The Blossoming of Penelope Featherington | A BRIDGERTON Fanfic

Chapter 7

"I still can't believe Benedict has married." Colin was sitting at the chair opposite his brother, Anthony, in the latter's office in the Bridgerton house. They were having a sip of whiskey, even with the sun still high in the sky. They are definitely far from drunkards but it is often expected that during the gathering of brothers, there would be a drink involved, no matter how little.

"I can." Anthony shrugged. "I don't know if you've forgotten or you've been gone for too long to see it, but Benedict has been nothing but obsessed with the chit for years that he could barely keep or entertain a mistress."

"Right..." Colin shook his head. "How can I forget." It had been years since he saw first hand how Benedict succumbed into deep infatuation with Sophie Beckett in their mother's masquerade ball. Years where his Brother fruitlessly searched for the girl in silver. And even when he finally stopped searching, nobody- no woman- held his interest for longer than an hour, which was probably why he sometimes still had a hard time accepting that Benedict settled down at all. "How long has it been anyways?"

"The marriage or the Shakespearean play?" Anthony smirked while Colin laughed.

"Both."

"I'd say two weeks since he finally caught her, and about...two years for the chase."

"And probably months to a whole year of Benedict keeping the door to My Cottage barred." Colin could bet a thousand pounds that the moment Sophie slipped from his brother's fingers again, he'd have scoured the whole of Europe before their mother could say a word to put a stop to it. "Ha! We might never see them at all, actually."

"I, too, am having a hard time thinking otherwise," Anthony agreed then paused. "I still don't understand how he got away with that name."

Colin chuckled. The house that Benedict bought was in the country and they had the impression that he fell for the place immediately the moment he heard of the name that it was given. And obviously, he has absolutely no plans of changing it. "We Bridgertons do have a penchant for creatively named lodgings. I am feeling a tad bit of pressure."

"When are you planning on moving to a bachelor's lodgings?"

"Well, I do have an apartment," Colin shrugged.

"It's not the same as a house," he said pointedly. "I don't mean to demean your choice, mind you." Colin waved him away so he continued. "I just think that when you marry, you would need your own home to live in." He tried to say it nonchalantly but that didn't keep the groan from escaping Colin's mouth.

"Please, Anthony! Not you, too." He begged.

"I'm not saying that you need to marry now. I just think that it would be wise for you to be ready for whenever." Anthony patted his arm.

Colin sighed. "I know that. But despite her mishes to marry me off, mother thinks that it would be wiser to stay at Number Five."

"Really?" Anthony looked at him in disbelief then seemed to have a thought come in his mind. "Hm, actually I see it. She'd probably want to keep an eye on you and make sure you receive your daily reminder on which lady or ladies are available or most marriageable."

He rolled his eyes at the viscount. "She says there is no point having my own household staff when I barely stay in the country anyways. The apartment, I also think, is sufficient enough for me at the moment." Anthony nodded slowly. "And Cook makes excellent food at Number Five."

"Okay, then." Anthony picked up his glass and sipped. "So you plan on leaving soon, I gather?"

"You gathered correctly." Colin took a sip of his own. "Greece. After Frannie marries," he answered the viscount's questioning look.