Dear Reader,
It seems that Jonathan Brinklow, Duke of Spencer may surpass one Colin Bridgerton as the catch of the season! This author would be remiss if she did not mention the aforementioned Duke has only been to one ball, however, only one ball is needed to peak the interest of the matchmaking mamas.
Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, 3 April 1824
Penelope watched Colin walk across the ballroom. As he was leaving, she noticed the raised eyebrows for the other Bridgerton brothers as he passed.
"Is that the Viscount Bridgerton?" Jonathan asked her while sipping his lemonade.
"Hm?" Penelope had to draw her eyes away from the door Colin had just left through, "Yes, that is Lord Bridgerton, do you know him?"
"Yes, quite well, my father, the late Duke, as a good friend of his father, they were at Eton together when they were younger."
"The Bridgertons are a lovely family." Jonathan eyed her over the glass curiously at the tone in her voice as she said this.
"They are quite unique, it's my understanding that all the children of the late Viscount have found themselves in a love match. That is quite an accomplishment in London society." Jonathan knew all too well what it was like to grow up with parents who truly loved each other.
The celebration began to wind down in the early hours of the morning. The Duke of Spencer dances with several young ladies, all of whom, he told Penelope later in the evening, were barely out of diapers. It was, Penelope reminisced in the carriage ride on the way home, the most fun she had had at a ball in a very long time.
The next morning, Colin was still in a rather annoyed mood as he strode into his club. His oldest two brothers were already there, drinking brandy and laughing. Knowing he had no choice but to sit with them, as it would raise questions if he were to sit anywhere else, he sighed and walked in their direction.
"Well look who's returned, Mother was quite annoyed you left so soon after my toast!" Anthony grinned at his younger brother.
"I was still there; I just spent my time in the Study. It's not as though I left Bridgerton House." Colin replied, rolling his eyes. He was thankful when Benedict didn't add on to Anthonys comments but changed the subject.
"Did you see this morning Whistledown? She dedicated almost the entire article to Penelope and the Duke of Spencer. Eloise practically ripped the paper out of my hand this morning at breakfast." Benedict took a casual sip of his drink, "When I was heading this way I saw him calling on the Featherington house, and with a large bouquet of flowers no less."
"Yes, Kate was all over me once everyone had left asking about Jonathan. She was more shocked than anyone when it seemed Jonathan was glued to Penelope all evening."
Colin gave a noncommittal shrug and poured himself a glass. He had had a great deal of trouble falling asleep the night before, feeling guilty about the tone he had taken with Penelope. She was his friend, he should be happy for her that someone was finally noticing her. He truly could not, for the life of him, figure out why he was annoyed with her. It wasn't as if she was required to dance with him, but all the same, it was rather annoying that she had almost rejected him, but was more than willing to dance with this Duke. He rolled his eyes.
"Are you even listening to us, brother?" Anthony said, kicking Colin from his armchair next to Colin. "What has gotten into you? You look as though you have swallowed a lemon!"
Colin was not in the mood to deal with his brothers. He rose, setting his barely touched glass and pasted his signature smile on his face. "I'm fine, never better actually. I must be going, I promised Mother I would come for tea. I will see you tomorrow for dinner at Bridgerton house, Mother told me she wanted the whole family there." And, without waiting for a response, Colin left.
"You only just got here!" Benedict called after him, watching Colin leave the club with raised eyebrows before turning to Anthony. "I must say, he is acting strangely today!"
"Yes, it seems as though he has a lot on his mind. Though I can't imagine what that must be, he has only been home since Tuesday. Hyacinth told me that our mother cornered him on Thursday and gave him the particulars on every eligible debutant. And we both know how mother is when it comes to trying to get us married off."
Benedict snorted, "oh yes, we have all sat through our fair share of those lectures. I do remember the feeling of being trapped with her as she goes over every woman in the Ton. I must say, I do always wonder which lady she is going to add in to show the favorable qualities of the other prospective daughters-in-law she has listed."
Penelope had never had a caller. In her decade on the marriage mart, of which she has been on the shelf for the last three, she had never had the thrill of hearing Briarly say a gentleman was here to see her. Her older siblings had had little improvement in that area, but each had, at one point or another, received a bouquet of flowers or been asked to take a stroll across Hyde park.
Penelope took one last breath before descending the stairs in the hall and heading to the formal drawing room. She caught sight of the Duke, staring out the window with his hands clasped behind his back. He hadn't noticed her, so she took this moment to study him. She had read about the Duke a Whistledown, but before last night she had never met him. He was handsome, tall with blond hair, his face was sharp and angular, his shoulders were slightly broader than Colin's but he was still extremely fit. She had always compared the men she met to Colin Bridgerton, it was a byproduct of being in love with the man.
He looked to be lost in his thoughts, Penelope wondered what he was thinking about but knew she had to speak up before he noticed her watching him.
"Your Grace," she said gently.
He turned and smiled at her, the sides of his eyes crinkling as he said "Ms. Featherington! How lovely to see you. I wanted to call upon you this morning to thank you for your time at the ball."
"It was my pleasure your Grace. I must admit I haven't had such fun at a ball in many years." She smiled at him softly. She was determined not to be shy, taking Lady Danburys words to heart from the night before to heart. It wasn't as if the Duke wanted to court her, she was truly glad to have made his acquaintance.
"Please, call my Jonathan, I do tire of the formalities when I am here in London." He held out the flowers he was holding to her, "These are for you. I must know what your favorite flower is so that when I come calling again I can bring the correct bouquet."
She reached for the flowers, blushing furiously, "Thank you, Jonathan. I must admit I do not know what my favorite is, no one has ever brought me flowers before."
"Well, that must be rectified." He said smoothly, giving her a cheeky smile that reminded her of Colin.
"Oh hello you Grace!" Lady Featherington said as she walked into the drawing room. "Briarly said we had a caller, I went to get Felicity, she will be down momentarily."
Penelope sighed inwardly. Not even her mother believed she would have a caller, she had to admit that stung but it was nothing she wouldn't have expected. It wasn't as though she'd had any suitors in the last ten years, why would anyone assume a gentleman would be there to see her.
"Lady Featherington," he bowed his head in greeting, "you are a lovely sight this morning. I must ask your permission to take Ms. Featherington to promenade?"
She beamed at this, Portia knew she would be to talk of the Ton if her daughter caught a Duke. Yes, she had high hopes of Felicity marrying a Bridgerton, but a Duke was still nothing to laugh at. "Yes, of course, Felicity will be down momentarily, and you can head to the park. I'm sure Penelope would be glad to accompany you!"
Jonathan raised his eyebrow as he saw Penelope blush, "I do believe there has been a mistake, I am here to call upon Ms. Penelope. Will you be accompanying us on our stoll or will her ladies maid be attending as her chaperone?"
Portia Featherington looked as though she was taken aback by his statement. "Penelope?" she said questioningly. "Yes, of course, Penelope!" She recovered quickly.
Penelope looked at Jonathan with an expression that told him she wanted to get out of the drawing room as quickly as possible.
"Yes, Penelope. Shall we go? Please go get your ladies maid and we can make our way to Hyde Park."
Without waiting for further direction, or approval from her mother, she rushed from the room to get Marth, her lady's maid, and met the Duke in the drawing room not 30 seconds later. He nodded his head at Lady Featherington and offered Penelope his arm as the butler opened the door.
The next chapter will skip forward to Monday tea at the Bridgerton's and is already in the works. I should have it posted in a week or two if the creative juices continue to flow. If anyone is interested in becoming a Beta reader I would LOVE to work with another fan of the book series.