Chapter 5: Hyde Park

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Ola it's me. Quick note. I would love to be able to upload more (even write professionally hello dreamjob) but with my current job etc and the fact that it takes ages to write and rewrite, even though I have a translating programme, updates might be slow unfortunately. I have yet to clean today, and it is past 5 now lol. Anyway, I might complain but I did enjoy writing this chapter. It was fun. I am not going to say much, just hope that you will enjoy the chapter, as always do not mind the shitty grammar and the fact that I quite obviously do not live in Britain. A shoutout to anyone and everyone commenting, a special shoutout to the ones that do in Italian or Spanish, I appreciate the free lessons, please keep them coming.

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She was practically dragged along and there was little she could do to resist. Who knew that Portia Featherington, her mother possessed such upper arm strength, nothing in her daily routine could have indicated this. A few moments later Penelope was hurried into her mother's bedroom and taken to the place where the vanity was located.

The vanity was situated next to her mother's bed, close to the window and from the position Penelope was standing in, she could easily look out from the large window at the people walking across the street. She did not go into her mother's room very often, so she had not noticed it before. She wondered idly if her mother ever looked outside or was too busy getting herself dolled up to do so.

"Sit," Portia demanded and Penelope meekly sat down. Of rest, however, there was no question of it as Portia not too gently rubbed make up and other embellishments on her youngest daughter's face, causing Penelope to cough as power dispersed everywhere.

"What are you doing?!" Penelope shrieked.

"What does it look like I am doing? I'm trying to make you presentable for your suitor!" Portia responded.

"He is not my suitor!", Penelope argued.

"Then why is he here and asking to see you! Why are you acting so dense?.. Now shut up and hold still. I am going to need to put some blush on your face", Portia said.

When Portia finished performing her torture, she wanted Penelope to get up to inspect her dress, whether it was adequate but there was no time to change anyway.

"The colour doesn't suit you " concluded Portia with a slanted look. Penelope had put on a pastel blue garment today whose she had been allowed to have made herself for her birthday, after much pleading, more whining to her mother who had only relented at one point, in hopes of shutting Penelope up.

"Yellow looks much better on you" continued Portia and wasn't that ironic? From Portia, she had to wear the most striking colours of dresses that clashed with her hair and skin but pastel blue somehow... was not appropriate. It almost made her laugh, almost but she didn't because she was too nervous to.

"Now listen to me carefully. When you enter the room you shall greet you politely and you shall do the same. He will then proceed what the reasons is for his visit, most likely followed by wishing to give the bouquet he had carefully arranged for you".

"You don't know if he even brought fl.. -", Penelope started but Portia gave her such a glare that she didn't finish the rest of her sentence.

"Afterwards I presume he'll suggest to take a walk and insist there will be a chaperone, of course as is the proper thing to do in these kinds of situations." Portia continued rambling on, but Penelope was already no longer listening.

This was absurd. Absurd. This wasn't happening. This was supposed to be an ordinary day like any other. Reading some books... trying to ignore her family as much as possible. A walk perhaps, together with her best friend Eloise. Then lunch followed by more reading until dinner... and lastly in the comfort of her own room, writing the latest edition of Lady Whistledown as she had picked up on some salacious information at Aubrey Hall and she was eager to convey the information, but it apparently wasn't in the cards.

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