The Wallflower

Changes

SIX MONTHS LATER

Penelope Featherington was having a horrid time at the season's opening ball hosted by Lady Danbury. Just as she suspected everyone was staring at her and mumbling about what happened last season. Her story was, after all, the last juicy news, Lady Whistledown (or well herself) had shared. The ton had not let go of it simply because it was all they had left to talk about. So there she was as usual standing at the outskirts of the dance floor next to the lemonade table, trying to ignore the whispers that followed her.

She was contemplating an escape plan, a fainting spell or maybe a headache, when she heard a voice call her name. "Miss Featherington! There you are Miss Penelope!" She turned and saw Lady Danbury walking towards her. She put a small smile on and walked towards Lady Danbury.

"Good evening, Lady Danbury. You've outdone yourself this time. It truly is a spectacular ball." Penelope gestured to the grandness of everything. Lady Danbury laughed.

"Well thank you, my dear. I saw you standing here and I wanted to check on you. That Whistledown, as much as her papers entertained me, she really could be downright nasty sometimes. I know it has been some time since the events of last season but, how are you doing Miss Penelope?" Lady Danbury asked with genuine concern.

Penelope fought back tears. No one had asked her that. In the last six months, the rest of the ton just whispered about her but no one had stopped to ask if she was alright. She smiled a sad smile. "I am well thank you. It does not bother me much anymore."

Penelope couldn't look her in the eyes. She felt if Lady Danbury saw her eyes then she would know that Penelope was lying. But Lady Danbury didn't need to see her eyes to know the truth.

"I commend you for putting on a brave face but there is no need around me. I saw how you looked at that boy. I can only imagine the heartache you're suffering even after all this time. Alas, men can't seem to see what is staring them dead in the face." Lady D said as she patted Penelope's arm.

Lady D had always admired Penelope. She was incredibly bright and witty and surprisingly funny. She despised the ton for treating such a marvelous young Miss so poorly simply because her outer appearance did not suit their standards or because her conversation skills took a bit longer to develop than others. But once she was comfortable she could converse better than anyone else, Lady D had concluded.

"It's quite alright. I wasn't ever expecting his favor. I just didn't expect him to announce his contempt for me in such a public way. It wasn't so much his words that hurt me. It's that, I so foolishly allowed myself to read into things that simply weren't there. It truly wasn't his fault. I'd just rather forget it all happened to begin with to be perfectly honest." Penelope urged the topic to be over.

Lady Danbury seemed to catch on as she started rambling on about how the decorations had been lost a few days prior and she had worried if there would be a ball to host at all. Penelope tried to stay focused on Lady D but her attention was taken away by more stares and whispers. She was tired of the humiliation. It seemed the entire ton knew of her feelings towards Colin Bridgerton. The whole ton except, well, Colin Bridgerton.

Colin. She sighed a heavy sigh. It had been six months since she had spoken to him. But the pain on his face when she snapped at him that last time, had haunted her every single day. What she wouldn't do to just wipe the slate clean and start over with him. She simply just missed him.

Before she could stop herself, she realized she was scanning the room for his familiar dark hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was about to chastise herself when she spotted him entering with Lady Bridgerton and Benedict. Colin was looking around the room and before she could peel her eyes away from him, he looked right her.