Chapter Text
Lady Danbury’s Mansion
April, 1815
Anthony Bridgerton was standing in the corner of the ballroom where there wasn’t much crowd as the festivities around him was going on full swing. As customary the first ball of this social season was held by Lady Danbury and she had out done herself this year. The decorations, musical quartet, food everything was exceptional. The footmen were serving champagnes in trays, of which he was nursing a second glass now, while trying to actively avoid his family especially his mother Lady Violet Bridgerton. Since he declared his intention of finding a wife during previous season his mother has been unbearable, pushing any eligible debutante onto him at every chance she got. He couldn’t overly fault his mother as she just wanted her eldest son to start his married life with a compatible woman. But what she expected was that would be a love match just like her own and Anthony knew it was not quite possible as there could be no other couple who can be as in love as his parents. So he didn’t try to find a woman to love, all he wanted was a woman who would be a perfect fit for the role of his Viscountess. Someone pleasing to the eyes and intelligent enough so he won’t need to live the rest of his life in solitary because he wouldn’t be able to spend time with a woman who can’t even hold an interesting conversation for five minutes. He thought his requirements were simple and he could easily find a wife. Previous season proved how wrong he was. He talked to every women in his carefully curated list of potential brides and he danced with every debutante his mother tried to introduce him to in every ball of that season. He really tried his best to find the right woman but every woman he talked to were all similar, all they said were what their mothers have thought them to repeat to any man who talked to them. All they talked about was their talent in pianoforte and their water colours, when he asked about their hobbies or when he tried to talk about other topics they all went blank. Anthony has already given up on his search and just wanted to enjoy this new season but his mother wouldn’t accept it and kept trying to find a match for him, which he had decided was impossible. So he had been trying to avoid his mother all evening and he has mostly succeeded. He just has to spend one more hour here and he could silently escape to Whites. When he thought to find his brother Benedict to tell him about his departure and also to request his brother to escort their mother and sisters back to home before he went to his bachelor lodgings his eyes caught sight of a certain red hair. The youngest Featherington was walking in his direction but not directly towards him. She was not in her usual yellow gown and instead was wearing an emerald green gown, which somehow gave her an extra glow.
Anthony realised he had not seen her in months, she used to regularly visit the Bridgerton house to take tea with his sisters and mother or just to talk with Eloise about finding Whistledown . But since their return to London she has not visited them even once. So when their eyes met as she came close he gave her a warm smile, though slightly startled she returned the smile. He bowed his head and greeted her.
“Good evening, Miss Featherington”
Penelope curtsied and said “Good evening, Lord Bridgerton.”
“How is your evening going on?” Anthony enquired her “Wonderful my Lord, Lady Danbury had indeed thrown one of the best Balls of all time.” Anthony agreed and asked her why she hasn’t come to the Bridgerton house since the start of the season. Penelope seemed to be staggering for a moment and said “We came back to London only recently, so there wasn’t enough time to come visit.” He then enquired about her family she said they were in the other side of the room. He was surprised “Then what are you doing here alone?”
Penelope smiled sheepishly “I am trying to hide from my mother” she could see the question in his face “she has been trying to set me up with Lord Williams all evening.” “Lord Williams, isn’t he a little old for you?”Anthony asked in a thoughtful voice. “Not just little, he is too old for me. I think he is over five and fifty. That is why I’m trying to avoid them both” Penelope said with tired expression. “Why would your mother try to set you up with him of all people?” Anthony asked in a voice mixed with anger and confusion. “She wants both me and my sister to be wed by the end of this season. She thinks he is the only option left for me” Anthony felt his temper rise, while trying to control it he asked Penelope “Shall I talk to your mother regarding this?” “No, it’s really not necessary I’m actually used to her doing this since my first season. She pushes any gentleman onto me who she thinks will take me as wife. She doesn’t even think that there is a chance, I would not be interested in them.” she sighed and continued “So I just try to hide from her whenever she does this.”
Anthony could sympathize with her because both of them were facing similar problems. In spite of one being a powerful Viscount and the other being an innocent debutante, they both were trying to hide from their respective matchmaking mothers. Suddenly Penelope looked behind him and said “Oh God! Lord Williams is coming this way.” Anthony looked at the direction she was pointing with her eyes and quickly pushed her behind the large pillar which stood near them. If someone looked at their direction it would seem like he was standing alone near the pillar. Lord Williams walked by him searching the room and once he knew he was far away Anthony asked her to come out. After she came out he said, “If he tries to get close to you again, let me know. I will give him a piece of my mind to not to disturb you ever.” Penelope nodded and thanked him with a smile, while turning to go on the opposite direction.
Later that night he was returning from Whites in a horseback to the Bridgerton house sometime after midnight, as he came closer to the house he could see someone covered in a cloak coming out of the Featherington house which was dark, a sign that everyone had retired for the night. His first thought was it should be a thief, but when he was about to move fast to catch him the cloak moved and he saw a flash of red and when he was trying to process it he saw the person’s face under the street lamp. He couldn’t believe his eyes ‘What was Penelope Featherington doing outside at this time of the night?’ he thought to himself. Before he could stop and ask her the same, she got into a waiting carriage which didn’t seem to belong to the Featheringtons. Anthony felt his anger rise, he couldn’t comprehend how an unmarried Lady of the society could go out this late at night that too unaccompanied. She may not be related to him but she was his sister’s close friend and he felt a moral responsibility to stop her and take her back home safely. In the few seconds he spent thinking, the carriage has gone a little far away, so he kicked his horse to follow it faster. When he almost reached the carriage near a deserted corner he signalled the driver to stop the carriage. When it stopped he got down from his horse and came near the window and knocked. When Penelope saw his face she seemed to be perplexed. He asked her to come out. She slowly got down and he could see she was nervous.
He took her hand and walked a few steps away from the earshot of the carriage driver. He looked at her face and he could tell she was frightened, so he tried to calm himself and asked her in a lowered voice “Penelope what are you doing here in a hired carriage at this time of the night?” She was just staring at him nervously without saying anything. He couldn’t control his anger any more and he slightly raised his voice “Do you know how unsafe and improper this is to a Lady of the Ton.” She was startled by his tone and dropped the paper she was holding in her hand and it landed near his feet. As he bent down to pick it up and give it back to her his eyes caught a certain word from the paper. ‘Whistledown’ his eyes sharpened and when he fully saw what was written he understood it was a Lady Whistledown column. But it was not a printed column, it was written in ink and when Penelope realised that he has already seen what is written in the paper a small shriek escaped from her lips. He looked up from the paper to look at her face and asked her.
“Are you Lady Whistledown?”