"Insipid wallflower indeed."
"I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington."
"I will not allow Portia Featherington to cut me out of the money that we both stole."
It had started as a wonderful evening. Sure, she had no one sign her dance card, but Penelope Featherington was used to that. At least, there had been no outward mocking at this ball. Eloise had decided to give up her search for Lady Whistledown and their friendship appeared to be going back to the way it had been before Theo, before Bloomsbury. The news that her cousin had swindled the ton of their funds was not a welcome surprise, but Colin being the one to protect her and her family was a delightful one. Then, he had asked her to dance and told her she was special to him.
Penelope should have realized that it was too good to be true as only moments later, she came upon Eloise in her ransacked room having discovered that Penelope was Lady Whistledown. The ensuing fight between the two nearly broke her. Desperate to preserve their friendship, Penelope rushed to find her in the garden, only to overhear her good friend, Colin, disparaging her to a group of eligible bachelors. She had no hopes amongst the gentlemen, but it broke her heart to be so carelessly disregarded by someone she had considered a close friend for doing nothing more than accepting a dance that he himself had asked for.
She rushed towards the backstairs to reach her room, passing by the study. Cousin Jack's angry voice caused her to pause and there she learned her mother's involvement in the scheme. As she heard Jack confirm what she had hoped deep down had not been true, Penelope felt the last bit of her heart shatter. No longer running, she reached her room with an eerie calmness.
Glancing around her destroyed room, Penelope came to a single realization: she could no longer remain here in a house with a corrupt mother that had little care for her, in a neighborhood with a former best friend that despised her, and a ton that had nothing but scorn for her. She had the Whistledown money, and while it would not last forever, it would give her several years to come up with a plan for her life. Perhaps she could write novels or become a governess. A companion to an elderly widow would not be so bad either.
Penelope expected to feel nervous or scared at the idea of going off into the world alone, but instead found peace and serenity. She pulled out a small bag from her closet and stuffed the Whistledown money inside. Next, she gathered only a few of her simplest dresses and a few other garments and placed them on top. She pulled a silver dagger with rubies from beneath another floorboard, a gift bestowed to her by her father when he had drunkenly come home after a good night of gambling. Penelope tucked the dagger against her ankle in case she needed it quickly.
She may have been confident that going out into the world was the correct path, but she also knew it was a dangerous one.
Glancing around the room for anything that she may have missed, Penelope's eyes landed on some blank paper and her ink pot. She supposed for a moment that she ought to write her mother some sort of note so she did not worry, but then, how often did she worry about Penelope? Unless her mama thought it might make the family look uncouth? No, her mother would not be receiving a letter. Penelope briefly considered sending word to Colin or Eloise, but quickly brushed that off as well. Clearly, neither sibling wanted anything to do with her.
Still, it did not quite feel right to leave without any word. An idea slipped into her head nearly immediately. She would use Lady Whistledown one final time. She would expose what she had overheard from Colin. She would clean up Eloise's reputation as much as possible. For her sisters' sakes, she would place all of the blame of the ruby scheme on her cousin Jack, but perhaps put in a line just enough to scare her mother. In the very end, Penelope would reveal herself as the gossip columnist.
She nearly regretted not being able to see the reactions of the ton when it was announced that she, Penelope Featherington, the girl no one took a second look at, was the one who had spilled all their secrets. But no, it was best to place as much space between her and town after the issue came out. It would ensure that no one would come looking for her after the initial shock wore off and it became evident that she had fled. Even the Queen would give up her search, Penelope was sure, when there were no more issues to come and she became bored. The Queen would soon find something else to entertain her.
A plan in place, Penelope nodded her head determinedly. She jotted off her issue, ensuring her ruin, before slipping out the servants' door. Fireworks were still lighting up the sky, but Penelope did not stop to watch. Without a single glance at her home, she slipped into the darkness and out of the ton.