AMORE ET HONORE

By: tweety-src-clt9

Conditions and Acceptance

Colin could only watch Penelope as she slept soundly, making cute snoring sounds, her nose twitching every now and then for the rest of their two-hour journey.

As soon as he received his siblings' letters of distress, he immediately wrote a reply to Anthony informing his brother that he would gladly save Penelope from what would surely be a most horrid fate. Along with that missive, he asked his brother to look for a house near London that he would be renting for maybe a year or until decisions could be finalized on where he would be settling with his bride.

And so, after all the whirlwind of events that brought him from Prussia to England – followed by the proposal, engagement, and their wedding just this afternoon – he was happy to just see the three-storey cottage that Anthony and Simon found for him. He didn't want to live in London, but he desired a place that was just at most, a three-hour carriage ride away from the ton. He was hoping that his new wife would be quite happy and content in their temporary home. Because, if all things would fall into place, he would make a formal offer to purchase the house so they could build their family there.

When the carriage stopped, he glanced outside the elegant yet homey façade of the cottage, lined with rose bushes. Noticing only two staff members standing in front of the main entrance, he smirked.

Of course, Anthony – former rake and now besotted husband – just had to tell the staff to stay away from the house since it was their wedding night. He didn't know if he wanted to thank his stern yet sly brother in a warm hug, or if he wanted to punch the conniving git on the arm.

Oh, well… Time to wake my intoxicated wife, he grinned as he looked at Penelope once again. He turned just in time to see her pert little nose move slightly, something she does when he assumed she was dreaming of something or if she subconsciously noticed a change in her surroundings. Whatever the reason for the little nose twitch, it was bloody adorable. Come to think about it, everything about Penelope is adorable because she's so tiny.

A tiny yet buxom innocent seductress with rapier wit, his rakish brain reminded him. Penelope was a contrast of many things – a truly deadly combination.

He remembered that he all but tried, and failed, to kiss his wife for two times already – once when he proposed and some minutes ago when she was talking to "Dream Colin".

Third time's the charm, he thought as he lowered his lips to her plump pinkish ones in the hopes she would wake up. He was secretly wishing that she would not wake up immediately, that way he could deepen the kiss but alas! Her eyes fluttered opened and her lips parted in a gasp.

"Co – Colin! What – " she was so red in the face and down her neck that his naughty brain couldn't help but wonder just how far her blush would go.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," he winked as he pulled away. He extended a hand for her to take which she cautiously accepted. Her eyes were then drawn to the window.

"Where are we?"

"Welcome to your new home, Mrs. Bridgerton – well at least 'til we decide if we're buying this house," he grinned.

"It is beautiful… I love the rose bushes," she remarked.

"I suppose Anthony asked Eloise's opinion on things that you like in a house," he remarked.

"I really don't know how I could ever repay you all – "

"Oh, none of that! You're one of us now," he held her hand reassuringly which earned him one of those shy yet warm smiles she gave him on most occasions and always for Eloise. I guess I have to step up my efforts if I want to be Pen's favorite Bridgerton. Eloise is a tough competitor for sure, he chuckled to himself.

He noticed that Penelope was trying her best to straighten the creases on her wedding dress, and she swept her palm on top of her head to smoothen the loosened locks of her red mane.

"You look great. Besides, it seems that you won't be meeting the staff today," he reassured her with a smile before opening the door.

He exited first and then he held out his hand for her to take. When Penelope was out of the carriage, he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady. She was drunk after all. Besides, it gave him an excuse to touch her rounded hip. It really was addicting touching her this way because she was lush and soft all over. Also, the silk cloth covering her skin made his own tingle in the most pleasant of ways.

Stopping in front of the two members of the staff – Dunwoody and a woman into her forties who was highly recommended by the cook at Bridgerton House – he greeted them with a smile.

"Master Colin," Dunwoody and the woman chorused as they bowed and curtsied.

"Sir, may I introduce Mrs. Brown, our new cook," Dunwoody introduced.

"Thank you, Dunwoody. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Brown. I hope the cook at my family's London estate told you of my voracious appetite – " he was only half-joking at that, before he continued, "well then, let me introduce you to my wife, Penelope Bridgerton," he smiled at Penelope who beamed at the staff. Penelope had always been a favorite of the Bridgerton staff because she was kind and friendly. The cook of the estate even made special cookies when she visited. There's just something about Penelope. She radiated this unique sort of warmth and ease to whoever was around her.

"Good evening, Mrs. Bridgerton," the staff said respectfully.

"Hello, Dunwoody, nice to see you again. And Mrs. Brown, very pleased to meet the woman who will cater to my husband's bottomless stomach," she smiled to the staff before casting a teasing look in his direction.

If that's the way you want to play it, my love, he playfully glared at his wife.

"I assume that the rest of the staff will be here tomorrow?" he asked.

"Just two or three, Sir. The rest were told by Lord Bridgerton to stop by next week. To give you and Mrs. Bridgerton privacy," Dunwoody explained.

"Refreshments are already delivered to your chambers, sir. Should be enough to last until breakfast," Mrs. Brown said.

"Capital!" he was delighted that their new cook was efficient.

"Would there be anything else, sir?" Dunwoody inquired.

"No, thank you, Dunwoody. That would be all. You may retire to your quarters," he nodded to both.

"Master Colin. Mrs. Bridgerton," Dunwoody and Mrs. Brown nodded respectfully before walking to the side of the house which he knew led to the staff quarters per the drawings he had seen from Anthony.

He turned to his wife, who was busy admiring the roses, with a wicked gleam in his eyes. Playfully rubbing his hands together, he said, "well then, my darling, what should we do now that we're here?"

"Er, we can sleep or I suppose you want to eat first – " she started rambling.

"Sleep and eat? How boring," he pouted.

"We can play chess if you want," she offered.

"You play chess?" he was shocked.

"Just because I'm a lady doesn't mean – "

"I didn't mean that. What I meant was I never saw you and Eloise play chess before," he interrupted.

"Oh… Sorry," she said sheepishly.

"I'll have you know, my darling, that, unlike other husbands, I am rather open-minded with the activities my wife may be wont to do," he smirked.

"Well… that is good to know," she smiled shyly. Her eyes lowered to the ground as she haphazardly ran her palms on invisible creases on her gown.

"I only have two things that I will never – and I repeat – never allow you to do, however," he said as he stepped closer to her. He leaned down so his face could be mere inches away from hers.

She gulped and her gorgeous blue eyes widened in surprise. "And what are those?" she barely managed to get the words out.

"One – you will sleep in my bed every… single…night ," as he said the last three words, his breath fanning her cheeks, he used his index finger to trace the line from her forehead to her nose, and down to her plump lips. When she shivered, he smirked.

"Is that understood?" he whispered against her ear.

"Oh-okay," she squeaked.

"Good… As for the second – and the most important one – " his lips were already touching the skin of her dainty earlobe that he could easily smell her sweet perfume of jasmine and some fruity fragrance from her neck.

"Yes?" she breathed.

"You will be my wife forever… which means no divorce, no annulments, no silly schemes of you leaving me. Ever – "

"But – " she muttered in an attempt to protest or to make queries, but he didn't care. He needed to nip her silly plan in the bud.

"I take my commitments very seriously, my darling. And marrying you is the biggest commitment I have ever made… Besides, I think I would most definitely enjoy being married to you, " he blew against her ear and he could already feel his inevitable victory when she gave out a sound that was a mixture of a moan and a whimper.

"Is that clear, my darling Mrs. Bridgerton?" he asked again.

"Ye-yes," she managed to say.

"Now that we have that settled – " he wrapped an arm around her waist, bent down to wrap another arm around her knees before lifting her up.

"Colin! Put me down!"

"'Tis a long walk towards our bedroom, you may fall into a fainting spell again, and this is tradition – carrying the bride across the threshold," he said smartly.

"If you hurt your back, don't blame me," she huffed and pouted in his arms. Penelope for her bountiful curves was much lighter than she appeared to be because of her tiny stature.

"We do need to work on your self-confidence," he muttered as he continued to walk towards the house.

When they were in front of the grand staircase, Penelope insisted, "it's a long way up. It will be hard to see the steps when you're carrying me in your arms."

He grudgingly lowered her to the floor, and he noticed her cheeks were burning as she said, "thank you."

He gave her a lecherous grin and then he glanced at the stairs. To her utter surprise, he wrapped his arms around her waist once again but this time around, he lifted her up with her middle plonked on his broad shoulder as if she were a sack of potatoes.

"Colin!" he could feel her arms flailing against his back.

He playfully smacked her derriere which made her gasp out loud, "just stay still, darling," he said cheekily as he hurriedly made his way up the stairs. With the house well-lighted by candles that the staff had prepared, he could easily remember the way towards the lord's chamber.

When he opened the door to their bedroom, he gently set Penelope to her feet. When she regained her bearings, she gave him the cutest glare and pout combo that he had ever seen. Instead of feeling chastised, he actually chuckled.

"Don't make me tend to you if your back will hurt," she huffed as she tucked her arms below her chest which only made her very ample bosom more prominent. Too innocent for her own good indeed, he thought mischievously.

He never could understand how he never noticed how beautiful Penelope truly is.

She just awakened something in him.

He wanted her – oh god he did! He wanted her in a way that no other woman had ever made him feel before. And he was certain, that if he could only get one taste, that he would never want another ever again.

But he was also certain that this – whatever this was – it wasn't just lust.

He needed Penelope.

He needed her to be safe and happy.

He needed to make sure that she was alright. That was always the reason why he looked for her during social events in the ton. Ever since he saw the mean-spirited Cressida Cowper spill her wine on Penelope's dress, he just felt compelled to protect her. He needed to make sure that she would smile or that she could eat whatever pastry she wanted.

He always felt protective of her – which he assumed was brotherly affection.

But now, he understood that it was most definitely NOT brotherly affection.

It was deep-rooting friendship – something he truly treasured because he knew that she would always have his back.

This feeling of companionship and kinship with Penelope was the very reason why he never hesitated to heed his siblings' request to marry her. He could never fathom any man hurting Penelope.

What if it was a good man who showed an interest in Penelope? The snarky part of his brain, whose voice oddly sounded like a cross-over between Anthony's baritone and Benedict's playful one, taunted him.

Hell no! She's mine.

That was his immediate reaction. The thought of some other man touching his Penelope wanted him to grab a gun so he could blast the lecher's head off.

Good god! What's happening to me?

"Col? Is everything alright?" Penelope's voice broke his reverie.

He cleared his throat while his eyes gave her the once over. Regardless of the circumstances that pushed him to ask for her hand, it was inevitable.

Penelope Featherington had always been destined to be Mrs. Colin Bridgerton.

"Turn around," he said.

"Okay…" she sounded confused and apprehensive, but she acquiesced all the same.

He walked closer to her and she gasped when she felt his breath against her ear once again. "Do you trust me?" his voice was raspy with the desire he had been fighting to control ever since he watched her devour those blasted cherries and bananas.

"With my life," she sounded so certain that it melted his heart.

He lowered his lips to her collarbone, as his hands sensually unbuttoned the many clasps on her wedding dress – one by one.

"And your body?" he whispered against her ear before grazing his teeth on her earlobe. When she shivered, he too could feel his skin tingle. He could literally feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"I suppose so," she gave out a nervous chuckle before continuing, "but I've never really trusted anyone's opinion of my body – even my own."

"Hmm… I see," with the last button undone, he used both of his hands to push the dress lower until it gathered around her waist.

"Colin… what are we doing?" she was always so curious about everything.

"Well, isn't it obvious? We're removing your clothes of course," he pressed his lips to her shoulder as he tugged on the laces of her corset. When it was all loosened from its fastenings, he gently pulled them apart and allowed them to fall on the carpeted floor.

She hurriedly wrapped her arms around her bosom, but he didn't really mind since his fingers were lazily and sensually caressing her spine. Just as he suspected, her skin was so soft and so smooth. Despite the barely-there fabric of her shift, he could immediately tell that her skin would be like heaven to touch.

"Well, my maids never kiss my shoulders nor my ears when they help me undress," she remarked jovially but there was a slight tremor in her voice that betrayed her nervousness.

"They better not! No one else is allowed to touch you like this," he growled.

"So… when can I change into my nightclothes?" she whispered.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, his hand possessively cradling the left side of her hip. He could feel her soft belly against the hairs on his arm. His desire escalated at the thought that she was so soft and pale, a stark contrast to his tanned skin and hard muscles.

With her dress gathering around her waist, he was careful to not touch her bare breasts that's only concealed by her shift. He was afraid that he may startle her if he did so.

"No need for nightclothes yet. We have some exploring to do," he lightly bit on her shoulder and she gave out a hiss. To soothe the mark he had surely left on her pale supple skin, his tongue played around the area he had just bitten, making her whisper his name in a breathy sigh of pleasure.

"Exploring? Is it like – like – "

"We'll only keep exploring until you're ready for more. You control what happens in our bedroom. I don't want to push you, Pen," he promised.

"I know that," she replied immediately.

With her back pressed against his body, he moved his hands to cradle each side of her curvy hips, and then, he lowered her wedding dress to the floor.

Now just standing in her last piece of clothing, Colin slowly turned his wife to face him. Since she was looking at the floor, he gently raised her chin so she could look at him.

"Let me love you, Pen… until you learn to love yourself," he begged as he pressed his lips to her forehead. He knew she had many secrets – of pains and suffering at the hands of her horrid relations. If only she would let him, he would try his hardest every day just to make her realize that the Penelope he did see - the Penelope he had always seen - was just beautiful.

She sniffed and he used his hand to wipe the tears falling down her cheeks.

"So… what do you say? Can you do all that, Mrs. Bridgerton?" he tried to lighten the mood.

"You did ask so nicely," she played along.

He pinched her hip and she exclaimed admonishingly, "Colin!"

"Pen…" he whined, and she giggled.

The sound of her laughter always made him feel happy. It was such a sweet sweet sound.

This time around, it was Penelope who wrapped her arms around his neck. He had to bend down so she could reach him. When their eyes met, he knew that she didn't need to verbalize her reply.

She had surrendered all her trust and faith in him; trusting in his promise to love her until she herself, would love the Penelope he and the rest of the Bridgertons had always seen.

"Thank you, Col," she whispered before giving him a light peck on the lips. She gave him the brightest of smiles as she pulled away.

"Oh, don't thank me yet, darling. We're only just beginning," and with that, Colin Bridgerton kissed Penelope Bridgerton with all the promise of showing her just how special she truly is to him.

A/N: Listen to this song, "Let Me Love You (Until You Learn To Love Yourself)" by Ne-yo to set the tone of this chapter.

For me, this is the theme of the entire story.

So, the Polin Wedding Day is a three chapter celebration: Starting with Chapter 4, and now this. Of course, Chapter 5 still needs to be written but I have a feeling that things will get steamy.

Despite their marital bliss, they still have a lot of issues to face: (1) Lady Whistledown revelation, (2) the pervy duke's return, (3) self-actualization for both of them.

Bottomline, I enjoy writing this fic. I haven't felt this way when writing a story in a long time.

Anyway, thanks for your support. And as always, looking forward to your thoughts on the chapter.

P.S. Moving the rating to M since Colin is a mischievous seducer out to devour my innocent little Penelope.