Flawless My Dear ( English version )

Chapter 26

"Penelope, are you listening to me?"

Penelope was obviously ignoring her mother. She was too out of place at the moment and preferred not to say anything and let it all happen. This was not what she had planned, it was nowhere near her reality. She was marrying out of obligation, not desire.

It was true that if Colin had asked her to marry him after her confession, she would have said yes with her eyes closed.

"Sorry mum, you were saying," said Penelope picking up her cup of tea.

"I have decided that as Violet and I are going to be very busy tonight finishing preparations for tomorrow's wedding and as Mr. Bridgerton lives dangerously close by," said Portia, raising her eyebrows as she turned her gaze to Colin, "You are going to Lady Danbury's house."

"Can't I sleep here?" Portia shook her head. "It's incomprehensible," said Penelope, rising from her chair.

"I know, my dear. As I also know that the temptation to cause a scandal just the night before the wedding would be very likely if my dear son were around," confessed Violet Bridgerton.

"You are deciding for us," said Colin, also rising from his seat. "I think we are old enough to make certain decisions," almost in an angry tone.

"She's just going to sleep at an old friend of mine's house the night before the wedding please," said Violet putting down her teacup "What's more, if you'd been old enough to say you were, we wouldn't be in this situation," her mother pointed out.

Colin snorted and then Penelope left the room under the watchful eyes of Portia, Violet and her fiancé, so Colin worriedly went after her.

"Penelope," he said, grabbing her arm, "Tell me what's wrong," he said, looking into her eyes. It looked like Penelope was about to say something but she closed her mouth again and looked down at the floor.

Penelope raised her gaze and as her eyes made contact with his, she had to look away again. She felt the same feeling as when at dances they wouldn't let her speak for herself and it was horrible. "I wish I could but" she said.

"Look here," Colin pleaded, grabbing her face by the chin, "forget about our mothers. It doesn't matter. The only ones that matter are the two of us. No one else matters."

Penelope blinked rapidly several times to keep from crying and bit her lip in restraint. How could she tell Colin that she wasn't sure what they were going to do? It would break him in two but she couldn't get certain things out of her head. Just as Colin was about to speak again, his mother appeared.

"It's time to take this young lady away," Violet announced with a smile, "your things are already in the car waiting for us," she replied, beaming with happiness.

Penelope turned to look back at Colin who had a shy smile on his face.

"This time I'll be waiting for you at the altar, Penelope," he said jokingly.

"Oh come on, son," claimed Violet.

"The next time you see her, it will be Lady Bridgerton," she said with a wide smile, looking at Penelope.

Colin stood at the door of the Featherington house and could not wait for tomorrow to come. Only a short time ago, she was his friend and now he was going to wait for her at the church as his future wife.

"Dearest, what's the matter with you?" Violet asked Penelope once on her way home from Danbury.

"I feel strange, I feel like I'm short of breath again, and everything is moving under my feet," she said, shaking her head.