The night that Penelope sought out Eloise after Marina told her that Colin would never see her more than a sister, broke Eloise's heart. Penelope didn't say a thing as to what had caused her such turmoil. So all Eloise could do was just hold onto her and comfort her best she could without talking. They snuck into the kitchen and Eloise moved about making them some hot chocolate while Penelope sat silently eating from the candy dish Eloise had set in front of her. Every time Eloise passed, Penelope would hand her a chocolate and give her a sad smile. Eloise would take the candy gratefully and press a kiss to her friend's hair before going back to making their drinks.

It wasn't until both of them climbed into Eloise's bed that Penelope started talking other than apologizing and thanking her friend for taking care of her. "I know finding love right now isn't very high on your list but do you think we will ever find it?" Penelope asked.

It isn't very high on my list right now because I think I've already found it but am too afraid to say it. Eloise thought as she looked at her best friend in the whole world. "I think so. No, I know so. We still have so much of our life ahead of us, Pen. So we will find love eventually."

"You may have time, El, but the way my mum puts things I'm running out of it." She let out a sigh. "Besides there's not a lot to choose from."

Eloise tried her best to not let the disappointment show. "You are also not running out of time. We haven't even finished our A-Levels yet. And I mean look at Kitty. She's just now entered into the Organization's social season and she wound up with my brother without him following the rules of this whole charade. And Kitty's an only child so why can't we who have plenty of older siblings do the same?"

"You really think that Kitty and Anthony are finally together?" Her eyes lit up at the potential new gossip.

"That was not the point of my little speech and you know it." Eloise laughed and playfully nudged her friend's shoulder. "But really, Pen, if you need me to remind you that you have so much time every single day, I will."

Penelope pulled Eloise in for a hug as best she could as they shared Eloise's bed. "Thank you, Eloise. You really are my dearest friend. I'm so sorry about our fight. I have missed you very much."

"I've missed you too." Eloise squeezed her best friend before pulling back. "Let's try to get some sleep. I'm sure things will only pick up from here."

And oh, how they did. LW revealed that Marina had been with child the entire time. The girls had been woken up by Anthony's shouts reverberating throughout the entire house. They couldn't exactly make out what he was saying but they still thought it best if Penelope snuck out and back to her house. Then with the secret out in the open came the Featheringtons being shunned by the organization.

Eloise felt horrible for her friend. It wasn't her fault that her mother tried to get Marina married off without revealing her state. She also felt a little bad for Marina, being pregnant at such a young age with her whole life still ahead of her. She couldn't imagine. The world still frowned upon having children out of wedlock but to try and come into an organization that still held so strongly to old-fashioned ideals, well that was surely a disaster waiting to happen. Despite Marina trying to trap her older brother, she wished the woman the best because life just became increasingly harder for her.

King's picnic didn't exactly help matters either. Everyone was on edge and she hated it. Not only did King get testy with her in regards to finding LW's identity, but she got to see the whole organization turn their noses at her best friend and her family. Eloise pulled Penelope aside, hiding in one of the tents set up. She hadn't been able to talk to her since Colin's engagement blew up.

"How are you holding up?" Eloise asked.

"Okay, I suppose. How is Colin?" Penelope asked.

"Colin will be just fine. Men always are in situations like these. You are the one I'm worried about. You're being villainized for something out of your control and it's all thanks to that LW."

Penelope laughed a bit humorously. "You once sang their praises."

"Not when they have smeared the name of my greatest friend. When we uncover Whistledown's identity, we will convince her to publish a retraction and restore your family's reputation. All will be well again, I promise you."

With a small, disbelieving smile, Penelope nodded. "Well, if anyone can, it'll be you. It sounds like I better be going. I'll see you later?"

Eloise nodded and hugged Penelope. "I hate this."

"It'll all blow over soon, hopefully. I'll see you soon."

The day of the orchestra concert, Eloise had made her way over to the Featherington's and up to Penelope's room undetected. They had to find out who LW was not only to ask them how they were able to be successful but to ask them to retract the shame thrown on the Featheringtons. Penelope sat at her desk while Eloise stood by the bed looking down at her notebook lying open on her friend's bed. They had been discussing theories based on what Eloise had been able to find out in the time they weren't speaking.

Biting her thumbnail as she looked over her notes and tried to compare it with the latest blog post. This one was personal which meant LW not only had to have ties to the events of the season but also insider scoop on the inner workings of the Featheringtons. "In the past," Eloise started, turning towards Penelope as she voiced her latest theory, "every LW revelation appeared to be plucked from a public event, where any of our organization could have borne witness. But the blog that singled out Marina was different. It was personal. Your mum didn't just help Marina hide her condition all on her own."

Penelope shook her head. "Of course not. Every maid and housekeeper in our household knew and so did Kitty."

"A maid or housekeeper is unlikely and while Kitty would be a good guess, she's far too busy to add being an anonymous blogger onto her list of things to get done throughout the day." Eloise paused as she thought of who else it could be. "Although, it could be one of the organization's associates. Someone who visited your household regularly might have seen or overheard something."

"It is a possibility."

"In that case, we must reconsider our methods of inquiry to this end." She nodded before smiling at her friend. "This is wonderful, Pen. I must tell King of our new theory. Perhaps even run it by Kitty first."

"You could tell them both at tonight's concert. I know you're not yet out but I'm sure your mum would still allow you to attend. Kitty might even be able to help persuade her."

Eloise nodded. "Yes, yes you're right." She then focused on her friend and let out a sigh. She really wished they could go together. It would be more enjoyable she was sure. "Once we unmask LW - "

"Yes, yes, the Featherington honor will be restored." Penelope interrupted her friend with a smile. "Now get out of here, you've got to get ready for tonight."

With a small roll of her eyes, she gathered her things and gave her friend a hug. "I'll keep you updated on what I find out."

Penelope smiled, returning the hug. "Thanks, El."

The next morning, Katherine and Anthony took their time getting out of bed. They both had nowhere to be until the concert later that evening. Lazy kissing led to lazy lovemaking which they turned into round two in the shower before they finally landed snuggled on her couch sipping coffee together as they watched the morning news.

A knock on her door broke them out of their peaceful bubble. They looked to each other then to her door and then back to each other. "Were you expecting anyone?" He asked, setting down his mug on the coffee table as he stood to go see who was waiting outside her flat.

"No." She shook her head, following his motions as she followed him over to her door.

Looking out the peephole, his brows furrowed as he turned back to her. "It's your mum."

Katherine sighed and even groaned a little before reaching around him to open the door.

"Oh," Elizabeth gasped, "I didn't realize you had company." Maybe Violet had been right about the two. She briefly wondered how Howard would react and hopefully, that would mean he'd let this whole Luca thing go.

"Then maybe you should have called first." Katherine gave her mother a pointed look.

"I know, I know but I didn't want you to turn me away, and then I wasn't sure when the next time I would be able to speak with you alone. With all that's come to light recently, I wanted to check in, see how my daughter was doing since it feels like I don't know her all that well anymore."

Katherine went to say something back but Anthony beat her to it. "Would you like to come in for some coffee Mrs. Gibbs?"

Elizabeth sent the young man a grateful look while her daughter sent daggers his way. "I'd love some thank you."

Anthony moved Katherine to the side and opened the door wider so his girlfriend's (he still couldn't get over the fact that she was his girlfriend now) mother could enter the flat. "Great, help yourself I'm sure you already know where everything is. We just need a moment." He sent a charming smile Elizabeth's way before pulling Katherine back into her bedroom and closing the door.

"What are you doing?!" She hissed as soon as the door was closed.

"Until we get more evidence, she is your greatest ally against your father. Obviously don't let her talk you into anything you don't want to do either since he could have sent her over here but I need you to play this a little smarter right now."

"You're going back home, aren't you?"

He nodded. "I have a whole family to help prepare to get ready and an apology to give to my brother."

"Traitor."

"I know, I'm the worst. But who knows maybe you'll even get some information out of her."

Sighing, she finally agreed to do her best to not be so defensive. She was rewarded with a kiss before he gathered his things and made his way home.

Katherine grabbed their mugs, setting Anthony's in the sink before going to refill hers. "So," she started, leaning against the counter as she faced her mother sitting at the island bar, "what did you want to talk about?"

"Are you going to the concert tonight?"

"Yes, I am, but that's surely not what you're here about."

Elizabeth sighed. "I miss when we could talk about everything."

"That changed when you forced me to do this socialite season nonsense, mum. When did you start taking dad's side on things? I thought you always had my back."

"No, I believe it actually started when you didn't tell me about Luca."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "I told you about Luca."

"Clearly not everything." Elizabeth snapped before taking a deep breath. "Not telling your father, I understand but you could have told me. I would have helped you."

"I told you what you needed to know. I was seeing a boy I was madly in love with and that boy broke my heart when he decided that I wasn't a part of his big plan after all. Besides if I had told you about the pregnancy it would have gotten back to dad eventually and that would have not bode well for anyone."

"But now Luca is back and causing the same amount of trouble you would have had to face then."

Her grip on her mug tightened as she tried her best to keep things in check. Anthony was right, her mother was her best ally against her father but oh how she was making it hard. "Luca," she grit out, "is nothing but a liar who is just trying to scam his way into some money."

"Do you really not want to see your daughter again? He's shown us pictures. She's the cutest little girl, Kitty. Looks just like you when you were her age."

Her jaw clenched as she tried to keep her emotions at bay. "No. I do not want to see my daughter. When she is 18 and makes that decision on her own then I will see her. I am doing far too much right now to even try to be a good mother. I will not be disrupting her world because of my curiosity. Her father is trying to do that already because of his own selfishness and I will have no part of it. I gave her up to protect her and I will stay away to continue to do just that."

"You're already being a good mother."

"Mum, just leave." She did not want to hear the guilt trip she was so sure was coming to fall in line with what her father wanted her to do.

"No, honey, listen to me, I wasn't done yet. Being a mum is all about making hard decisions to protect your children and doing what you think is best for them. And that is what you have done. You are already a good mother and I'm sorry your father has brought in this man from your past that has clearly hurt you and given you an ultimatum that puts you in such a hard position. I wish I could make your father see how much he's hurting you."

She scoffed and nodded her head before sipping on her coffee. "Is that how you see yourself now, mum? Because I miss the mum who would fight him for me to learn and do things he didn't deem lady-like enough. I always thought that he wanted me to take over the company but with this, it feels like Luca has reminded him that I am indeed a female and need a male to run a business that I'm handling just fine."

"I'm trying, Kitty."

"It doesn't feel like it," Katherine said, sighing. "Feel free to stay long enough to finish your coffee but I've got to get ready for the rest of the day."

She closed her bedroom door behind her, sliding down to the floor. She didn't want to take the chance of being surprised that her mom didn't listen to her. She hated that it had come to this between them. Maybe it had always been like this and she had never seen it until now. Maybe she had always fought for what she wanted and this was just one more thing. Her endgame was right there being shoved in her face like a carrot on a stick to get her to do what they wanted.

A few moments later she heard the front door close. She waited a few moments before peeking out of her room to make sure she was truly alone now. When she confirmed it, she took a deep breath to try to compose herself. She needed to get it together. She had to act as if her life wasn't crumbling apart around her.

If her mother wasn't going to be an ally then she was going to have to fight for her rightful place at the top of Gibbs Communications. She scanned through the items that Genevieve had picked out but none of them spoke to her. Tonight she was going to make a statement. She was going to play the first game that her father wanted her to play but this time she wasn't just going to add her flair to the rules, she was throwing out the whole damn rule book. Charlotte King wanted a show. She was about to get one.