Heart on the Line

It seemed as though she had loved Colin Bridgerton for a lifetime. From that first moment when he had smiled at her, he had made her heart flutter. Even though he had been covered in mud due to her runaway bonnet, it didn't hide his kindness.

She had spent years hoping he would notice her as something other than a friend. So when he did, she didn't notice. Granted, she was rather busy trying to secure a husband so that she would not have to endure living at the mercy of her family any longer. She had given up on marrying Colin Bridgerton. But at least Lord Debling was kind and pleasant to look at and he seemed to like her.

Even that did not work out for her. So when Colin ran after her, she was incredibly confused and hurt. "Do not say things you do not mean." How could he have feelings for her? He didn't even see her as a woman. She was his friend.

When she threw his own words back at him, not out of spite but out of confusion, his reaction confused her even more. Did she admit that she wanted more than friendship and put her heart on the line? Her head told her that he wasn't the sort to be mean or cruel and play with her emotions.

It seemed like some sort of fantastical dream. After all, Colin Bridgerton was the most sort after gentleman of the season and yet here he was on his knees telling her he wanted more. She wasn't even sure what more was.

Relief crossed his face when she admitted she wanted more than friendship from him as well. How her poor heart was going to keep up with this rollercoaster of emotions this evening was throwing at her, she had no idea.

Then he kissed her. This wasn't like their first kiss. This wasn't one friend doing another friend a favour. There was heat to this kiss. It was as they needed each other to breathe and her body heated up everywhere he touched her until she felt as though she would burst into flames.

So this was more? Then his hand ran up the inside of her leg and his fingers entered her. If she had thought she was going to burst into flames before, she was amazed that she hadn't become the inferno that consumed the carriage they were in. The sensations rippling through her left her breathless. Deep in the back of her mind, she knew this would be an entirely different experience with another man.

It was with shock and regret when they reached Bridgerton House. Shock because she had been so distracted by his talented mouth and fingers, that she forgot where they were. Regret because he had stopped. At least the feeling seemed to be mutual.

She watched as he seemed to be processing everything that had just happened. He reached out and adjusted her dress and tidied her hair before stepping out of the carriage. Her heart sank. Had he changed his mind? After she had behaved so wantonly.

Then he held out his hand to her. "Are you coming with me?"

"What?" So he hadn't changed his mind? "But your …. Your family will see me." After everything else that had happened this evening she would not be surprised if none of the Bridgertons wanted anything to do with her, instead of just Eloise.

"For God's sake, Penelope Featherington. Are you going to marry me or not?" This must be some sort of dream. Any second she would wake up. But he was still standing in front of her with his hand held out, waiting for an answer.

"Yes." Although she was still convinced that she was dreaming. But Colin beamed at her as though she had hung the moon in the sky for him. It still took her a moment to climb down from the carriage. How would Eloise take the news that she was marrying her brother.

This was terrifying. How Colin was so calm walking through the house was beyond her. Did all prospective brides feel this nervous? Even with Colin holding her hand she was dreading the family's response to one of their own marrying into the Featherington family. Other than that and Eloise knowing she was Lady Whistledown, the Bridgertons were always good to her.

Any doubts she had that Colin actually wanted to marry her disappeared. It was both surprising and a relief that the majority of the family members present raced forward to embrace them. Eloise was the only one who seemed devastated by the news.

Still, by the time she returned home, she was an engaged woman with her own family in the dark regarding the news. The only dampener was that she had promised Eloise that she would tell Colin she was Lady Whistledown. She had no idea how she was going to do that. And would he still want to marry her when he found out. If this was a dream, there was a good chance it was about to turn into a nightmare.