Last Chance: A Bridgerton Tale about Anthony (AU NON-COMPLIANT)

Epilogue

February 1815

Dearest readers,

The ton has been invited to a joyous occasion; I am told. The son of Viscount Bridgerton will be christened in Salisbury Church next Sunday. From what I know, many guests from London's society will be invited and the whole thing will be celebrated with a festive meal.

I believe that with this event, many sceptics will be silenced forever because it will become clear to them what has been clear to me for a long time. That the Viscount's marriage is based on love; and truly dear readers, is that not all that matters in this fragile, unpredictable life of ours.

Love.

Until next time,

Lady Whistledown

Penelope Featherington stared at what she had written. Often, she tended to rewrite things differently, but this was perfect. She then picked up her invitation to the christening and smiled briefly. They would never know, of course, but she of all people; the nondescript, mousy, Penelope, the Penelope that no one ever noticed had played a big part in Anthony and Mara getting together.

The advantage of being a wallflower was that she was never watched; and could easily observe things.

For example, she observed the way Anthony Bridgerton had looked at  Mara; with interest and a certain... look that men who were attracted to someone wore. He probably hadn't realised it, but she had; Penelope had seen it. She had also spotted how Mara; timidly made her apology that day and spent the rest of her visit to the Bridgertons watching the door of Anthony's study to see if he walked out.

So... she decided to help them out a little and soon she had an excellent opportunity to do so. It helped that she was friends with Eloise; who had told her; even though she had not been there herself; that Mara, said Violet Bridgerton; had stormed off the table at some point; towards the garden and that Anthony had followed her. A small mention of this... meeting inn her small yet impressive publication had done the job and the two were married within a week.

She had always liked Anthony; but more so after he had put the odious Cressida Cowper in her place at last year's ball at the Bridgertons' country estate.

Cressida had been her lovely self; but this time she had not only taunted her; together with the equally vile Basil Grimston, they had mocked Penelope's looks until Anthony had intervened. He had then escorted her to the dining room, much to Cressida's annoyance and shock; a privilege reserved for the highest-ranking woman, which Penelope was not. Yet Anthony had not cared and had just snapped at Cressida, saying he didn't remember including her in the conversation.

She had made a mistake, Penelope confessed; no, she did not regret having arranged for the two to marry, but she did regret writing about Henry Carrington's divorce.

As a writer, she was and is autonomous, but her publisher had insisted on talking about Henry and his connection to the Bridgertons, as the Viscount and his wife were a hot topic in London; the publisher knew that too. The more she wrote about the couple the more magazines she would sell; he persuaded her.

He had not agreed with the first version of her writing and had wanted her to rephrase it just if she had, to her regret; published something she did not agree with.

Penelope had refused to write about the Rosso scandal and had even; to her irony; wanted people to stop gossiping about Anthony and Mara, in one of her most recent writings.

Fortunately, everything had turned out well and she was now invited to little Edmund's christening. She had felt compelled to attend the ceremony for several reasons; the most important of which was the fact that she had been invited to the... was seeing Colin. Colin had recently returned from his trip to Greece but, to her disappointment, she had not seen him often and had not run into him during her visit to Eloise. The possibility of seeing him again made her heartbeat faster and the anticipation grow.