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‘Touch me.’ He said.
‘Where?’
‘Anywhere.’
Her hands on his bottom relaxed slightly, and she smiled.
‘I am touching you.’
‘Move.’ He groaned. ‘Move them.’
************************************************
5 hours earlier.
Penelope Anne Featherington knew she was capable of many things however as she found her ankle getting strapped to that of 3rd son and bane of her existence Colin Christopher Bridgerton she wondered if her tenacity had taken her a step too far.
No. No. Actually not far enough she scowled and looked down at the assistant fastening her knee gingerly to Colin’s despite the abject horror on the faces of the Ton members in attendance at the Bridgertons annual country event at Aubrey Hall.
She was determined to win. She would not and could not let Cressida Cowper and that turncoat of a former friend Eloise Bridgerton beat her. And the only chance of doing that was teaming up with Colin who she truly despised at the moment, but he was determined to make amends with her and he was an equally determined competitive sports person.
Truly the only way to beat a Bridgerton was with another Bridgerton, fight fire with fire.
She idly wondered now butterflies dancing in her stomach how they were going to do this even with Colins athletic prowess, she had only seen this race played once before down at the village near her ancestral seat two years prior when visiting the markets for the May Day event but surely its couldn't be too hard? It was only running! She had purposely worn her stays loose in preparation for today's events and a fortuitous choice of dress allowed for the ties to bind her and Colin at the knee unlike Eloise and Cressida who only had been bound at the ankles due to their gowns.
‘Pen, are you sure you want to do this?’ Colin looked at her uncertainty, a little flushed and unsurprisingly awkward at their close proximity from ankle to thigh. Pen had been leaning as far away from him as possible from the hip up to retain a level of decorum as the only unmarried and unrelated combined female male team.the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton with the Viscountess Kathani Bridgerton currently at the top of the leaderboard for points at today's carnival events and a squabbling Hyacinth and Gregory Bridgerton also in the running by the looks of them, not much by way of competition.
Truth be told Penelope didn't care a jot about winning the actual day's event. Just as long as she beat Cressida and Eloise.
‘Mr Bridgerton, I'm absolutely certain I do. Now furthermore I will ask you to focus on the events of the competition and refrain from bringing up the topic of our friendship till later I would appreciate it. Also I do not want to discuss Eloise. How are we going to win this? You told me that you have won this multiple times before at Eton? What do we have to do?’
Penelope stared up at him focused, skewering him with her direct gaze and her steely determination.
‘I promise Penelope, as long as you will indulge me later with a proper discussion and a chance to apologise…’
Penelope growled at him. Growled! She couldn't do it, she would murder him spending another moment in his presence.
Glancing over at Cressida again she caught her eying them over with a smarmy smile and disdainful eyes, before whispering something to Eloise which had her squinting at them stony faced and then turning up her nose and looking anywhere but at them.
How dare she! Pen spat out furiously through tightly held lips.
‘Colin. How. Are. We. To. Do. This. NOW! The race is about to begin!’
She yanked on his elbow pulling him down to her height quite indecorously. She really had nothing to lose at this point. She was on her third year on the Marriage Mart and almost decidedly a spinster. Damn proprietary to hell!
Colin gulped nervously while watching his mother the dowager Viscountess glare at him. Between the two woman he would normally heed her clear, albeit silent message to extricate himself from the situation, but frankly this new version of Penelope terrified him (aroused him a little too, truth be told). As a gentleman he was determined to also make things right with her; he had his lost honour to redeem.
Deep Breath.
‘You'll need to hold onto me and I to you tightly for the duration of the race. It may seem inappropriate but we must align our movements and bodies as if we were but one. Entirely in sync. Under normal conditions my racing partner would be a male and closer to my height so latching our arms at the elbow would suffice. However due to the significant height disparity between us I believe the best method to secure our concomitant motion, would be for us to hold onto each other securely at the waist, both of us and ensure we remain firmly adhered to each other from top to bottom. Due to your shorter- I mean your step width, being smaller than mine l, will reduce my stride length in line with yours and instead we will increase our gait speed to ensure our cadence is measured and balanced. For the ease of the motion we will step out with our joined limbs. Is that acceptable with you?’
Penelope gulped. She had managed in her anger to ignore the fact that she was physically as close to Colin as she ever was or would likely ever be in her life but the idea of every part of herself, the right side anyway from the top of her head to her ankle would be attached, nay, glued to his form felt momentarily overwhelming.
The game's cryer was getting into position, she did not have time to have an apoplexy over Colin's body on hers. She dislikes him. Nothing has changed! Focus. She wrapped her arm as firmly as it would go, securing herself tightly to his waist. Colin nodded and did the same, his arm bracketing her upper back, fingers curling tightly into her side almost just below the line of her bosom.
He grew steely eyed. His competitive nature in the foreground.
‘Trust in me Penelope. We will be victorious!’
**************************************************
They were in fact, not victorious.
However, they were more victorious than Cressida and Eloise by at least five places coming in at an entirely respectable third position which surprised everyone (Anthony and Kate a solid first unsurprisingly, followed close behind by Lord Marcus Anderson and the newly minted Lord William Mondrich, surprisingly agile men despite their large frames.
This meant that Penelope and Colin now sat at sixth position on the overall leaderboard, one behind Cressida and Eloise. Having had mixed performances in the hoop toss (El and Cress won), Egg & Spoon race (equal) , teams Tug-o-war (Pen and Colin easily trounced them) and the sack race (Pen performed abysmally tripping over at the beginning, Cressida not long after despite jeering at Pen's downfall and Eloise came in dead last of the surviving players to Colin's solid second place.)
Now the final tournament for the lion's share of points would be the traditional game of Pall Mall, the field of play winnowed down to the top eight teams, each team mate to take a turn securing the numbered hoops in turn.
‘I don’t know why you're even bothering to continue Miss Featherington? Surely you know you have no opportunity to secure the win from the sixth position.’
Pen’s shoulders tensed up at the nasal tones of her nemesis. She took a breath composing herself before turning.
‘Well Miss Cowper if I have no chance of winning it shouldn't bother you in the slightest if I choose to continue. Unless you're concerned that I might displace your position? How frequently have you played Pall Mall? I've had the pleasure of joining the Bridgertons for the last 4 years and played with the family on a regular basis. Would you like some assistance in understanding the rules of play?’
She placed her hand on her hip, not the most ladylike look, however it gave her a sense of confidence when facing off with Cressida who was looking at her as if she were a steaming horse pat in the middle of a Mayfair street.
‘I have it on good authority from my team mate that your performance was hardly one of great merit. Apparently you rarely persevered to the end of the course, while she has been playing quite admirably since she was at least 2 and 10. That and my natural prowess at archery and shuttlecock should hold me in good stead.’
Pen bristled, Eloise the bloody traitor! Yes she swore (in her mind, but swore none the less) she couldn't believe her former friend would strategise with her enemy so neatly to ensure her failure.
‘Well Cressida, I have Colin. He outstrips Eloise in his performance and experience by far. So I would not be too sure that your position on the board will remain secure! Truth be told, I do not need the final prize, as long as I best you!’
Cressida smiled cruelly.
‘Oh yes, Colin. It's dreadful the level the poor man has stooped to, in an attempt to secure your favour, after his far from gentlemanly proclamations last season. In fact, I don't doubt the attendance of you and your family at this event, after that situation with that scoundrel of a cousin of yours Baron Featherington, is entirely due to Mr Bridgerton having some misplaced sentiment to redeem himself to you. That or perhaps stave off any further suggestions of impropriety between you and he, after he was seen to grab your hand quite brazenly at your family's little event last year. It's quite the balancing act is it not? Securing your…attentions privately, and then denying a connection lest he be forced to marry you. It was poorly done of him. One only hopes that this season, you happen upon another target, perhaps from out of town who isn't aware of the whispers about what may have occurred? To secure a very unlikely but possible offer of marriage.’ Cressida's smile was cruel and assured.
Penelope paled. She was well aware that Colins unkind comments had spread across the Ton. However this was the first she had heard of whispers of her potential ruination at Colin’s hands that evening. She hadn't thought people had noticed him whisking her away. She watched him in the distance conversing with his siblings. This could potentially affect both of them. The implied threat from Cressida Cowper was clear. As cross as she was with him, she didn't want his reputation sullied with the ghost of him dishonouring her falsely attached to his name. He was no capital R rake.
She walked away not bothering to respond to Cressida. She needed to think.
***********************************************
After an elegant repast for luncheon as manners dictated, the crowds reassembled on the lawn now prepared with the Pall Mall course as designed by Daphne Hastings who was in a delicate way and not able to compete. She would act as the official of sorts observing the state of play along with the Duke.
As they gathered to collect their mallets Penelope noticed a kerfuffle occurring as she approached. Colin stood beside his brother, his jaw tense.
‘What is the matter?’ Pen looked amongst the gathered crowd trying to determine what was going on.
Anthony Bridgerton looked around tersly and spoke.
‘It seems while we were at luncheon there has been some underhanded behaviour afoot. As part of the tournament process, mallets were assigned to each player by colour code. It seems that while we were away someone has run off with two mallets specifically those intended for you Miss Featherington and my brother Colin. My brother has been arguing here that you both should be allowed to play using mallets assigned to other players however we deem it an issue with ensuring accurate tabulation of the points and the rules of Pall Mall clearly state each player must use their own colour coded mallet.’
‘Ridiculous brother, it would be entirely unfair to discount us due to a simple issue of missing mallets. Clearly someone is threatened by us enough to engage in the art of sabotage.’ He stared pointedly at Eloise who acted like she was affronted by the accusation.
‘I'm sure I can locate some additional mallets in the storage shed out by the stables if you are ameniable to delaying the beginning of play for a little while longer yet. Is that agreeable?’
Anthony huffed impatiently keen to get on with it and claim what he assumed was his inevitable victory of the tournament. However as host he couldn't be seen as being unfair.
‘Brother don't trouble yourself, I'll send one of the manservants down to have a look for you-’
‘No, absolutely not. If there has been some skullduggery whilst we were otherwise occupied , I cannot entrust the task to an outside party lest they be enticed to assist whomever was determined to remove us from the competition! Also, need I remind you it was under the watch of these very manservants that these machinations took place! No, I'll go and I'll take Penelope with me, I'll trust no one else but her.’
Pen looked perplexed. ‘Mr Bridgerton I'm sure that you are able to fetch two additional mallets without my assistance. I'll remain here till you return and make sure no one starts the game before you are back.’
Why would Colin want her to come to retrieve some sticks?
‘Miss Featherington I insist. I fear that whomever seems determined to remove us from the running may attempt more nefarious means of removal while I'm absent, what's to say they may not attempt to lame you or attack me while we are separated. Best we remain in each other's company till all this is done!’ he looked at each of the assembled competitors in turn assessing their expressions for a sign of their involvement in the scheme.
Anthony harrumphed like an old man. ‘Colin you're being absurd. Noone will attempt to injure you or Miss Featherington. Need I remind you furthermore, it would be entirely inappropriate for you to wander off unchaperoned in each other's company. It was already beyond the pale having you two partner up for the three legged race, had it not been for the mismatched number of competitors and Miss Featherington being a long standing family friend I would not have allowed it.’
Colin smiled a forced polite smile in Anthony's direction determined to have his way. ‘Well then as a long standing friend, it would not be too unseemly for us to go to the storage shed in full view of any number of the guests here on the grounds to fetch the items. You could have one of the manservants or maids accompany us if you're so concerned. It just means we would be delaying the beginning of the game longer till we can arrange for a maid to join us….’
Anthony sighed like the long suffering head of the household that he was. His siblings were a pain. ‘Fine fine! Go ahead quickly, let's get this over with!’
Colin gestured to Penelope indicating the direction they were heading. Once they were out of earshot of the crowd she furiously whisper-shouted ‘Why is it necessary for me to come on this escapade Colin. It's ridiculous. You know no one would have injured either of us!’
‘I know nothing of the sort. Someone clearly finds us a threat and I wouldn't put it past Miss Cowper to do something underhanded to remove us, particularly you. Unfortunately I'm most disappointed in my sister's possible involvement, though she tries to deny it. If you remain in my company you are safe. We also have an opportunity to discuss Pall Mall tactics you can employ out on the field. Daphne's outdone herself this year with some of the placements.’
‘Mr Bridgerton I do not need your assistance in improving my game play, prior to the beginning of the game itself.’ Her voice increased in volume as she grew more agitated. ‘I'm perfectly aware and capable of using my mind, though it may be but the brain of the feebler, gentler sex to work out how to use the mallet to hit a ball through the hoop, without the assistance of a man! Your sole responsibility is to make sure you play to your standard that you usually do so we can beat Cressida and your sister!’
Colin grinned at her despite the dressing down. ‘I've always wondered what you and Eloise had in common, you both seemed so different in temperament, that is, till moments like this and you sound exactly like her!’
She stopped walking. Eyebrows drawn together thunderous. ‘Take that back this instant!’ she crossed her arms across her chest in what she deemed to be an imposing manner, but it just seemed to make Colin's grin grow wider.
‘No I don't think I will Miss Featherington. That arm crossing manoeuvre, is pure Eloise. Next you might threaten to shoot me or strangle me. I can't pretend to understand or know what's happened between you two, but one things for certain, you've seeped into each other's bones, whatever this is, this lunacy that has her hanging around Miss Cowper, it will be but a temporary bump in the road of this friendship. You will both come to your senses.’ Colin started walking again whistling. ‘Better hurry up, knowing Ant, he will start without us at this rate!’
‘You're wrong! Eloise and I. We aren't alike and I don't see how we will ever become friends again. It is too far gone now. Things have been said that can not be taken back. I do not want to talk about this. In fact I would prefer if we could stop talking altogether. You are insufferable!’ Colin just whistled some more. ‘Stop walking so quickly, you know I can't keep up at that pace!’
Colin stopped and Pen backed into the solid wall of his back, unprepared for the sudden change in movement.
‘We made it. In record time too that was just barely six minutes at best.’ Colin undid the latch of the shed and entered, ‘I’ll be but a moment.’
Penelope waited outside, all out of sorts and impatient to get this over with. Most if all determined to minimise the amount of time she had with Colin to herself.
‘Penelope….’ Colin’s voice filtered out from the dark doorway of the shed.
‘You should really be calling me Miss Featherington. We aren't on friendly terms at the moment.’ No response from Colin.
‘Miss Featherington, can you come here for a moment to assist me….’
‘Really? They are but 2 mallets, surely it doesn't require two people to look for them!’ Penelope ducked her head into the doorway trying to locate Colin on the shadowy reserves of the dark shed.
‘No you're right it doesn't but I wanted to apologise for what's about to happen next.’ his voice echoed a little spookily in the space, Pen not quite able to locate him in the dark.
‘I really do not understand. What do you-’
The door of the shed slammed shut, extinguishing all available light. Penelope screamed.
Then a sound of a spill being drawn and a small flame appeared as Colin lit a small lamp in his hands as he stood behind her.
‘WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING! Open the door at once!’
Penelope shouted at Colin her anger outweighing the temporary spike of fear that had shot through her in the dark.
‘It was the only way I could get you to listen to me! You promised that you would let me discuss what happened last year with you if I assisted you and at every turn you have evaded me or attempted to delay the discussion.’ He looked at her plaintively puppy dog eyes at full effect.
‘So you have decided to lock me in a shed against my will! I can assure you that is not the way to go about obtaining absolution for your behaviour. I will be leaving now. Let me out.’
She made to push past him for the door.
‘If you would just-’
‘No.’
‘But it would be-’
‘I said NO Mr Bridgerton! Let me out now!’
Colin moved aside defeated and pushed at the door. It did not move.
He tried again. He then frantically began twisting at the latch.
‘It's not opening!’ He looked over at Penelope alarmed.
‘I told you Co-Mr Bridgerton, stop japing with me, it's bad enough that you hid the mallets in an attempt to talk to me but after I've expressly asked you to open the door you're still insisting on delaying…I'll open it then. My gloves, I'd better remove them, they'll be ruined.’ Pen pushed at the door. Yet it would not budge.
‘Colin! The door's not opening! What have you done?’ She looked back at him with consternation plainly writ across her features.
‘Pe-Miss Featherington, I promise you I have done nothing, I have no idea why it won't open!’
Pen started rattling at the door handle pulling at it ineffectually. No movement beyond the rusted creaking of the hinges as they fought and won against her efforts.
‘Colin I'm going to kill you!’
Penelope turned to him beating him with her little fists. ‘I hate the dark, I hate spiders. I hate spiders and creepy crawly things in the dark!’ Her anxiety, seeped out of her in a gush, pure panic at the thought of what lurked in the shadowy recesses.
‘I'm sorry Pen, I don't know why it's latched shut, it's never done that before. I swear I didn't mean to frighten you! Don't worry about the dark or the spiders. I'm sure there are NO spiders in here! Anthony will surely send someone for us soon!’ He grasped her flailing fists equal parts an attempt to provide comfort and protect himself from developing a larger bruise than the one he was sure was beginning to form from the pummelling.
Penelope panicked even more.
‘Nooo! We need to get out of here before anyone finds us alone together! If they find us we'll be forced to marry!’ She started breathing in strange little uneven breaths, hyperventilating.
‘Pen, Pen, Pen, hush, It's alright, that won't happen. Someone will be here any moment and when they see the door hinge has rusted we will be out and no harm to your reputation shall occur.’
‘No, no, no Colin! You don't understand! Cressida, she suggested, almost threatened, that there might be rumours about last year when you took me into the drawing room! She's determined to see me ruined if I don't allow her to beat me in the tournament. She will whisper and then everyone will believe there was a reason you were so adamant to not claim courting me and I'll be a spinster or worse your life will be ruined and you'll be forced to marry me!’ Pen started weeping. She couldn't think of anything worse than being married to Colin, the man she had been in love with for years in the knowledge he was forced into a marriage to spare her reputation!
Colin pulled her into a hug. ‘shhhh, shh, It will be alright, I'm sure.’ he felt helpless. She was so upset she looked like a caged bird and he could feel the hammering of her heart with her chest pressed firmly into his abdomen.
‘I know, I'm sure Ben has a flask of whisky stashed away in here from last time he was up at Aubrey Hall and we were playing. We’ll have a drink to steady our nerves till they arrive.’
He hunted around briefly before locating the flask, taking a sniff to ensure it was unspoilt before offering to Penelope.
‘Ladies first!’
Penelope looked at the flask doubtfully. Taking a sniff before pulling back a quick nip. Her eyes watered and she winced, a truly amusing expression on her face were it not for the tears that had tracked down her cheeks.
‘That was quite powerful.’ she hiccuped. Feeling the warmth spread through her quickly.
Colin took a sip, to steady himself and was about to take another when Penelope grabbed at it and took another pull.
‘My turn!’ She liked the warmth taking the edge off her nerves.
Colin blanched. ‘Pen I think that will be enough, you're not used to whisky..’
‘Pish posh Mr Bridgerton. I am completely fine. See my nerves have steadied!’
She waved her arms expansively, almost hitting Colin in the face. He lurched back to avoid the contact and tripped over backwards on the Pall Mall mallets stashed in easy reach where he had left them when he stole them a few hours earlier when preparing his ruse.
‘Oh!’ Penelope exclaimed in surprise.
She leaned over. ‘Colin are you okay?’ then swayed due to her intoxication, she tipped over and landing soundly on top of Colin, knocking the wind out of him.
‘I'm….fine.’he wheezed out. Trying to regain the air that had been squeezed out of him unexpectedly. ‘How…(breath) are you? Are you hurt?’ He grasped her shoulders and ran his hands down her arms checking for injuries.
Penelope lay there eyes glittering in the dark staring down at him from her perch on his chest. ‘No I am completely unharmed. You make a solid choice for a cushion.’
She lay there entirely unconcerned by their proximity, her earlier fear of discovery no longer on her mind with the assistance of the bkessed Whisky.
Colin found he quite liked her like this. It had been a terrible month of Penelope avoiding him since he had returned from his voyage and he had realised what a colossal bungle he had made of their friendship. It was bad enough when her lack of response to his missives while abroad had urked him. Then to realise that this chasm between them was due to his own utter idiocy - a mere moment when his ego was high on his victory against that scoundrel Jack Featherington, along with several glasses of champagne had blinded him to his careless statement, one he didn't mean but one he had said to deflect Fife and the others to what he wanted from them, to go to Will Mondrich’s bar to repay that debt. Also if he were being honest, because he didn't quite yet know what to make of the funny feeling that had sat on his chest while he had danced with Penelope at the Ball. He wasn't quite ready to examine what it meant with himself, let alone inspect it amongst the company of those rakes at the party, men that would never understand someone as special and rare as Penelope.
He had ruined it.
His mouth opened and the words fell out before he had realised that they had formed.
‘Are you really so devastated at the thought of marrying me? Would it truly be the worst thing that happened to you?’
Penelope looked at him a little hazily for a moment. Before responding.
‘You Bridgertons marry for love. Even if I am angry at you…I wouldn't want to be the reason that opportunity was lost for you.’ She looked sad.
‘Penelope, Please, please let me say how sorry I am? I was thoughtless, reckless, unkind, unthinking. You did not deserve that ill treatment from me. I truly have NO excuses for what I did beyond the fact that I was a fool!
The time away from you, while away, everything I saw, I wanted to share with you and you alone. Everything I saw reminded me of you when I realised you were not responding to my missives. I realised that what I was feeling was something more than missing my friend.’ Colin captured her hand curled up on his chest.
‘I think, I mean, what I want to say , is I believe, that I, I mean I KNOW I'm in love with you! My callous remarks were that of a frightened boy too afraid of recognising the truth in front of him at the time. So I pushed it away. Now I'm terrified that I've ruined my one chance of true happiness.’
A tear rolled out of his eye, Colin was overcome with emotion.
‘If you’d let me Penelope, I would show you, every day, that I mean it. We will have our friendship and our conversations and you always surprise me and-’
Penelope kissed him, halting his speech. It was glorious. His head was spinning from his giddiness as her lips tentatively massaged his.
He gently reciprocated, worshipping her rosebud lips enthusiastically. Penelope now adjusting to the unfamiliar action, responded in kind, inexperienced but eager to explore. When her tongue quested along the seam of his lips he gasped, excited by her daring and allowed her entrance her tongue meeting his, in a dance that inflamed his senses.
He moaned, rolling her over to her side running his hands up and down her back before cupping her generous rear. Pressing her firmly against his desire. She moaned and wrapped her arms around him bringing him into the cradle of her lap so she could feel him more closely. Copying him, she ran her hands quite roughly down his back making him groan, as he felt them settle on his rear pulling him closer when he should really be removing himself from her embrace like a gentleman. Then she did something that undid him. She kissed down his jawline before suckling on the sensitive curve of where his neck and ear creased. Before kissing his earlobe. It drove him completely wild.
He pulled her face back up to his and kissed her passionately with intention. He was on fire. He ground his hips to her core relishing the exquisite sensations that racked through him.
‘Touch me.’ He said.
‘Where?’
‘Anywhere.’
Her hands on his bottom relaxed slightly, and she smiled.
‘I am touching you.’
‘Move.’ He groaned. ‘Move them.’
He moved his hands to the front of her day gown, a relatively modest piece with buttons that showed the generous bounty that she possessed whilst somehow covering up a ridiculous amount of the actual flesh. Off! He needed it off now!
He needed to see her. See if his imagination even held the slightest candle to her beauty.
He kissed every small expanse of skin as it was revealed to him, one undone button at a time, entranced by her snowy skin.
So much so, both he and Penelope were entirely unaware that they had been found and had an audience to their debauchery.
‘Look, Viscount! I told you! They are engaging in ruinous behaviour!’
Cressida stood at the door pointing at them victorious, while Anthony watched them aghast. The scandal!
Colin froze for a moment and shielded Pen as he quickly assisted her in fastening her buttons. Then leaning forward, he placed another decisive kiss to her lips causing Cressida to gasp theatrically.
He whispered ‘I love you.’ Before hauling himself up and bringing Penelope up with him in one smooth motion.
‘Well done all! We thought we were going to be stuck in here forever! The door was entirely jammed!’ He smiled jovially, like they hadn't been caught almost inflagrante.
‘Likely story Mr Bridgerton! I believe it was actually Miss Featherington's intention to lure you here for a rendezvous! Not the first between the two of you!’ Cressida crowed victorious!
‘Thank you Miss Cowper, that's quite enough! I'll have you leave us be now,I'll take care of things here on out!’ Anthony bit out, barely maintaining his civility.
‘No need, witnesses will come in handy!’
Colin continued smiled unperturbed,while Penelope stood silent and stoic waiting for her sentence to be executed.
He dropped down on one knee, grabbing Pen’s hand.
‘My dear Pen, courting you for this past year has been the honour of my life. While I've had the pleasure of exploring the world and its wonders, nothing has brought me greater joy than being able to share the experiences with you in our letters and to come home to see you, the most welcome embrace to be in your presence. I know you wanted to keep our courtship secret in deference to the fact that your sister Phillipa had only just been betrothed and Prudence yet still, uh, unencumbered. You thought it unseemly to let our involvement be known as the third daughter but anyone who has been watching would have been aware of our easy discourse and the familiar way in which I address you. Our dancing at each ball. This past week our quarrel over something minor grieved me. A transgression on my part due to not dispelling false rumours of a comment I was purported to have made. False. An attempt to misdirect enquiries , as we were maintaining our discretion which in turn was used by people who intended to harm you, to ruin your good reputation.’
He gave Cressida a hard stare.
‘Someone who went so far as to trap us on purpose in this shed, for the express reason to reveal us to the Viscount and force a marriage of ill repute on us when they released us. ‘
Another hard stare at Cressida
‘However unbeknownst to you, Miss Featherington had already agreed to make me be the happiest man alive by agreeing to be my bride!’
He turned back to Penelope. ‘Thank you my love.’
Penelope stared at him in shock.
‘No, no no no no! Impossible! I don't believe it!’
Cressida stammered angry at the thought of being thwarted. ‘That's not what happened, Eloise told me that you two were not on speaking terms, much in the way that she wasn't with Penelope, though she wouldn’t reveal why. You're just trying to cover up your misdeeds to maintain your reputation! Tell them Eloise!’ Cressida turned to Eloise who stood hidden at the back of the crowd silent.
She crossed her arms across her chest, sticking out her chin belligerently. Her eyes wandered from Cressida to Anthony to Colin and Penelope, making a decision.
‘I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about Miss Cowper. It is well known that Miss Featherington has been a dear friend of the Bridgerton family. She has clearly had a close attachment to my elder brother for quite some time. You've seen them dance and speak. You clearly are trying to cause a scandal and ruin my good family’s name.’ she smiled tightly at Cressida then looked at Penelope. ‘I look forward to calling you my sister finally, though you've always been a sister in my heart.’ Then she walked away.
Penelope smiled faintly understanding. While they were not yet mended. Eloise was choosing to support her over Cressida’s claims. For her family and maybe possibly for the old vestiges of their friendship that may still remain deep down within them both.
Penelope squeezed Colin’s hand and then turned to smile at Cressida.
‘Absolutely, Colin and I have been courting for more than a year. I know it's a significant amount of time but I’m a third daughter and he a third son. There is plenty of time for marriage. Now that Phillipa and Prudence are both married, it is time to announce our intention to wed.’ she stared solidly at Cressida daring her to refute the claims.
‘Surely you didn't think the Viscount would allow Colin and I to participate in something as scandalous as a three legged race or to retrieve the mallets unchaperoned if we didn't have an…understanding, despite you not being privy to it?’
Cressida flushed a puce colour. ‘And what of how we caught you in the shed! Most irregular! You could be compromised!’
Penelope levelled her with a firm stare. ‘You witnessed nothing. I am afraid of the dark. Colin was comforting me by distracting me with a story till we were found. You all know where we were! I find it highly suspicious that our missing mallets were found in the shed, only for us to be trapped in here. With you being the one to free us Miss Cowper. One might almost suspect that you perhaps engineered this whole situation to cast aspersions on my and Mr Bridgertons good character! Most unkind considering you are staying at Aubrey Hall as the guest of the Viscount Bridgerton. What might that say about YOUR character? I imagine that could quite affect one's prospects for the season if certain marriageable gentlemen where to find your character be held up as…questionable.’
Cressida stormed off.
One might say Penelope and Colin had definitively come out as winners at today's tournament after all.