Falling for a Bridgerton : a Bridgerton fanfic

chapter 5 : back so soon?

"And she was saying exactly what I was thinking!" Eloise exclaimed, as she walked alongside Penelope. "Oh my god, I was so relieved when she pulled me away from Carrington, she literally saved me from a night of torture."

"What was her name again? Mabel?" Penelope asked.

"Yes. Mabel Hawthorne."

"That's odd. I've never heard that name before."

"Me neither. She must be new to the square. But Penelope, you have to meet her. I'm sure you two would get along great"

"Mhm," Penelope muttered. 

Eloise had been talking about this 'Mabel' for the past twenty minutes, and Penelope had tuned out 5 minutes in.

Well at least she wasn't talking about Whistledown, Penelope sighed with relief as they reached the front door of the Bridgerton house.

Penelope stood in front of the door anxiously, as if something horrible waited inside for her, though she had been in their home countless times.

It had been the first time since she had left the house since her father died, and she'd forgotten what it felt like to be around people again.

She knew if she went inside, they would ask about father, and those were questions she wasn't ready to answer.

Not yet, anyway.

Her shoulders relaxed when she realized that at least Colin wouldn't be there. He was still in Greece. 

She knew that if he was home and he asked her how she was doing, she would have instantly broken down and cried in his arms.

He had a way for words like that. A way where one felt seen and understood.

And he had a place in her heart just like that as well.

In these last few weeks, Penelope pondered back and forth about her feelings towards Colin.

She loved him, but she knew she just had to move on.

He was never going to reciprocate her feelings and Penelope was exhausted of walking on eggshells around him.

She also knew that she should've never had fallen in love with her best friend's brother in the first place.

So moving on was certainly a necessity.

"Is everything okay?" Eloise asked, noticing Penelope had stopped walking. 

"Yes," Pen responded with a deep breath as she stepped inside the house.

It's going to be okay

she thought,
well, she hoped it would be.

~~~~~~~

Luckily for Penelope, the Bridgerton house wasn't as full as it used to be.

Less people to talk to meant less questions to answer to.

She sat in the drawing room, snacking quietly on cookies as Eloise was sprawled on the couch beside her.

Gregory and Hyacinth were running throughout the house, chasing each other.

Anthony and Benedict were out riding their horses according to their mother, "well at least that's what they told me," she chuckled.

"How are you Penelope?," Violet asked, brows furrowed with worry.

"I'm-"

But before she could answer, Eloise piped in, "Mama, I told you. Don't ask her that, she's already answered that question hundreds of times in the past few weeks."