Chapter Text
The Featherington drawing room was possibly Marina’s leasr favorite place in the world. She felt like Lady Featherington could see through her every time their eyes met. It had been just under two months since George had left for the front. One monnth since she’d received her last letter from him. One week since the whispers of her shame had started up again and three weeks since she'd found her fate.
Marina had hoped when she missed her courses, which for the previous several years had been so regular one might set a clock by them, that she might simply be going through some sort of upset or temporarily ill. Yes, she had given herself to George several times. No, they had not been careful every time, but she had loved him! How was she supposed to keep her head with him?
George had promised to protect her, he had promised to love her, he had promised to give her a life of luxury and acceptance and everything both of them lacked. He had promised her a house and a title and a flower garden of red lilies and a loving family.
George Crane had lied.
George’s father had walked in on them kissing one day. George had sworn that his father would love her, and yet Sir Crane had ripped her away from Geroge by the hair and thrown her out calling her all manner of horrible names and Goerge had just watched. She had cried to him for help or comfort and all he had done was to promise he would see her soon, he would collect her once everything was fixed. He had sworn he just needed time.
Marina had run home to the quiet halls of her father’s house. She had written to George the moment she was safe, and folded the letter securely in her book to be dropped off at their special place in the morning. She had sealed it with a kiss. The next day she had gone to the fence between their properties and found the hollow log with the special rock over the hole where they hid their letters. She pulled it open expecting to see his assurance or a note of love and passion like she had a thousand times before. Instead there was nothing.
Marina gently placed her letter inside and fled to her own home. She returned to the special letter spot every day for two weeks, she would check the ever growing pile of letters to see if any were from him, only hers remained. One day she arrived to see her letters had been replaced with three envelopes.
One was a handwritten copy of Enlistment papers with Geroge Crane’s name written upon them. The second was a letter that had almost no information in it, simply a forwarding address in London, an apology for his silence, and a request for more time. The last was a missive from Philly, Geroge’s annoying, bookish little brother that had always walked after Geroge like a shadow, pestering them. The letter promised to help her with anything he could, but warned her not to come back to their house or property as their father may well kill her on sight. So much for the loving family, the house, the title, and land Georgehad whsipered in her ear as he seduced her with dreams and wishes.
A week later Marina missed her courses. Two weeks later, Marina came home from church to the image of her bags packed and news from her father that she was to find a husband for her bastards in London. Clearly her father's spiteful staff had whispered in his ear. Most of the women on her father's payroll, for they were all young and beautiful women, hated her. None of them would guard her secrets.
Marina was informed that a titled man owed her father a lot of money and would be paying his debt by housing her and incorporating her into the London season pretending she was a cousin. He was to get her married off to some desperate Lord or wealthy Mister. She also received a warning that if anyone, including the man and his family, learned about her loose morals and the results of her open legs, she would be left on the street, disowned and penniless but either way she would never return to her childhood home again.
Marina managed to get a letter to George’s forwarding address telling him of her new location. She didn’t mention the child in her belly, she was too frightened, but she begged him to come for her. She begged him to gather her and run away with her! She told him that she didn’t need his title or family lands, that they could flee to Scotland or Ireland or Wales and live a new life together just the two of them. She told him she loved him but she did not have any more time.
Marina had expected to see Geroge there to meet her when she arrived in London. She expected to see his warm green eyes and his broad shoulders and his beautiful red uniform with his charming smile. She expected him to hold out his hand and agree to run away with her and promise that they would still have all those things he spoke of in the church, and the barn, and all the places they had made love. Instead, she saw a letter with a forwarding address in France saying he was leaving in two days and asking for more time.
George was only three borrows over, they were in the same city, and yet he did not even try to see her. He simply asked for more time. Heart broken and scared and alone Marina did what she could to make Lady Featherington happy hoping that she and her daughters may be kind enough to become the loving family Marina had always hoped for, but they never did.
The Featheringtons were cruel at heart. Even their kind words were laced with biting contempt. Comments on her beauty or fine dress were tinged with layers of things to do better, places she failed and the burden she was. At first Marina had thought Penelope was different.
Penelope, after all, was genuinely sweet when she spoke. Her compliments were real and held no bite or underlying meaning. She reminded Marina of sweet little Philly, who was always trying to get attention. Penelope was good and kind and so good at lying Marina believed her, until she saw Penelope with one of her suitors. That was when she saw the truth of Penelope’s twisted, jealous heart.
Marina had met one nice man at her first ball. He had commiserated with her, made her laugh, and been a surprisingly accomplished dancer. Besides that he was handsome. Dark hair, the opposite of Geroge’s blonde, Navy blue eyes with a hint of Geroge’s green at the center. He was not quite so broad or strong as Geroge but when he danced with her, he actually listened in ways she had never imagined a man might. He had promised to call on her and call he did, he followed through on his word; every promise he made was kept.
When Colin called he was holding red Lilies, the sort Geroge had promised her. In the moment Colin Bridgerton provided her the flowers George had always promised, but never given, Marina knew he was the one God had sent her to fulfill all of Geroge’s empty promises. Colin Bridgerton was her fate. He would be kind and loyal and charming and good to her and he would fulfill his promises.
Seeing Colin with Penelope had given her pause at first. After all he did seem genuinely to genuinely enjoy ‘Pen’, as he called her, and the look in his eyes was bewitched to say the least, but after he left Eloise came by. Marina had tried to spend the day with Penelope and Eloise hoping that meeting Colin’s family would provide a second promise filled. Seeing Penelope with Eloise told Marina that Colin’s family was loving, but Eloise never warmed to her no matter how she tried. Penelope hadnt even truely let Marina try! She jept interrupting or distracting Eloise or running off wit her. Marina tried mentioning the flowers, and how well Colin had accepted her, and how he was courting her. It had given Eloise enough pause to give Marina hope.
Marina’s hope became sour and bitter as time went on. Colin would come to call upon her and then Penelope would steal all of his attention. Penelope, who already had a loving family, already had the Bridgertons and could easily marry any of the other three brothers, and didn’t need to marry! Yet still, Colin would say hello to her, bring her the most beautiful and thoughtful presents of flowers and fans and shower her with his attention, until Penelope would come in and steal him from her with a bat of her eyes.
It became clear to Marina, that Penelope was the worst sort of woman; the kind who had everything and was still greedy for more. Plenty of men wanted Marina, sure, but none of them were Colin! None of them would give her what she wanted! None of them could provide her with the promises that were rightfully hers! Colin could though and he would if given the chance, she knew he secretly loved and wanted her, not Penelope! Yet Penelope persisted in stealing him! Insisted on pulling his attention and affection as though Colin were not already in love with Marina and her far superior beauty and much more mature womanly ways.
Finally there was the dinner where Marina got the chance to tell Penelope the truth she needed to hear. She hoped that by telling Penelope the facts about her situation: that Colin was Marina’s promise fulfilled and thus would only ever see desperate, greedy Penelope as a sister, then Penelope would finally let Colin go and let him be happy with Marina! Really she was doing Penelope a favor, she had clung onto this impossible dream for too long and Marina needed him while Pen just wanted him.
Then the worst thing imaginable happened: Penelope got her way.
Colin stopped coming over the very next day afrer the dinner. He would still spend time with Penelope at events but he stopped paying her attention at all, and even worse he stopped dancing with her. It was as though Penelope had poisoned him against her! She watched as her future started slipping away, and to make her position even more dire the whispers that started again. Three weeks and still no sign of courses, perhaps she had finished before she arrived, but perhaps she hadn’t. Perhaps she was the sort who had irregular courses, but perhaps not. Marina heard them all and now she was here.
Marina watched Penelope scribe another of those awful letters to the man whp should be Marina’s! The loyal, kind, gentle, generous man who was too good to let go of this annoyance, who acted like Philly. Ahe was constantly in someone’s shadow needing their attention and demanding their companionship. Marina needed a way to save Colin from Penelope and her pathetic pursuit. It was so clear that she was forcing Colin into a match he didn’t want because Penelope always got her way. Well this time, Marina would get her way. This time, Marina would get the good and kind and loyal man. That first day fate had made it clear that Colin was her soulmate! She just needed to show him that he didn’t need to fear Penelope, and she needed to have enough time to do it.
It had taken days to come up with a plan. For all of George’s faults, she did not blame her babies for anything and she knew Colin well enough to know he would accept her child and her mistakes. She could not hurt her baby,so instead she would have to hide them. It was while watching Penelope write those horrid letters that the idea came to her in the form of the red ink. Penelope was so selfish with the gifts Colin gave her, constantly demanding more and hoarding them so Marina could never have any. Well this was her chance.
So now she was sitting in the drawing room, working on needlework for the babies that would someday call Colin father, and watching Penelope write her vicious lies meant to steal Marina's happy ending for herself. As she expected Lady Featherington called her precious daughter into another room, and it was the perfect time for Marina to strike. Pen had just started to gather the ink bottles when Lady Featherington screamed “NOW, PENELOPE!” and the girl scampered off leaving Marina alone with her prize!
Marina was quick, she had to be. She ran over, took the bottle of red ink, and secreted it into her skirts before returning to the couch as though nothing had happened. She waited until Penelope returned and watched as she searched for her missing bottle. ‘It is not pleasant to have someone steal something precious is it, Penelope? You will finally know what it feels like to have something taken from you! You cannot have everything. You tried to take what should be mine! I will not give in so easily!’ She thought, pleased with her machinations.
In truth, there were still moments Marina missed George. She missed his strong arms and his beautiful green eyes and Colin’s dark curls weren’t quite as charming as Geroge’s chiseled jaw and golden waves. Still, Colin was loyal, Colin gave what Geroge never had, and, now that she had the ink, Colin had the one thing George needed and couldn’t have: more time.
Marina snuck up the stairs once Penelope left and put her plan into action, hiding the red ink and preparing to feign her courses. Marina would have Colin, and all the things Geroge promised, and not even Penelope could stop her now.