Chapter Text
Colin cleared his throat, blew at one of the feathers that fluttered past to the delight of Georgie, who tried to imitate his father, and instead blew a raspberry with his plump lips.
Penelope, awakened by the shrill laughter of her children, had tiptoed to Thomas’ room and watched her family from the open door. She leaned against the door post, her chest a flutter with love for the man who had travelled one more time and had given her his love.
Colin opened the book, cleared his throat again and started.
That Monday morning, Colin stepped into his office, his heart blemished by another lady, while at the other end of town, Eloise walked Penelope to Piccadilly, towards her bookstore. It was still early, Eloise was in a hurry to fix time, before her bookstore opened for the normal Monday rush.
Penelope had trouble keeping up with Eloise, she was straining, conflicted if she really wanted to go back. Her life had been empty in 1824. Here she had made friends, sort of. She went out and was not ignored at the dance floor. It had been heaven. Yet, Eloise had explained that she needed to go back. To restore the fabric of time. To make sure the clocks would work again. Penelope understood, of course she did, but it made her heart ache as well. Going back to her overbearing mother, to live at the whim of either the most cruel or the most simple person she knew was just a lot to bear.
“You understand you will be going back to the same day you left, April 24th.” Eloise said, turning back to Penelope.
“Yes,” Penelope murmured. That would mean she would go back to her engagement party and announce her husband to be, whomever he may be. At least she would soon have her own family. Love might be too much to hope for. She should like him to be sensible, someone kind, who allowed her privacy, to write. Who would not get in the way of her dreams. And she dreamed big. She wanted to be like Jane Austen, only not die at a young age.
Eloise broke her reverie, “So you understand you might be repeating a few things. You might even see me again. Just don’t follow me this time.” Eloise waited for Penelope to nod she had understood.
Meanwhile at the office, Colin entered the glass box that belonged to J.J., a little apprehensive. You never really knew what she wanted from you. It could be a trap. “J.J. you asked to see me?”
J.J. walked from her desk towards Colin, “Dear Lord, what happened to you, Colin, you look like death warmed over.” She grabbed his upper arms, squeezing his biceps in appreciation.
“I had some trouble sleeping. I have a lot on my mind,” Colin looked out of the window, anywhere but at J.J. as she touched him. Her hands reminded him of Penelope, touching him, laying on his chest. And how he had ruined the best thing he had. And for what. This last week had been full of confounding feelings. Feelings like a total inability to stop thinking about her. That kiss they had shared. Their day out in the park. How she had guided him through her home? And how she had called him out for being without honour, deceiving people with his programs on T.V. just to get high scores. No matter the cost of self worth.
It had been torture to hear her say it. She saw right through him and was honest about what she saw. She did not like it. And if he was honest, neither did he.
“Then let me add some to it. We’re going through with your new project. You got it, Colin. You did it. We will make the announcement tonight at that big do,” J.J. tapped his biceps, smacked her lips and walked back to her desk.
“Thank you,” Colin sighed, a little stunned J.J. went ahead with his project, after all the trouble Penelope had caused on the set. He must tell her the good news. He left J.J.’s office in a hurry and shut the door in Darci’s face, who probably had already heard the good news from Michael, the way she was grinning at Colin and giving him a thumbs up.
Thank god, he had El’s number on speed dial.
“Hi, You’ve reached Eloise. Please leave a message,” followed by the beep.
“El, El, I know you’re probably busy with a client and can’t talk, but please, when you get a chance, give this message to Penelope. It’s really important.” He shook his head, stopped grinning like an idiot, “Hi Pen, you did it. I got the new project. Please call me back. I, uh, am so very sorry about the way things came down yesterday. I apologise. I, uh, I just really need to see you. I would love to see you tonight, but I have this work do tonight. J.J. wants to make a big announcement. But I would love to see you later. I miss you, Pen. I miss you. I wanted you to know that.”
Later that day, Eloise listened to Colin’s message when she was back home from work. She sat on her couch, a bowl of cereal with soy milk, waiting on the arm rest. She flipped through the pictures she had taken from the day she had made the jump to 1824 and came home with Penelope. She had pictures with Penelope in the bookstore, picking up a book and immediately going to the last page. Penelope at her own engagement party dancing with a burly man, who was muttering under his breath. Guests surrounding her on the dance floor. Eloise flipped to the next picture and spotted someone in the crowd, “Oh my god,” and her bowl of cereal tumbled to the floor in her haste to get up.
24th April 1824
Penelope snuck into the hallway of Featherington House, ignoring her mother who was instructing the servants on decorations and drinks in the ballroom.
“I want it chilled. Do you understand?” Portia demanded from one of the servants. “Oh, and be sure to leave another case of champagne. We need some to celebrate my daughter’s engagement.”
“Yes, milady.”
Portia spotted Penelope passing on the stairs,
“Penelope!” Portia called from the open doors towards the hallway.
Penelope cast a quick glance down to her mother, picked up her dress and hurried further up the stairs, not responding to her mother. Her ladies maid Rae following as quickly as she could.
“Penelope, where have you been?” Her mother stepped towards the stairs, but Penelope did not stop.
“Penelope!” Her mother raised her voice, but to no avail. “Rae, I demand an explanation. It’s half past five and she is not even dressed.”
Rae stopped halfway on the stairs, facing the lady of the house. “She will be ready, milady. I assure you.”
“I do not want her ready. She needs to be resplendent if she has any chance. Ah, my nerves,” Portia took a whiff of her lavender scented kerchief, before turning towards the ballroom again. Varley bumbling behind her with her notebook.
In 2024, Darci followed Colin as he was on his way out, “This is your invitation, it has your table number, I can call you a cab, but it’s only a 15 minute walk. Your sister Eloise called a couple of times, but she did not want to leave a message, she mentioned it was urgent though. Have a great time tonight, you look handsome, as always.”
“Thank you, Darci.” As Colin stepped outside the office building, the church bells tolled and they stopped at eight. He stopped to watch the clocks, then checked his watch. They were in sync again. The moon was out and he thought about Penelope, the last week with Penelope had flown by and yet he had the idea that he knew her. He hoped she had received his message. He needed to talk to her. But first he needed to get this party out of the way.
When he read the address on the invitation, Colin groaned, “This is just cruel.” The event was hosted at Grosvenor Square, the museum he had visited with Penelope.
Colin entered the house, his heart heavy, greeting some colleagues on the way as he ambled from room to room, accepting congratulations from colleagues on his way. The place was packed with colleagues all holding a drink or two, waitresses lifting heavy trays with drinks. Small high tables were cluttering the hallways with snacks and hors d’oeuvres. He spotted J.J. and went over to greet her.
“Hey Colin,” she leaned closer for a cheeky kiss, touching his arm. Her entourage congratulated Colin, he nodded his thanks, before J.J. commanded the floor again and finished her monologue. This was so her, and he could not care less.
“Excuse me,” Colin turned away, and came face to face with the painting of Penelope and her family. He was shocked and looked at her, mesmerised.
“Colin, don’t take too long. I’m going to give this speech in a couple of minutes.” J.J. waved her glass at Colin.
Colin nodded, before he hurried upstairs until he stood in her old room. Her little ottoman in the bay window, her escritoire close to the window to catch the light. The armoire that had held her dresses. The mirror that she used to check her dress. The vanity where Rae had coiffed her hair. The rug and the loose floor boards that held her most prized possessions.
In the background, a faint applause drifted up, when another speech had ended. “Now it is my pleasure and honour to turn this over to my friend J.J..” The crowd applauded and the noise faded away as Colin stepped closer to the mirror. He looked at himself in the mirror, dashing in his dark blue suit and white shirt and he could almost hear the music, a waltz. He was dreaming.
In 1824 Penelope was staring into the same mirror, while her mother leaned closer on her escritoire. “Were you writing? Well, that would explain the ink all over your fingers. Oh, I declare Penelope, you must stop wasting your precious time on such pointless pursuits as writing. You write of love and devotion, yet what I offer you downstairs is reality. Take a husband. Marry. Stop dreaming, Penelope.”
“Oh mother, let us not bother with this banter. Tell me whom you want me to marry. Who has the most money?”
Her mother looked taken aback, she had expected Penelope to put up more of a fight, but she was glad her daughter saw reason. “That would be Lord Debling. He has one of the largest homes in Mayfair, 24 staff, a fleet of curricles. Marrying him will give us a lot of influence.”
“Good. Consider it done, Mother. I will announce it at midnight. Rae, make sure Lord Debling is on my dance card.”
“Of course, Miss.”
Meanwhile in 2024, Colin hurried back to the reception room, hearing J.J.s speech come to a close, when he stumbled upon Eloise.
“Colin,” Eloise clamped his arm, blocking his way downstairs.
“Eloise, what are you doing here? How did you get in?” Colin looked confused. Why was his sister here, why was she blocking his path. He grabbed her by the arms and turned her around.
“I have my ways, listen. You need to get back. I never considered that the whole thing is a pretzel.” Eloise held on to him, refusing to let go.
“Eloise, must you always be you? You talk in riddles,” Colin sighed, shaking his head.
“No, you see. She was supposed to come forward, then she was supposed to go back again, and so should you—.“
Down below J.J. was ending her speech, “Thank you so much. I am so happy to announce our next biggest hit, you mark my words. The man of the hour, our own rising star, Colin Bridgerton!”
“Colin, listen to me for a second okay?” Eloise put all her weight on holding Colin back.
“They’re introducing me downstairs right now. I have to go.” He turned towards the stairs, Eloise clinging to him like a little monkey.
“I’m sorry I was a lousy sister to you. I am sorry I let you down, always picking on you. But there is a reason, okay.”
“El, I really can’t do this right now. I am wanted downstairs.” Colin kept on walking down the stairs, though he was not as fast with Eloise as a dead weight.
“Col, just look at the pictures. Please. I thought I was supposed to help her pick the right guy, but maybe I was supposed to help you find the right girl, Penelope.”
“El, what are you talking about?” Colin stood still, on the middle of the stairs.
“You have to go back, Col. You have got to go back there.” Eloise dropped from his back.
“Go back? How?” Colin asked, confused.
“You have to jump of Hatchards bookstore within the next 30 minutes.” Eloise nearly stumbled over her own words.
Colin looked at her, echoing her last words. After all these years, she was still taking him for a fool. He shook his head in agony, for a minute there, he had hope that Penelope was waiting for him, but it was just his sister pulling another prank. He had to go downstairs, at least he had a future in travel. He ran.
“Colin, at least look at the pictures,” Eloise’s voice followed him. But Colin did not listen.
Meanwhile at Grosvenor Square, 200 years back in time, Penelope was waltzing with Lord Debling when she spotted Eloise at the edge of the dance floor, taking pictures and running up the stairs. She had to fight the urge to run after her.
“Are you looking for someone, Miss Featherington?” Lord Debling inquired, leaning his head closer to her. “All evening, I have watched you search for someone.”
“Eh, no milord.” Penelope cast her eyes down, he might see her blush when she told him a white lie, “I am just counting my steps. I am not very good at dancing.” He would not understand she had just seen Eloise, from the future. Where she had been and had met a gentleman that had made her heart flutter.
“You’re doing fine, Miss Featherington. Do you like to read?”
“Colin? Is there a Colin Bridgerton in the house?” J.J. asked over the microphone, looking over the tables in the reception room.
“Yes, here I am.” Colin stumbled off the stairs into the ballroom.
“Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, making quite the entrance,” J.J. chuckled, and the crowd laughed, “Colin Bridgerton, the new ….” The crowd cheered and applauded as Colin walked to the pedestal and stood behind the microphone.
“Thank you, J.J.” He shook her hand, before she left him and sat down in the audience. “Thank you all. Well, this is a great night. This is the night to talk about dreams and making them happen. I once had a dream, and eh—,“
Eloise shoved pictures of Penelope under Colin’s nose. And pictures of him, with Penelope, at her ball in 1824.
“And it’s a great thing to dream and make it happen. Unless what you thought you wanted wasn’t really what you wanted because you didn’t dare to dream big. You thought it was impossible.” Colin looked at Eloise, “But what if someone came along, who knew exactly what you wanted, without asking? They just knew. Like they could hear your heart beating or listen to your thoughts. They had big dreams, bigger than I ever imagined. And they wanted me to be a part of it. And I hesitated. I, uh,” Colin looked at the picturesof Penelope dancing. Him watching her from the edge of the dance floor. He was there. The pictures proved it. He was there with her. He picked up the photo with him staring straight into the camera. He nodded at Eloise, his little sister had been right.
“I am sorry, but I have to go.”
“Colin?” J.J. stood up and watched Colin step down the stage and disappear.
But Colin could no longer hear J.J. as he rushed outside with Eloise. “El, can you tell me in short, complete sentences featuring no words over two syllables why exactly I am in these pictures?”
“Probably not.” Eloise huffed, out of breath, trying to keep up with Colin’s stride.
“Try harder.” He threw over his shoulder. It would be impossible to find a cab at this time of night. He checked his watch.
“Because you were there.” Eloise caught up with him.
“I most certainly was not. I would remember if I was there.” Colin started walking again, weaving his way through the crowd. It was Monday night. Why were there so many people out, crowding the streets?
“Because you’re going to be there. If we get there in time.” Eloise checked her phone for the time and started jogging next to him.
“But these are pictures of the past, not the future.” Colin still could not understand why he showed up in pictures Eloise had taken in 1824 over a week ago. How would that even work?
“Not exactly, theoretically speaking, if you go to the past in the future, then your future lies in the past. And that is the picture of you in the future in the past.”
“I hope you understand all of this, because I don’t.” Colin hummed.
“We have to make a run for it. Come on. You don’t want to be late for your engagement ball.”
And that got Colin running.
Portia Featherington rattled a small silver spoon to her glass. The murmur in the crowd stopped. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention? My lovely daughter Penelope will be making a very important announcement in thirty minutes from this very stage. I believe it shall be an announcement that will justify the playing of a bridal waltz.” The buzz in the room amplified, while Penelope took a sad look at the clock, Lord Debling hovering near her side, trying to hide his smirk.
Eloise took Colin through the bookstore, up the stairs towards the attic and out through the window on the roof, “Okay, this is the hard part.”
“What?” Colin looked at the height of the building, the lights of the city in the distance shimmering like a kaleidoscope.
“You have to jump,” Eloise finished.
Colin looked over the edge to the pavement below. “Absolutely not. Are you mad?”
“You love her, right? You love Penelope?” Eloise shook Colin, her eyes urging him to believe in her. For once.
“Yeah, I do.” Colin nodded, a smile forming on his lips. He really did love Penelope. And he was not afraid to tell his sister.
“That’s all you need to know. Take a leap of faith. You’ll be fine. Trust me.” Eloise held his hand, squeezed some confidence in them.
The bells on St. James’s church started tolling.
“Now, Colin. You have to jump before the bells silence again.”
“But how about you? I can’t leave you?” Colin turned away from the ledge, towards his little sister Eloise.
“Don’t worry about me. I don’t want to be in the way of your love story.” Eloise turned nervous. Leave it to her brother to miss the portal by being hesitant, to suddenly put family before his own happiness.
The bells tolled …
“EL, I love you forever.” He hugged Eloise, gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“I love you too, Col. Just don’t look down, just jump.” She kissed him on the cheek, squeezed a tear out of his eye, before she let him go.
And Colin jumped.
Colin landed in the back alley of Hatchards bookstore, in 1824.
In the distance a watchman hollered, “It’s quarter till Midnight and all is well.”
It would be midnight in 15 minutes. Colin checked where the watchman was heading and quickly chose the other direction. He ran over the cobbled streets of Piccadilly, over Berkeley Street towards Grosvenor Square. His heart beating in his chest. In his time, the trip would cost about 18 minutes if traffic was low. He had to reach Penelope before midnight, before the clock ran out.
Meanwhile in Featherington House
“Ladies and gentlemen, before I give the floor to my lovely daughter, Penelope, I should like to add… how proud I am of her. She will make her announcement now, the match of the season.” The crowd applauded, watching the stage eagerly for her announcement. Many gentlemen hovered nearby.
“Thank you, mother.” Penelope stood on the stage, all the eyes of the Ton on her. She hated this part. She had never liked to be the centre of attention, and now she was forced to take the stage to announce her groom to be. She better get this over with. The time to dream had come and gone. Reality awaited.
Colin had arrived at the door at the Featherington Estate as the church bells started tolling. He was still in time, but he met a footman at the door. “I’m sorry, sir, but this is a private affair.”
“No, you don’t seem to understand. I need to get inside. Pen is waiting for me.” Colin was panting, trying to get the words out. To make them see, to let him in.
“Is there a problem?” a young lady in a green and yellow uniform inquired.
“Are you Rae?” Colin remembered Penelope talking about her ladies maid. Her confidente.
In the ballroom, Penelope took a glass of champagne. “As my mother can’t stop talking about it, let us proceed. Please raise your glasses, so we may toast my groom to be, the man who will get my dowry and will hopefully present the Featherington family with an heir.” A crowd of hungry men looked hopefully at Penelope, Lord Debling stood close to the stage, ready to step up.
“So, sorry. Excuse me.” Colin stumbled into the ball room, tripping over some lavish frock, making quite the entrance. He apologised again and righted himself, Rae was right behind him. He stood at the edge of the ballroom, just like in the pictures. He was tall, towering over the people waiting for Pen’s announcement. His Pen, who stood on the stage, a glass of champagne in hand, ready to make her announcement.
“My groom to be—“ Penelope wavered as her eyes caught a tall and handsome man at the edge, his hair ruffled and windswept, her eyes lit up as she locked eyes with Colin and whispered his name— “Colin Bridgerton.”
The crowd murmured, following Penelope as she stepped down the stage and walked towards the newcomer, leaving her mother stunned into silence as she watched the new man who her daughter had chosen to marry.
Colin walked towards her as Penelope flew into his arms. “I love you, Colin.”
“I love you, Pen.”
A wave of love swept over them. And as they reached for each other….
“What? Why are you stopping?” Thomas asked.
“It’s kissing again. I thought you don’t want to hear that,” Colin chuckled.
“Maybe I don’t mind so much,” Thomas muttered, his cheeks glowing and not with fever.
“Since the invention of the kiss… there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate… the most pure. And this one left them all behind. Colin kissed his Penelope hungrily on the mouth for all the Ton to see.
Rae signalled to the orchestra and the bridal waltz started. Colin took his Pen into his arms and twirled her around the room until he heard her laughter echoing against the walls. And they lived happily ever after.
The end.”
Penelope choose that moment to enter Thomas’ bed chamber. She was glad her son was doing better, but still she worried about his health, “I believe it is time you ought to go to sleep.” She kissed Colin on the cheek, under loud cheers from three of her children.
They had quickly learned it was okay to show love and affection within the safety of one’s home, as long as one was married. Georgie reached his plump arms out to her, always favouring her over Colin. She picked him up, nuzzled his gorgeous baby scent, while he wrapped his arm around her neck. She knew Georgie understood them perfectly, even though he did not speak yet. Simon, who also had a problem speaking as a child, had told them to be patient and just love him. Tell him stories and don’t push. He would be all right. And she had believed him. Georgie would speak when he was ready and he would surprise them all when he did.
“Okay,” Thomas started, “I will go to sleep now. But maybe papa could read it again to us tomorrow.”
Agatha and Jane cheered, adding their pleas to their parents. “Oh, please, father, again. Tomorrow. Yes, please.” Jane even kneeled on her brother’s bed, pressing her hands together and giving her parents big puppy eyes. Who could resist those?
Little Georgie looked from his parents to his siblings, nearly jumping up and down on the bed and he realised this was an important moment. He gave his mother a wet kiss on the cheek. Penelope laughed, grateful for the sudden display of affection. He turned from her to his siblings, before he looked at his father with a toothy grin, “P’ease.”