Chapter Text
Returning home after the first honeymoon was busy, but Anthony was finding it was much busier after returning from a second honeymoon. He made a mental note to tease Kate about all the work she made him miss, though they both knew he had insisted they stayed one more week.
Anthony glanced at his watch and sighed. He still had a little over half an hour before the Featheringtons arrived. The thought made him groan.
If his wonderful wife had not arranged the dinner, he would have claimed to have too much work and begged off to his study, but he knew Kate would have his head. As would his mother. As would Colin.
Not all of the Featheringtons were bad. He had always been fond of Penelope, even viewing her as another sister once Eloise had begun bringing her around, something he had thought both Benedict and Colin had felt similarly in.
It seemed as though Benedict seemed to still view her as a sisterly figure.
Colin, on the other hand, seemed firmly set on officially making her a Bridgerton.
When Anthony and Kate returned, he was rather surprised when Hyacinth blurted out that Colin was to marry Penelope. He even thought, for the briefest of seconds, that Colin and Penelope had finally been forced to marry after the years of lack of propriety between the two.
But then he had seen the expression on his brother’s face. It was the very same look he saw whenever he caught his reflection in his mirror.
A man in love.
And he could not be happier for his brother, though he must admit he felt bad that Colin was to have Lady Featherington as a mother-in-law.
Anthony was pulled from his thoughts by a loud knock on his door, followed by his butler ducking in. “Lord Bridgerton, you have a visitor,”
“Oh?” Anthony’s eyebrows cinched together. “I was not expecting anyone,”
“She stated she did not have a meeting set with you and she understood if she would be turned away,”
“She?”
“Miss. Featherington,”
“Oh,” Anthony said. “Send her in,” He stood, glancing once more at his pocket watch to notice that Penelope was rather early for their dinner party. He only had a few moments to ponder why she had requested to meet with him before she entered the room.
Penelope Featherington used to shrink and hide under the gaze of any member of the ton. She had always been shy and meek, but she appeared much more confident. He had seen the premiere of her new outfits but had not seen if she had continued with her new look.
He must admit these new dresses suited her, and her hair framed her face instead of covering it. She had always been lovely, but she appeared to come into her own.
He was quite proud of her for that.
“Good day, Lord Bridgerton,” Penelope smiled politely, curtsying as the door shut behind her.
“Good day, Miss Featherington,” He greeted warmly. “It is lovely to see you, though I must admit I am a bit surprised to see you here this early,”
“Forgive me if I have disturbed you, but I needed to speak with you before the family dinner your wife so graciously invited my family to,”
“Well, you are to be family,” Anthony smiled. “What do you wish to speak with me about?” His eyes darkened. “Has Colin done something? Has he compromised you-“
“No! No!” Penelope hurriedly exclaimed. “Col-“ She cleared her throat. “Mr. Bridgerton has been nothing but a gentleman,” The blush on her cheeks told a different story.
He shall add committing fratricide to his to-do list.
“Then what can I do for you?”
“I-“ Penelope’s eyes turned to the floor. “I needed to speak with you about my relationship with your brother,” She toyed anxiously with her shawl.
“Do you no longer wish to marry him?” Anthony was surprised, to say the least. He and Benedict had often discussed how they believed Miss Featherington to have a bit of a crush on their younger brother. He would have thought she would be happy when Colin finally saw what was right in front of him.
Her head snapped back up, her eyes panicked. “No, that is not it. I do wish to marry him, very much. As I said, he has done nothing wrong,”
“Then whatever is the matter?”
“I-“ Penelope stepped closer, her voice lowering. “I understand that you and Lady Bridgerton have just returned and the engagement announcement was probably a surprise,”
“It was, I admit, quite surprising to hear of your relationship, but we are happy nonetheless,” Anthony had explained how close Penelope was to the family to Kate, and his wife had quickly become giddy at the love story that had unfolded while they were gone. She stated she wished to invite Penelope over for tea sometime after the wedding, as they were the only two to be married to the Bridgerton brothers.
Anthony had fallen even more in love with her at the excitement in her eyes.
Penelope watched him carefully, her eyes saddening. “I have just come to say that…” she drew in a shuddering breath. “I would understand if you disapprove,”
“What?” Anthony knew he should have had a better response, but she had truly floored him.
“I would not fault you for not approving Colin's proposal to me ,” She said. “It is no secret that my family is a joke to the ton.” She huffed out a humorless laugh and Anthony felt a pang of sadness ripple through him. “The last few seasons have been arduous, and we have not come out unscathed,” She blinked rapidly and Anthony noticed the tears in her eyes.
“Miss Featherington-“
“It is not lost on me that my family has nearly ruined the Bridgerton name before. With Miss Thompson’s deception and cousin Jack’s deceit, and now Eloise and I have fallen out.” She frowned and took a step closer. “That is to say, if you do not wish for your brother to marry me, I will understand,”
“I-“ Anthony blinked at her. “Miss Featherington-“
“You need not even tell him. Say the word and I will break it off. I shall not tell him why. I do not wish to come in between you-“
“Miss Featherington-“
“-I would be breaking my own heart in doing so, but I will not drag your family name to ruin after all you have done for me,”
“ Penelope ,” Anthony said sternly and she froze. He had never used her name before.
“Forgive me, I tend to ramble when I am nervous,”
“Please, have a seat,” He pulled out a chair for her and nodded at it. She glanced around the room, a flicker of recognition in her gaze as she moved to sit on a chair. He pulled out a chair for himself and sat adjacent to her.
“When my brother informed me he was to be married, I admit, I was worried,” Penelope looked down at her lap. “But that was only because of what happened last time he was engaged. I was worried he was rushing into something,” Anthony leaned forward in his chair and she looked up at him instinctively. “But then he told us it was you he would be marrying and I was so relieved,” Penelope’s eyes widened. “He was not rushing into it. He was finally coming to his senses,”
“Oh,” She breathed out, eyes wide in surprise.
“Do not tell Colin this,” Anthony leaned forward with a smirk. “But Benedict and I had a wager on when he would finally realize he had feelings for you,”
“You’re joking,”
“I promise I am not,” He then grinned. “Benedict thought he would notice in your first season out, but I knew he would need some time,”
Penelope let out a giggle, quickly covering it with her hand. “I do not believe it,”
Anthony leaned back with a playful smile. “Believe what you wish, but please do not think I blame your family’s actions on you,” Penelope glanced back down at her lap. “You have always been an honorary Bridgerton. Colin has just been smart enough to make it official,”
When Penelope looked back up at him, her eyes swam with unshed tears. “You truly approve of our relationship?”
“Miss Featherington,” He waited for her eyes to lock on his. “Penelope, if I could have selected any woman to be Colin’s wife, it would have been you. You two have always shared a bond that the rest of us could not understand, and now to see you two engaged…” He smiled softly. “I could not be happier,”
“Thank you, Lord Bridgerton,”
“Hush now,” Anthony waved her off. “You shall call me Anthony, as you are to be my sister,” She flushed and nodded.
“Alright,” He looked at her expectantly and she chuckled. “Anthony,”
“Splendid,” He clapped his hands and stood up, glancing back at his pocket watch. “I do believe we are expected-”
A knock on the door interrupted them and before Anthony could call out to whoever it was, the door opened.
“Anthony, have you seen-” Colin stopped in his tracks when he saw Penelope. “Pen!” Anthony watched as his brother grinned and quickly made his way over to her. Penelope’s smile brightened and she stood just as he made it over to her. “What are you doing here?”
“I-” Penelope’s eyes widened and she looked over at Anthony with a slight panic.
“I asked her to come meet me,” Colin and Penelope both looked at him with puzzled eyes.
“Whatever for?”
“I wished to know if your bride had anybody to walk her down the aisle, seeing as she has no male relative,” He looked at Penelope, who shook her head. “If you wanted, Penelope, I would be happy to escort you down the aisle,”
“Oh,” Colin said, his smile softening as he looked over at Penelope.
“That would be wonderful, Lord-” Anthony gave her a look and she smiled. “ Anthony ,” His heart squeezed as a small tear ran down her cheek. “Thank you,”
“That was very sweet of you to offer, brother,” His brother smiled, and because he was Colin, he added. “I am quite appreciative of Kate for softening you,” Anthony rolled his eyes and went to respond, but before he could, Colin was leaning down to stare at Penelope. “Pen, are you alright?”
Penelope quickly wiped at her cheeks, scrubbing the tears from her face. “Yes,” She smiled at him. “Forgive me, I just-” She looked at Anthony again with a look of awe. “I did not expect for you to offer such a thing,”
Anthony smiled. “It would be my honor to walk you down the aisle. As I said,” He gave her a pointed look. “You have been an honorary Bridgerton for years, and we are all delighted you shall be a part of this family,”
He was shocked when she all but launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. He made eye contact with his brother, who looked just as surprised (and angry, quite frankly. Oh come on, Colin, jealousy is unnecessary in this situation).
The embrace was over before it ever really started. “I am sorry, I should not have done that,” Penelope said, wiping her eyes again. “I just…feel very fortunate to be joining this family. You have all always been so kind to me,” She huffed out a laugh. “You have all been more of a family to me than my own,”
Oh.
Anthony felt his heart break for this young woman. He had always known that Lady Featherington was not like Violet Bridgerton. She did not wish for the best for her children like their mother had and continues to do. But perhaps he had missed how careless Penelope’s mother really was.
Colin’s expression seemed to suggest that his brother was coming to the same conclusions.
“And we shall continue to be,” Anthony said. “You will be a Bridgerton in name and truth,”
“Thank you,”
“Now, I must go see if Kate needs any assistance,” He glanced at the two of them, and against his better judgment he added, “Can I trust you two to behave?”
Penelope flushed and Colin grinned. “What on earth are you implying, brother?”
“You seem to think that I care for your well-being more than Penelope’s,” Anthony quipped as he walked to the door. “But if I find out you have done anything untoward, I will not hesitate to duel you, brother,”
He left the room just in time to see Penelope laugh at Colin’s stunned expression. He shut the door firmly behind him, allowing them a private moment after the heavy emotions of the past few minutes.
As he walked away from their giggles, he made a promise to himself that Penelope would always feel comfortable in the family, no matter the situation. He wished for her to understand what a true family was and get rid of any horrid feelings her own had instilled in her.
And if he started later that night, by gushing to Lady Featherington and Penelope’s sisters about how thrilled he was to have Penelope join the family, that was neither here nor there.