Lady and Lord Whisledown

Chapter Ten: Blue Eyes and Carriage Rides

It took Penelope over twenty minutes to realise she was alone in the carriage with Colin. Entirely unchaperoned. She was too caught up in her own mind to think of much else. Would her mother truly abandon her youngest daughter? And then she thought back to Portia's treatment of her cousin Mariana and knew in her heart that yes, Portia was exactly the type to abandon her youngest daughter.

A tear slide down her cheek, she did not attempt to hide it. She hadn't spoken a word in over twenty minutes, and she knew that Colin knew that she could not shut up when it came to conversation with people, she was close with. She could sense that he knew something was wrong, so why hide it? It was not like he could do anything to help her situation. She also knew him well enough that he would not push a topic she was uncomfortable with.

Colin sat rigid, staring intently at Penelope. He was not quite sure what was wrong with her, but the sight of her upset made him feel a mix of emotions, and none of them were good. He tried to convince himself that this is the way all friends made him feel when they were so clearly upset.

He tried to think of something to lighten the mood, after all, it was Colin, and he was known for being able to say the exact right thing at the exact right time. He went to open his mouth and realised he had no clue what to say. For the first time in his life, Colin Bridgerton was at a loss for words. He closed his mouth and instead decided to take in all of Penelope's features. She was so clearly occupied with whatever was intriguing her outside that she would not notice.

She had auburn hair; he knew that – but on closer expectation he noticed gold strands throughout. It looked so soft to touch, he wondered what it felt like. He moved on to her skin, skin so clear, skin that he wanted to stroke so badly. He could imagine his hands caressing her soft cheek. He then moved onto her eyes – eyes that he had dreamt about hundreds of times.

They were blue like the Mediterranean Ocean, and he would know having visited twice. Penelope did not know the power she yielded with eyes like that. She could have the most eligible bachelor on one knee in under a minute if she truly wanted to. Her eyelashes were long and dark, and each time she blinked she noticed they tickled her cheek. And then there was her nose, a button nose. He had to fight the urge to place a kiss right upon it. Finally, he noticed her lips. This was not the first time or would most likely not be the last time he noticed them, wishing, no praying they were on his. They were perfectly rounded, plump, and pink – exactly how lips should be.

If only Penelope had the confidence, she would have married in her very first year, hell she would have married her very first month out. She was truly that beautiful. Perhaps not in a conventional way but she was breathtaking nevertheless. Colin was glad she was not married, he became jealous of the fictitious party who had stolen Penelope's heart. Nobody deserved her, she was good and kind and he knew the men of Mayfair. No one truly deserved her, expect maybe him. him? He would prove every single day how lucky he was if he did have her. That;'s enough.

Penelope must have noticed him staring at her for a touch too long and said "Yes?"

Colin could tell she was still sad, whatever hurt her when she entered the carriage still plagued her. He could tell because her smile did not reveal any of her magnificently straight teeth and did not reach her eyes. He looked up and down once again before moving forward in his seat. "Something is bothering you" He stated as a matter of fact. She would not lie to him, that much he knew. But he also did not want to force something out of her that she was not ready to share, so as she shrugged her shoulders he internally decided not to press the issue. Not until she was ready to share anyway.