Chapter Text
One makes mistakes when they are tired. But as many people can confirm, that usually doesn't mean that one ends up in front of Queen Charlotte.
"You are so young".
The Queen's voice was so smooth, and yet it was brimming with doubt.
"I am, my Queen".
There was no point in hiding the truth. After all, the Queen's guard waited for her at her printer's office. That pitiful man betrayed her so easily, and there was no hope or possibility to get out of this mess. Perhaps it was a good thing that she was discovered. Finally, this life would end.
"You are unmarried. Your mother would gladly announce it if that happened. Why? You are not ugly. Only dressed horribly".
Penelope Featherington expected threats and losing her head, not comments about her body and clothes. But why would the Queen be any different from the society she ruled over? No matter what she did, she was only as relevant as her face or clothes, and she was always lacking in that area.
"Thank you for your kind words, my Queen, but I am not pretty or thin. And for that alone, I am invisible"
"Pish, posh. I saw you. You stand on the side, like a scared little bird. You made a force out of yourself. They tremble more before your Nome de plume than me. And yet you hide like a monster when in reality you are a little lost girl. Terrified that one might approach you. The only people I see next to you are the Bridgerton brothers."
The Queen stood up, and Penelope stopped breathing.
"Why are you not married?"
The only thing she could do was, to be honest.
"Nobody wants me. Even those who are kind to me openly say they wouldn't court me. Not even in the wildest dreams. I am a joke", she said and started crying. Now as she lost Lady Whistledown, she was nothing. Worth nothing with nobody to care about her.
She glanced at her Queen and saw rage like she has never seen before.
"Who said it?", she ordered her.
The youngest Featherington was cheeky, mean, and rude. But no woman deserved to hear something like that.
"Who said it?", she repeated only to realize that the girl was crying. No, she was sobbing. Charlotte stopped realizing at that moment that the problem wasn't only in the cruel words, but also in the person who said it. At that moment, she knew that the person who said it was someone a young girl loved.
"It was Colin Bridgerton".
There was no need for confirmation since Penelope's sobs became even louder.
"You will not cry over a gentleman who would dare say something like that. You are Lady Whistledown. Hold yourself together, child. No boy who is barely out of his childhood room deserves the attention of any lady, let alone tears. Is this why you started that damn newsletter?"
Penelope shooked her head.
"By pure accident. It was a place where I could be all I am not, with people listening to me and wanting to listen to me. Never before or after did that happen. I wasn't ignored or pushed to the side. I was at the very center of attention".
"You hurt many people".
"I spoke the truth. Not one lie was printed", the girl was almost defiant, as she added: "Not to mention, there were things I never published. Secrets that would destroy lives. I am many things, my Queen, but I am not a liar. I take the mirror and put it in front of people who pretend to be better when they all are far from it."
While the monologue itself was one of the most interesting, Charlotte caught in the speech something that intrigued her.
"Tell me the secrets you didn't publish. Tell me about my court".
The very second she asked her to tell her all the secrets she knew, something changed. The air itself electricized, and the girl in front of her became a woman. A lady. It was a transformation that she never saw before. An ugly duckling became a power player like she never saw it before. Charlotte loved it. After a life of wealth and privilege, very few things surprised her. For the first time since Penelope Featherington was brought in front of her, she could finally see how that girl became the most notorious woman in the town. The smile was almost wicked, and Charlotte loved it. Even though she hated some things the girl wrote, the majority of the time she was amused and entertained by her, and more often than not she got food for thought.
At that moment Queen Charlotte promised herself to do anything in her power to find a worthy husband for Penelope Featherington. After all, she was a big supporter of true love, and what a great way to stop Lady Whistledown.
"Do not worry, child. The words that silly Bridgerton said will soon be nothing more than a distant memory. "
After seeing a true expression of pain on the girl's face as she reminded her, so familiar to Charlotte, the Queen decided to ensure that Colin Bridgerton would not come close to her new protégé.
At that very moment, Colin Bridgerton who was enjoying an incredible glass of wine felt fear like never before.