Present…

"Miss Collins," Charlotte hissed, entering the sitting room to find Penelope dusting the shelves. "Miss Collins, I have told you that I will do the cleaning. It is not proper that-"

"It may not be proper," Penelope retorted, turning around, "but it will give me something to do during the day when my writing has become troublesome."

Charlotte rolled her eyes and grinned. Her mistress was a most unusual young woman, but she was kind and generous, if a bit mysterious and secretive. Still, the position was good and the pay was excellent, even if she had to keep reminding her mistress that she was the mistress.

"Did you need something else, Charlotte?" Penelope asked, after a few moments of silence. "Or did you simply come in here to reprimand me on how I spend my time?"

"Oh, yes. A Miss Maria Cunningham and her cousin, Miss Virginia Hannigan, have arrived for a visit if you are available."

Penelope grinned as she wiped off the dust from her dress. She quickly patted down her hair before handing Charlotte the cloth she had been cleaning with. "Yes, please, send them in."

"Good day, Eleanor!" Maria bubbled as she and her cousin enter the sitting room. She grimaced when she noticed her cousin's surprise. "Uh, good day, Miss Collins."

"Good day, Maria," Penelope replied, curtsying slightly. She turned to the other unknown young woman. "You must forgive us forgoing formalities around here. I find that I have little patience for them these days."

Maria smiled. "Eleanor, this is my cousin, Miss Virginia Hannigan. Ginny, may I introduce you to Miss Eleanor Collins, the absolute best author and my friend."

Pink covered Penelope's cheeks at the praise. "It is very nice to make your acquaintance, Miss Hannigan."

"You as well," Virginia replied, shyly. "I adore your books."

"Ginny!" Maria hissed.

Penelope raised a hand. "It is fine, Maria. An author can never hear to much praise for our works. It feeds our egos." She winked at the two ladies who giggled. "Please, come sit and I shall ring for tea." The girls settled on the chaise while Penelope sat on a chair near where the tea would be placed. "Tell me, Miss Hannigan, how are you finding our tiny hamlet? And please, call me Eleanor."

"Virginia, please, or Ginny," Virginia insisted in return. "I have not been to Havenshire since I was but a girl of eight. It is just as beautiful as I remember. My mama wished for me to have one last carefree summer before my first season, but spending time with Maria has truly made it magically."

"Your first season in town?" Penelope questioned, paling slightly.

Virginia nodded eagerly. "Oh, yes. Of course, I will not mingle with the first circles, but I am looking forward to attending events and balls and such."

Penelope looked towards Maria, more relaxed when she realized that there was very little chance of Virginia overlapping with her former acquaintances. "And you, Maria? Will you join your cousin?"

Maria blushed, shaking her head. "Oh, no. My papa does not like town and he does not see the point in spending the money when a local boy will do."

"Perhaps, Mr Smith?" Penelope teased. "He does seem to be rather fond of escorting you."

"Maria!" Virginia exclaimed. "You did not tell me that you have a beau."

Glaring at Penelope, Maria pouted. "I do not. Eleanor sees romance everywhere. It makes her a fantastic romance author, but a rather duplicitous friend."

Laughter broke out among the three women. "Have you had a great romance or two, Eleanor? Is that why you write so well? Have you left a string of broken hearts wherever you have been?"

"No," Penelope snorted. "No, not at all. I write of romances because I believe that are fantasies, not reality."

"You do not believe in romance?"

Penelope shot her a lopsided grin. "For some, perhaps, but for most of us, it simply does not exist, not in the form of books. If we are lucky, we find someone that we can tolerate the rest of our days." She grimaced as the faces of the two girls fell. She would not be the one to ruin their romantic fantasies. "Of course, there are exceptions. My second book was loosely based upon a romance that I witnessed from afar."

"Susanna and Ambrose?" Maria blurted out. "I did not know that. They are my favorite!"

"I have to admit that I much prefer Ruth and Jasper's story. Every time Jasper comes riding in on the white horse to rescue Ruth from her abusive papa, I nearly swoon," Virginia countered.

Penelope laughed, delightedly. She served the tea before settling into a wonderful afternoon exchanging ideas with the two young ladies. Her worries over being identified disappeared as Virginia told more of her life story. It did not appear that they would have kith and kin in common. She had made it this far without being discovered and was happy in her home. She did not wish to run away in the middle of the night once more.

"Oh goodness!" Maria exclaimed. "We have been talking your ear off. My mama expected us home an hour ago."

"I am sure your mama would understand," Penelope told her gently. "We have been known to get lost a time or two in our conversations ourselves."

Maria giggled. "That is certainly true enough. Thank you for seeing us today, Eleanor."

Penelope dipped her head. "I am very glad that you came. It was very nice to meet you, Virginia. I do hope that you will stop by again before you return home."

"I will," Virginia promised. She linked her arm through her cousin's and left the house, tittering. Virginia waited until they were out of sight of the house to pull Maria behind a tree. "Maria, do you know who that was?"

"Eleanor?" Maria questioned, her brows furrowed. "She is my friend."

Virginia shook her head. "She most certainly is not. She has been lying to you."

"What do you mean?"

"That is not Eleanor Collins. That is Penelope Featherington… or as she is known in London, 'Lady Whistledown'."