CHAPTER TWO

"Colin. Colin, stop!" Lady Bridgerton demanded as she followed his rapid pace into the Bridgerton House.

"What, Mother?" Colin threw up his hands in exasperation. Black edges were crawling into his sight and he was afraid he would faint. "I have no answers for you."

His tone stopped Eloise and Benedict, who were giggling as they walked towards the stairs. Eloise glanced between her mother and brother. "Is… everything okay?"

"Yes," Colin assured her at the same time as his mother answered, "No."

Benedict snorted, a smirk playing upon his lips. "Right. Glad we cleared that up."

Lady Bridgerton huffed before flinging her arms outward. For not the first time, she wondered why she was cursed with such cheeky children. "Into the drawing room. Now. All of you."

Benedict pushed Colin with one hand and dragged Eloise with the other when they both began to protest. He knew that tone of his mother's and was not going to go against it. "Now is not the time."

"You!" Lady Bridgerton called out when she caught sight of Anthony and Kate walking down the hall, arm in arm, "and you! Into the drawing room!"

Anthony and Kate hurried into the room as if scolded children, closing the door firmly behind them. Anthony glared at his siblings. "Who has done what now?"

Kate bumped his shoulder and whispered, "You should not assume that anyone has done anything wrong."

"Penelope has called off the wedding," Lady Bridgerton answered.

"What?" exclaimed Benedict and Eloise as Anthony and Kate demanded, "Why?"

Anthony shot Kate a knowing smile, causing her to roll her eyes.

Eloise's face shuttered close as it drained of color. There could only be one reason that Penelope had called off the wedding. She placed her hands on her stomach, glancing at Colin. She shook her head when Benedict asked if she was well.

Anthony held up his hand to gain control of the room. "Colin, what has happened?"

Colin spared him a quick look before settling on Eloise. "Penelope has broken off the engagement."

"But why?"

"I… I do not know." Tears blinded his sight. "I was cruel, unnecessarily so. I shall never forgive myself." With this, Colin fled the room.

Attention turned toward Eloise, who took half a step back. "I certainly do not know what he said to Penelope."

Lady Bridgerton pointed a finger at her. "But you do know something. Spill it."

Anthony stepped forward when Eloise stalled. "First, you and Penelope cease to be friends, and now, the engagement between Colin and Penelope has ended. I do not think it a coincidence. You must know something."

Eloise scrunched up her face as she let out a sigh. "It is… possible that I may know something, but it is not my place to reveal it. And I certainly have no idea what Colin did that was so 'unnecessarily cruel'." She clamped her hands together at her waist. "I'm just going to go."

"Tell no one," Lady Bridgerton ordered. "We will get to the bottom of this and get this engagement back on track." She sat on the couch. "I do not know how much more scandal this family can take!"

"Colin!" Eloise called out as she knocked on the door to his bedroom. "Colin, please open the door." She started when the door opened, but Colin did not appear. She hurried into the room, closing the door solidly behind her. "What happened?"

Colin rolled his eyes and pulled on his jacket. He spoke slowly, "I accused her of entrapping me into marriage."

Eloise's eyes grew wide and she slapped his arm. "Colin!"

"I am just so angry!" He turned and sighed. "I lashed out and hurt her. I regretted it as soon as I said it, but obviously I could not take it back."

"And did you apologize? Did she not accept it?"

Colin closed his eyes, silently berating himself. "I did not apologize. Instead, I pressed her on Whistledown. She does not know if she will stop publishing or not."

Eloise sat on his bed, picking at her dress. "I do not think she can stop." Her eyes softened. "Lady Whistledown is a part of her. In some ways, she is the best of her."

"The best of her?" Colin repeated, incredulously. "You cannot honestly believe that."

"Think about it, Colin. What are some of the best parts of Penelope? She is smart, witty, and observant. She is quiet until you know her. She sees things, about people, about situations, that so many of us overlook. We may not always like what she has written, but she is always honest."

Colin sputtered. "Honest?"

Eloise held up her hand. "At least, from her point of view. Lady Whistledown is whom Penelope wants to be, free from all the restrictions of society. The question, dear brother, is if you can accept the true Penelope."

"Can you?"

Eloise patted his shoulder as she rose. "Yes, I believe I can." She paused at the door. "Is it worth your anger to never have Penelope in your life again?"

Colin sighed. He followed Eloise out the door and to the drawing room. Mutely, he bid his family a good day and returned to his home. Dismissing his servants, he sat down at his desk, dejectedly, rubbing his forehead. How had everything gone so wrong?"

Brown leather on the corner of the desk caught his eye. It was his traveling journal. He picked it up, his mind recalling the time he caught Penelope reading it. She had told him that he was a good writer.

You're a very good writer.

He scoffed. He hated to be patronized and that had to have been what she was doing. She was a distinguished author. Even if he hated what she wrong about, she was magnificent at her craft. How could he compare?

Tossing the journal back onto the desk, he leaned back in his chair, his eyes staring at the ceiling. Since Penelope first mentioned that he should publish his journal, he had been obsessed with the idea. Now, he couldn't stomach the thought of writing another word. He was unable to stop himself from comparing her success with his own. She had the entire ton eating out of her hand and no one even knew who she was truly. What hoped did his own work have against that?