A Matter of Priority

Chapter Five: A Groom without Gratification

July, 1815

Colin Bridgerton had suffered many hardships in the last month, but he really thought today was the worst of them, which was ridiculous considering it was his own wedding day and should, by all rights, be the happiest day of his life. But perhaps that was not to be expected after this month...

First, there'd been his engagement, which took an entire week to secure. Penelope hadn't been the easiest woman to woo, with her ridiculous idea that he'd regret it, insisting that she loved him too much to marry him, a notion so foolish even Anthony Bridgerton himself would scoff at it.

He'd had to wonder why she'd felt no such qualms about marrying some other fool she didn't even love, but she kept hemming and hawing about how that was to be a business arrangement and it wasn't the same with him. She begged him to simply forget the idea, but also continue kissing her because she didn't seem willing to stop that, the wanton little minx.

He did understand, once she finally told him precisely why she thought marriage to her was such a disastrous idea. And he can't say he didn't spend a day unable to speak to or look at this stranger who he'd thought he knew so well. El did try to explain things, or at least give her thoughts, but she'd had much more time than he had to reconcile Penelope with Lady Whistledown. He might need weeks, months, or... Really, in the end, he couldn't go even a day without her.

He'd called on her the next day, bursting in on her in the drawing room and telling her in no uncertain terms that her reasons to refuse his proposal were shaky at best and that he would hear no more of them. Furthermore, he loved her and she loved him and not marrying was idiocy of the highest order. He dropped to his knees and took her hand, putting his ring on her before she could say a word.

He did wish he'd waited a bit longer, as proposing to her in front of her entire family was one of the strangest and most awkward experiences of his life, especially once he realized they were all there staring at them, including Phillipa and her new husband. It got even stranger when her mother seemed to think he was proposing to Prudence -- despite him kneeling directly in front of Penelope and placing a ring on her finger.

Pen thought the whole thing was much funnier than he had, but perhaps that was Lady Whistledown talking.

The next week had been fraught with that very subject. Both of their families had to be informed before Cressida Cowper, a joy as ever, informed the whole of society and the queen and perhaps every shopkeeper in Mayfair of Penelope's true work. Suffice it to say, there hadn't been a moment of peace as some met the news with excitement, others with amusement, others with anger, and others with offers of a business partnership — but that was just Hyacinth.

Penelope kept offering to let him out of it and he'd had to kiss her dozens more times, and in many places, also several locations — carriages, curtained alcoves, a closet at the Mottram ball once — before she stopped questioning his determination.

Penelope's mother seemed to heavily resent all the times they had to wear last season's dresses.Her mother was a lot more forgiving when she revealed she was the reason they hadn't also had to contend with eating last week's bread.

It did take time for his mother to forgive Penelope's crimes against Eloise, but Eloise assured her it was long-forgiven on her part and had no ill-effects that she could see.

"Really, once I thought better on it, I decided I quite liked people thinking I'm a political radical. Makes me sound quite intimidating, don't you think?"

After that, and an explanation of the trouble Eloise had been in with the Queen, Violet Bridgerton was still a bit miffed, but now more so because Eloise seemed so enamored of this notion of being the most feared spinster in The Ton. "Really, Penelope, I'd always thought you to be a better influence than that. She shall be unbearable."