Never You (Penelope/Colin)

Part 9

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."