Invisible, Till Now

Chapter 1

Dear Pen,
I will be returning home from my travels this coming season. I hope to see you when I arrive. If I'm honest, I have missed our friendship very much. My letters to you have gone unanswered since I left after the end of last season. I hope you're doing well, especially after all that has happened with your family and your cousin Jack. What he had done to you and your family still angers me.

I hope the unanswered letters aren't you forgetting about your old friend. I realized, while I've been gone, how much I look forward to talking to you. You seem to be the only person that understands my longing to travel and appreciates my poetic words. At Anthony's failed nuptials that were hosted by The Queen, you understood my complications of not knowing what my purpose is. I will always treasure you and our friendship because of that.

While traveling around Cyprus, I was reminded of you. Their yellow flowers and sweet sun made me feel as if you were there with me. Soon i will be able to have the real thing.

Best Regards,
Colin
March 22, 1814

♡ ♡ ♡

Penelope flipped the unopened letter between her hands. Her name was written on the front in Colin's handwriting, that she learned well after their correspondence last season. Before he went and broke her heart that is. She left this letter unanswered just like she did with the ten other letter he sent her. All stuffed away under her bed, never to be read. It hurt Penelope to do this, to turn away the one person who she devoted so much of her time to. But it hurt less than when she heard those revolting words come out of his mouth.

"I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington," and his taunting laugh rang in her ears. Penelope shook her head, not wanting to let another day go by of her being haunted by that night. She put the letter with the other unopened letters in the box and pushes it underneath her bed. She walks over to her desk and sits down. For days she's been trying to find the right words for the next Whistledown column. Ever since Eloise found out, she's been unsure of how to go along with it.

Losing Eloise was easier said than done. That night of the Featherington ball, she lost her best friend. She never could of imagined those words come out of Eloise, along with the ones that came out from her. Why couldn't Eloise just understand why Penelope had written all those things in the first place. True, she regretted some of her snarky comments about some people, but hurting Eloise's reputation was worth it. She did it to save her best friend from the Queen, but she knows it doesn't look that way to her.

But she wasn't going to let these things stop her from having a good season. In recent weeks, she's been able to convince her mother to let her pick out her own dresses. She brought up how many times her dresses were ridiculed by Whistledown and how she is said to become a spinster. This was enough for Portia to reluctantly agree. So Penelope was able to finally pick out colors that would suit her complexion, like greens, blues, and certain pinks. Her favorite dress was one of sage green, with a curtain of sheer lace with white flowers hanging from the bodice. The top of the dress' trim was outlined in the white blossoms as well. The whole dress itself complemented her figure, hugging the places she wished her past dresses had done.

With her new dresses and her focus off of her long held crush on Colin, Penelope will take the marriage mart seriously. She won't let herself fall back into the ballrooms shadows no longer. Of course Penelope always longed for a love match, but being suited with someone who will give her a comfortable life where she can continue Lady Whistledown and be away from her family is what really matters. But she wanted to shock the ton. Wanted to prove that she could be something other than a wallflower. Lady Danbury's ball to start off the social season was tomorrow night. That will be when she makes her grand entrance.

♡ ♡ ♡

Colin wouldn't admit it out loud, but he did truly miss home. Mayfield could swallow you up with its gossip, but there was nothing better then returning home from a long time away. He could hear his siblings squalling from just up the road, where his whole family was waiting for his arrival on the steps of Aubrey House. He smiled to himself, knowing his siblings would mock his tanner skin and new fashions.

As he steps out of his carriage, Colin is instantly pulled into a hug by his younger sister Hyacinth.
"Oh brother how I missed you! Gregory has been impossible to be with without you," Hyacinth complains while tightening her embrace around her brother.
"Stop winning Hyacinth, you were the one that was a drag to be with," Gregory rolls his eyes while coming up to his older brother and giving him just as big of an embrace as Hyacinths. Colin laughed to himself, glad to know that everything was still the same as he had left it.
Benedict walks up to him and hugs him with a slap to the back, "good to have you home brother!"
"Good to be back," Colin replies while slapping his brother's back, earning him a wince from Ben. "aren't you going to say hello to me as well Eloise and Francesca?"
"Everyone has been hogging you up," Francesca laughs while sweetly wrapping her brother into a hug. Colin remembered that this season, Francesca will be introduced to the swarm of suitors for her very first time. This agonizing thought made him hug his sister just a bit tighter.
"Colin! You've come back too soon I'm afraid," Eloise says with a sly smirk.
"How I've missed you too dear Eloise," Colin drags her into a hug, that Eloise was not quite expecting but glad to have from her brother that she secretly very much missed but wouldn't admit to it out loud.
"Any hugs left for your mother?" Colin's mother walks up to him in her familiar grace.
"Of course, always one for you," Colin replied. There was nothing like a hug from his mother after a long day. "Is Daphne not here?"
"No, she's been busy with her second born," His mother replied.
"Where is the Viscount Bridgerton and his new Viscountess?" Colin asks while looking up the front stairs.
"Waiting best for last of course," Anthony laughs while walking down the stairs and pulling his younger brother into his arms, "welcome home brother, you've been missed!"
"You very much have been, you and your travels have been the talk of dinner for most nights," Kate replies while waiting to give her recently new brother in-law a hug. Colin smiled at how comfortable she mixed in with his family. She was made to be Viscountess Bridgerton. 
"Hello Kate, good to see you!" Colin says while hugging Kate. "While we are on the subject of food..."
"There are some sandwiches waiting for you in the foyer," his mother smiles sweetly, knowing her son and his foodie self well. Colin smiles back appreciatively. As his family files into their home, Colin looks across the street to the home of the Featheringtons. Colin couldn't wait to speak to Penelope. He was worried something was wrong since she never replied to any of his letters.
Before stepping inside, Colin grabs Eloise's arm lightly, "Have you heard anything from Penelope? Is she well?"
"How would I know and why would I care," Eloise rolls her eyes and takes back her arm and heads inside. Interesting, Colin thought. Another thing he'd have to check on while he was back. Eloise and Penelope not getting along was unusual to him.
Colin looked back to the Featherington house once more before heading inside of his own home.

♡ ♡ ♡

Authors Note: Thank you so much for reading! This is my first fanfic so I hope it's okay :) I'm so excited for season 3 of Bridgerton that I had to write out some of my ideas for the show. I'll be following the show's storyline mostly, but I intend to bring back Colin's sarcastic and funny side from the books that are lacking in the show. And don't worry, jealous, flirty, suffering Colin will be In this haha
Please give me some ideas and things you'd like to see in this book!!

P.S. I think I got the date wrong in Colin's letter, let me know what the right date is hehe