Shame flooded over Penelope, she felt so very embarrassed to be caught in such a compromising position. Colin, on the other hand, simply rose to his full height, consequently blocking her view of Eloise. "Give us a second, El," he commanded. His hair was ruffled from when her fingers ran through the strands, his face flushed, waistcoat unbuttoned, but he appeared unperturbed by his own flustered appearance. If anything, he was more concerned with tucking the loose strands of her hair behind her ear than dealing with his angry sister. "Are you alright?" he asked quietly, fixing the neckline of her dress that had been pulled low under his frantic grasp.
She quickly buttoned his vest before righting her own clothing. Wet marks from where his mouth had suckled her nipples stained her dress, and she froze for a second, horrified by the sight. What was she going to do? Under no circumstances could she return to the sitting room where others were present. They would know instantly something sordid had taken place.
As if reading her mind, he grazed her cheeks with his fingers. "Don't worry, I'll find you a shawl you can use."
"How long have you been plotting this?" Eloise demanded, approaching them. Her words were directed at Penelope, tone saturated with anger. "You couldn't use me anymore so now you're manipulating Colin to get to my family?"
"That is not true!" Penelope defended herself. "I've been keeping my distance-"
"Yes, clearly. That must be why you were in the midst of swallowing his face," Eloise snarked.
"What Pen and I do doesn't concern you," Colin remarked dryly, turning to confront Eloise.
"You don't know her like I do, brother. You have no idea what she's capable of!"
"I know she has never spoken ill of you but that hasn't stopped you from slandering her."
"Don't fall for it, Colin. Her friendliness is a disguise, underneath she's nothing but a petty, spiteful witch!"
"And you're not, Eloise?" Penelope fired back. Her attempts to confront Eloise face-to-face was hindered by Colin who caged her in a firm grip. "Your sudden friendship with Cressida has nothing to do with how horrible she is to me? I suppose you befriended her out of the goodness of your heart?"
"Cressida treats people the way they deserve."
"By bullying them? No wonder the two of you are so close!"
"Are you chastising me for bullying? Isn't that what you've been doing for years?"
An exasperated sigh escaped Colin. "The two of you were the best of friends, sisters practically, and now you're bickering like fools. Is this really how you choose to conduct yourselves?"
"Do not lecture me when you were tupping her right here!" Eloise hissed.
"Enough!" His voice roared across the library, taking both women by surprise.
Colin wasn't known to raise his voice. Usually calm, unlike Anthony, he used charm to diffuse precarious situations rather than his temper. Yet he'd already revealed his anger with Penelope when he was interrogating her earlier and now it was Eloise's turn.
"Don't you ever speak of her like that!" The violence in his voice was potent, causing Eloise to falter back as he directed his cold, seething rage at her. "I don't give a fuck about what happened between you and Pen or who's at fault. Whether you reconcile or not, I do not care. But do not make the mistake of insulting Penelope in my presence again, Eloise. You will not like the consequences of that!"
Eloise swallowed audibly. "So you would rather side with an outsider than your own sister?"
"She's not an outsider to me." There was no doubt in his voice, no hesitation as he leveled Penelope with a keen glance. "She matters more than you'll ever know. And I will not let anyone disparage her."
Penelope held his gaze, unable to look away.
"You must be pleased. You've already managed to turn him against me."
Eloise's pained tone snapped Penelope out of her daze, her heart squeezing with empathy. "Please, Eloise. It's nothing like that. If we could just speak alone, I could explain to you-"
"Absolutely not," Eloise interjected.
"I agree with El. It's a terrible idea. I doubt the two of you can manage a civilized conversation," Colin said in a highhanded tone, sounding much like Anthony.
"Stay out of it, Colin!" Penelope rebuked.
Eloise expressed a similar reaction. "You can not order me about. If I want to speak, I will!"
Spotting the fleeting twinkle in Colin's eyes, it dawned on Penelope he had goaded Eloise on purpose; this outcome was exactly what he wanted. "Fine, then. I will be right outside the door. Hope you ladies can behave yourselves." Concluding his impression of Anthony, he walked away.
They remained in place, silently eyeing each other. Seconds later, the door shut with a loud thud.
"I will not let you hurt my brother!" Eloise threatened. "If you think you can seduce Colin into marrying you, you're wrong. It will not happen."
"That is not what I want, Eloise! He..." Penelope swallowed the lump in her throat. "What you saw between us... I know it was wrong, I should have stopped him but I've loved him for so long and-"
"Love?" Eloise laughed mockingly. "You don't even know what that is!"
"I love you, more than I love my own sisters. I miss you."
"I do not believe you. You're a liar!"
"I'm sorry that I hurt you, but you must know I had no choice. If I hadn't published those things the Queen would have come after you!"
Eloise shook her head. "Nothing you say can excuse what you've done. You're a liar and a deceiver, that's all you're capable of." Her eyes blazed with fury. "I haven't revealed the truth about you out of respect for your family, they don't deserve to suffer for your actions. But I will tell the Queen myself if you don't stay away from mine. Then the whole world, and Colin, will know who you truly are!"
Penelope studied her friend, desperate to spot some form of sadness or yearning for their years long friendship. Something. Anything. But there was none, only contempt. And it finally dawned on her that their friendship had truly ended. With that realization came a swift flood of anger. "Then do it. Tell the Queen, tell everyone. Destroy me." She approached Eloise with a slow, determined gait. "But realize that I'm not the only one you'll be destroying. Lady Whistledown is a business. A successful, thriving one that benefits not only me but many of the working class. I employ servants, delivery boys, printing presses, coachmen. Even your friend Theo Sharpe. The extra money they earn allows them the freedom to pursue their dreams, to better their family's lives. And you will be ending all of that." Standing in front of Eloise, Penelope stared up at the other woman. Her gaze was direct, her voice cold. "So go ahead Eloise, do what you must. But do not be surprised when there are consequences to the choice you make. Word will eventually spread that it was you who dismantled their source of income, and they will not be happy."
"Are you threatening me?" Eyebrow raised, Eloise stared down at Penelope with condescension. "You do take after your mother."
Penelope sent her a stiff smile. "You would do well to remember that."
Eloise turned around and stormed out, leaving her alone in the library again. Her brave face dissipated instantly. Feeling sick, she clutched her stomach and closed her eyes. She took deep breaths to calm herself, her heart broken. Despite telling herself for months their friendship was over, she still harbored hope that she and Eloise would reconcile one day. But seeing the disdain Eloise held for her now, Penelope realized their friendship was irrevocably broken.
She opened her eyes to find Colin standing in front of her. The queasiness turned to butterflies, and her heart started pounding in her chest. After loving him for so long, she had finally come to terms with the fact he would never feel the same about her and she had moved on from that heartbreak. Had reconciled her mind to focus on a new love, new life – only to have Colin return and throw everything into chaos. Her temper rose. How dare he? How dare he turn her life upside down again?
"I suppose we don't have to worry about Eloise telling others about us," Colin noted.
"She wouldn't."
He stalked closer. "I gather things didn't go well with Eloise."
"Impressive observation."
He graced her with an amused smile. "Perhaps if I knew the cause of the rift, I could help resolve the issue."
"Like you helped today?" she pointed out. "It's best you stay out of it."
"I will find out the truth. Sooner or later."
And when he did, she had no doubt he would react the same way his sister did. Her heart grew heavy at the thought of him hating her. "I must go." She tried to walk past him but he blocked her path, invading her personal space. He stood close, so close she had to look up at him.
His eyes were warm and intent roaming over her face, drifting down to her lips. "We need to discuss what happened last night."
"There's no need. I'd rather put it behind us and move on."
The dark glint in his eyes returned. "Do you really believe I would allow that to happen?"
She peered up at him, her instincts signaling something was afoot. "When you came in earlier, you knew I would be alone."
His fingers lightly grazed her own. "Yes."
"But you came in anyway."
"You were crying."
"You kissed me on purpose."
He leaned in, his breath humming against her skin. "We kissed, Penelope. Neither of us could resist the other."
Her voice was a hushed whisper. "You knew my mother would send someone to look for me, didn't you?"
He cocked his eyebrow.
"You wanted us to be caught."
Silent, he watched her. "Yes."
Rage flooded over her, she was so furious she could barely speak. "You have no care for my reputation, do you? It really doesn't matter to you that you could have ruined me!" She shook her head at him with disgust. "You call yourself my friend but you're not! You're no better than the Cressida Cowpers of this society. You only want to humiliate me."
She tried to push him away but he gripped her arms. Although she struggled against him, he was stronger, bracing her against his chest. "Did you leave me any choice, Penelope?" he demanded, his voice shaking with anger. "I asked you to be my wife and you turned me down. What else was I supposed to do? This was the only way to ensure you would marry me!"
"And what of my family? Or yours? Did you think about how this scandal would have affected them? Your sisters? Mine? Did you even care?"
His lips drew back in a snarl. "They would have survived. They always do. After we were married, things would have eventually returned to normal."
She couldn't wrap her mind around his words. "Who are you? What happened to you?" Tears glistened in her eyes. "The Colin I grew up with would never have been this selfish."
"This is me! This is who I am now!" He gritted his teeth, eyes blazing with fiery determination. "And I will do anything to make you mine, Penelope." His hands cupped her face, eyes boring into her. "You will never escape me."
Fear trickled down her spine. Seeing him so desperate and passionate terrified her, because she knew it was fleeting. He didn't love her, he only wanted to possess her. Like she was a toy. And when he was done playing with her, he would discard her and move on to someone else. No. She wouldn't let that happen, no matter what.
"You don't want me to be your wife. I would ruin you."
A small smile curved his lips. "Is that so?"
Her eyes lingered on him, taking in every inch of his beautiful face. Never would he look at her like this again and she wanted to commit everything about his adoring gaze to her memory.
"I'm not a virgin, Colin. I have been with someone else, known another man's intimate touch." Her voice was blank, free of any emotion. "And we both know you wouldn't want a fallen woman as a wife."
Silence hung in the air. He immediately dropped his hands from her face, like he could no longer bear to touch her. His eyes burned right through her, gleaming with anger, accusation, even betrayal.
As devastating as his response was, it wasn't a surprise. Turning around, she walked away.