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She really should have expected that it would happen. Mayfair was large, but polite society was small.
Penelope stood on the edge of the ballroom of the Mondrich’s newly acquired estate.
“Good evening, Miss Featherington,” Penelope felt her blood run cold at the voice. The very voice that had made her giddy mere weeks ago now made her freeze.
She drew in a deep breath and turned with a polite smile. “Good evening, Lord Debling,”
She prayed Colin would turn up with their refreshments with haste. Or would it be cruel to flaunt their relationship in front of Lord Debling?
Penelope tried, but ultimately failed, at calming her rapidly beating heart.
She watched carefully as his eyes flickered down to her hand, her left hand to be exact. His gaze caught briefly on her engagement ring and for the first time, Penelope wished it wasn’t on her finger.
(Well, she wished he couldn’t see it, not that she ever wished to not have it.)
Lord Debling met her eyes once more and cleared his throat. “Might I offer you congratulations on your engagement?”
“Thank you,” She breathed out. She began wringing her hands together nervously. Where was Colin? “Lord Debling, I must apologize for how our courtship ended. I never meant to slight you-“
He smiled kindly and held up a hand to interrupt her. “No need to apologize, Miss Featherington. We were simply not as well matched as we previously thought,” Lord Debling’s eyes flit over to the other side of the ballroom where Penelope knew the refreshment table sat. “I was happy to hear that you and Mr. Bridgerton had resolved your problems,”
“That is very kind of you to say,” Penelope smiled.
Debling nodded and opened his mouth to say more, but he was cut off by a new voice.
“Lord Debling, hello!” Penelope felt dread rush through her as she looked at the new arrival. “And Penelope!” Cressida Cowper simpered. “How lovely to see you both,” She sidled up to the two of them and stood beside Penelope in the most outrageous dress she had ever seen.
Colin needed to hurry up.
“Good evening, Miss Cowper,” Lord Debling greeted. Penelope could not help but roll her eyes as Cressida presented her hand to him, expecting him to kiss it.
“Lord Debling, I was searching for you, and I must admit I was utterly befuddled to see you standing here with Penelope,” Cressida sent Penelope a nasty smile and Penelope forced a smile out. “After she slighted you so,”
“All of that is in the past,” Debling reassured. “I actually approached Miss Featherington to congratulate her on her engagement,”
“Aw, how forgiving of you,” Cressida shifted her weight so her obnoxious sleeve was scratching at Penelope’s arm. “You are such a gentleman,”
Penelope went to move to excuse herself, but she was stopped by a firm hand on the small of her back. The familiarity of it caused her to feel much more at ease. She glanced up to find Colin grinning at her, though his eyes were filled with worry.
“Here is your drink, Pen,”
“Thank you,” She breathed out, hoping he could see her double meaning. She was beyond grateful he had finally swooped in to save her from this encounter.
“But of course, my love,” Colin then turned to Cressida, his expression hardening. “Excuse me, Miss. Cowper, but it seems as though you have accidentally stepped on my fiancée’s dress,”
Penelope looked down immediately to see that Cressida was, in fact, standing on her skirts. A rush of anger flooded through her as she realized why Cressida had shifted closer to her moments before.
Colin had not placed his hand on her back in a show of support, he had placed his hand there to stop her from moving so she would not tear her dress.
Penelope glanced up just in time to see Cressida sneer at Colin before picking her foot up. Colin used his hold on Penelope’s waist to pull her closer, thus creating too much space for Cressida to pull the same stunt.
Penelope could not help but look up at him in awe.
“Mr. Bridgerton, I was just telling Miss Featherington that I was pleased to hear of your engagement. Congratulations,” Penelope watched as surprise crossed her fiancé’s face before it melted into a polite smile.
“Thank you, Lord Debling,” He then looked at Penelope sheepishly and she quirked an eyebrow. “I must say that I wish I could apologize to you for interfering with your courtship, but that would mean I would regret it, which I very much do not,”
“Colin!” Penelope hissed.
Lord Debling only chuckled. “I admire your honesty, Mr. Bridgerton,”
“If you’ll-” Colin started, but Cressida cut him off, her eyes narrowing on Penelope.
“It is quite impressive, Penelope,” Cressida said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “How you managed to convince Mr. Bridgerton, the very man you asked to tutor you on how to find a husband, to propose to you,” Penelope’s grip on her glass tightened.
“Thus making it clear she never needed my help enticing a man,” Colin said, his smile bright but his eyes angry. “And I do not understand this narrative that Penelope asked me for help, when in fact, I begged for her to allow me to help her in an attempt to get back in her good graces after we had a disagreement,” Penelope blinked up at him in surprise. “For you see, Miss Cowper, I could not stand not speaking to her. It nearly killed me,”
“Really?” Penelope whispered and he turned to her with a nod, his eyes sad. He then turned back to Cressida with a bright smile.
“I am fortunate enough that she agreed to let me back into her life. But I am even more fortunate that she accepted my proposal after I got on my knees and begged her to feel the same for me,” Penelope quickly took a drink of her lemonade, attempting to disguise her smile at the look of disgust on Cressida’s face. “Now, if you will excuse us, I have not danced with my betrothed in nearly half an hour and I must remedy that,”
“Of course,” Debling said, his eyes twinkling with laughter. “Enjoy the rest of your evening,”
“You as well, Lord Debling,” Colin’s gaze settled on Cressida and he gave her a smug look. “Miss Cowper,” He then took Penelope’s fresh glass of lemonade and placed it on a passing waiter’s tray as he pulled Penelope towards the dance floor.
“Finally,” Colin murmured as they began their dance.
“What?”
“I have you back in my arms,” He said, twirling her around, something she has quickly figured out is his favorite thing to do when they are dancing.
She giggled at his comment and settled into his arms, enjoying the delicate warmth of his hands on through her dress. They swayed to the music for a few moments before she cleared her throat. “Colin?”
“Yes, my darling?”
Her face flushed, still not used to his terms of endearment that he loved to toss out. “Thank you,”
“For what?”
“For noticing that Cressida was standing on my dress,”
Colin scowled and he sent a glare in Cressida’s direction. “I do not care for her, or the way she treats you,” He huffed. “I watched her step on it. It was surely no accident,” Penelope felt her heart swell as she stared up at him. Her expression must have been clear on her face because a moment later he said, “Pen? Are you alright?”
“I just-” She swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I did not think I could love you more, but you have proven me incorrect,”
The song came to an end and they stopped moving, but his eyes did not move away from hers.
“Pen-”
Heat bloomed across her cheeks and she tugged at his hand. “Might we get some fresh air?”
Colin closed his mouth and nodded. He held out his arm and she curved her hand around his bicep. He guided her towards the gardens, where other couples were meandering around in the cool air, but Colin pulled her towards a private corner where they were hidden in a small alcove.
“You were right, you know?” Penelope said softly, her hand coming up to straighten the lapel of his waistcoat. Her fingers smoothed down the plush velvet and she could not stop looking at the layers of clothing separating her from Colin’s chest.
“Right about what?”
“He was not right for me,” She finally ticked her head up, meeting his gaze. “Lord Debling,”
“Of course he wasn’t,” Colin huffed. “Because he is not me,”
Penelope giggled. “That is very true,” Colin brought her hands up to his mouth, placing kisses on both. “But that is not all I mean,”
“How else do you mean it?”
Penelope drew in a deep breath. “That first ball, the one after I changed my hair and my wardrobe-“
“The night of our fight,” Colin frowned. “
“Yes, that night.” Penelope squeezed his hands and leaned in to place her own kiss on the back of his hand.
“You looked lovely that night,”
“Thank you,” She smiled, removing one hand from his hold to reach up and place her hand on his cheek. “That night, I had my fair share of awkward blunders with the men of the ton, as you know, I am not good at flirting-”
“That is not true, Pen,” He smirked. “You are quite good at flirting with me,” Penelope chuckled as his expression turned stern. “And I shall be the only man you flirt with,”
“Colin, you have always been the only man I wished to converse with, let alone flirt. You need not worry,” His smile was blinding.
“I am terribly sorry for interrupting. Please continue,”
“I had begun talking with Lord Debling and it was finally going well. It was a small victory after my many faults of the evening. But then Cressida came over and stepped on the back of my dress and it tore,”
Colin’s eyes darkened. “She has done this before,”
Penelope smiled sadly as she nodded. “But she was successful last time,”
“Pen-”
“She stated it was an accident.” Colin scoffed.
“Of course she did,”
“And Lord Debling believed her,” Penelope frowned. “I did not see that as anything other than a man being fooled by a vile woman, but after what you just did, I see it all so clearly,” Her thumb ran along his cheek tenderly. “You would not have believed her. Just as you did not when she spilled her drink on me in my first season out,”
“If I had seen her rip your dress, I would have said something very ungentlemanly,”
“I know,” Penelope smiled up at him. “You more than proved that tonight when you stopped me from moving when she had stepped on my skirts again,” Her heart squeezed as Colin leaned into her touch. “And that made me fall more in love with you,”
“Penelope, an action as simple as that should not be something that elicits such a feeling from you,” He said, his tone sad. “Though I am glad I can incite such feelings in you, I hate that people do not rush to your defense, as it it what you deserve,”
“People do not rush to my defense because they are not kind. Not like you,”
“Pen,”
Her finger traced just under his eye. “Did I not tell you that your eyes shine brighter when you are kind?”
Colin let out a shuddering breath. “So, you did mean that?”
Penelope laughed. “Of course I did,”
“See?” He smiled. “I told you that you were good at flirting with me,”
“That is not what the point I am trying to make, Colin,” She said, chastising him but the amusement in her eyes gave her away. “I do not think that Lord Debling or any other man of the ton would notice the slights of one such as Cressida Cowper, but you have never wavered in your defense of me. Even when you only saw me as a friend. That is one of the many reasons I love you so,”
“Penelope,” Colin’s eyes were shining with tears as he looked down at her.
“I am so very happy that I will soon get to call you my husband,” She said, her heart fluttering at the word. “For I shall know that no matter what occurs, you will support me and make sure no harm comes to me, whether it be a drink spilled on me or a tear in my dress,”
“We are in this life together, Pen,” He whispered. “I will have your back and I know you will have mine, just as it has always been,” He glanced around before quickly placing a kiss on her lips.
“Colin!”
“Come now, wife, I am sure we are missed on the dance floor,” He grabbed her hand and led her back inside the estate.
“I am not your wife yet, Colin,”
“Semantics,” He grinned and she giggled at him. “Now, let’s make sure we find a spot right by Cressida so she must watch how happy you are,” He pulled her to the edge of the ballroom, close to where Cressida was still talking with Debling. “For happiness suits you, my dear Pen,” Colin tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and she blushed.
“For what it is worth, Mr. Bridgerton,” Penelope smirked as Colin’s eyes darkened with what she now knew as lust. “I quite enjoy when you flirt with me,”
“Well, then I guess it is a good thing that I plan to do so for the rest of my life,”
She could not stop the giggle that fell from her lips as he twirled her around yet again.