Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You are joking.”

The woman in front of her grins sheepishly. “I am not.”

Penelope Featherington stares at Eloise Bridgerton incredulously. She almost forgot that it is October already. October means autumn finally arrives and stays with its gentle presence, fallen leaves, and wind gusts harmonizing like a tell-tale sign of another round of family gathering in the Bridgerton household. It all started as a simple family event—with just Violet and her children (and partners)—but as time passed, Violet wanted to hold a bigger gathering instead, changing it from just a family event into a communal activity.

When she proposed the idea to her children, Eloise quickly jumped at it and suggested that if they were to make something so big, they should at least make it beneficial for other people as well. Anthony agreed, and they all came to this charity event. So here it goes, three years later, what was supposed to be just a simple family gathering consisting of her and her children (and spouses) turns into a real big event where the whole Bridgerton clan gathers around with the whole community.

Penelope still stares at the box in front of her with wide eyes as if she doesn't believe this is a real thing. She knows that she is close with Eloise and by extension with the Bridgertons too (Violet even said before that Penelope is an honorary Bridgerton), but there’s no way she gets it too.

The red-haired woman gapes in silence as she picks up the blue dress from the box and examines it closely, feeling the fabric beneath her fingers. Only the Bridgertons get the outfit. Every year, they change it to suit the theme and they only strictly give it to Violet’s children. But this…

“Eloise… This is… no way I am wearing this with you guys. I’m not a Bridgerton!”

Her close friend only rolls her eyes and sits on the edge of her bed, still staring at Penelope’s shocked face in astonishment. She’s been with her family since they were eight, surely, it feels like she’s one of them. Maybe not by blood, but Penelope might as well becomes a Bridgerton in theory, there’s no denying it. “You are a one of us, Pen. Don’t be ridiculous. If it makes you feel better, we give out the dresses and shirts for our extended family. Sophie and John receive one, too.”

“Yeah, but Sophie dates Benedict and John is with Frannie.”

“True,” Eloise says, she’s now laying in Penelope’s bed while her eyes are still focused on the dress her friend holds with both her hands. “But also, Mum would never exclude you from an event like this. Also, we kinda need your help this year.”

Penelope squints her eyes looking at her. “What do you mean?”

A cheeky smile blooms on Eloise’s face. “We’ll hold a charity event this year and we’ll have a food bazaar too.”

Penelope senses there is still another thing she doesn’t mention, so she keeps her eyes on Eloise until the brunette laughs and winks. “Also, we want you to be there because only you can put up with Colin’s annoying ass.”

“Jesus wept.”

Eloise can only grimace in return.

To say that Colin Bridgerton is annoyed is an understatement because a single glance in his direction and everyone knows that they don’t want to be in his periphery if they still care about their well-being. Colin is a kind man full of charm, alright, but once he is in a bad mood, nobody wants to take the brunt of his temper.

Only one person is brave enough to get close to him when he’s in a foul mood.

“Don’t pout, it doesn’t suit you.”

Colin initially wants to snap but upon hearing the voice and turning around to find out that it is Penelope Featherington, he sighs instead. Colin can never get mad at Penelope, it’s a given, but nobody knows why. Everyone in his family just knows that if there’s someone whom Colin never gets angry at, it is his dearest Penelope.

“Pen,” he greets him and tries to smile a little. Somewhere in the background, Violet sighs upon seeing that at least Colin now is in a good hand. “You came.”

“Eloise told me I should be here to keep you in check.” Penelope giggles as she takes an empty spot next to Colin. They’re both sitting on the sofa in the living room where they can see several people walking around the house to complete the decorations for the event tomorrow. Aubrey Hall is a spacious residence, and they will have a lot of guests tomorrow so they needed to finish it quickly. “She said you’re acting up.”

“I’m not acting up,” Colin rolls his eyes, but his smile widens. “I’m just… not in the mood to be around so many people.”

“I assume that it’s about your recent break up with Paula?”

“Paulina,” Colin corrects her with an amused smile, “But—no, I don’t care much about that. We were never really serious, anyway. It’s just… gosh, the gossip is overwhelming. So many gossip sites posted about our breakup non-stop even when we only dated for like, two months.”

“Well, you are a Bridgerton. Your family is like a celebrity family. And you are included in Britain’s most eligible bachelors this year too, especially after Anthony and Benedict are off the market.”

“Miss Featherington!” Colin squeaks, eyes glimmering with mirth as his smile widens. “I don’t know you’ve been keeping up with such news!”

Penelope shrugs and sits back more comfortably on the sofa, her arm is just two inches away from touching Colin’s. “I write gossip columns for a living, so even though I don’t write about things like that, I still know. And apparently, you’re the hot topic of the week.”

“Which is why,” Colin sighs exasperatedly, “I don’t feel like coming here this time. There will be too many people.”

“Too many women, you mean.”

Colin turns around and smirks. He tucks Penelope’s hair behind her ear as an attempt to flirt. “Don’t fret, Miss Featherington, for you are the only woman for me.”

Penelope rolls her eyes, yet the blush in her cheeks doesn’t go unnoticed. “Keep your sweet words for your future girlfriend, Mr. Bridgerton.”

The redhead expects Colin to tease her back with something clever, but when it doesn’t come, she turns her head to look at him. The third-born Bridgerton is already staring at her with this unreadable expression on his face she cannot quite comprehend. She tilts her head questioningly. “What?”

As if he’s being pulled back from a trance, Colin blinks and quickly gathers himself before smiling at her sweetly. “Nothing. Just wondering about… something.”

“About what?”

Colin seems to ponder for a moment, like he’s thinking if he should really say it. Penelope knows the look on his face when he’s unsure but apparently, this time he decides to ask straight away. “Eloise told me that Alfred Debling asked you out but you rejected him. Why?”

Penelope laughs upon hearing that. “Nothing ever stays with Eloise, huh? Well, we are just not compatible with each other. Also, he wants to get married, while I don’t.”

Colin’s shocked expression is unmasked. “You… don’t want to get married?”

It’s a shocking revelation because Penelope Featherington is always a romantic. She reads romance novels, her favorite city is Paris, she chooses Before Sunset every time she does a movie night with Eloise, and she longs for love. She breathes romance, for god’s sake, so it startles him to hear that.

Penelope only shrugs nonchalantly. “I mean, not with him.”

That only confuses him even more, if anything. Colin doesn’t know why this answer irks him more than it should because it implies that—“It seems like you already have someone in mind to get married with.”

“Don’t be too shocked, but it’s Benedict.”

Air leaves his lungs and Colin finds himself breathless. “What—”

“I’m just joking!” Penelope laughs heartily, “I’m just messing with you. I’m no Sophie and Benedict is too flirty for me.”

Colin squints his eyes, faking anger as Penelope keeps laughing without any remorse as she is just about to give him a heart attack. He jumps to her side and tickles her, making her laugh even louder from his sudden attack.

Penelope’s eyes crinkle in amusement as she throws her head back in such a cute yet lovely way. It’s sunny. Penelope’s laugh reminds Colin of summertime even in the middle of autumn. “You’re evil, Colin Bridgerton!”

“And you are a tease, Miss Penelope.”

“Well, I learn from the master,” she teases back, smirking at him.

Colin chuckles in amusement as he shakes his head. He gives her a sweet smile that makes Penelope clear her throat and look away. Colin stands up abruptly and offers her his hand, bowing a little like a gentleman. “Would you be very kind and grant me a stroll around the garden, Miss Penelope?”

Penelope giggles and stands up, fixing her pretty green dress that matches so well with her red hair and fair complexion, before taking his hand gracefully. “Well, since you asked so nicely...”

Colin’s eyes are sparkling with happiness as he has Penelope in his arms, chatting animatedly about what they will do tomorrow at the Bridgerton event. Deep down inside, Colin thinks that maybe, just maybe, coming home this time is not a bad thing at all.

They don’t realize that two pairs of eyes are staring at them from the corner of the room, watching their every interaction from the beginning.

“It seems like the only solution to all Colin-problem is a Penelope Featherington,” Benedict muses.

Violet hums and watches her son walking away with the redhead. “And it seems like she is the only problem he still cannot solve.”

Benedict grimaces at that.

When the next day comes and Penelope arrives in Aubrey Hall with her signature blue dress from the Bridgertons, Violet smiles widely as she welcomes her. “You’re coming early, my dear.”

“I thought I could help you guys if there’s anything left to arrange.” Penelope hugs Violet back tighter and murmurs, “Thank you for the dress, Violet.”

“You’re always one of us, Penelope.” Violet’s eyes cover something that she cannot pinpoint, but Penelope decides to brush it off quickly as she sees Eloise walking down the stairs, almost sprinting.

“Pen!” When her brunette friend finally stands in front of her, she quickly snatches Penelope from her mum and takes her away. “Thank God you’re here. Please handle Colin. He’s cranky again and I cannot stand his ass.”

“You know I’m not actually his keeper, right? You guys can’t always expect me to shield you all from his foul mood.”

“It feels like it, though.” It’s Benedict, appearing out of nowhere as she walks with Eloise and draping his hand on her shoulder. “You being his keeper, I mean.”

Penelope rolls his eyes in amusement. “One of these days I won’t be able to handle him, and if he’s angry at me I will throw you guys in his direction without a second thought.”

“Oh, he will never be angry at you, dearest Penny. You can do no wrong in his eyes.”

Penelope frowns at Benedict on her right. The second-born son has this lopsided smile that she knows is an indication that he’s up to no good. She feels a prickle in her neck whenever Benedict has this expression. “What do you mean by that?”

“Never mind what he meant by that.” Eloise grabs her arms to make her turn around and look at her. She has this serious expression on her face and Penelope just knows she just did something that grants Colin’s wrath. She and Benedict. “Listen, I’m gonna ask you to go inside and do whatever you always do, okay? He might be angrier than usual but this is not something you cannot handle.”

Penelope squints her eyes upon hearing that. “Eloise. What did you do?”

“It’s Benedict, I swear!”

“What? No!” Benedict shrieks, shaking his head when Penelope throws him a menacing stare. “Eloise started it first! She took Colin’s journal and—”

“You what—!”

“Pen, no, but it’s his idea—”

“Stop bullshitting here, Eloise—”

“For God’s sake, Benedict, I wouldn’t come up with such an idea if you’re not—”

Eloise’s words are cut short because the door in front of them is opened roughly and Colin is standing there, with his hardened eyes and clenched jaws. “Don’t hide behind Penelope, Eloise.”

“What?! It’s Benedict!”

“She’s mental! I did no such thing!”

“Penelope, move.”

“Hey, don’t use that tone with my fucking friend, you twat! What, you think just because you’re a man you can just order women around to obey you with that intimidating tone and—”

“Eloise, you are definitely not helping,” Penelope says between her gritted teeth and sends her a sharp gaze to make her shut up.

Her close friend is about to open her mouth again, seemingly not understanding that the last thing she should do is provoke Colin again because apparently, Colin is indeed angrier than usual. Penelope shakes her head no to her, in which she obeys quickly with a sigh.

“I’m sorry, Colin. I didn’t mean to read your journal, but it’s actually Benedict's idea because I didn’t even know you kept a journal!”

Benedict only mutters she’s lying under his breath, one that Colin can still hear perfectly.

Penelope stands in front of them like a sore thumb, both the Bridgerton siblings grab her hand like she’s their lifeline—which might be true, given how deadly Colin looks. Penelope sighs.

“Whatever. Go away, you two,” Colin says as he turns around and walks away, leaving the door open.

Three of them are taken aback by his tone, that albeit snarky, he doesn’t seem to be angry and more like… upset. Something both Benedict and Eloise prefer more than an angry Colin, apparently, because the two of them let out a matching sigh.

“This is where we need your help, Penelope.”

Penelope looks like she’s being betrayed when Benedict says so. Eloise, on the other hand, doesn’t look guilty at all and smiles brightly at her. “Colin might not be as angry as we expect him to be, but Mum would kill us if he’s still grouchy by the time the event starts.”

“We love you, Penelope.”

These two don’t even wait for Penelope to whine as they quickly run away, leaving Penelope standing in front of Colin’s room, unsure what to do.

She doesn’t know if she can enter his room, and even though everyone keeps saying that she’s the only one who can handle him, Penelope doesn’t want to take that for granted.

“Did… did my presence bother you?”

Colin, who is now sitting on the edge of his bed, tries to smile at her. “You could never bother me, Penelope.”

It’s actually heartwarming that he still tries to smile at her despite his foul mood, and Penelope is taken aback by that. She always knows Colin as a sensitive man who never raises his voice at her or gets angry at her, but she still doesn’t know why he can never get angry with her.

“You know you can always say no whenever my siblings ask you to be their shield, right?”

Penelope stops in her tracks when Colin says that, his eyebrows furrowing but there’s no anger left in his eyes. It’s as if he never got angry or upset in the first place. Huh. Weird how his emotions change within seconds. “Perhaps you can start getting angry at me too, so they won’t always assume I’m the only one who is immune to your mood?”

Penelope sits beside him on the bed, putting a respectable distance where she can still reach his hand but not close enough that she can smell him. It’s for her well-being. She doesn’t know if she can fight the blush on her face if they get closer. He is still Colin Bridgerton—one he has harbored deep feelings toward since she was a teenager—she still gets nervous around him sometimes if they’re nearby.

Colin scoffs and plays with the edge of the leather journal he’s holding. “We both know that’s impossible.”

“Hmm. I wonder why?”

Colin’s answer is simple, almost too easy, but Penelope still doesn’t understand that. “Because you are Pen.”

“If I’m doing something that really pisses you off and makes you so very angry, would you still think the same? Will you never shout at me?”

Colin seems to think for a moment, imagining a scenario where he’d get angry at Penelope and then says, “Maybe I’ll get angry for like, five minutes. You’ll look so guilty for making me upset and I will just let it slide. Especially if you apologize nicely.”

Penelope laughs at how detailed it seems. “Even when I snuck into your room and read your journal?”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Colin says, slightly chuckling now.

Penelope smiles at the way he trusts her so much. Her mind circuits back to the fact that he has a journal in the first place, something she didn’t know before today. She decides to ask, “I didn't know you kept a journal.”

“I did, on my travels abroad. Sometimes I felt so alone during my travel days and had no one to talk to besides you so I ended up writing everything in my journal. It’s a bit… dated, I know, but I like it.” 

Penelope’s eyes are trained on the journal in his hand, and she ponders on what he just said. He felt… alone? Colin Bridgerton felt alone? Didn’t the reason why he went on travels was because he felt suffocated in London? Did Penelope miss something?

Penelope tilts her head and stares at him curiously. “You said you wanted to go traveling abroad because you felt suffocated here in London, but once you did travel you felt alone?”

The silence sits between them for a moment, and Penelope can hear Hyacinth's faint voice disappearing in the background with Eloise’s loud shout and Benedict’s laugh. When Colin stares at her with this unreadable expression on his face, Penelope quickly looks away. She cannot lift her head to stare at him anymore because she knows he has this intense gaze in his eyes. She feels his gaze landing on her, and that… she cannot hold that.

It seems like there’s a thick tension hanging in the air between them and they both feel it too, but none of them can really voice it out. Maybe it’s better that way. Sometimes saying less is better because they are friends. They don’t want to feel awkward just because—

“It wasn’t London that suffocated me."

Oh no.

"It’s… something else.”

Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it. Don’t say it.

“And it's actually wha—”

“Penelope!”

Hyacinth, God bless her soul, actually barges into Colin’s room, unaware of the palpable tension. She runs toward the bed where they sit and stands right in front of Penelope. Her bright smile makes Penelope crack a smile, too, albeit it doesn’t reach her eyes because her heart is still pounding and she can feel her hands starting to sweat.

Beside her, Colin lets out a long sigh, looking away to focus his attention on the bookshelf on his left.

“I brought you a flower crown.” The youngest Bridgerton puts a pretty flower crown on Penelope’s head, fixing its position and then gasping when she inspects it entirely. “You look so pretty, Penelope! Like a fairy, isn’t she, Colin?”

Penelope freezes as she calls his name, unable to look away from Hyacinth’s face because she’s afraid she’d practically become a tomato once her eyes meet Colin’s.

Unfortunately, even without meeting his eyes, Colin’s breathless yes does it for her. “You are… breathtaking.”

There is a pin-drop silence after Colin voices his thoughts out loud, eyes never leaving Penelope’s face—so intense as if he can actually read Penelope’s mind and she is anxious. Penelope knows she’s blushing madly now, and she bites her lips, her hands playing with the fabric of her blue dress as she mutters a vague thank you for his compliment.

In front of her, Hyacinth’s eyes bounce from Penelope to Colin, silently judging them with a knowing smile. “Blue does suit her well, doesn’t it, Col?”

“Very much so,” he says without blinking even for once.

It’s as if he’s entrapped by the woman beside him, just realizing now that she looks exceptionally beautiful today, with the Bridgerton blue dress and a flower crown. She’s like a fairy. Or a princess. Or a doll. Whatever suits her.

Hyacinth is still rambling about how pretty Penelope looks and tells her that she should wear more blue and green and Colin is still dealing with his own thoughts, about how Penelope blush matches her hair, how her sparkling eyes are full of life, and the way her smile stays upon listening to Hyacinth’s eager talk.

It’s when Violet comes into the room that breaks him from his reverie. “Hyacinth, dear, here you are,” she says, walking in a hurry as a soft smile appears on her face. “I’ve been looking for you—oh, Penelope, dearest, you look adorable! Is it your flower crown, Hyacinth?”

“Yes!” Hyacinth eagerly responds. “I have one for Eloise as well but she refused to wear it, Mama.”

Colin snorts when he hears that. “You’ll have more luck forcing her to jump off a cliff than asking her to wear a flower crown.”

That makes Penelope giggle, so Colin doesn’t really mind Hyacinth’s pout that much. Violet shakes her head and grabs Penelope’s and Hyacinth’s hands. “Come. I need your help to arrange the table in the garden. Colin, Anthony is looking for you as well.”

Her third-born son groans in protest upon hearing that, knowing so well that Anthony needs his help to move things around and Colin is not in the mood to do hard work.

Violet gives her a scolding look before walking away with Penelope and Hyacinth; the former briefly turns around to smile at him and Colin smiles back, twice as wide.

He ignores the thumping sound of his own heartbeat and the warm feeling spreading throughout his body upon receiving such a beaming smile from Penelope Featherington.

Deep down, he knows he's royally fucked.

tbc.

Chapter Text

Colin groans in annoyance as Anthony orders him around the house to move things from the living room to the garden. There are still some chairs and desks they should put there because the food they prepare is much more than they anticipate. Maybe that’s the thing about asking each of the Bridgerton children to have their own foods for this bazaar—they have loads of them.

Anthony and Kate go with a very specific Italian dish, Pici all’Aglione because it’s Kate’s favorite. Colin knows it will be too much of a hassle to have such dishes for a food bazaar because imagine how difficult it is to serve the people! Not an ideal choice of food, Colin thinks. Benedict, with Sophie’s help, makes a better choice as they go with autumn energizer juice which Colin doesn’t know the name of. He thinks he should applaud the idea, but it’s all Sophie’s. Daphne, the perfectionist she is, brings the best pumpkin pies and actually takes her time to prepare the box, the packaging, and everything so it indeed looks so appealing. Colin supposes with her as a Duchess now, the sky is the limit.

Eloise… well, she did prepare something, alright, and he doesn’t really want to judge because Eloise loves Bibimbap, but upon seeing how she mixes all the vegetables into one with the rice, he doesn’t know if that’s really how you make it or Eloise just doesn’t bother to do it the right way. The dish still looks yummy, though, so props to her. Frannie and John did a great job by bringing some marshmallows, jellies, and other treats and they all look lovely and colorful. Colin thinks many of his niblings will want to buy them, though. He doesn’t know what Kate and Daphne think about that. Gregory and Hyacinth go with the same mindset—they choose to prepare french fries and crisps (made by, of course, Mrs Wilson) because they want to enjoy the event and taste their siblings’ foods instead of fussing over their own stalls. That’s a brilliant idea, Colin should’ve done the same.

Oh—speaking of Colin Bridgerton, today he managed to prepare some bread. The advantage of visiting so many countries and tasting so many foods makes him realize that simplicity is better, so he chooses to go with bread. He has sourdough, brioche, bagel, croissant, and grissini along with the toppings. Colin grins to himself when he finishes setting up his table in the garden. This is such a good choice of food for a charity event.

Setting up his table and arranging the bread distracts his attention and for a moment, he forgets that there will be so many people attending this event. Colin looks around the garden and smiles upon seeing how everyone is busy with their tables. Aubrey Hall has a spacious garden so it will fit many people later on. The tables are arranged in birth (or alphabetical) order, so his own table is between Benedict and Sophie’s and Daphne and Simon’s.

“Bread is a smart choice, to be honest.” Colin turns around and finds Sophie Beckett eyeing his table. Beside her, Benedict is still busy preparing the cups. “You won’t have any hassle when serving the customers.”

Colin grins widely and brushes the hair that falls on his forehead. “Yours is not a bad choice, either. I know it’s all your idea. Benedict will never come up with a thoughtful idea like… what is it called again?”

“Citrus Fall,” Sophie states, a hint of pride hovering in her soft voice. “I am also the one who came up with the name.”

“Of course you do,” Colin chuckles.

They chat for a moment while he looks around, seeing Daphne patiently asking Auggie and Belinda to help her with the packaging—a plan to divert their attention from Fran’s sweets—and his other siblings are still busy with their tables. His mind wanders around to Penelope, and the fact that he hasn’t seen her again after he saw her in his room two hours ago.

Colin glances at Eloise’s table and he doesn’t find her sister there. He looks around once more, squinting his eyes and finally finding Eloise dragging an annoyed Gregory from his table to her table, seemingly asking him to help her with the Bibimbap. His eyes wander around again, until he finds Penelope at Anthony's table, smiling and laughing happily with Kate.

(He also notices that she doesn't wear Hyacinth's flower crown anymore, probably wanting to keep it inside the house so she won't lose it. Colin is lowkey sad she doesn't wear it anymore because she looks beautiful like a fairy.)

It seems like she’s offering them some help, and Colin smiles when Kate profusely thanks her for being so kind. Well, they are not the only one who needs help, so Colin needs to interfere. He cannot have them monopolize Penelope, even though she’s the one offering to help.

He walks toward their table which is far to the right and gosh, he only realizes now that Anthony takes the biggest space—understandable, given what they’re bringing to the table, but still—and he silently feels sorry for him and Kate. Penelope is still busy arranging the food containers while Kate is trying to collect her children and Anthony is busy asking Mrs Wilson to leave Hyacinth and help him instead.

“Did they threaten you to help them?”

Penelope gasps when Colin’s sudden voice greets her ears; she turns around and finds Colin standing there already. A wide smile blooms on her face when Colin stares at her judgingly. “I’m merely helping Kate. They look like they need more help.”

“Well, I told Anthony they should prepare something simple but he said Kate liked pasta so that’s what they’d go with.”

“You choose well.” Penelope glances at Colin’s table some meters away, finding it all taken care of. She smiles warmly at him and Colin’s heart pounds at an uncontrollable rate. “You should bring more bread, though. I’m guessing so many people will come to your table.”

Colin groans upon knowing the double meaning of her words and Penelope only chuckles in amusement. “I will serve them happily if they genuinely want to participate in this charity event and not here to gossip about my break-up. But I also think people are more interested in seeing Daphne again after three years. She’s a model and a Duchess after all. Or maybe they’re here for Frannie since she’s about to be a Countess next year.”

“They’re also coming for you, absolutely.” Penelope rolls her eyes good-naturedly. “You’re a Bridgerton and you’re single now. Many women will line up to have your bread.”

Colin lifts his eyebrows and Penelope blushes upon realizing her weirdly-phrased words. He falls into a pit of laughter when Penelope says, “Gosh, that came out so weird! I didn’t mean it that way!”

“Naughty little Miss Penelope.”

“You know I mean the real bread! Don’t be so obtuse!”

Colin is still laughing upon seeing how red Penelope is right now, but his laughter is cut short when Anthony arrives at the table, seemingly happy to have Mrs Wilson beside him until he doesn’t realize what he’s laughing about.

“Thank you for agreeing to help us, Mrs Wilson. Kate and I can’t handle the table ourselves, especially with Edmund and Miles running around.”

Mrs Wilson sighs and nods with a tight smile, now standing behind the table and ready to help them. Penelope smiles at her as she greets the redhead. Colin faces his brother to say, “It seems like you already have the help you need, right, brother?”

Anthony stares at him with his sharp eyes. “Well, yes…”

“Then you won’t mind if I steal Penelope, right? She already offered you some help and we cannot burden our guest. Don’t you agree?”

Penelope is taken aback by that and quickly opens her mouth to say, “Colin, it’s fine! I’m actually happy to help Kate and Anthony so I’d like to sta—”

“He’s right, Penelope,” Anthony cuts in, smiling softly at Penelope before averting his gaze back to Colin, giving him a knowing look. “Mrs Wilson will help us and we can’t keep you here. Other people might… need your help more than us.”

Penelope tilts her head to the side adorably and Colin tries to fight the urge to coo at how adorable she looks. “Are you sure?” she asks, genuinely not knowing the double meaning of his words.

The Bridgertons—sans Colin and Eloise—know that Colin will always try to steal Penelope away from them if Penelope is in their presence for more than ten minutes, so it’s pointless to argue with him about this.

Anthony smiles warmly at her and caresses her back affectionately. Colin glares at his friendly gesture and it makes Anthony fight the urge to roll his eyes. His little brother’s jealousy or overprotective nature can be so annoying sometimes. “I’m sure. We’ll ask you for help if we need any, but for now you can help Colin, maybe? His table looks dull as hell. The only thing that will bring him customers is his face.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“You shouldn’t,” Anthony sneers. Penelope nods and smiles, walking away from their table with a very happy Colin by her side.

“You’re my partner for today, Pen, don’t leave my side. I might finish setting up my table and finish everything because, well, what can I say? I’m just good at choosing the right food. Bread! That’s like the easiest and so simple but people will like it so mu—Penelope!”

Colin gapes as he finds he’s talking to himself all along and Penelope is left behind to stop at Benedict’s table, chatting happily with Sophie. The redhead jolts in surprise as she hears her name being called with a pouty Colin walking toward her. “Colin, Sophie makes this amazing juice by herself!”

Colin cannot even get annoyed at her because she just looks so happy to taste the drink Sophie gives her. He offers her a soft smile as she continues to gulp down the juice while Benedict and Sophie are watching his starstruck expression silently.

“We’ll make sure to bring you another cup, Penny.”

Penelope loves the idea until she giggles and thanks Benedict and Sophie wholeheartedly before excusing herself to walk to Colin’s table. On her left, Colin is still smiling down as Penelope walks with spring in her steps. “You seem so happy.”

She hums and looks around. “I love events like this, especially with your family. The Bridgertons are so lovely and I’m so glad you guys always invite me to your events.”

Colin only nods in silence, allowing his mind to take over as he tries to remember how Penelope started to come into their lives and blend so well with the Bridgertons. Sure, the Featheringtons are their neighbor back in London and they’ve known Penelope since she was eight with Eloise befriending her first, but she fits perfectly in his family that it feels natural.

“Colin?”

The said man is jolted awake by Penelope’s voice; he looks at her and blinks repeatedly, noticing the worried look on her face. He smiles. “I’m sorry my mind was elsewhere. But of course, Pen. We always need your presence here. Well, my siblings might say they need you here to guard me, but I beg to differ. I truly enjoy your presence and won’t pass up a chance to have you by my side.”

“Even though you have to steal me from your brother?”

Colin rolls his eyes upon hearing that. “It’s not stealing when he doesn’t own you. Also, I need you more than him! You can’t simply believe I can handle this all by myself, right?”

“Just say you need me here as a shield from the women who might come here just to see you.”

Colin shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly. “It’s not my fault I’m charming as hell and handsome to boot.”

There’s a glint in Penelope’s eyes as if she’s planning something in her mind—she has that look when she wants something, and Colin takes pride in knowing her so well. She keeps mum, however, and only nods and whispers okay then, let’s just see how it plays out and Colin is eyeing her curiously.

They keep chatting animatedly while Penelope helps rearrange the bread to make his table tidier when there are a bunch of people arriving. At first, Colin thinks it’s just their neighbors, but as they walk closer to the garden, he realizes that Anthony is walking toward them and welcoming them with arms opened wide.

Colin squints his eyes to look closely and realizes that it’s the Bridgertons. Well, the other Bridgertons. Daphne, Benedict, and Sophie round up to his table and he can hear Daphne saying, “Uncle Hugo is coming as well?”

“No,” Benedict exclaims, standing between Penelope and Sophie. “It’s just the kids.”

“Our cousins, you mean,” Daphne clarifies.

Colin keeps his eyes on their cousins whom they haven’t seen in four years. They rarely meet their cousins and only see their uncle Hugo Bridgerton whenever there is an event. Sure, his mother invites all of his cousins to events like this, but they’re either too busy or they don’t have time to simply come. This year, however, is different.

“It seems like all of them come this year,” Colin notes as he sees Anthony laughing with their oldest cousin and patting his back good-naturedly. “A very rare occurrence, indeed.”

“You guys have five cousins?” Penelope cannot help but ask, her eyes are focused on the five Bridgerton cousins who just arrived.

Daphne is the one answering her question, “Six cousins. The youngest is in Australia for her degree. She is rarely home, so I guess she won’t be here today, either.”

“Wait, Fleur is in Australia? Didn’t Uncle Hugo say she got into Oxford?”

Daphne hums, crossing her arms as her eyes are still not leaving the cousins and how Violet talks with them. “Last time I heard, she’s in Australia. Maybe she changed her mind and just wants to move somewhere far away. I don’t know.”

“Her name is Fleur and she is the sixth kid?” Penelope asks, staring at Daphne with curiosity in her eyes. “Don’t tell me your uncle also names his kids alphabetically?”

Colin cringes at her question. “He does.”

A matching gasp can be heard from Penelope and Sophie, while Benedict and Daphne only laugh. “Both our dad and Uncle Hugo have a peculiar taste in naming their kids, apparently,” Colin continues.

“What are their names?” Sophie asks, linking her arm with Benedict’s while she looks at Colin.

“They are Andrew, Beau, Conrad, Dorian, Estella, and Fleur.”

“Dorian is such a beautiful name. No offense, Daphne.”

Daphne scowls at Sophie’s joke and Colin can only laugh at that. It reminds him of his younger days. “We used to joke around and compare our names to theirs and yes, Dorian is such a good name.”

“Conrad is definitely a handsome name, too,” Penelope sighs, her eyes trained on the newcomers like she’s trying to map their faces or something. “Which one is Conrad?”

“Penelope,” Colin whines, grabbing her hand to avert her gaze back to him and Penelope stifles a laugh. “You cannot possibly think that Conrad is a better name than Colin!”

“Hmph. Maybe I do?”

“He’s more handsome too,” Daphne chimes in, smirking when she sees a chance to tease Colin as a payback. “He’s the most handsome out of our cousins.”

“There is something masculine about the name Conrad,” Benedict adds, not wasting the chance to tease his brother too. “I bet he visits the gym daily.”

Colin glares at Benedict, making his brother let out a boisterous laugh. He knows his siblings just want to tease him, but he is annoyed because clearly, Penelope’s attention is elsewhere too, now.

“It seems like it,” Daphne acknowledges vaguely, her eyes landing on someone who hugs Gregory and smiles at him.

Colin sends his sister a bored look and then brings his attention back to Penelope beside him, who is also looking at the same man attentively. The way her cheeks blush just by watching his cousin makes his blood boil. “Penelope…”

The redhead finally takes her eyes off that man and laughs upon seeing a whiny Colin. “What? I’m just admiring your cousins! Stop whining,” Then, she turns to Daphne and asks, “He’s the one, right? Conrad?”

Daphne is having a party inside her head because she knows Colin is silently suffering. “Yep. The one who talks to Gregory.”

“He’s annoyingly handsome. Too handsome, perhaps,” Sophie agrees wholeheartedly.

Benedict hugs her from behind and nods. “He’s the Benedict of his family. You know… because he’s the most handsome.”

“That’s my role, you dimwit.”

Penelope turns around to look at Colin with this unreadable expression on her face that makes him blush, but then her attention is back on Conrad, before back to Colin and to Conrad again.

Colin doesn’t like what she’s possibly thinking of. But he asks, anyway. “What, Pen?”

“Nothing,” Penelope shakes her head yet there is a strange smile on her face like she is hiding something, “Is he older than you?”

She’s still talking about Conrad. Colin’s answer is mumbled. “Two months older than me.”

“Pen!”

They all turn around and find Eloise running with short breath toward them with a serious expression on her face. As soon as she stands in front of them, she opens her mouth again. “I’ve been looking for you! I thought you left and—oh, our cousins are here?”

“Yep,” Benedict remarks, “Everyone except Fleur.”

“So Conrad is here, too?”

Penelope is eyeing her best friend weirdly because Eloise seems to be curious about Conrad, and it tells a lot because if anything, she is not easily swayed by anything, especially men. Colin sighs when Eloise’s eyes find the said man. “Why is everyone suddenly interested in Conrad? You hated him when we were ten!”

“That’s the point,” Eloise mumbles, not even looking at her brother for a second. “We were ten. But I’m just curious, that’s all. Everyone is talking about him nowadays. He just came back from Kenya, monitoring a water project program and it’s said that he’ll build fifteen schools in Papua next year. I want to talk to him about it.”

“A handsome man and a philanthropist? What a dude.”

Daphne laughs at Sophie’s words and she cannot help but agree. “He never stays in London and is always gallivanting the world, but it’s not without a purpose.”

Well, that stings. Colin knows Daphne didn’t mean it that way—hell, she (and his other siblings, too) doesn’t know what he feels about this topic—but it still hurts. He cannot blame her, though, because in his siblings’ point of view, Colin always leaves and it seems like he’s just having fun abroad and is without a purpose. He began his journey two years ago, traveling across the world leaving his previous job and landing a new one as a Projects Editor for National Geographic that would allow him to work from everywhere. He would take a long journey, months at a time before going back to London to visit his family but that’s all.

He knows, deep down, that it is tiring—always leaving and never staying in one place for long, and it is incredibly lonely but he prefers escaping London rather than staying here. If he were his siblings, he would also think he’s having fun abroad because he never told anyone why he left, and he most likely would never.

What he doesn’t expect is Penelope’s soft voice breaking him from his reverie. “Some people leave to make a change in this world, and some leave to make a change in themselves. It might seem to be a completely different and unfair comparison, but one cannot bring a chance to this world without changing themselves first.”

She doesn’t even lift her head to stare at anyone, her icy blue eyes focusing on the bread that she pretends to rearrange even though it’s already neatly organized. Colin is stunned to silence and so is everyone else, because they don’t expect to hear that from her.

“Wow, Penny, what a profound insight.” Benedict praises her and it feels so genuine, with his eyes shining warmly at her and Penelope just digs her head further, embarrassed hearing his compliment.

Sophie hugs her boyfriend back and hums. “You’re right, Penelope,” she says, her voice hinting something that tells Colin she understands what’s the underlying meaning here. “Everyone has distinct ways of making a difference. Outside or inside himself.”

Colin is not able to listen to what everyone is saying after that, too busy looking at the redhead beside her who seems to take interest in the bread on the table rather than participating in whatever Eloise is saying to everyone. She knows Colin is staring at her, rather intensely, but she doesn’t want to look up simply because she knows she has said too much.

Being Colin’s friend for almost her entire life makes her understand him more than anyone, sometimes more than his family if she’s being honest. While his family sees him as a brother, Penelope sees him as a… man. She sees him and his struggle, his sensitivity to his surroundings, his fear, his actions—she might not understand it all, or maybe she doesn’t know the depth of it but she sees them.

If there is anything she learned more about him today when they talked in his room, it’s that Colin didn’t always have a good time on his journeys.

“Uh, guys, I think they’re coming here…?”

Colin and Penelope quickly look up upon hearing Sophie’s voice, only to find Violet, Anthony, and Kate walking toward them with the Bridgerton cousins. Colin is too focused on Penelope and admiring her in silence until he doesn’t notice that her siblings have rounded up at his table. Simon is holding Auggie and Belinda, Francesca and John are standing right next to Hyacinth, while Benedict is carrying little Miles with his other hand holding Edmund.

“Children, your cousins are here to pay us a visit.” Violet is smiling widely, her face beaming with so much happiness upon seeing that Aubrey Hall’s garden looks so full of her extended family.

Everyone is taking turns greeting the cousins, with Francesca hugging Estella for a long time before introducing John, her fiancé to her. Frannie did stay with their family in Bath for two years before, so they’re quite close. Sophie and Penelope stay behind because they’re not a part of the Bridgertons family, only smiling while staring at how they all act so warmly toward the cousins. Dorian, Penelope presumes, quickly bonds with little Edmund, and Beau’s heart is quickly stolen by Belinda.

This way, Sophie and Penelope talk in a hushed tone, admiring how just beautiful they are. While these Bridgertons are a bunch of brunettes, their Bridgerton cousins have blonde hair so it’s easy to tell them apart as a clan. They might not be as famous as this Bridgerton family, but they sure as hell have this certain charisma around them.

One person is missing, though, and it’s Eloise who addresses it. “Where is Conrad?”

“Oh, he’s somewhere with Gregory. He wanted to show Conrad the rare stamps Colin gave him from his travels,” Anthony answers, smiling with the wife in her arms, eyes not leaving how Miles is smiling at Andrew.

“You’re still traveling the world, too, Col?” It’s Beau who asks this. Sophie and Penelope sigh in the background upon realizing how just beautiful Beau Bridgerton is. She’s indeed living up to her name. “Where to?”

“Just here and there,” Colin shrugs, smiling at his cousin. “I was visiting Dubai last month.”

“Your mum wouldn’t stop talking about your stories from abroad, you know.” It’s Estella speaking, eyes sparkling with a tease.

Colin rolls his eyes but a smile stays on his handsome face. His mother chuckles and says, “Colin is an amazing storyteller, even when he was still a child. He and Penelope bonded over their love for stories, if I recall. Speaking of, where is Penelope and Sophie?”

They all turn around and stare at both women who choose to stay behind Colin’s table, and they both feel so nervous upon having so many people looking at them. Colin’s eyes lock with Pen’s; he smiles and nods as if encouraging her to come and Penelope swallows anxiously.

Sophie greets Beau first who beams at her, while Penelope is quickly greeted by Estella. Eloise jumps at her side, introducing her to the cousin as Eloise’s straight girlfriend slash soulmate. She introduces Estella—or Ella for short—as the smartest lesbian she’s ever known, making Ella laugh in amusement. “You come a close second, El, don’t worry,” Ella teases her with a wink.

She takes Penelope to her family and the redhead greets the others as well. Beau is gentle and sweet, reminding her about Daphne and Francesca. Andrew, the oldest, is a little bit intimidating but still kind. He’s a year younger than Anthony and is already married to an Irish man. Unfortunately, his husband cannot come today because as a doctor he still has work to do. Dorian is a flirt, greeting Penelope with a wink and kissing the back of her hand. Colin is growling behind her, making Penelope blush in embarrassment. Dorian takes the hint, eyeing Colin suspiciously, smirking at him as if he knows something. He reminds Penelope of Benedict, except Benedict’s flirtation is friendly and warm—if that’s even possible—while this guy is a textbook flirt.

Violet quickly grabs Penelope by her arm and smiles at her. “Conrad is somewhere but I’d like you to meet with him later, dear.”

Penelope gapes upon hearing her request as she catches a glint of something behind Violet’s eyes, one she has whenever she comes up with a plan or something. Penelope quickly gathers herself, though, nodding along with a smile.

Behind her, Colin is eyeing his mother suspiciously but he says nothing.

“People are expected to arrive in twenty minutes, so you guys can have fun while you still can!” Violet cheerfully exclaims, letting go of Penelope so Colin can take her with him again.

Eloise is about to grab Penelope when Ella locks arms with her, asking her where Eloise’s table is. The brunette Bridgerton happily obliges, feeling glad to have someone who can help her with the Bibimbap. Beau, still holding Belinda, decides to help Daphne and Simon, while Andrew ditches Anthony for Francesca because he already sees her as his own sister.

Dorian, though, is still eyeing Colin and Penelope suspiciously since he cannot seem to let go of her hand. “I’m gonna join you at your table, Col. You have bread, right? I love bread,” he says, staring at annoyed Colin with a teasing smile. Then, in two seconds, he turns his attention to Penelope. “Do you like bread, Penelope?”

The redhead is about to answer his question but Colin beats her to it. “I’m perfectly fine, dude. If you want to help, go help Anthony. He needs more help with the pasta.”

Colin quickly turns around and walks back to his table with Pen, but Dorian quickly follows them from behind before he’s quickly swayed away by Benedict. Sophie only giggles when Dorian lets out a protest but is ignored by her boyfriend. “I want to go to Colin’s table, not yours!”

“For the love of God, please don’t tease him about Penelope,” he says, sighing as he drags a confused Dorian to his table.

“Are they dating?”

Sophie jumps in, “No, but he will never let Penelope go. And she’s the only one who can handle him.”

“Hm, you act like Colin is a dog who needs a guard.”

“Well, he is, when it comes to Penelope,” Benedict muses, gripping Dorian tighter when he feels he’s about to escape. “We need Colin to be in his good mood because he’s been mopey since he arrived here, so we’re all trying to not poke him by bothering Penelope.”

Dorian is more confused as Benedict goes on. “If he likes her that much and needs her so bad, why are they not dating? I read in one of the gossip columns that Colin already broke up with his model girlfriend. Oh—is Penelope taken?”

Ben and Sophie let out a matching sigh as if they’d been wondering the same thing for ages. “They’re both single. And we wish we knew the answer, but unfortunately, we don’t,” Sophie wistfully mutters.

“It makes me remember what your mum said to Conrad a while ago. I think she wants to introduce Penelope to Conrad.” Dorian hums to himself as he has this look of understanding on his face. “Come to think of it, Penelope is certainly Conrad’s type. A petite redhead who is demure and shy, with that adorable face and blue eyes? Conrad will swoon.”

Benedict freezes upon hearing that. “Oh, no.”

“This is going to be messy,” Sophie shudders.

“Let’s stay away from Colin, Soph.”

“Definitely.”

Dorian laughs at the absurdity of it all. "Why? I think it'll be super interesting."

"Shut up, cousin. Also, don't talk about Penelope like that if you don't want Colin to beat you to a pulp."

tbc.

Chapter Text

“Colin, stop frowning. You’ll scare people away.”

The said man sighs as Penelope gives him this sharp look because he keeps glaring and frowning at people who don’t even hide their curious eyes and the need to gossip about his recent break-up. He supposes that’s what you’ll get when your ex is a famous model. Still, he is so annoyed that they don’t even have the decency to mask their curiosity. Some people even come to his table to ask questions and not buy his bread!

However, he tries to school his expression because he knows Penelope will not like it if he keeps scowling like an old man. He fakes a smile as Penelope frowns at him. “I’m smiling on the outside but I’m actually screaming in annoyance on the inside.”

The redhead rolls her eyes and then smiles when a teenager comes to their table to actually buy something. She buys two croissants and a brioche; Penelope greets her with a wide smile and serves her happily. When the girl leaves their table, Penelope brings her attention back to Colin and says, “Just keep acting unbothered. Smile and wink to these women and I’ll divert their attention to buy these bread. The sooner these breads sell out, the sooner we can take a break and go somewhere to rest.”

That is actually a great idea. Sure, he wants to participate in this event because it’s for a cause, but he also likes the idea of spending time alone with Penelope. With this new idea in mind, Colin nods earnestly and looks at Penelope with a new spirit.

“Alright, then. Let’s do this so we can take a break later!”

Penelope giggles when Colin shouts, seemingly very serious about this idea. She’s glad to know that because honestly, she doesn’t like it when Colin is always frowning and bothered. She wants the old Colin back—the one who is so sensitive yet cheerful, stern yet kind, and serious yet playful.

Colin looks around and finds his siblings’ tables scattered in the garden of Aubrey Hall. Anthony and Kate’s table, with the help of Mrs Wilson, manages to attract the attention of the elderly mainly because of Kate's warmth and sociable manner. Benedict and Sophie’s table is full of customers lining up because the juice is so fresh for an autumn drink, but Colin also thinks that Dorian’s presence is another reason why so many women are buying the drink.

Daphne, the Duchess, is actually overwhelmed with the people queuing for her pumpkin pie. Fortunately for her, though, Simon is such a reliable husband ready to help her with anything and Beau is just an agile helper. Eloise’s table is filled with men queuing, mainly because she’s just so popular among men especially with Estella helping her now. Colin chuckles upon seeing Eloise’s deep frown—these men do not get the message that Eloise is not into them, and the same goes with Estella.

Francesca’s table is full of kids wanting to buy sweets from her, and Andrew is just so good with kids that they’re able to sell a lot. Hyacinth and Gregory are just having fun with the snacks, albeit they also do it very well by selling it to the teenagers, some of them are their own friends.

Colin is smiling at how many people are there with them. Some people even come with a picnic mat so they can sit in the garden while eating the food they buy. It’s just like a festivity, and Colin’s mood gradually becomes better just by soaking up the happiness around him.

Just as he begins to smile more and greets more people passing by, people actually take notice of his table and start to line up to buy his bread. Some women are still coming over to flirt with him, but Penelope is just a good seller and she quickly diverts their attention from Colin to the bread. He tries to do the same, using his charm to ask them to buy the bread instead of scowling at their flirtation.

“You stole our customers.” Dorian walks toward them and stops just right next to his table with his amused expression and crossed arms. “Maybe it’s your beauty that attracts people, Penelope.”

The said woman blushes and smiles at him appreciatively while Colin rolls his eyes in annoyance. “Stop flirting with Pen and go back to your table.”

“Are you not tired, Penelope? I can replace you and help Colin while you’re resting,” Dorian says, completely ignoring Colin’s murderous look on his face.

Penelope actually giggles (which makes Colin frown, but he has to school his expression because he knows Penelope will scold him if he makes that face again) and shakes her head. “I’m good, thank you for offering, Dorian,” she says, and then she turns to Colin, “I’m going to buy Sophie’s juice. Do you want one too, or do you want to eat something? I’m going to buy it for you.”

“Just ask my siblings for the drink and food for free, Pen, you don’t need to buy.”

Penelope sends him a tired look. “You know that’s not how this event works, right? Like how are we supposed to collect the money if I’m just asking for food for free?”

“I mean, it’s just my siblings…”

“I’m going to buy them and you’re going to stay here and actually sell your bread.” Penelope stares at him with a sharp look, one that Colin cannot disobey. With his nod, Penelope excuses herself and walks away leaving his table.

Still standing beside him, Dorian is eyeing Colin with an unreadable expression on his face. The brunette guy lifts his eyes and asks, a little bit snappish, “What?”

Dorian is the type of guy who won’t beat around the bush, so he asks, “Do you like her?”

Colin’s answer is simple yet the underlying meaning is not. “It’s complicated.”

“Okay.”

Colin frowns upon hearing his answer. “You’re not going to ask me why it is complicated?”

His cousin shakes his head with a smile. “I know both of you are single, and you’ve been friends since childhood. She’s close to your family, and you two definitely have this different bond. If you say it’s complicated, then it lays on how you approach this feeling and I believe I shouldn’t be the one asking the question, but yourself.”

Colin is stunned into silence upon hearing his cousin’s answer,  knowing damn well that he’s one hundred percent right.

“But maybe that’s what differentiates you guys from us. You guys are known to be the wiser ones, while we are known to be the quicker ones because we never complicate things. Especially Conrad,” Dorian says as he pats Colin’s shoulder before he walks away to come back to Benedict’s table.

He has this empty look in his eyes as if he’s thinking so hard about something. When people come over to his table, Colin only smiles pleasantly yet it doesn’t reach his eyes; he serves them quickly as if his hands move in automatic mode while his mind is elsewhere. Colin is so deep in his thoughts that he doesn’t even realize he already sells so much bread. When he finally pulls himself out of his mind, Colin wonders why Penelope hasn’t come back. Surely, buying juice won’t take this long, right?

Colin finds himself frowning when he doesn’t find Penelope at Benedict’s table. He looks around, squinting his eyes trying to spot her red hair and blue dress among the crowd, only to find her nowhere in sight. In a hurry, Colin decides to walk around the garden, inspecting the tables one by one; in this situation, he kind of thinks Penelope being so petite makes it harder for him to find her. When he knows for sure that he cannot find her anywhere, Colin goes to Hyacinth and asks, “Have you seen Penelope?”

His youngest sibling looks so uncertain as if she doesn’t know if she should be answering that. Colin lifts his eyebrows, urging her to talk and she relents. “I saw her walking with Mum, I don’t know where, though. Probably she just wanted Penelope to meet Conrad.”

Hyacinth says the last word extra carefully, as if just by mentioning his name Colin will combust or something. True enough, Colin’s face hardens and Hyacinth has this panicked look on her face. “But I think Penelope will come back to you soon, Colin! I’m sure of it! Mum will probably just introduce her to Conra—”

Colin doesn’t even let Hyacinth finish her sentence because he quickly turns around and walks away; his eyes are scanning Aubrey Hall’s garden one more time. He tries asking all of his siblings and everyone he knows if they ever see Penelope, his mother, or Conrad, but none of them gives him the answer he needs. His siblings are all eyeing him strangely but he pays them no mind. When he has spent thirty minutes looking for Penelope anywhere to no avail, Colin decides to come back to his table with a sour mood.

Meanwhile, somewhere else inside Aubrey Hall, Violet finally finds a spot where she knows none of her children will find her there and rushes Penelope inside where she will be meeting her nephew. Well, that is her initial plan. Introducing Penelope to Conrad. She knows she is not Agatha Danbury who does this very well, but she also knows what Conrad’s type is and how to bond with Penelope. If there is something she knows, it’s that Conrad and Penelope could make a good match.

Violet really wants Penelope to bear the Bridgerton name since she first knew the girl when she was eight. She once hoped that one of her children would marry her somehow, but her one particular child who has the best chance to marry Penelope won’t make a damn move so she thinks her better chance to make Penelope a Bridgerton is by introducing her to her nephew. He is also a Bridgerton, even though he’s not her child, so it still counts.

“Penelope, my dear. I want you to meet my nephew, Conrad Bridgerton. He’s Uncle Hugo’s third son.”

Violet’s warm smile makes it easy for Penelope to face the man in front of him. At one glance, Conrad looks so different from Colin or every Bridgerton sibling she knows. While Colin and his siblings have this outgoing and friendly aura around them, their cousins, especially Conrad, have this certain aura that makes her feel… intimidated.

Maybe it’s their insane looks, their towering postures, or the way they carry themselves. Or maybe she just doesn’t know them well enough.

Not forgetting her manner, Penelope smiles warmly and introduces herself. “I’m Penelope Featherington. A family’s friend.”

Conrad Bridgerton’s reaction is unexpected. His whole posture changes, not leisurely standing beside a beaming Violet but his pose is rigid with his saucer eyes staring at her, not blinking.

“Ummm…”

Violet is eyeing her nephew and nudges his arm until he realizes that he’s staring a bit inappropriately too long at the woman in front of him. Quickly, Conrad gathers himself and looks down on his shoes, trying to hide a… is that a blush?... on his face.

He is spellbound by Penelope Featherington.

“Apologize for my… rudeness. I’m merely… uhh… shocked, by your…”

“Sudden presence?”

“No. Beauty,” he says, almost breathless. “Shocked by your beauty.”

“Oh.” Penelope looks down and decides to stare at her shoes instead, unable to meet Conrad’s dreamy eyes. “T—thank you. I guess?”

“Penelope, my dear, Conrad here is a very busy man, so he doesn’t have time to go out often. You see, he’s busy with his social activities and work, but when he’s not doing all that, he prefers staying at home with his books and cats. I want to introduce you to him because clearly, my children and his siblings cannot be the only ones he talks to today.”

“Well, you see, Auntie, there is nothing wrong with staying at home and being alone. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in himself.”

“Wuthering Heights,” Penelope breathes out, smiling to herself and looking up to meet Conrad’s green eyes. “Emily Bronte.”

“You knew?”

“Of course!” Penelope giggles, “I’m the biggest fan of Emily Bronte.”

Conrad’s whole face lights up. “Oh, me too!”

Violet’s face is beaming with joy upon witnessing this. They bond quickly as she has predicted, and while it surprises her that Conrad, a very confident man with impeccable social skills, can be shy and blush, she knows it’s going well. She is just standing there, walking away from them to give them enough space so they can be comfortable to talk about anything.

Her happiness quickly evaporates once she remembers that Colin is probably searching for her right now. Biting her lips, Violet decides to guard Colin so he won’t try to sabotage her plan.

“Mum, please tell me where Pen is...”

Violet presses her lips together into a thin smile while patting her son’s shoulder. “Let her talk to Conrad first, okay love? He seems to be enjoying her company a lot.”

After leaving Conrad and Penelope, Violet decides to go back to the garden, trying to find Colin just to make sure he’s not going to thwart her plan and snatch Penelope the very first time he finds her. If he’s not going to face his own feelings for Penelope—which everyone knows, sans themselves and ironically Eloise—then he should not get mopey and sulky when she wants to introduce her to someone else.

“Yeah, Col, don’t hog her for yourself!” Dorian, the menace he is, smirks.

“But what about Pen? Is she enjoying his company? You must know that she can be shy around people she just met and Conrad might not know how to talk to her.”

Violet is staring at her child with a strange look, one that makes Colin uneasy so he has to look away for a second. For a moment he realizes how silly he sounds, and it makes him remember what Benedict once told him—he can act like a sulky child when Penelope is not with him.

“Oh, Penelope likes talking to him. Don’t worry about that,” Violet answers, eyes still not leaving Colin. Beside her, Dorian hides his smile by turning around to pretend to look at people gathering in the garden. He likes this drama. “In fact, they quickly bond over their love for Emily Bronte.”

“Definitely a match,” Dorian whistles, still looking away.

It irritates Colin so much because it seems like Violet is hell-bent on introducing them to each other and has another plan in mind right under his nose.

“Someone please stop Colin before he eats everything and leaves us with nothing. He doesn’t even buy them and asks for them for free!”

Anthony glares at his brother, who apparently has been eating his pasta in silence some meters away from his table. He has the folding table and small chair ready like he’s in a picnic or whatever—well, he can be dramatic sometimes—but the way he devours the pasta with a scowl doesn’t pass his judgment.

Kate, standing beside him, laughs and follows her husband’s gaze to see Colin eating their pasta—he’s on his fourth plate. “That someone can only mean Penelope, but Violet won’t let her leave Conrad for some certain reasons. So yeah, let him eat to his heart’s content.”

“He ate my sweets and marshmallows too.” Francesca, who appears out of nowhere making both Kate and Anthony jump in surprise, pouts while eyeing Colin like she has a personal vendetta against him or something. “I hid them because I want to eat them too before it’s all sold out. Now there’s nothing left and I can’t even eat any of my sweets!”

“Yeah, you did well in selling those sweets. Too well, if I’m being honest,” Kate murmurs under her breath, clearly annoyed that Edmund and Miles keep going to Frannie’s table just to buy the sweets.

Anthony brushes it off and keeps glaring at Colin who already finishes his plate and now stands up and walks toward another table he can bother. He passes their table, getting stink eyes from both Anthony and Francesca but he gives no shit and keeps walking toward Ben’s table. For a moment he just stands there, eyeing their juice before sighing and muttering to himself something along the name of I wish Penelope was here before they sell out the juice and then walk away.

“Can someone please return Penelope to him?” Anthony frowns now, clearly seeing Colin’s dramatic ass will not stop until Penelope is with him. “Surely, Mother understands the first rule of Colin’s healthy well-being?”

“Which is?” Kate asks, looking at her husband curiously.

Anthony stares at his wife weirdly, seemingly expecting her to understand it already. “To never separate Colin from Penelope, of course!” he says like it’s an established fact in the entire Bridgerton clan. “Penelope is the leash we all need to keep Colin grounded. Gosh, we all really owe that woman our lives. Imagine having to put up with Colin’s dramatic ass all these years. But then again, Colin only wants to listen to her. What a weird relationship they have.”

Kate lifts one of her eyebrows and looks at Colin, who is still pouting and sighing like a kicked puppy, standing behind Daphne’s table with two slices of pies on the plate Simon gives him. “Or maybe your mother finds it… unhealthy that Colin behaves like that when it comes to Penelope, knowing well they are not dating whatsoever?”

Anthony and Francesca both give her a weird look.

“What?” Kate frowns. “You know I’m right, don’t you see it? If I were Violet, I would do the same thing. Don’t you guys find it weird that Colin keeps this attitude with Penelope when they’re not even dating? He’s being jealous of Conrad and he doesn’t even know it! It’s either Violet truly wants Penelope for Conrad—and vice versa—or she wants Colin to pull his head from his ass and do something .”

“Well, maybe you’re right, wife. I mean, Colin and Penelope only have eyes for each other, there is no denying it. They are obviously into each other, everyone knows it but themselves! It’s a wonder how they can be so bli—”

“Anthony. ”

The older Bridgerton sibling looks at his wife and follows her gaze to find Eloise standing there some meters away behind him with a disbelieving look in her eyes. Anthony looks flabbergasted as well, and everyone falls into complete silence for a while before Eloise walks away without a word.

They all still don’t know what to say, and it’s Francesca who breaks the silence. “I mean, one way or another she will know…”

Anthony’s face turns sour. “I guess you are right.”

Penelope genuinely thinks Conrad is a good conversationalist. He is kind, respectful, and sweet. She enjoys talking to him and being in his presence. It doesn’t hurt that he’s extremely handsome, too, but his green eyes always remind her that she is no Colin Bridgerton.

Call her stupid or hopeless, but while Penelope knows exactly why she is here with Conrad and why Violet introduces them, she doesn’t think this will work. Yes, she can see them being good friends but that is all. She knows that there’s an attraction on Conrad’s part, and while it flatters her that such a handsome man stares at her like that, blushing and almost always avoiding her eyes, unfortunately, she doesn’t have the same attraction toward him.

Penelope proposes they should go back to the garden and meet everyone else there, and Conrad happily agrees. They leave Violet’s study room and walk toward the garden side by side, enjoying the conversation happening while they reach the garden.

While Conrad is talking about his childhood days with the Bridgerton siblings and how close they were when they were young, Penelope listens to him attentively, trying to divert her attention from Colin. Once in a while, she asks questions about his life in Bath and other trivial things like which sibling he’s closest to. Conrad asks about her siblings as well, and how she becomes so close with Eloise and the other Bridgerton siblings.

“I’m the closest to Eloise and Colin, but I love them all dearly.” Penelope plays with the fabric of her blue dress and smiles at the memory of them playing around as children and growing up together as friends—even when later the feeling she has for Colin turns into something more. “Eloise is my best friend and Colin… well, he always cares for me and is there when things get rough. He always makes me smile, too, even though sometimes he can be so stubborn just like Eloise.”

Conrad hums and matches Penelope’s step so they can still walk side by side. A short silence sits between them before he asks, “It seems like you hold him in the highest regard.”

A pink hue decorates Penelope’s cheeks. “I do,” she mutters, “He’s a very good man.”

“Ah, I envy him so much.” A cheerful laugh escapes Conrad’s mouth and Penelope’s blush deepens. “He doesn’t know how lucky he is to be spoken to in such a way.”

“Well, I believe you won’t be deprived of it, because I’m sure many women do the same thing for you.”

“Me?! Psh, I doubt women like someone who is either too busy or too shy to talk to them.”

Penelope laughs heartily, finding his response funny because he says that with the tip of his ears turning red. They keep talking and teasing each other, the smiles never leaving their faces.

Both of them don’t realize that a pair of eyes has been watching them from afar like a hawk, burning with jealousy.

“If look can kill, Conrad will be buried five feet under by now.”

Gregory laughs at Hyacinth’s words while he’s busy counting the money they get from selling the snack. His shared table with Hyacinth is already clean, they have sold out the snacks and done their part in this event. These youngest children were about to go meet their friends when suddenly Colin joined them with a sulky expression. None of them knew even before he said what bothered him that it’s obviously related to one Penelope Featherington.

“What are they laughing about? I don’t think Conrad is that funny to make Penelope giggle like that.”

Hyacinth groans and turns around to face Colin, whose eyes still not leaving Penelope and Conrad walking toward the garden. “You’re just jealous when you find out that Colin Bridgerton is not the only man who can make Penelope smile. Admit it.”

Colin rolls his eyes and looks away, not wanting to see the view he dreads the most. He eventually leaves Gregory and Hyacinth to come back to his table, finally remembering that he still has to tend to it.

He’s trying to act like he’s busy rearranging the bread he still has left—even though his mind is occupied by Conrad and Penelope—and counting the money he has from selling them when he hears Penelope’s giggle. Colin turns around and watches as Conrad smiles brightly at her. In no time, the two finally reach Colin’s table with Conrad’s gentle face greeting him.

“Colin, my brother! You have been so busy that I didn’t have time to greet you!”

Colin takes his hand and hugs him back reluctantly, but he still tries to fake a smile. “I’m sure it is you who is so busy talking to my Pen here. Not me.”

There is an awkwardness between the three of them after Colin says it, and he sees that Penelope—his Penelope—stares at him with this strange gaze that leaves him uneasy. Conrad laughs it off, but the tip of his ears turns red and Colin’s blood boils.

“Penelope is a very nice woman. She is a great reader and an even greater conversationalist so I have to admit I didn’t know time had passed so quickly while I talked to her.”

And that is his last straw.

Colin’s shoulders tense and he turns around, deciding that it’s best to keep himself busy with the money he collected rather than wanting to drag Penelope away from Conrad. Jealousy is an ugly thing—he must admit it now. There’s no denying it. He’s royally fucked. Fuck.

Sensing that Colin’s mood is not at his best, Penelope quickly stands beside him while facing Conrad for the last time. “It’s been a pleasure to meet and know you, Conrad. I hope you can enjoy the rest of the day with your cousins and siblings.”

Conrad’s face falls when he hears that, quickly understanding the meaning of her words. He conjures up a smile and nods at least, while saying, “The pleasure is all mine, Penelope. But before I go, can I have your number? I do really hope I can meet you again someday if you want to.”

Penelope throws a glance at Colin and realizes that he’s gripping the money too tightly but she chooses to nod and takes Conrad’s phone when he gives it to her. She types her number, saves it under the name Penelope Featherington,   and gives it back to the man in front of her. Conrad blurts out a happy thank you and bids them farewell, patting Colin—who has his back facing him like a sulking child—before leaving them to greet other Bridgertons he hasn’t met in person.

The redhead is about to start a conversation with Colin when a cheerful voice greets them from another table.

“Penelope!” Dorian Bridgerton walks toward them with a teasing smirk. “I’m being deprived of your presence so I thought I should gre—”

He stops mid-sentence as soon as Colin glares at him and it doesn’t look like he’s annoyed or whatever but rather, he looks angry and borderline pissed. Dorian knows better than to poke the angry bear so he lifts both his hands in surrender. “Note taken. I’m not going to even try, cousin.”

As soon as Dorian walks away, Penelope steps closer to the table, standing beside Colin who still doesn’t want to look at her. She knows she should thread it carefully because just by a single glance at his direction Penelope knows he’s upset.

“You did very well managing your table by yourself.” Penelope stares at the almost empty table. There’s only some sourdough and croissants left. “Let me help you until it’s all sold out so you can get a rest.”

“I thought you’d want to be somewhere else.” Colin’s voice is hoarse as if he’s been trying to stop himself from talking to her, and Penelope’s head turns to look at him with a frown.

“Somewhere else… where?”

“I don’t know. Somewhere. Not here. Not with me, not with this C Bridgerton but with the other C Bridgerton.”

Penelope knows the different tone he uses, but she decides to not take the bait. She opts to smile at him and says, “Well, too bad—I prefer this C Bridgerton.”

“That C Bridgerton is far more interesting. He’s not just a third-born son and he is everyone’s favourite. Go, you can be with him. I can handle this alone.”

“Don’t be like this,” Penelope says softly. “There is no reason to be like this.”

She is upset. Colin knows Penelope is upset. The way her eyes dim instantly yet the tone she uses when speaking with him, like consoling an upset child, is enough indication that Penelope won’t have any of that.

Colin deflates and steals a glance at Penelope, who’s currently smiling at the customer who comes to buy some sourdough. Once the young boy leaves their table with the change, Colin opens his mouth to speak. “I tried to find you everywhere but you’re nowhere to be found. You should’ve rejected my mother’s scheme.”

“And what, exactly, is your mother’s scheme?”

Colin looks at her perplexed but the redhead beside her is standing to her ground, meeting his eyes as if challenging him. “She’s about to set you up with my cousin! In her mind, she is probably already arranging your wedding with him, especially with the way he looks at you.”

“Why does it matter if your mother wants to introduce me to Conrad and hopes for us to get closer?”

“Of course, it matters! You can’t be with him, you don’t even know him and he’s just too rigid! He’s not even your type, Penelope, admit it!”

“Wha—this is insane. What do you know about my type?!”

“Someone who is not him, that's what I know!” Colin raises his voice now, getting curious glances from people standing near them.

Knowing that they gain attention from people, Penelope glares at him and turns around, walking away from his table. Colin groans and follows her around and not before they arrive at the veranda where it’s quiet and no one is there he opens his mouth again. “Be honest with me, Penelope. You would never like someone like him, someone who will bore you to death with conversations about work and economics.”

“You don’t know anything about my type and who I like,” Penelope spats out, looking at Colin with annoyance.

The Bridgerton man grits his teeth and stops in his tracks. Suddenly, his mouth works faster than his brain as he asks, “Then tell me because you’re so adamant in thinking I don’t know: who do you like, Penelope?”

Penelope freezes and stops walking. The background noise of people talking and laughing in the garden mixes with the ringing sound in her ears. Her whole body tenses when she says, “Wrong question, Bridgerton.”

“Who do you like, Penelope Featherington?”

Apparently, Colin’s insistence is Penelope’s last straw because she lets out a shaky breath while she turns around. Her icy blue eyes are burning with shame and disappointment combined when she finally decides enough is enough. “Alright, since you wanna play this game: why did you suddenly leave after kissing me and telling me you loved me two years ago, Bridgerton?”

tbc.