Eternal Flame

Into the Oblivion

"How is she now, doctor?" Queen Charlotte asked within the second the man entered the room, not so much out of concern but out of desperation to finally put her traitor in her place.

"She still does not seem to remember much, Your Majesty," the doctor answered, having spent the last ten minutes questioning her. The poor girl seemed more frightened than anything, and terribly lost.

"I need her well, damn it!" The Queen yelled. "Let me see her," she said, standing to her feet. The doctor then ushered her to the room where Penelope, Henry, and the two Bridgertons were being kept. The Queen waved him away upon entering the room, leaving only the same two guards to keep watch. "Miss Featherington," Queen Charlotte purred as she sauntered over. "Are the chains to your liking?"

"Oh yes, Your Majesty," Penelope replied cheerily, dangling her wrists about to demonstrate, and action which did not bode well. "But is this not all just a misunderstanding?" She continued. "I am not even sure who this...Whistledown person is," she lied, emphasizing the name as if it were foreign to her.

"I do not like to be toyed with, girl. Even more so, I do not like to be made a fool, which is exactly what you have done with your scandal sheet for the last two seasons!" The Queen thundered.

Penelope did well to mask her emotions and not flinch. "I am sorry you feel that way, Your Majesty, but I have no idea to what you are referring to," she insisted, adding a touch of concern for effect.

A loud slap echoed through the room, followed by a scream of Penelope's name by the other three prisoners. "Silence!" The Queen ordered. She crouched down close to Penelope's face---the closest she would ever get to bowing---and whispered, "Miss Featherington, I will tell you what I told your friend Miss Bridgerton. You can either find an ally in the Crown, or you can make an enemy. It is your decision, but know that just like your words, it holds enough power to build or destroy lives," she finished ominously, standing straighter.

"What do you want from me?" Penelope asked, realizing that her plan of pretending to still have amnesia was no longer working.

"Just as I said. An ally," Her Majesty reiterated. "It would still be your words, so do not fret about your integrity or pride or whatever it is you care about. However, I will have no more reflections about the Diamond nor any other traditions and practices of The Crown. There will be no more talk of His Majesty our King, nor influences by political radicals," she said, giving Eloise a pointed glare before focusing back on Penelope. "Am I understood?"

Penelope's heart pounded in her chest as she grappled with her options. A life under the Queen's thumb would be misery, but a life without those she loved would be no life at all. "What if I gave it up?" She asked in a panic. "For good? What if I stopped writing altogether?"

The Queen considered her for a moment before giving her a disapproving glare. "No. These are your choices, Miss Featherington. You must pick one," she said, her skirts swishing behind her as she reached the door. "You have until tomorrow morning." There was a slam of heavy wood against the frame, and then the four of them were alone.

Instantly, Penelope broke out into a fit of sobs. Once again, it was Colin who reached her first. He ran his hands through her hair and brushed soft kisses against her head, whispering sweet phrases of encouragement.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Penelope cried brokenly, barely managing to keep herself from crumpling in on herself. "This is all my fault and I'm...I'm so sorry!"

"Pen, do not torture yourself. You are not alone in this. You have me and Eloise."

"And me," Henry chimed in.

"Yes," Colin grumbled, instinctively holding Penelope tighter. "We are here, Pen. We will figure this out."