She heard a voice. So familiar, yet some intense feeling overtook her right away.

"So, are you planning to pay me my sum?"

Cressida. That was the last person she needed to talk to. Or not really needed even. She had forgotten about her really.

"Cressida, good evening to you too. What a lovely day, isn't it?" Pen turned around with the cheshire smile lighting up on her face.

"Cut the small talk, Penelope. Or I will tell everybody your little secret, Lady…" Not waiting till the end of that sentence Penelope cut Cressida off just in time.

"Don't you worry, it's being taken care of." Pen answered with a smile, as Cressida only got more mad.

"Don't play with me, Miss Featherington." Cressida took a step closer to Penelope, looking down at her.

And suddenly Pen felt somebody's hand meeting her waist, as she heard.

"It's Ms. Bridgerton, now." Colin. It was Colin. Pulling her closer to him, as he said it confidently at Cressida, making her take a step right back. Cressida looked up at Colin, as she took a breath to gather her courage back, but before she could do it, Penelope has spoken yet again.

"We will talk to you in a few minutes, Cressida, we have something important to do first."

And right in that moment, Pen turned around, as Colin's hand fell from her waist right into her hand. The music quiet down as Colin made a gesture that they will make a toast now, as they grabbed their drinks and everybody suddenly looked up at them. Colin and Penelope were standing right at the center of the ballroom, as everybody moved to stand around them.

"Dear friends, family." Colin started raising a glass. "We would like say how grateful we are to be a part of this wonderful Ton. Today I feel deeply lucky that this season brought me the biggest realization I could ever hope for." He said as he looked down at Penelope, still holding her hand in his. "My beautiful wife is maybe my biggest discovery and something I somehow missed for all of those previous seasons."

And then she raised her own glass and continued.

"We all can be blind at times, thinking we know better. Thinking we know everything." She said as she looked back at Cressida. "But blurred periphery can be shown in the most unforeseen moments. Just like this one." As she watched Cressida's jaw drop, she looked around the room and saw many confused but interested faces. Only one person in the room was looking confidently at her, as to predicting what she was about to say. As she locked eyes with Lady Danbury she continued.

"There were many misconceptions as to what happened to Lady Whistledown. Why her latest issues are printed no longer as often." She felt Colin squeezing her hand. She felt his eyes on her. "We heard some of you saying you are sure you know who she is indeed. So today, we decided…" She looked up at Colin, making a pause. And he continued her phrase. "We want to finally reveal the most tempting secret of latest seasons from Lady Whistledown herself."

Everybody in the room started looking at each other, looking through the crowd, as to waiting for somebody else to come out of the crown and reveal itself.

"I am incredibly proud to present you one and only…" Colin looked around the room, as suddenly his eyes shifted to Pen. "My wife – Lady Whistledown."

The room went quiet, everybody's jaw dropped low, as the realization seeked in. All eyes on them. As they couldn't look away from each other. For what felt like ages, nobody said anything, no sound, not even a breath. As suddenly Penelope spoken once again.

"This is the end of this big secret. And it feels good to be able to tell you all. I am sorry if my column brought any sort of pain to any of you or your close ones. We all make mistakes at times, so forgive me. But do remember I still have eyes and ears all over this Town. I won't be publishing each and every small not important rumor. But if there's something important to say, I just might do it. You all helped me to grown to the strong," She looked up at Colin once again saying "confident" as she eyes shifted to her mother "forgiving" and to her second mother Violet "caring" and to Lady Danbury "and smart enough to know no secret lasts forever. And I am grateful to all of you. Truly. Let this night be as freeing to everybody in this room." As she raised her glass, she briefly looked at the shocked face of Cressida still standing behind her, as she heard cheerful sounds coming from all over. Next second she felt Colin kissing her. And the world felt never ending as the butterflies flew around the room, sending yet another cheerful wave amongst people.

As another dance started, and Colin left her for a few moments to refresh their drinks she saw Lady Danbury going directly to her.

"Nice speech." Lady Danbury said.

"You knew?"

"I suspected. I always knew it was a person close enough to Bridgertons to care as much as Lady Whistledown did. You did a great job, keep it up, Penelope." Lady Danbury said as they shared a smile and Lady Danbury left her standing there alone once again.

Not for long though, as her mother walked closer to her now.

"It was indeed a good speech, Penelope. Everybody seems unbothered by the fact, even impressed somehow." Portia said with a light smile. "I know I am impressed."

"Thank you, mama. That means a lot." Penelope said as tears of happiness got stuck in her crystal blue eyes.

"On the other note try to keep your other secret safe for now." Portia said, as they both haven't noticed Colin standing behind Portia right at that moment. He handled Pen her refreshment and asked.

"Other secret?" He asked looking at Pen with raised eyebrows.

"I better leave you two alone." Portia said quickly and left them to talk.

"What other secret, Pen?" he asked in a determined voice.

"Let's not talk about it here." She looked around lowering her voice slightly.

"I thought we agreed…" He did lower his voice also.

"Yes. We agreed. I am not keeping anything from you, I just haven't had time to tell you yet." She said with slight fear mixed with happiness deep inside her.

"Tell me what?" He tried to ask again.

"As I said, not here. Not now." The amount of confidence in her voice made him change the tactic.

"You know I am not good with secrets." He looked deeply into her ocean eyes as to begging to end his misery.

"It won't be one for a long time. But believe me, you would want to keep it between just us two for a while." She smirked at him, smiling.

"Pen, just tell me!" He demanded, this game went a bit too far.

"I will. But first I would like to dance with my husband." She said putting her drink on the table near them.

"Penelope…"

"Mr. Bridgerton."

"Dance?" His eyebrows raised in question at her.

"Dance. Shall we?" She touched his hand lightly, not yet holding it.

"We shall." He said, putting his drink down and leading her to the dance floor.

All the while eyes locked having a full-on conversation without single word spoken. They were too good at that. Mad. Determined. Demands. Smirks. Smile. Lightness. Desire. Way too many things happened during that 3 minute dance, as nobody around even noticed.

As soon as the music stopped, he grabbed her hand and left the ball room, almost running outside.

"Slow down, I can't really run in this dress." She laughed trying to catch up with him, leading her. Suddenly he stopped and turned around swiftly.

"We are alone. Tell me."

"Can't you wait till we get home at least?" She laughed lightly.

"Can't you just tell me?" His voice begging.

"You are quite impatient, Mr. Bridgerton." She smiled at him.

"You are quite secretive, my dear." He smiled back.

"Let's go home." She said leading him to their carriage.

"Will you tell me then?" He asked walking nearby.

"We will see." She looked up at him with a slight smirk on her face, teasing him.

"Penelope!" He almost screamed her name opening the door for her. But she could not stop teasing him, she got inside and innocently asked…

"Yes?"