it to her husband and her sister in law. To write a travel guide. She will be in charge of the social section and will illustrate with watercolours and translate it in irish gaelic. Colin will take charge of the scientific section and will add the male perspective of their encouters. Eloïse will take charge of the arts and litterature. The three persons began to work on it immediately.
After that, they travelled to Antrim, Coleraine, Londonderry, Omagh, and Donegal. Then they left to Castlebar, to Mullingar. Then they travelled to Kilkenny, to Tipperary, to Cork (where they stayed one week), to Limerick (where unbeknowst to her husband, Penelope has asked advice from the married women she had befriended and summoned a reknowned doctor to make sure. He confirmed that she was indeed pregnant since one month), to Ennis before going back to Galway.
When they came back, in December, Aoife was four months pregnant, Kate has given birth to her first child in September a little boy called Edmund. Daphne has left with Simon to be at home for the birth of her second child. Simon and John wore proudly a wedding ring with their wife’s family crest. Anthony wore one with the Sharma family crest.
The rest of the Bridgertons has stayed to spend Christmas in Ireland.
Once in Galway, Penelope summoned her family’s doctor and then waited with impatience her husband’s return. When he came back, she said to him: “Colin, the doctor just left. I have something to tell you.”
The worried frown on Colin’s face cleared when she took his hand and put them on her stomach. He understood instantly.
“Since when?”
“One month.”
He sank to his knees and kissed her stomach.
“You have made me so happy. Can we tell everyone?”
“We are meeting them for tea. We will tell them at this moment.”
Colin was impatient. When his carriage rolled towards the Featherington’s estate, he sat besides his wife, his hand on her stomach. Penelope was smiling and staring outside her hand over his own.
When they arrived, they went straight to the family and Colin who could not contain himself any longer announced their news. Penelope was hugged by all the women. The men clapped Colin in the back.
Violet and Portia gave advice about cravings, mood swings, morning sickness and what could alleviate it. Violet added that in the end it was their child and their family and they would decide what worked best for them. Portia nodded in agreement.
Christmas this year was happier than the last one. Oliver was not forgotten. Penelope just like she has done when she lost Oliver, went to her brother’s grave every sunday after mass. Since her marriage, Colin has accompanied her. Penelope told her brother her news and glanced at her husband and he nodded. If they had a son, they would call him Oliver with the agreement of Lawrence. They knew that Lawrence planned that, if he had a son, he will have his grandfather’s name and his father’s name as a second name.
The months went by. In the middle of June 1816, Aoife gave birth to her first child a boy called as planned Archibald Lawrence Featherington. Kate announced that she was pregnant again at the same time.
The trio of Colin, Penelope, and Eloïse found an editor for their travel guide which they named The Whistledown travelogue. Their family and Lady Danbury were the only one who knew of their secret and had fun speculating on the identities of the authors with the rest of the Ton. Their book sold very well and went for a second edition. The publisher teased that they will be other guides to follow in the coming years.
Benedict met and married Sophie Beckett in the end of the season. Like his brothers before him, he wore proudly a wedding ring paying homage to Sophie’s southeast asian ancestry. When the ton heard the idea originating from Colin and his wife and carried by his brothers and brothers in law proudly, some men of the ton (at least the ones happily married) continued the tradition.
Francesca was in Scotland on bedrest due to her difficult pregnancy.
In August 1816, Penelope with her husband present the whole time gave birth to her first child. Like they had planned he was named Oliver Colin Bridgerton and had his mother’s hair. His godparents were Anthony, Lawrence and Aoife.
Two years later, in 1818, came Eloïse Kate (her namesakes were of course her godmothers and Miles was her godfather) and her twin Nathan Benedict (Benedict, Nathan and Sophie were his godparents).
Another two years later, in 1820, came Jane Violet. And finally three years later, in 1823, came the last Bridgerton Miles Gregory.
Thankfully, for Penelope’s peace of mind, Oliver Bridgerton did not go into the army. None of her boys did. Oliver like his uncle became a barrister. But he did his best to honour his namesake’s memory by creating numerous charities for soldiers and soldiers families.
Nathan Bridgerton like his father became a great traveller and when he accompanied his uncle and aunt to India decided to marry and settle there.
Miles Bridgerton, like his uncle, was ordained and took over his uncle Nathan’s parish when he retired.