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Chapter Text

Dear Lady Bridgerton,

My dear Lady Bridgerton,

Dearest Mama,

Dearest Gentle Rea

Penelope scratched out the last line with a growl of frustration at herself.

Why had writing to the Queen herself been easier than writing to her mother-in-law, whom she adored? It was the Queen to whom Penelope had never written before, not Lady Bridgerton. They had exchanged enough letters over the years, from inconsequential notes accepting invitation to tea across the square to long letters of simply newsy updates from the Featherington’s country estate to Aubrey Hall. If she had been able to write to Lady Bridgerton perfectly adequate letters even when Eloise had been most angry at her after the end of last season, why was this letter so difficult now?

Because, writing to the Queen, Penelope had been writing as Lady Whistledown. A player in the Queen’s game. A game where the Queen must win. All Penelope had to do was to let the Queen feel like she was winning. That the Queen would win, as she should. As she always should, in the end.

To Lady Bridgerton, this time…it was different.

Lady Bridgerton was the only kindly mother figure Penelope had ever known.

That was harsh, now, having accepted that her mother and she were not so different, and finally seeing with clarity her own mother’s struggles, of how much she truly did try, despite her own helplessness - a feeling with which Penelope was only too intimately acquainted. But it also was true. The kindly part, at least. Regardless of whatever would become of them now, Penelope's mother had never been kind to her. At least not in the way that Penelope imagined kindness. Not in the way that Lady Bridgerton was always so kind, so much so, that for the longest time, Penelope had wished Lady Bridgerton was her mother, that she could be a part of the Bridgerton family.

And now, she was. And she was also on the brink of ruining them all. The family she never had. The family of which she was now a part. The family that at times she had loved better than her own.

But because she loved them - as deep down, she loved her mother and sisters too, despite all the ways they had hurt and vexed each other as only mother and daughters, and sisters, could - that she knew she needed to do this. She could not force those she loved most to live a lie, nor to live in fear.

Perhaps it was as Genevieve had said. Penelope did not know her own power when she started, and that power had only grown and ballooned faster than she could comprehend it. Perhaps that was the nature of power. Did one wield power, or did it wield oneself?

Regardless, she had brought all this down on herself. And now, she had brought it down to her family - both of her families - as well. And Genevieve had been right as well, there was no turning back now. There was only owning the past, the good and the bad. Owning herself.

And herself, was Lady Whistledown.

Penelope owed it to herself to not let Lady Whistledown die in disgrace. To let Cressida Cowper, of all people, to have wielded the weapon that killed her.

But she owed it to the Bridgertons, too. She owed them the truth. Most of all, now that she had become one of them, she owed them a full understanding and a complete picture of herself.

Because if there was anything that Penelope had learnt with Whistledown, it was that people were more than words on the page, so much more than the single sheet of paper allowed them to be. She was Lady Whistledown, but she was also Penelope, who loved them and they had so generously loved in return. Perhaps the two were the same, two sides of a coin, the flip of a page, the subtext hidden deep beneath the written words, but if she were to become a part of them, she were to be a Bridgerton, they needed to know and understand all of her. Even in more ways than the rest of the ton.

In some ways, it was knowing that…in the end, Lady Bridgerton, and the rest of them all, would probably forgive her for all her trespasses, was the very thing that was making this so difficult. Because Penelope knew in her heart that they would, once they understood. Because hadn’t Eloise? Wasn’t Colin beginning to forgive her as well?

He had agreed to this plan, after all. And he would not have done so if he didn’t think that in the end, his mother would forgive her as well.

Did she deserve it, after all the grief she had given them all, whether she understood the extent of it or not? Probably not, but then did any of them ever deserve forgiveness? Did her mother and sisters, for all the hurt they had truly caused Penelope over the years? And yet, here Penelope was, wanting to forgive. To preserve whatever new peace she seemed to have reached with her mother and sisters, despite all the years she yearned to get away as far away from them as possible more than anything in the world.

And she was not kind, like Lady Bridgerton. That was one thing that Penelope always knew about herself. Lady Whistledown and all her bite had been more her true self than she ever allowed the world to know.

Lady Bridgerton and her capacity for grace, which she seemed to have imparted on all of her children, Colin most of all, would understand, in the end.

And it made this letter impossible to write.

With Eloise, with Colin, with her mother, with Cressida, of all people, the truth had been forced out of her. Now, as her quill poised over the cheap paper she was using to draft her letter first, Penelope realised this was the first time she was baring herself. Truly. Confessing that she was Lady Whistledown. Wanting to confess.

It was a vulnerability which Penelope had never allowed herself before.

But for better or for worse, this was she.

For better or for worse.

She had always known that to marry a Bridgerton was to marry all of them. She supposed the opposite was true too.

They all must bear the consequences of who she was, now. If she was taking them down with her, she owed them a warning about it. And an explanation why.

Dear Lady Bridgerton,

You will likely be surprised at the formality of this missive, or indeed my need to send you one at all when I am freer than ever to come see you in person. And perhaps I should have come to say what I must in person. But sometimes, it is easier for me to express myself in writing - a fact that I feel would not surprise you at all.

I owe it to you to tell you what I must in the most articulate way that I can. And for me, that is with a quill.

It had always been with a quill.

Can you perhaps begin to guess where this is going?

But then, I should just say it. There is no way to sugarcoat this, to lessen the shock or pain I might cause. I only wish you to know, I am deeply sorry for any hurt I have caused, or will cause with my next words.

I am Lady Whistledown.

I never thought my being Lady Whistledown would ever truly be of any interest to anyone. In the beginning, it had only been a way for me to process all the new experiences of being a young lady out in society, to share my thoughts to someone other than just the four walls of my bedchambers. That does not excuse all the damages caused by the words written by my own hands over the years. The damage that had fallen on you and your family, despite all my sincere love for you all, despite all my best intentions to protect you.

But the road to hell is paved with good intentions, is it not?

Lady Whistledown usually loathes such cliches, but Penelope Featherington Bridgerton must admit that cliches become so because they speak truth.

I did not write this to defend myself, nor to seek your forgiveness. I will not blame you if you see me differently after this, or if you no longer love as I know you have always done. It is only that, given all that had transpired lately, I owe it to all the affection and kindness you have given me in the past to tell you the truth myself. I did not get that chance with Colin, nor Eloise, and that will always be regrets in my heart.

It is only the mystery that makes the question of who Whistledown is intriguing, and while I admit I had relished in the mystery in the past, I cannot let it hang over our family, not if while it hangs, so does the Queen’s wrath. Bridgerton House has withstand storms before, storms Lady Whistledown I have admittedly created. But this time, it is a storm that I can also dissipate. And I will do so. I owe it to you all to try, at least.

I just wish to be honest with you first.

Yours truly,

Penelope

Chapter Text

Sitting down was probably not enough. Violet thought she might need a drink. 

But it was also ten in the morning. So she simply allowed Colin to lead her into the study, and sat. 

And as she did, everything started to make so much sense now. 

Eloise’s falling out with Penelope. Eloise’s anger, which lingered so stubbornly, even for Eloise. And perhaps, most telling of all, Eloise’s heartbreak, which she had so steadfastly refused to even acknowledge. 

Then there were Colin and Penelope’s stony faces when they toured Featherington House to discuss the wedding breakfast, despite the fact that Colin had been glowing in the days before, ever since their engagement. If he hadn't looked so happy before, Violet would be more concerned, given their clear discord so shortly before the wedding and Penelope's confession now, that Colin had merely proceeded with the wedding as a matter of honour. 

But if there was anything that Violet Bridgerton knew, it was love, and that which she had seen in Colin for Penelope would weather even this storm that was Lady Whistledown's true identity. 

“How long have you and Eloise known?” Violet asked, even though she already knew the answer. 

Colin confirmed that he only knew a few days before the wedding, and that Eloise had known since the end of last season. 

“Why - “ 

Even as the question started to form on her lips, Violet saw why. Why a girl like Penelope, so intelligent and yet so overlooked, perhaps because of her intelligence, would need an outlet like Whistledown. And yet why, being just a girl, such an entity as Whistledown might have grown bigger than she planned, until it was big enough to have run away from her. 

And yet, the fact that Whistledown had clearly ran away from her was proof of what an astoundingly remarkable thing Penelope had accomplished. 

To hold the ton spellbound under her pen. For years. 

“Mother, are you…impressed?” 

It wasn’t until Colin posed this question with shock in his voice that Violet realised that she truly was. And clearly it had been showing on her face. 

“Should I not be?” 

“Are you not…angry?” Colin asked, even more tentatively now. 

Violet supposed she should be, given the number of times Whistledown had nearly brought the Bridgerton name to ruin. Given how Whistledown still could, even now. Even more severely than before. 

And yet, she was strangely not angry. She only felt…enlightened. 

Grappling with this unexpected sensation herself, Violet turned Colin’s question back on him instead. “Are you angry at her?”

“I…was,” he replied slowly. 

“But no longer?”

Colin did not answer. Perhaps he did not even know fully. 

“Why were you angry at her?” Violet asked, more gently now as she only wished to help Colin understand. 

“You know what she wrote about Miss Thomp…Lady Crane. And Eloise. And myself, this season.”

There was something like a plea in Colin’s voice, as if he was asking Violet to tell him he was right, to be angry at Penelope for these reasons. And she supposed they were valid reasons. But her mind also turned to Penelope’s words about how her intentions had only been to protect them. Inelegant her attempts were, but presented with this explanation, Violet could see how Lady Whistledown’s words could have been written and published to protect them from far worse fates. 

Colin was perhaps still too close to it all to see the bigger pictures, however. 

“I do not belittle your hurt, but forgive me, I cannot be sorry that the truth about Lady Crane came to light before you had married her,” Violet said, gently but firmly, after some deliberation and choosing to take on the easier of Lady Whistledown's sins to justify.

Colin’s brows furrowed. “She could have told me the truth herself, instead of publicising it and ruining Lady Crane as she did.”

“You are still angry at her, for that at least, it seems,” Violet observed.

There was a long pause. Then, Colin admitted, “Perhaps a little, but not because I still - feel anything for Lady Crane."

No, likely it was because he felt so much more for Penelope. But Violet could not say that to her son; it was something he would work out for himself, eventually, if he hadn't already done so. 

"It was still not the right thing to do, do you not agree?” 

Violet sighed. “Colin, tell me, if Penelope had told you plainly in private that Miss Thompson was with child, would you still have married her?”

He did not immediately answer her, but Violet knew he would have. Because her sons were gentlemen. He had been honour-bound to her as he was now to Penelope; he could not have forsaken Marina Thompson anymore than he could have cast aside Penelope, for all that his feelings for the two might be different. If he had married Miss Thompson, Colin would have been trapped in a marriage no doubt he would eventually realise had been built on lies and at least very unequal affection. He would keep his good name, but could never be happy. 

If he had broken off the engagement based on Penelope’s private information, it might have given Miss Thompson leave to let everyone assume the child she carried was Colin’s. In that case, the Bridgerton name would have been ruined nonetheless.

So Penelope had turned the ruin on Miss Thompson, and by association, the Featheringtons instead. It did not lessen the distress undoubtedly felt by Miss Thompson, but Violet was also now suddenly confronted with what an enormous sacrifice Penelope had nevertheless made on Colin’s behalf. Because Penelope loved Colin. Because Penelope had always loved Colin. That much had always been clear. 

Her actions were misguided, perhaps. Clumsy, clearly. And most likely even motivated by no inconsiderable jealousy. But then she had been a girl of seventeen who bore too much while having no one to share her burdens with, except her pen. 

The weight of the world cannot always be upon our shoulders, Agatha had said. It wasn’t until now that Violet felt the full force of these words. How much of the world did Penelope bear, given the breadth of information usually covered in her columns? For all the secrets - which could not be such secrets if a girl in the shadows of ballrooms could have occasion to learn of them - she had told, what other secrets had Lady Whistledown kept that the ton did not know? 

“What of Eloise?” Colin asked, pulling Violet out of her thoughts.

“I admit, that is more difficult to understand. I did attempt to ask Eloise how much of what was written was true, and she…avoided the subject with enough diligence that led me to believe enough of it was true. In spirit if not in essence. And I suppose I know enough of both Eloise and Penelope, and their friendship as was before, to guess that perhaps Penelope felt Lady Whistledown writing about Eloise was the only way to stop whatever danger she was getting herself into.” 

There was a reason Eloise and Penelope had been such close friends for many years…they both possessed the same intelligence and yearning for more than what society expected of young ladies, but if Penelope clearly seemed to have turned her frustration between her heart’s desires and the reality of the world inwards, Eloise had turned it out into rage at the world. It was dangerous, and it was Violet’s wish that Eloise would never have to learn how dangerous…even if perhaps it seemed that very wish to shelter her might have pushed Eloise to whatever that made Penelope write such words last season.

“Eloise and Penelope seem…better now,” Violet said to Colin finally. “Even if Eloise might have been justified in her anger towards Penelope this last year, that anger had made not just Penelope miserable, even if Eloise would not admit it. They are both happier now that they have made up, and I do not wish to interrupt what healing they could find for their friendship.”

Colin nodded, and did not ask anything else, but Violet knew what was still on his mind. 

“As for what she wrote of you this season,” she said calmly, “it was harsh, but was it any harsher than any remarks your brothers and sisters made to your face? I understand it is one thing to hear such things in private and to have it published for the world to see, but you have not suffered so much for those remarks. Indeed you did not seem to care about what was written about you, until now that you know it was Penelope who wrote those words.” 

“Should I not be bothered that it was Penelope - my wife - who wrote such words?”

Violet smiled slightly. “My dear, I would be shocked if you were untouched by the revelation that it was Penelope who wrote those words. But I cannot help but see all of Lady Whistledown's words through a different light now.”

“What do you mean?”

“For those harsh words she wrote about you this season, for all the cutting things she might have written about others of the ton these past few years, there had always been a shine of truth to them. She never lied, and she had written plenty to lift up others of the ton as well. If anything, among the few she consistently writes ill of, even her words against Miss Cowper who had never shown her kindness did not ring as bitter as some of the things she wrote about herself, if you do not count the recent issue discrediting Miss Cowper as Lady Whistledown.”

A bewildered look appeared on Colin’s face. “Surely those nasty lines were to cover up the truth that she is Whistledown. She cannot truly feel such things, especially about herself.”

Even as he said this, Violet could see Colin realising that to some extent, Penelope must truly feel these things about herself, for one could not write so effectively without utter conviction. 

“Why would she think all of that?” he asked again. The idea that Penelope could be most cruel towards herself was beyond his understanding. 

“Loneliness can drive one to dark places,” Violet said. “And I suspect Penelope has been lonely for a long time, even with your and Eloise’s friendship. It cannot be a mystery to you that she is unappreciated at home.” 

“Yes, of course I know she is different from her family, but - “ Colin trailed off helplessly. He took several deep breaths before saying gruffly, “It seems Whistledown is not the only secret of Penelope that I did not know.” 

Was it a secret, or were they just not observant enough? Even Violet found herself wondering this now as she observed Colin's obvious distress. She thought back to the desperate way Penelope had clung to her hug the night that Colin had announced their engagement. What had tugged painfully at Violet’s heart then - and even more forcefully now - was the realisation that Penelope might not have been hugged like that for many years - if not never. 

Perhaps it had been a secret and not their own failure towards one so dear to them all, because even despite all the gossip, what did one truly know of one’s neighbours, really? 

“Everyone has secrets,” Violet said in the end. “Some we might share, some we might not. No matter how much we share, we can never know the whole of another person, even those dearest and closest to us. We can only decide if the parts we do know are worth holding to.”

There was another long silence, after which Colin said, “You sound like Kate.”

“There are worse comparisons to be made,” Violet said, smiling. 

“I know Penelope.” Another long pause. “She’s Penelope.”

“But?”

“She is also Lady Whistledown.”

“Perhaps they are one and the same,” Violet said.

"Can one be so many persons at once?"

"Is anyone ever not? What are you to me? What are you to Eloise? To Lord Fife, to Mr Mondrich? We are all many persons at once, Colin, and when you love a person, when you marry them, you vow to love all of them, all that you know and all that you will come to know, for we all become different people still as time goes by. You will only learn more about Penelope, not less, as you continue to share your lives."

Colin was once again silent in thought. Violet allowed him his moment. 

In the end, it was still she who spoke first. "Do you still love Penelope?”

Perhaps it was useless or even cruel to ask this now that they had already been married before the sight of God, but then again, perhaps, this prompting was just what Colin needed. After all, Violet did not think the dazed look of awe in his eyes as Penelope walked down the aisle had been just an act. Colin was not that good at hiding his true self. That had been his problem this entire season. 

It took some deliberation, but only because he looked afraid to admit the sentiments to himself, knowing it was the point of no return, before Colin finally said, “Yes, of course I still love her.” 

“And so what do you wish to do now?” 

“I wish - I had wished for Penelope to cease being Lady Whistledown, to give it all up.” 

“But she did not agree?” Violet guessed easily. 

Colin shook his head. 

“I should be surprised if she had agreed,” Violet observed. When Colin only gave her a questioning look, she sighed. “Oh my dear, I don’t think you realise quite what an extraordinary thing it is that Penelope has done. A woman only has as much power as society around her permit her to have. And the ton permits Lady Whistledown to have enormous power of influence over us all. We, even the Queen, hang on to her every word, despite knowing that she likely only repeats what she has seen and heard. But gossip becomes news when Lady Whistledown has written about it, and Lady Whistledown’s words are taken as gospel. With such extraordinary power, is it really a mystery she would not give up that part of herself even to please you?”

Colin was quiet for a long moment, in which Violet had to guess he had not quite framed Whistledown in such terms of power before. But then…of course he would not have. 

Finally, he said, “Then, Mother, you would not object, if Penelope were to…announce her identity as Lady Whistledown to the world?”

In the surprise that should not really be a surprise of Penelope’s identity as Lady Whistledown, Violet had almost forgotten there was likely a reason for Penelope’s confession letter beyond just laying out the truth. “Is that what she intends to do?” 

“Yes.”

“If it is because of the Queen’s quest for Lady Whistledown, then Lady Danbury assures me Her Majesty is reconsidering whether she wishes for the battle of wits she had so enjoyed to end so abruptly.”

“It is not just because of the Queen,” Colin said. “It is…”

A dark look fell over his eyes now, and Violet could not help but be concerned.

“Colin?”

There was another hesitant pause, but finally, Colin said, “Miss Cowper has discovered Penelope’s secret, and is blackmailing her.” 

Violet frowned. “How much does she want?”

“Does it matter? Surely if we give her anything, she would only want more later.”

That much was probably true. Though now that Violet knew this, this turn of events also explained Eloise’s rather abrupt end of friendship with Miss Cowper. 

“If we do not pay her, she will reveal the secret to the ton before she is forced to leave London,” Colin continued. “Penelope thinks that if the secret is to come anyway, it should be on her own terms.”

“And you…are supportive of Penelope’s decision to do this?” Violet asked slowly.

“I wasn’t at first,” Colin admitted. “But…as long as it remains a secret, we will always have the fear of discovery over our heads. I do not want that…for Penelope or for myself. No longer. The last couple of weeks has been torture enough.”

“I am only concerned about how the Queen might take this, if what Lady Danbury said is true, that she might not wish the battle between her and Lady Whistledown to be over so soon.”

“Penelope already has a plan on how to encourage the Queen to react favourably to this announcement,” Colin said. A smile had unconsciously crept onto his features as he added, “It is quite clever, really.”

But then, Violet supposed, Penelope had always been clever. They had all - in one way or another - failed to see fully just to what extent. 

She smiled and reached over to squeeze Colin’s hand. “If you and Penelope are of one heart, then you have my blessings to do whatever it is you feel best.” 

Colin smiled and held onto her hand as he stood, and came closer to her before kissing her hand, and said, “Thank you, Mother. I will go discuss the battle plans with Penelope now.”

Chapter Text

From: Miss Hyacinth Bridgerton
To: The Viscountess Bridgerton

Dear Kate,

Miss Weston has just stepped out and she thinks I am working on my French right now, but in truth this news is much too great to keep from you, even though I know you will not receive this letter for months and months! Pray never tell my governess that I am writing to you while I should be meditating on le passé antérieur right now. Or, if you must, please tell her that by writing to you, I am practicing my penmanship!

The news - I shall not delay any longer - is that Lady Whistledown is Penelope! Our Penelope! Can you believe it? It has been Penelope all this time, and no one was ever the wiser!

Whoever could have thought that it was Penelope who had been giving us so much entertainment all this time? Of course, I think she’s been terribly clever, to have evaded the notice of so many, even the Queen.

Speaking of the Queen, once again I lament the fact that I am not yet out, because the announcement of Penelope being Lady Whistledown came at the Dankworth Finch Ball last night, at which the Queen was present and I was tragically absent. I say, given that Penelope is our sister, a ball hosted by her sisters should have been considered a family event and I should have been permitted to go. As it was, I only overheard the servants talking about how it was revealed that Penelope was Lady Whistledown at the Ball, because no one saw fit to tell me anything! Of course, Francesca never says anything, but Eloise and Colin and Benedict who were all at the ball saw it fit to keep me in the dark - I am sure you would have told me first thing if you were here, Kate…

There is one silver lining in the fact that I got to tell Gregory about it. He is quite miffed to be the last to know…although I suppose that is not quite true, given that I am telling you now and you will need to tell Anthony.

On that last, I pray for your patience, Sister.

Yours affectionately,

Hyacinth

From: Mr Colin Bridgerton
To: The Viscountess Bridgerton

Sister,

As I happened to overhear Hyacinth muttering to herself just now that she must be the one to tell you and our brother the latest news, I suppose I should be grateful that she did not get into her head to write to Anthony directly. This is news that perhaps should be broken gently to our brother, and whether you open this letter first or Hyacinth’s, I pray you will ensure Anthony is in a good mood when he hears the news.

I suppose the good thing is that given your happy state, my brother is more likely than not to be happy these days.

In any case, I shall no longer delay, lest Hyacinth somehow finds a way to interrupt me even as I pen this:

The true identity of Lady Whistledown is Penelope.

Lady Whistledown is my wife.

There, I have written it. Undoubtedly you have many questions, all of which I expect are too complex for me to attempt to predict and answer through this letter. I suppose it is a good thing there is a whole continent or two that Anthony must cross even if he wishes to come back to London now to confront my wife about this fact. Instead of wasting all that time, he would much better spend it learning to make peace with this fact. As I have.

Sister, you were right - as you always are - that this information that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, has been Lady Whistledown, does not negate the fact that she has always been Penelope first of all. My closest friend, my wife. And even before she was the latter, she had always been my source of comfort that I yearn for when I am away from home. I find I come back to your words again and again ever since the reveal of Lady Whistledown to the world - an occasion necessitated by circumstances that could not be circumvented, I assure you. Once again, I must write that you were right. Marriage is hard work, but is also the best kind of work, that to which I have found I am eager to devote myself entirely.

Perhaps I have not always thought so, but now I can tell you, I am proud that Penelope Bridgerton is Lady Whistledown. I am proud of all that she has accomplished, and I can only hope that I can support her in whatever endeavour she wishes to embark on next. So Sister, you can tell Anthony he does not need to fear that I have somehow been entrapped once again. This is the farthest thing from the truth, because I have chosen her every step of the way. And now, we are all well here in London, truly. Better than ever, now that the truth is out in the world. After all, what is better than to be amongst those one loves, and with whom one can truly be oneself?

Yours most truly,

Colin

From: Miss Bridgerton
To: The Viscountess Bridgerton

Dear Kate,

I shall leave F to write to you about the wonders of her nuptials. I am writing to you, instead, in hope that you will convey this message to A: He should not bother to put any thought to stopping Penelope from continuing to write as Lady Whistledown as he so assured the Queen he would have managed to do if anyone else under the Bridgerton roof had been LW. P’s approach would certainly need to change now that her LW identity is out in the open, but I for one am eagerly awaiting how she will reinvent the column with this public persona…A shall not ruin my fun.

You and my brother maybe shocked to read such sentiments from me, especially when by now you would have already guessed the reason for the rift between myself and P in the past months. There was enough truth in what LW wrote of me last season that I should own it now that I brought some of it down on myself. P was only trying to save me from something far worse, even if it did not entirely justify her breach of confidence nor the hurt I felt by her breach. But if we are all to be re-examining past behaviours, I suppose I should also admit that I have not always listened to P - to her advice or warnings or indeed what she says of herself…if I had, perhaps I should have realised she was LW even much sooner. I have always prided myself on possessing a certain power of observation, and I suppose my pride was veritably assaulted when it turned out I did not notice that truth which was before me all this while.

I do not just speak of P as LW. I should have seen sooner how P felt about C. But I suppose in that I may be excused by the fact that whoever thinks one’s brother in that light?

Kate, perhaps I am beginning to understand P more, but now that I am here, I find that I can only admit this next sentiment to you here on paper, and would not be able to say it out loud to anyone: I have had many great realisations and changes in perspective lately and while they are enlightening, they can also be uncomfortable. But it is a pain that probably should be felt.

In any case, lately P and I have realised that we both need to strive to better versions of ourselves. At the very least I should strive to be a better friend to P if I have any hope of being a good sister to her and C. And given the hubbub of the Queen’s reward on Lady Whistledown, P is more aware than ever of the power of her pen, and has promised us all to exercise that power with more caution than before.

Having written all this, I suppose I shall summarise it by saying that you and A should know that P and I are as we ever were, and C and P are happy to the point that, despite my rekindled friendship with P, I nevertheless have had to find an escape from their nauseating wedded bliss…Admittedly I’m doing this by accompanying F and Lord K north, but they are less…demonstrative than P and C, and so do not tax my nerves so easily. Besides, Lord K’s cousin, Miss Stirling, is a most amusing travel companion…

In any case, If A is to be angry at the reveal of LW’s identity, he should channel those emotions more productively into being happy for me and C for all the above instead.

Why do I not write all of this to A himself, you ask? My brother, as you no doubt have not yet had time to discover, given that you have not yet spent any time apart after you are wed, is a terrible correspondent. At least, to his family. Oh, I am told he is very diligent with his letters of business, but his sister can wait months for a line from him. Not that he has much news of interest to me, but that is the reality nevertheless. So my best hope of getting my message across is only unfortunately through you…I hope you will bear with me and be my messenger. Although I fear our other siblings may have also come to the same thought. Perhaps you simply should pray a British mail boat has sunk en route to Bombay.

Speaking of en route, I am writing this as we cross the border into Scotland, and already I wonder if I should give C some competition on whose travelogue will be more beloved in the family. The desolation of these moors are unlike anything I’ve seen before…

From: The Duchess of Hastings
To: Mrs Colin Bridgerton

Dearest Penelope,

I had intended to start this letter with my apology first and foremost that being confined, I could not attend your wedding, and that it is my dearest wish that you and Colin should be as happy as I currently am. Happier even, for if there is any one among my siblings I would wish to be even happier than I, it is Colin, who has always been my favourite. Though if you were to say that to any of the others, I would vehemently deny it.

And yet I find that it is easy when one is in the country to forget that the rest of the world exists, even more so when society papers are difficult to come by in Clyvedon. I confess I have been much preoccupied by Belinda these past weeks nevertheless - she is a much fussier baby than Augie was. But I digress. I mean to say, I did not think that after a few weeks of not having time to oversee my correspondence, I would be met with a small mountain of letters from all manners of vague girlhood acquaintances asking if I knew all along that my sister is Lady Whistledown. It took getting through a few letters for me to begin to understand what they meant.

I am sure there are letters from the family somewhere in the pile but I have not yet located them.

I admit I was initially shocked, but then the realisation hit that I should not be shocked. Rather, I blush now to think of all the complimentary things you wrote of me our first season, and then how you undoubtedly saved me from a certain Lord B…

From: Mrs Colin Bridgerton
To: The Duchess of Hastings

Dear Daphne,

I must own that I blush to read that you only remember the praises and services of LW to you, and not those occasions when I had also done a disservice. I am only grateful that you are so generous as to only remember and mention the good.

You might also have heard, ever since my announcement of my identity as LW at my sisters’ ball, I have not yet published another column. Undoubtedly your correspondents wonder. You do not have to answer them on my behalf, but I suppose I should like for you, as my sister, to understand. The truth is, I have been ruminating much over my career as LW and I must own that for whatever good you perceive I have done to you, I have also done as much wrong to others. At times it was because others had hurt me and I wished to distract myself from the feeling of helplessness of the moment by writing meanly of them, or I think I was being terribly witty by passing on some sharp remark, or I have written words meant to injure deliberately - yes, to save you, but also nearly to the ruin of two others most dear to me.

All that is to say, you do not owe me thanks, Daphne, but rather I owe you apologies. Which I hope you will accept from me, as Colin and Eloise have…

From: Mr Benedict Bridgerton
To: The Viscount Bridgerton

Brother,

You seem to have chosen the most…interesting time to leave London. I write partly of the — Bill that you left Lord Kilmartin to push in the House of Lords - though I suppose we should also call him John now for Francesca’s sake. As our new brother later tells me, while the outcome was favourable in the end, the debate that preceded the vote was quite animated…

I also attach here Martin’s latest reports on the going-ons on the estate, especially regarding the resolution to the issue I spoke with you last at the rectorate. I had thought I may need to return to Aubrey to sort it out, but Martin seemed to have worked it all out with Rev. Tilney in the end. I should not express regret because returning might have meant I would have missed Francesca’s wedding, but given the other sources of excitement around London these past few days, I might have found relief in having an excuse to return to the country…although I suppose it is also a blessing in itself to have a steward capable enough to handle things when we are all away.

Having beat around the bush this much, I should say that your Bill in Parliament and the excitement of Francesca’s marriage are both not what I meant when I wrote that you left London at an interesting time. Normally, this next subject would not concern me that much, but we do not have much choice in the matter now.

If at this point you are not yet aware of the latest developments regarding a certain Lady W, I would advise you to put down this letter and seek some clarification from your esteemed lady, for I am sure every single one of our siblings have felt the need to write to her about it with the request that she conveys the message to you. I will also follow their lead and leave her the pleasure of complying with their requests.

No, Anthony, seriously, put this letter down, please, and find Kate.

To demonstrate to you how serious I am about this, I will draw your attention to the fact that I have not crossed this letter, for it is important for you to read these words clearly, and will now commit an additional sin of waste of starting the next part of my letter on another sheet entirely, despite the fact that it would add a hefty sum to the cost of the post.

[new sheet of paper]

Looking back, I do not think we should have been quite so surprised that Penelope has been Lady Whistledown all along. If anything…I wonder that no one caught on to anything when LW was the first to report of Colin and Penelope’s engagement bright and early the next day, when the news apparently had not yet even spread to her own mother. In this light, perhaps we should all own that it is certainly extraordinary that Penelope has managed to keep this secret for so long.

I cannot say I ever read LW with any manner of close attention, but given what has been written over the years about our family, of course it is now deeply uncomfortable to be confronted with the fact that it has been Penelope all along. I never thought Penelope capable of such sharpness or even vitriol. But then perhaps that has been LW’s point all along - we overlook those whom we call the fairer sex, and then are shocked when we find that they are capable of such breadth of complex feelings.

Penelope, Colin and Mother decided it was better to reveal the truth to Francesca, John and myself before the reveal to the rest of society at Dankworth Finch Ball a few days ago, so thankfully we were all able to have some time to process this truth in relative private. You will be unsurprised to know that Eloise has known of Penelope’s identity as LW for some time now, and that was the reason the two of them have been at odds. But they seemed to have made their peace now. And having had a few days to think on it, I suppose I have come to the conclusion that none of us can change the past, and so we can only look forward. Whatever discomfort LW has caused our family in the past, there is wisdom in acknowledging that all’s well that ends well. Society reacted with more intrigue than anger at the reveal of LW’s identity, which is more than I could have wished for when Penelope and Colin first revealed it to me. We are all well, and perhaps that is the most important thing right now.

And while I’m still struggling to reconcile LW with the girl we’ve always known, Penelope is nevertheless one of our own now. If anything, she has been one of us since perhaps even before she and Colin are connected. If we could stand tall together against the words of LW before, we can stand together with LW now.

Having said this, between you and I, I admit to being quite relieved to report that John was rather accepting of this truth, although I do question if he is aware enough of society to realise just how influential LW could be. In any case, I was concerned that he might feel more trapped that this revelation only came after he and Francesca are wed. But he has expressed no such offence, and only appreciation that he was included in this discussion at all.

Colin seems quite happy now that the truth is out, which I hope will give you some comfort, and be motivation for you to forgive Penelope for the follies of youth, for as Mother reminded me, she was only seventeen when this endeavour started, and whoever thought society would raise the words of a seventeen-year-old girl up on such a pedestal?

Having said that, is it disloyal of me to hope that in the next few days, Prinny might do something outrageous to capture the attention of both the ton and the Queen, so that some heat is removed from our name?

Perhaps it is well that you and Kate are removed from all this excitement, which would have only interfered with your preparations for the birth. By the time you receive this letter, I hope you have both arrived safely and settled well in India and our next letters from home are of less uncomfortable topics. Perhaps we might even send you a latest edition of LW as an update.

Yours &c,

[unsent]

From: Mrs Colin Bridgerton
To: Lady Crane

Dear Marina,

Dear Lady Crane,

Marina,

I suppose you may have heard

I don’t know if you had heard

I hope you are well

I wonder if you have ever guessed the identity of Lady Whistledown, given how close the circle who knew your secret was, and if you had guessed before that it was me and still kept my secret, I thank you

I feel I must tell you how sorry I am

I know nothing could mend the pain I caused you, and I do not seek absolution. I only wish for you to know that I realise now I could have done things differently but in that moment I could not think clearly

Perhaps it is best I never send any of this to you. I know you do not wish to hear from me, least of all now…

From: Edward Ford-Williams, The Baron Remington
To: Mr Colin Bridgerton

Dear Sir,

You must be surprised to receive this letter from me, given the slightness of our acquaintance. But I find I must express my most sincere felicitations to you on your recent nuptials to a most deserving lady. I also confess no little amount of envy, having now learnt of your lady’s connection to Lady Whistledown. I am rather embarrassed now to know that I once so unrestrainedly praised Lady Whistledown to her face, without realising that she was the object of my marvel herself. I can only hope that Mrs Bridgerton remembers the conversation we shared, however brief, with some small pleasure.

Sir, you may also be aware that it had been my intention to call upon Miss Featherington as was after that ball, but then Lady Whistledown reported of your providing aid to Miss Featherington on the marriage mart. I see now how complexly the identities of Lady Whistledown and Miss Featherington were intertwined and I only hope to convey my sincerest assurance that I had attempted to honour my promise to call that morning, but Miss Featherington was unfortunately but also understandably not at home to callers. However, perhaps that was for the best now.

Rest assured, dear Sir, I currently have no designs on your lady, even now knowing her to be the same Lady Whistledown that I have admired for so long. But I hope you will excuse a man so often confined and restricted as I am the indulgence of admiring your lady’s talents from afar.

Undoubtedly, the reveal of Lady Whistledown’s identity at last night’s ball will continue to create ripples of reactions both positive and negative in society for days and months to come. Many might hope, having revealed herself, and having now secured a marriage, Lady Whistledown will be content to retire into matrimony and never publish again. Sir, I hope you will convey to your lady that it is at least my greatest personal wish that she continues as Lady Whistledown. I would hate to lose the pleasure of her witty and insightful commentary on society, so much so that it would feel like losing a friend.

I feel, given how steadfastly society has followed Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers in the recent years, many others would sorely miss her as well, if she were to put down her pen, even if they might not feel free enough to admit it.

I suppose I am a man with little to lose as it is, so I shall say it on their behalf.

I hope to have the pleasure of reading Lady Whistledown again before long.

I remain, Sir, your most humble and faithful servant,

Edward Ford-Williams

From: The Viscountess Bridgerton
To: Mr and Mrs Colin Bridgerton

Dear Penelope and Colin,

Having been on the roads for months, I hope you will understand that I owe many letters and it is much more efficient to address this to you both.

Transport of paper is certainly more efficient than transport of humans – is it because paper is so much lighter? Penelope, you would likely know much better than I.

Anthony and I arrived at Sharma House only for my dear Mama to inform me that several letters from London were waiting for us. The letters must have gone out on our heels only to arrive ahead of us, and needless to say, Anthony had a moment of…let us not call it panic. But certainly, concern, that something has happened, for it is unusual even for our family for so many letters to have been sent so close to our last meeting. Benedict’s letter was particularly hefty, which I suppose only added to Anthony’s initial reactions.

I will not deceive you, he was not entirely happy to learn your news. I shall not go as far as to say he disapproves, as I assured him that even as head of the family he holds no such right over Penelope. Or at least, he should still take effort to not exercise such right, for it does make him look tyrannical. It is quite a done matter now that the whole of society knows, so that even if you were to put away your pen, the legacy of Lady Whistledown will still continue to follow our family for years to come, so we would all be much better off embracing this truth and provide a united front to the world.

Knowing now what I do, I should not be surprised at the identity of LW, but I confess I am. Surprised, and also impressed, that Penelope, you have managed to channel your love of society and talent with the pen to create such great entertainment for so many.

This reveal would undoubtedly have created some hostility in society - I would be surprised if it had not, but Penelope, I hope you will remember that this is by no means a small feat, to have inspired such a reaction from the ton at all. And the truth is, LW has given society much entertainment over the years, good or bad. If there are few who possess both the insight and the talent to create something like Lady Whistledown, fewer still have the courage to bring it to life. And you have done so and have been successful for so long. If you find there are those who might dismiss this success as simply being women’s gossip, you should perhaps remind them that LW is only a mirror to society - LW could not be successful if society did not put weight to her words and allow her to be.

All that is to say, I am feeling rather envious and regretful that I am not in London to see it all play out in person. But then, it is also better that Anthony is not there directly either, because he will need the time and distance away to mull over this. Still, I hope you will not worry too much about how Anthony might fare with this news. I am sure by the time we return to London, he will have come to terms with it all. Or, I shall make sure he is.

My words to Colin still stand. Marriage is hard work but it is work that you approach together as a team. I know both of you have such enormous capacity for love and it is only my duty as your sister to remind you that you owe it to yourselves, your marriage and the love you share to meet the challenges that will undoubtedly be put your way together. As long as you accept and love each other as you are, I believe you will overcome this, and any other trials of life still to come. I wish you only the best.

Yours most affectionately,

Kate