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Chapter Text

“Ow! That was my rib!” 

“Well then scoot over, I want to see them!” 

The neighborhood women of a quiet Bloomsbury suburb were currently pushing their way in front of the window to get a glimpse of the new couple moving in across the street. The three-bedroom, modern craftsman had officially been sold months ago, and the neighbors were anxious to find out who bought it. There was currently a large moving truck parked out front, but no sign of inhabitants. 

“Oh look, here they come!” 

Three sets of eyes turned to look out the window once more when a posh looking SUV pulled into the driveway. A tall, handsome, brunette man hopped out of the driver seat and practically skipped over to the passenger door to open it. A small redhead bounded out and threw herself into his arms.  

The women in the window watched with enrapt fascination as the young couple walked hand in hand up their stone walkway. The redhead unlocked their front door a mere second before the handsome man swept her up into his arms, carrying her over the threshold, and swiftly kicking the door shut behind him. 

“Oh god,” said Mary Edison as she turned away from the window and slumped down onto the sofa, “newlyweds. I remember being a newlywed.” 

Another woman, Eleanor Pierce, narrowed her eyes, “It’s fun while it lasts.” 

Lucy Green, the third woman, turned around with a sympathetic look on her face, “Oh come on guys, they look sweet!” 

Mary scoffed from her slumped position on the sofa, “I give ‘em six months.” 

The furniture shifted as Eleanor climbed down, “That’s generous. I’d say they have three months of that sickening bliss at best.” 

Lucy chose not to comment, she was the only one still peering out the window. 

“Oh my god, look at this! Gosh, how big is their family?” Lucy exclaimed with a point of her finger to the several other cars now pulling up outside the new house. 

The other two women resumed their previous positions over the back of the couch just in time to watch about a dozen people pile out of their vehicles and make their way to the new couple coming out to greet them. 

Mary quirked her head, “They must be his family, half of them look just like him.” 

Eleanor rubbed her temples, “I think I’d hang myself if I had to deal with that many of my in-laws.” 

Lucy repeated her earlier sentiment, “They seem sweet. Look they’re all hugging her too.” 

Eleanor and Mary stood up with a huff, not particularly wanting to observe the sentimental moment any longer than necessary. 

The moving truck was unloaded fairly quickly with so many hands pitching in. Only a few hours later the block was cleared once again, leaving the happy new couple to settle in. 

~ 

A couple of days later Penelope was unpacking boxes in the bedroom when she heard her doorbell ring. She smiled to herself, every time her new doorbell rang her heart fluttered a bit. 

She padded through the new home, opening her front door to reveal a tall blonde woman holding a plate of cookies. 

“Hi there! My name is Eleanor Pierce, I’m one of your new neighbors.” She greeted kindly. 

Penelope beamed, stepping out into her doorway to extend her hand. “I’m Penelope Bridgerton, it’s lovely to meet you!” 

Eleanor shook her hand before handing over the plate of cookies, “These are for you, a little ‘welcome to the neighborhood treat’. I hope you’ve been settling in alright?” 

Penelope accepted them gratefully, “Thank you so much! These look amazing, and yeah it’s all been wonderful so far. This place is like a little slice of heaven for my husband and I.” 

Eleanor perked up at the mention of her husband, she was dying of curiosity to meet them both. “Oh, your husband? Is he in?” 

Penelope shook her head, a small smile playing across her features. “You just missed him actually, he’s running to the store for me. His name is Colin.” 

A car pulled up and into the driveway across the street, Eleanor turned her head to watch it before facing Penelope again. 

She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, “Looks like my own husband just came home, I better be getting back. I hope to see you around soon though?” 

Penelope nodded excitedly, “I would love that and thank you again for the cookies.” 

When Penelope closed the door she leaned back on it, soaking in the domesticity of the moment. About 10 minutes later Colin returned from the store. He greeted her with a kiss and started putting the groceries away. 

“What are these, Pen?” He asked, eyeing the plate of cookies dubiously. 

Penelope looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at her husband’s appetite “They’re cookies, one of our new neighbors brought them over a little bit ago. Isn’t that sweet?” 

By the time she looked up Colin already had the plate unwrapped and a cookie half eaten, “Hey these are pretty good!” 

Penelope giggled as she walked over to Colin, wrapping her arms around his middle. She laid her head against his chest as he polished off two more cookies. 

“I want to make something to return the plate with.” She said, thinking hard. “I just don’t know what to make?” 

“Lemon bars.” 

Penelope looked up from his chest and narrowed her eyes, “You only say that because you’ve been asking me to make those for weeks.” 

Colin shrugged sheepishly, “Two birds one stone?” 

She tried to shoot him a glare, but it came out as more of a loving smirk. All he had to do was flash her his signature lopsided grin and she was done for. 

“Lemon bars it is.” She said, leaning up to give him a tender kiss. 

It took a couple more days for them to finally unpack the last box and set up all of their decorations. By that time Eleanor’s cookies were long since devoured. Penelope enjoyed about three or four before Colin got to the rest. She had some spare time on Wednesday so she set out to make the lemon bars. 

As soon as they were done chilling, she sliced them up and delicately placed them around the plate. Colin had tried to steal one, but Penelope batted his hand away. 

He recoiled as if she’d just shot him, “Hey! I only wanted one?” 

God help her, he was pouting. She couldn’t resist smirking at him, “I made a double batch, yours are in the fridge and will be ready to enjoy when we get home. Now come on, help me deliver these.” 

They toed on their shoes and set out for the short walk across the street to Eleanor’s. Penelope carried the plate, she truly didn’t trust it in Colin’s hands. 

It only took a few seconds for Eleanor to open her door, “Penelope,” she greeted before turning towards Colin, looking him up and down, “and you must be Mr. Bridgerton?” 

Colin offered a beguiling smile and extended his hand, “Please, call me Colin.” 

“I’m Eleanor Pierce, great to finally meet you both! Would you like to come in for a second?” She stepped back, gesturing inside. 

Colin and Penelope accepted and stepped in to see two other women seated around a coffee table in the living room. Eleanor led them over, “Colin, Penelope, these are some of the other wives in the neighborhood. This is Mary Edison and Lucy Green.” 

Colin and Penelope shook each of their hands and introduced themselves. 

Penelope perked up, almost forgetting her purpose for coming over. “I have your plate, and I made lemon bars!” 

Eleanor smiled as she took the plate from Penelope, “How thoughtful? Thank you.” She set the plate down on the coffee table next to some tea and sandwiches. “We have a little book club meeting every Wednesday. You’re welcome to join us today if you’d like?” 

Penelope looked up at Colin, who smiled and nodded back down at her, “You have fun here. I’ll have dinner ready for when you get back.” 

Penelope batted her eyelashes and tilted her head up to him, “Sounds good, my love.” He leaned down to give her a small kiss before turning to the rest of the women. “It was lovely to meet you all, don’t keep my wife too long, please. I fear I’ll miss her terribly.” 

Penelope blushed, “Colin!” He just laughed and gave her one last quick peck on the cheek before letting himself out. When Penelope turned back to the three women they all shared identical looks of astonishment. 

Penelope’s face fell, “Is everything okay?” 

They all exchanged glances with each other before looking back to Penelope, her stomach was in knots from their silence. 

“Your husband, he’s uh…” Mary trailed off, Lucy could sense Penelope’s distress, “He seems amazing!” She finished for her friend. 

Penelope smiled and her shoulders visibly relaxed as she took a seat in the free chair next to her, “Oh yes. He’s wonderful.” 

Eleanor cleared her throat, “tea?” She offered a teacup out to Penelope, who accepted happily, “Thank you.” 

Mary straightened in her seat, “So tell us a bit about yourself. Do you work?” 

Penelope sipped her tea and nodded, “Colin and I are both writers. We work from home though, so our schedules are pretty flexible.” 

Lucy perked up at that, “You should start coming to book club regularly then! We’d be happy to have you.” 

Mary and Eleanor exchanged a glance before giving their agreement, “We’re reading Pride and Prejudice.” 

Penelope let out a small gasp, “I love that book! It’s one of my favorites. Although I guess I would say that about any Austen novel.“

Mary leaned forward in her seat, “To be truthful we rarely ever talk about the book. It’s nice to have an escape though, you know?” 

Penelope asked them some questions to get to know more about the girls, but it wasn’t long before the conversation swung back to her. Eleanor finally asked the question they’d all been burning to know.

“So how long have you and Colin been married?” 

A peaceful smile washed over Penelope, “Two and a half years now.” 

Lucy froze mid bite and Mary nearly spit out her tea. “But we thought you were newly we- ow!” Mary jabbed Lucy in the ribs with her elbow. 

Penelope quirked her head to the side, “Did you say newlyweds? Why would you think that?” 

Eleanor recovered quickly, “You two just seem like you’re in the honeymoon phase right now. That’s all.” 

Penelope’s smile returned, “Oh well, I guess you could say we never left it.” 

Mary and Eleanor were strangely quiet after that, it made Penelope uneasy. Lucy must have been able to sense the tension because she spoke up again, “What kind of stuff do you and Colin write?” 

Penelope appreciated the shift in conversation, “I mostly write romance novels. I have two published so far and I’m working on my third right now actually. Colin writes for a travel blog.” 

Lucy nodded along, picking up one of Penelope’s lemon bars, “A travel blog? That sounds exciting. Is he gone for work a lot?” 

Mary and Eleanor were still strangely quiet, but their faces seemed to soften a bit when Penelope answered, “He used to travel a lot more. They don’t call him out as frequently anymore, but he’s been all over the place.” 

Mary nodded understandingly, “My husband used to “travel for work” quite often as well.”

Penelope scrunched her brow at Mary putting air quotes around “travel for work”. The insinuation made her stomach churn. 

Penelope felt inclined to defend Colin, “Well he would always take me with him, so it wasn’t so bad.”

Eleanor’s lips parted slightly, “He would take you with him? On work trips?” 

Penelope glanced around the room and noticed all three women seemed to share the same shocked expression, again. 

She started feeling a little nervous, “work trip is kind of a loose term since traveling was his job. The company he works for would send him places to review tourist spots and restaurants and that sort of thing. He would usually need to be gone for weeks or sometimes even months at a time, so he’d just bring me along. I mean, I could write from anywhere as long as I had my laptop. It was a unique experience, but it helped us travel all over the world together.” 

Eleanor’s face seemed to harden and Mary looked down at her lap, Lucy glanced over at the two women before turning back to Penelope, “That uh, that sounds pretty amazing.” She didn’t sound as enthusiastic as she did before.

Eleanor suddenly set her teacup down and stood up, “Well it’s getting late and I’m sure that perfect husband of yours has dinner waiting so,” then she was ushering Penelope out the door. 

Penelope felt like the world was spinning, she wasn’t quite sure what had just happened. “Oh okay, well thank you for having me over. I-“ 

“Oh sure, it was lovely getting to know you Penelope and uh, thank you again for the lemon bars. Feel free to stop by next week.” Eleanor said quickly before practically slamming the door right in Penelope’s face. 

The sound of the door thudding shut reverberated throughout her chest. Penelope’s feet were frozen in place as she stared at the pattern carved on the door for a couple of seconds. She took a deep breath before finally turning and walking back to her own home. 

She opened her front door and shut it softly, removing her shoes without a sound by the doormat. 

“Pen?” Colin called out from the kitchen, “Are you home?” 

Penelope still couldn’t manage words as she walked into the dining room. Colin was plating dinner, a dish towel thrown lazily over his shoulder. “I made-” he paused when he looked up at her. His smile fell, replaced by a look of concern, “Pen? What’s wrong?” 

He circled the dining table until he was at her side, taking both her hands in his. “Pen talk to me, did something happen?” 

Penelope looked up into his deep blue eyes, worry seeping through them. She swallowed hard before looking down at their joined hands, “I don’t…” she paused to swallow again, “I don’t think they like me?” 

Colin quirked a brow, “Who? Those girls?” 

Pen nodded dumbly. Colin furrowed his brows and gave her hands a light squeeze, “Why would you think that, love? You were only with them for a little while?” 

Penelope shook her head, her eyes unfocused, “I’m not entirely sure? Nothing even happened really, that’s the most confusing part. One minute I was talking with them and they seemed so nice and the next? I’m just not sure, by the end it felt like I was talking with my mother, and I think, well I think she slammed the door in my face?” 

Colin pulled her in for a firm hug, “I’m so sorry Pen, that’s quite odd. I’m sure it’s nothing you did, love.” 

Penelope wrapped her arms tightly around him and allowed his strong arms to ground her. Once she’d regained her composure a bit more they sat down to eat dinner. She gave him more details of the afternoon, but for the life of her, she just couldn’t understand where she went wrong?

Chapter Text

Book Club POV:

The second Eleanor slammed the door she hurried back to the living room, “Okay they have to be faking it right? Because what the actual fuck was that?” 

Mary set her teacup down with a slam, “I mean who takes their wife on work trips? Assistants? Sure. Twenty year old secret girlfriends? Sure, but your actual wife?” 

Lucy was rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, “do you guys really think she’s going home to dinner being made? David hasn’t made me dinner in months…” She trailed off as she tugged at a loose thread on her dress. 

Eleanor scoffed, “Yeah well, David can barely remember which shoe goes on which foot, so try not to give him too much credit.” 

Mary scowled at Eleanor, “Hey! Go easy on her would you?” 

Eleanor plopped back down on the couch dramatically, “I’m sorry Luce, I didn’t mean to be rude. I just felt like if I had to hear one more perfect detail I was gonna rip my hair out!” 

Lucy shrugged, “It’s alright El, I’m not mad. God, did you see his face too? And his chest and arms and Christ! I just wanted to climb him like a fucking tree!” 

Mary and Eleanor gaped at Lucy before breaking into wide grins, “Lucy Green! I can’t say I’ve ever heard you talk like that!” 

Lucy pursed her lips, “Oh please! You two know me, I’m all talk. Besides we were all thinking it.” She finished with a pointed smirk. The other two girls nodded in agreement. 

Eleanor shook her head, “two years though? And they’re still acting like that?” 

Mary snapped her fingers and pointed to Eleanor, “She didn’t mention anything about children did she?” 

Lucy gasped, “She didn’t!” 

Mary put her hands up exasperated, “Of course! I’m sure it’s easy to stay all young and in love like that before kids!” 

Lucy sank into her seat and rested her cheek on her palm, sulking. “I remember David before we had our first. He was so spontaneous, he still can be! Sometimes I just feel like I’m background noise to him though.” 

The two older women comforted their friend. Lucy had been married for the shortest amount of time compared to Eleanor and Mary. They were no strangers to marital troubles and distant husbands, but Lucy’s own relationship had only just recently taken a turn south. The book club finished early, so Mary and Lucy headed back to their own homes, but not without casting one last glance towards Colin and Penelope’s home.

~ 

After talking it over with Colin, Penelope decided not to return to the book club next Wednesday. She didn’t need the negativity, and Penelope was confident enough in herself to know that not everyone was going to like her, and that’s okay. 

Almost two weeks had passed since that day she returned Eleanor’s plate. Colin and Penelope had settled in nicely. They were getting their writing done and enjoying sharing new domestic firsts. 

It was a Tuesday when Colin decided to go on a morning run through the neighborhood. He’d jogged around the block a few times and was just about to circle back when a familiar face ran past him on the path. She stopped her jog and turned around when she saw him. 

The short woman smiled and jogged back over to Colin, he recognized this woman.

She looked like she wanted to talk to him, so Colin took his earbuds out. She had a wide smile as she looked at him. 

“Colin right? It’s Lucy! Good to see you out and around!” She was very animated and bubbly as she spoke. 

Colin, on the other hand, crossed his arms and squared his shoulders, offering a forced smile. “Lucy, I remember.” He said curtly. 

A little bit of the animation left her demeanor, “How have you and Penelope been? We missed her at book club last week.” 

Colin’s jaw tightened, “we’re good.” 

Lucy’s shoulders sagged and she sighed, briefly closing her eyes. “I guess Penelope told you how it went last time, huh?” 

Colin raised an eyebrow, his posture still defensive. “Penelope tells me everything.” 

Lucy nodded sheepishly, “Of course. Honesty, that’s a great quality for a marriage.” 

Colin stared at her for a couple of seconds before uncrossing his arms, “Right. Well I’m just gonna-“ 

Lucy winced and put her hands up, “Wait! Please I’m sorry. I’ve been told I can be a little awkward sometimes when I’m nervous, just,” she paused to wipe her palms on her shorts, “we never meant to make Penelope feel unwelcome. Mary and Eleanor are always wary of new people, it was just an off day, you know? Either way, that’s no excuse! Penelope is so sweet and we never should’ve treated her the way we did.” 

Colin’s expression visibly softened and he let out a long sigh, “You guys were the first people she’d met here, and she still doesn’t even really know what she did?” 

“Nothing! She did absolutely nothing, it was all us. Listen, could you please just tell her to return to book club tomorrow? I give you my word it’ll be a totally different experience for her, a positive one.” Lucy said quickly. 

Colin pursed his lips, “I don’t know? She was really hurt.” 

Lucy looked genuinely upset, “Look I promise, I will talk with Mary and Eleanor and we’ll all be on our best behavior.” 

Colin took another long moment to think before he nodded, “I’ll talk to her about it, but I can’t promise she’ll want to go.” 

Bubbly, animated Lucy returned and she clapped her hands twice, the large smile reappearing on her face. “Perfect! That’s all I ask, thank you Colin!” She said before jogging off again. 

Colin finished his run shortly after, coming home to Penelope starting breakfast. 

He called out to her as he came in and she skipped out of the kitchen over to him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. 

“Mmh, I missed you,” Penelope mumbled against his lips before she pushed him down onto the sofa, wasting no time in straddling his lap. 

Colin’s hands instinctively landed on her hips, “I’m all sweaty.” 

Penelope smirked, “I know.” She whispered as she leaned down to kiss him. He eagerly kissed her back for a moment before he pulled away slightly, Penelope took that as an opportunity to start kissing down his jaw. 

“So uh, I ran into someone jogging.” He said as her lips trailed their way down his neck. 

“Oh yeah?” She murmured absentmindedly against his skin, “Who?” 

Penelope was trailing her hands down the hard planes of his chest as she reached his pulse point with her lips. 

Colin’s eyes fluttered closed as he managed to choke out, “Um uh, Lucy, Lucy Green, I think her name is? From that book club.” 

Penelope froze her attentions as she sat back up, “Lucy? What did she want?” 

Colin mentally cursed himself for not choosing a better time to bring this up. Penelope’s hands had stopped their downward exploration and she was now looking at him curiously. There would be no swaying her attention back now. 

Colin clicked his tongue, “Well, she asked me to invite you to book club again tomorrow.” 

Penelope furrowed her brows, “But they don’t like me?” 

Colin shrugged, “From what she told me everyone was just having an off day. She assured me that you’d have a better experience if you went tomorrow.” 

Penelope bit her lip, “What do you think I should do?” 

Colin quirked his head at her lovingly, “It’s not up to me, Pen. But I think it can’t hurt to give it another shot. It might be nice to be friends with our neighbors.” 

Penelope’s eyes darted to the side before she huffed, “I’ll think about it.” 

Colin smiled warmly at her, “Good. Now,“ his expression turned lustful as his grip on her hips tightened and he pulled her closer, “where were we?” Penelope’s grin returned as she met his lips again, her hands tangling into his hair. Breakfast was temporarily forgotten.

~ 

The next day Penelope was wringing her hands nervously in front of her as she sat by the door. 

Colin was gently rubbing her shoulders, “Pen, it’s gonna be great. You shouldn’t stress over things you can’t control.” 

Penelope released an uneven breath, “I should’ve called Eloise for backup. See them try to be unkind to me with Eloise glaring her daggers. She would’ve hit someone if she was there last time.” 

Colin threw his head back to laugh, “I certainly think you can hold your own perfectly fine without my sister.” 

Penelope turned around to face him, a sad smile on her lips, “I miss her.” 

Colin nodded understandingly, “I know, I’m sure she misses you a great deal too, Pen.” 

Eloise and Penelope had been roommates for years before she married Colin. Even after they were married, Eloise only lived about five minutes away from their flat. 

Penelope sighed, “This is the first time in what feels like my whole life that I’ve been so far away from her.” 

Colin stood up and grasped her hands, gently raising her to her feet, “She’s not so far away? We only moved to Bloomsbury.” He said in a playful tone. 

Penelope scoffed, “I know, I know. It’s just not the same. I miss my best friend, Colin.” Penelope pressed herself forward into his arms. 

He dutifully held her close, his thumb tracing small circles on her back. “Perhaps you go see her this weekend. Two days of Eloise all to yourself. That should do you some good, right?” 

Penelope looked up at him, an excited gleam in her eye for the first time all morning. “Really?” 

Colin smiled and gave her a reassuring nod, “In the meantime, you can try to make some new friends here. They’ll never be Eloise, you and I both know that, but perhaps they could become something else. Hmm?” 

She groaned and reluctantly extracted herself from his embrace, “God I hate it when you’re right.” 

Colin couldn’t help but laugh and roll his eyes, “Go on now, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to be late.” 

Penelope grabbed her bag and put a hand on the doorknob before turning back for a kiss. “I love you.” 

Colin gently cupped her cheek with one hand as he kissed her back, “I love you too.” 

Penelope held her chin high as she set out for the short walk across the street, her old copy of Pride and Prejudice tucked neatly under her arm. She paused only a moment to collect herself before knocking confidently on the door. She held her breath until Eleanor opened up, wearing a surprisingly warm smile. 

“Penelope! It’s good to see you again. Please, come on in.” 

Penelope stepped inside to a familiar setting. Tea and biscuits were set up on the coffee table again and everyone was in the same seats as the last time she attended. Penelope decided to follow the unspoken seating chart and sit in the open chair again. 

Lucy broke the ice, “We’re really glad you came back.” Lucy turned towards the other women with a pointed glare, tilting her head slightly in Penelope’s direction. 

Mary cleared her throat, “We are also sorry if we made you feel unwelcome, the last time you were here.” 

Mary turned towards Eleanor, giving her the same pointed look Lucy wore. Eleanor swallowed hard, “Yes, very sorry. It was never our intention.” 

Penelope smiled at the three girls across from her, fighting the urge to not say “It’s okay”. Because it wasn’t okay, and Penelope knew it. 

Instead, she nodded, “Thank you, I appreciate you saying that.” 

The room felt stale again so Penelope decided to try to switch topics, “I brought the book! I know you mentioned you don’t talk about it, but I wanted to be prepared just in case.” 

Mary made a bit of a pouting face, “You’re adorable. Goodness, I haven’t brought my book in weeks.” 

Eleanor snorted, “Genuinely I think I lost mine.” 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders peppily, “That’s okay, Penelope has a copy and you told us that it was one of your favorite books right? Tell us about which part you like the best?” 

Mary smiled along, “Yes actually, I think I’d like to hear about that too. It’ll almost make me feel like we’re in an actual book club.” 

That made Penelope giggle before she picked up her book, delving into an explanation about her favorite chapter. The girls seemed to actually be interested and Penelope found herself having fun. They didn’t pay much attention to the book after Penelope finished talking. They chose to move on to other topics, going into a bit more detail about their lives. Penelope made sure to ask questions this time, not wanting to feel like she was under a microscope again. 

After a couple of hours Penelope decided to head out, Lucy had an early start to her day tomorrow so she left with Penelope. Lucy lived across the street and two houses down. 

“I’m really glad you came back. It’s kinda nice having another young person in the group.” Lucy said giving Penelope’s shoulder a nudge. “Can I ask how old you are anyway?” 

Penelope grinned, “I’m twenty four.” 

Lucy let out a small gasp, “Oh man, you’re even younger than I thought you were! I just turned thirty one, but Mary and Eleanor still have about a decade on me.” 

Suddenly her eyes widened and she turned to face Penelope, “Please don’t tell them I told you that.” 

Penelope made a zipping motion across her lips, “Your secret is safe with me, don’t worry.” 

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief before Penelope continued, “I better get home. Colin ordered a pizza and if I don’t get back soon I’ll be lucky if he leaves me the crusts.” 

Lucy giggled before nodding, “I gotta get started on dinner soon too. I’ll see you next week?” 

Penelope nodded and the two girls parted ways. Penelope could hardly contain herself as she returned home. She greeted Colin, who was taking out plates and cups in the kitchen. 

She walked over and hopped up onto the counter, lightly swinging her legs back and forth, “I did it!” She exclaimed cheerfully. 

Colin smirked back at her, “I take it that means it went well then?” 

Penelope opened the box of pizza next to her and took out a slice, “Night and day compared to last time. I’m not quite so sure what changed, but honestly, I’m too excited to even care!” 

Colin bracketed his arms on both sides of the counter next to her and leaned forward to kiss her. “I’m so happy to hear that, Pen. And I’m proud of you for going again, couldn’t have been easy.” He finished grabbing his own slice and leaning back on the counter across from her. 

Penelope’s eyes lit up, “Oh my god! Get this, Mary is hosting a barbecue next month, and she invited us both.” 

Colin took a bite of his pizza, his eyes lost in thought as he smiled, “We’re like, real life people now aren’t we?” 

Penelope nodded eagerly, “I think so! We live in a house and have neighbors who invite us to things and you’re probably gonna mow the lawn at some point!” 

Colin was positively beaming at her as he set his slice down and rushed forward to wrap his arms around her waist. He lifted her off the counter and gave her a little spin around their kitchen as she giggled before he set her down. 

Penelope wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. 

Colin’s arms tightened around her waist as he pulled back to rest his forehead against hers, “Have I told you how much I love you recently?” 

Penelope bit her lip as she smiled, “Yes, but it never hurts to hear it again.”  

Chapter Text

The drive to Eloise wasn’t long per se, about forty-five minutes given London traffic. In all honesty, Penelope enjoyed the lengthy trip. England wouldn’t be England if there wasn’t at least a light drizzle outside. The pitter patter of raindrops on the passenger window was almost calming. 

Colin’s hand rested firmly on Penelope’s thigh, even as she bounced her leg anxiously, his presence was always comforting. It was a mostly silent car ride, music playing randomly on shuffle as they slowly left the suburbs and went back into the bustling city. 

Their move in day was the last time Penelope had seen Eloise face to face, and that was a whole month ago. Oh sure, they texted daily, but it wasn’t the same. Penelope couldn’t help but fear that things would be different. How could they not be when the dynamic they’ve steadfastly followed for the past two decades suddenly turned upside down? Penelope would never forgive herself if she let her relationship with Eloise fizzle. She was the most important person in Penelope’s life, well… besides her husband. 

The rain eased up as they approached the familiar streets, only a few minutes away now.

“I’m going to miss you,” Penelope said swiftly, turning to Colin with a soft smile. 

Colin smirked, his eyes still focused on the road ahead, “You say that now, but as soon as you lay eyes on El, all thoughts of me are gonna fly out the window.” 

Penelope giggled and swatted his arm playfully, “That’s not true and you know it.” 

Colin rolled his eyes but kept quiet. It was absolutely true. 

The car slowed as they entered the windy roads leading up to the row of flats. Eloise was waiting at the entrance of the lobby, her head jerking from side to side as she scanned the roads for their car. Her face lit up as Colin pulled up to the curb. Eloise all but ripped the passenger door open, Penelope stumbling out directly into her arms. 

A warm feeling flooded Penelope’s chest. Dear God she’d missed Eloise. 

Their reunion was interrupted by Colin clearing his throat. “Hello to you too, El.” 

The two girls finally broke apart, one arm still wrapped around the other’s waist. 

Eloise narrowed her eyes at her brother, “What kind of husband are you? Not even offering to bring her bag inside?” 

Colin scoffed and put the car in park. He went around and grabbed his wife’s duffel bag from the boot. Truly it was like he wasn’t even there, Penelope and Eloise were already talking at a million miles a minute as they made their way back into the lobby. 

Colin set her bag down in Eloise’s spare room and came back out to the living room. He pulled Penelope in for a kiss, not missing the gagging noises Eloise was making beside them. 

Penelope pulled back with a grin, “I’ll miss you.” 

Colin chuckled and shook his head, “No you won’t.” 

“No, she won’t.” 

The couple turned and saw Eloise with her arms crossed, an arrogant smirk plastered across her face. 

Penelope giggled and said goodbye to Colin one last time before he headed out. Eloise put on the kettle and then the two best friends sat themselves down on the couch. 

Eloise grabbed both her hands and squeezed, “Alright, tell me everything.” 

~ 

Eloise went through what seemed to be the five stages of grief at Penelope’s experience with her neighbors. She was pacing the living room as Penelope sipped tea on the couch. 

“You should’ve called me the second they started acting bitchy!” 

Penelope smiled and shook her head. “What good would that have done? I can fight my own battles, El. This isn’t secondary school and those women aren’t Cressida Cowper.”

Eloise had her thumbnail between her teeth when she turned slowly to Penelope. The anger and fight oozing out of her, replaced by that sorrowful feeling one gets when they feel nostalgic. 

Eloise walked back to the couch and slumped down onto the cushions, curling into Penelope’s side. “Sometimes I think us Bridgertons were born knowing to always protect Penelope Featherington.” 

Penelope’s breath caught in her throat, she’d been integrated into the Bridgerton family for as long as she can remember, but that doesn’t mean hearing things like that wouldn’t still take her breath away. 

“Oh,” Penelope hugged her friend a little tighter, “I do love you, Eloise Bridgerton.”

Eloise smiled and pressed a little kiss to Penelope’s shoulder, “You should’ve married me instead.” 

And just like that the tension in the air dissipated and they were back to being just Pen and El. Same as they were a decade ago, same as they’ll be forever. 

Penelope couldn’t help but throw her head back and laugh, “I would’ve. You never asked.” 

~ 

Colin made sure to busy himself while Penelope was away for the weekend. If he’s going to miss her terribly anyway, might as well miss her and be productive. 

He fixed the leak under their sink and reattached the broken handle on their dresser. He did yard work and meal prep and cleaned from top to bottom. Finally, as Sunday neared he took a little day to relax, jogging, television and take out. All the while counting down the hours until his sister dropped off his wife. The weekend had been unusually sunny. Colin hadn’t bothered to close the blinds, what’s the point in having massive windows if you don’t use them? 

~ 

“What the actual fuck.” Mary seethed through gritted teeth. 

Eleanor, Mary and Lucy once again found themselves propped across the back of Eleanor’s couch, staring into the window of the house across the way. 

Mary scoffed, “He’s been cleaning for hours! And before that he made their yard look perfect.” She swallowed, hard. “What do you guys think his angle is?”

Lucy sighed wistfully and turned back around, letting herself slide down the back of the cushions. “I don’t think he has an angle.” 

Eleanor shook her head, her eyes still glued to Colin vacuuming his living room. “No, there’s gotta be some kind of angle. Maybe he wants to get lucky?” 

As soon as the words came out of Eleanor’s lips all the girls let out a bitter chuckle. 

“I’m sure he has no trouble in that department. Penelope is glued to his side. I think he’s just doing this… because he wants to?” Lucy could barely fathom the concept even as she said it. “I wish David would-” 

Mary rolled her eyes, “I thought we agreed no husband talk? I’m already spending so much time with Henry planning this bloody barbecue. I don’t know why he insists on holding this party every year, he does none of the work.” Mary’s chest was heaving slightly as she finished her sentence. A familiar anger brewing deep in her chest.

Eleanor shook her head absentmindedly, “For decades I’ve done all the cleaning, all the shopping, all the parenting. Genuinely I don’t think Jeff even knows how to work the vacuum?” 

The girls all continued to watch the perfectly perfect husband across the way. A delicious form of self torture, eyes glued to the window no matter how badly they wanted to look away. It was like a bad car crash. 

No that wasn’t quite right. 

If anything their lives were the bad car crash, smoking and leaking and damaged beyond repair. Penelope’s life was the shiny new sports car that had pulled up to the scene of the wreckage, just to watch and gloat. 

“Incoming!” 

Lucy managed to warn her friends as another car started pulling into the driveway and Colin made his way outside. 

The three women had their backs awkwardly scrunched and pressed against the back of the couch. 

“I think Penelope is home. I saw a flash of red hair in the passenger seat.” Lucy whispered. 

Mary and Eleanor both turned to her with matching looks of confusion.

“Uh, Luce?

“Why are you whispering?” 

Lucy quirked her head and thought for a moment before turning back. “Oh, I’m not sure?” 

Eleanor rolled her eyes as Mary dared another little peak over the couch. “I’m just guessing here but I think that could be his sister with Penelope. They look almost identical. Wide smiles, brown hair?”

Eleanor put her head in her hands, “Oh Christ, we’re gonna have to hear all about this on Wednesday.” 

Mary shook her head as her voice took on a high pitched nature, seemingly intended to mock Penelope’s voice. “Colin cleaned the whole house! Colin cooked me dinner! Oh, isn’t Colin just perfect!” 

Eleanor sighed and exchanged a tired glance with her friend, “I’ll bring the wine.”

~ 

True to her word, for book club on Wednesday, instead of tea and pastries there was wine and a cheeseboard with some cured meats. 

Mary, Eleanor and Lucy already had their glasses poured and ready when the doorbell rang. Eleanor downed her glass before moving to let Penelope in. 

Mary held up two bottles before Penelope could even set her bag down, “Red or white?” 

“Oh,” Penelope looked down at the spread and scrunched her nose, “Uh, neither actually. I’m alright for now, but thank you.” 

Lucy frowned, “You don’t drink?” 

Penelope bit her lip to keep from smiling too big, “Well, Colin and I aren’t really telling people. I mean obviously our family knows, but,” she looked between the three faces staring back at her, “I’m pregnant.” 

A collective gasp and then genuine smiles all around. 

“Penelope, that’s amazing! Congratulations!” Lucy exclaimed as she got up to give Penelope a little hug, already slightly tipsy. 

Penelope was positively beaming as she sat down. “Thank you, I’m only about three months along. We didn’t want to make it super public knowledge until we got through the first trimester.” 

The girls peppered Penelope with questions and oddly enough, support. 

Mary reclined in her seat as she leisurely sipped wine, “You picked a great neighborhood to raise a family. Really good community support.” 

Eleanor nodded in agreement, “Definitely. We’ll bring over dinners and diapers. Plus so many hand me downs.“ 

“I would never have survived my pregnancy without Mary and Eleanor,” Lucy added.  

Penelope let out a wistful sigh, “I can’t thank you guys enough. I already feel so smothered by Colin.” 

The girls chatted and Eleanor put on the kettle so Penelope could have something to drink. The rest of the afternoon was spent swapping baby stories and advice. By the time Penelope returned home, she was on cloud nine. 

“Colin?” She checked the kitchen and the dining room before calling out a little louder, “Colin!” 

“In here!” Came the familiar voice from around the hallway. 

Penelope made her way into their bedroom. Colin was measuring the wall and fuck. 

He had his tool belt on. 

“How was book club?” Colin asked, still facing their accent wall. 

Pregnancy hormones were no joke. Penelope actually licked her lips, “What’re you doing?” 

Colin registered her ignoring his question, but he just decided to circle back to it later. 

“I’m trying to decide where our wedding picture would look best.“ 

Penelope glanced down to his right, the specific framed picture from their wedding was a candid shot Hyacinth had taken. It was during the cake cutting where both of them had icing on their cheeks and fingers, and the brightest, most genuine of smiles. 

Penelope bit her lip as she started unbuttoning her blouse, “Colin?” 

He was marking the wall with a pencil, presumably where he was going to hang the frame. “One second, my love.”

Penelope cleared her throat and spoke up a little louder. “Colin?” 

Penelope got the last button undone just in time for him to turn around. Her heart still did little flips whenever his eyes would widen and his jaw would go slack. 

Colin dropped the pencil, “God, I love you.” He mumbled as he crossed the room in two strides to wrap his arms around her. 

~ 

It was a lazy afternoon, with cloudy skies but no rain. They were lounging in bed after their mid day excursion in the sheets. Penelope was nestled into Colin’s side as she idly traced circles along his chest. 

“So, don’t be mad at me, but I kinda let it slip to the girls that I’m pregnant.” 

Colin pouted dramatically, “I thought we were waiting to tell people?” 

Penelope stifled a giggle, sometimes her husband looked too cute for words. 

“I know, and I promise it’s not like I volunteered the information. They didn’t have tea out today, they were all drinking wine. If I didn’t spill they surely would’ve figured out why I wasn’t drinking.” 

Colin shrugged his shoulders, “Well I guess it’s alright. You’ll probably start showing in a month or so? People are bound to find out eventually.” 

Penelope nodded, still carding her fingers through his coarse chest hair, “They were very sweet again. Apparently they really embody “it takes a village”. Said they’d be willing to help out however we needed.” 

Colin hummed to himself, “We’ll barely get any time with our baby, all these hands on deck.” 

Penelope knew their first child would be no easy feat. Sleepless nights and a bone deep exhaustion was surely ahead of them, but a little part of her also knew it wouldn’t be so bad with so much support. 

It was only a few days before the barbecue at Mary’s house. She had asked Eleanor to accompany her shopping since Henry refused. Mary loathed this damn barbecue. She always ended up planning the entire thing, buying all the food, cooking all the sides and doing all the cleanup. The only thing her husband ever did was grill. Despite her doing all the work, Henry would certainly get all the praise. She couldn’t wait for it to be over. 

The two women were pushing their shopping carts side by side when Eleanor spoke up. “Okay, can we please talk about Penelope? Lucy refuses to gossip with me.” 

Mary gave Eleanor a side eye with a matching smirk, “The fall is gonna be so bad for that poor girl. Like Icarus.” 

Eleanor sighed dramatically, “Oh tell me about it! I can’t even imagine. Colin’s gonna do what they all do. The switch flip is gonna shock her, but we’ll be there. Just like with Lucy.” 

Mary nodded in agreement as she grabbed a few cans of beans off the shelf. “At least David wasn’t a saint, Lucy saw it coming even if she didn’t want to admit it. But Colin? Oh, Penelope’s gonna be blindsided when he suddenly stops putting in all the effort!” 

Eleanor let out something halfway between a scoff and a chuckle, “I knew he couldn’t be real. No man is that perfect. Men always lose interest once the kids are born.” 

Mary nodded sadly, “Is it bad that I’m a bit excited to see how Colin’s gonna act in a crowd? I’m totally gonna interrogate Henry for every little detail about him after the party. I want to know how he talks when it’s just guys.”

Eleanor tugged Mary down the medicine aisle. “We’ve barely interacted with him. Only that one conversation at book club weeks ago, I don’t think it’s wrong to be curious?” 

Mary smiled as Eleanor placed a twin pack of extra strength pain killers in the cart. A headache was surely on the way this weekend. Her friend knew her so well. 

~ 

Colin and Penelope were snuggled together under a blanket, watching a movie. Well, Colin was watching the movie.

Penelope had been typing for hours, glasses perched on the edge of her nose, tea gone cold, reheated, then cold again. 

“I’m sorry,” Penelope said without looking up from her writings. 

Colin chuckled, “What for?” 

Her ability to type different words than she was speaking couldn’t be seen as anything other than impressive. 

“I can feel you looking at me and I know the clickity clack is distracting.” 

Colin watched her with fascination. “You know I never mind. You’ve had writer's block for days, gotta get it out when you can.” 

In truth, Colin just loved watching her work. He loved watching her do anything. His wife could make watching paint dry interesting. But especially moments like these, her brain working a million miles a minute, he could watch her for hours and never get bored. 

“I promise I’m almost done.” 

Colin fought the urge to laugh, she was nowhere near done and they both knew it. “Take your time, Pen. Don’t rush on my account. I like watching you work.” 

That earned him a loving glance and a small kiss on the cheek. He refocused back on the movie, if only for about twenty minutes, before turning back to Penelope. 

“Hey, can I run something by you real quick?” He watched her nod before continuing. “I’m trying to decide what we should bring to this barbecue on Saturday?” 

Penelope purses her lips, “I’m sure the rest of the neighborhood is bringing the usual stuff. Maybe a recipe you learned while traveling?” 

Colin nodded absentmindedly, “That’s what I was thinking too. Any ideas?” 

She thought for a moment, all the while still typing away. “Something from South America.” 

Colin let out a low whistle, “Now you’re talking, wife. Alright then, help me narrow down a region. Brazil? Cuba? Mexico?” 

Penelope let out a noise that could only be described as a moan. “Mexican street corn.”

Colin felt a little proud of himself as she broke her focus to look at him. “It’s close enough to a normal side dish, but a hundred times better tasting.” 

Colin nodded thoughtfully, “Street corn it is. I’ll go to the store tomorrow.” 

Penelope typed for another few minutes before groaning, “Damn you. Now all I can think about is tacos.”

She didn’t even have to ask. Colin was chuckling to himself as he got up and put his shoes on. The nearest Mexican restaurant open this late was about a 30 minute drive. 

“I’ll be back in about an hour.” He called out from the doorway. 

“I love you,” Penelope yelled back from her seat on the couch. Colin returned the sentiment and then left. The drive took longer than expected and why was there such a long line at almost midnight? 

No matter. Drunk teenagers and traffic detours were a small price to pay for a happy, pregnant wife.  

Chapter Text

“Pen, if you take one more bite we’re not gonna have any left for the party.” 

Penelope at least had the decency to look sheepish about it as she set the spoon down. 

She covered her mouth as she finished chewing, “You made extra didn’t you?” 

Colin chuckled and rolled his eyes as he covered the bowl of street corn with plastic wrap. “Of course I did.” 

They’d been preparing to head out for this barbecue all morning. It would be their first gathering with the whole neighborhood together, and they wanted to make a good impression. 

Colin insisted his recipes tasted better fresh, so that morning he’d woken up early and grilled the corn all by himself. Lime’s were juiced and cilantro was chopped until finally he was satisfied with the finished product. 

Penelope clearly was too, judging by the fact that she had eaten around half a dozen bites already. He had asked her to taste it, just to see if it needed anything, but of course, it was perfect. A small part of her felt a bit smug knowing surely everyone would enjoy it and she’d have the opportunity to brag all about her brilliant husband. 

Penelope was once again sitting on the countertop, lightly swinging her legs back and forth. 

“You’re sure we don’t look silly?” She asked while looking between their outfits. 

Colin turned around affronted, “Of course not? Do you think we look silly?” 

Penelope was quick to backpedal, “No, no. Of course not. I think we look adorable.” 

They were matching. 

Colin had on some cream linen pants and a matching shirt, paired with a baby blue cardigan that had two white ducks embroidered on the chest. Penelope was in a white sundress with blue stitching, her heels and the bow in her hair were the same baby blue as his cardigan. 

Colin smiled softly and leaned down to kiss the crown of her head. “You worry too much.” 

She hopped off the counter and sighed, “Don’t remind me.” 

1:00 pm rolled around just in time. Colin and Penelope were all set. Colin had the food under one arm and the other wrapped around his wife’s waist. It was a short little walk over to Mary’s, just a few houses down. 

Penelope looked up at the home as they approached it. “You know I’ve never been here before. We go to Eleanor’s for book club and I walked Lucy home once, but I’ve never seen Mary’s house.” 

Colin smirked as he rang the doorbell. “Don’t snoop.” 

Penelope scoffed, “I wasn’t going to!” Her defensiveness gave her away. Sometimes Colin knew her a little too well. 

Colin merely shook his head. “Whatever you say, wife.”

Penelope shot him a glare, just as she opened her mouth to respond the front door swung open. 

Mary greeted them with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Bridgertons, welcome.” She took a step back, “please come in.” 

Mary shut the door and came up behind them, “Feel free to put whatever you brought in the kitchen. Grab a drink and then you can come meet us out back.” 

She rushed off quickly after their greeting and Penelope knit her brows together. 

“Something’s off with her.” 

Colin led her to the large kitchen with a hand on the small of her back. “How can you tell?”

Penelope gave a little shrug, her eyes still fixed on her friend outside. “I don’t know, I can just feel it.” 

Colin set the food down and grabbed her a sparkling water and himself a Coke from the ice bucket on the counter. 

“Maybe try to talk to her about it?”

Penelope nodded absentmindedly. “Perhaps later. I’m sure she’s been swamped setting everything up.”

He grabbed her hand and then gestured to the open back door. “Well then, shall we, Pen?” 

~ 

Mary already wasn’t excited for today. She would’ve chewed her nails down to the bone if Eleanor hadn’t come over early to help her set up. 

“I’m gonna kill him.” Mary seethed as she unfolded the tablecloths for outside. 

Eleanor groaned, “What did Henry do this time?” She was setting up cutlery and plates on the tables that were already finished. 

“I asked him a thousand times if he needed anything from the store. I implored him to double check and he tells me he’s all good. But surprise, surprise, the morning of he apparently forgot his secret ingredient.” 

Eleanor grimaced, “How convenient for him to miss all the setup.” She tried to give Mary a sympathetic glance, but the day was already looking worse for wear. 

As guests started filtering into her home it got easier to turn on autopilot. Busying herself with hosting was certainly one way to take her mind off the stress of today. The ring camera went off and she checked the footage on her phone. 

Mary had been standing with Eleanor and Lucy by the wine when she opened the app to see who was arriving. When she did her jaw dropped. “Oh my god.” 

Lucy whirled around. “What?” 

Mary flipped the phone so her friends could see the screen. “They’re fucking matching.” 

Lucy leaned in closer and squinted her eyes to the screen. “Is he wearing… a cardigan?” 

Eleanor leaned back and thought to herself for a minute. “I don’t think Jeff even owns a cardigan? In fact, now that I’m thinking about it, I’m not even sure he owns a sweater?” 

Mary pocketed her phone and sighed, “I’m gonna go let them in.”

~ 

Penelope gave Colin’s hand a little squeeze as she led him over to the group of friends. “Ladies, you remember Colin?” 

The women all gave polite smiles and greetings. Mary’s eyes drifted to the soda in his hand. “Colin, there’s beer in the cooler inside and some wine on the table over there?” 

Colin smiled warmly but shook his head. “Thank you, but I’m quite alright. I’m going dry with Pen until the baby is born.” 

Eleanor could feel Mary stiffen beside her as she clenched her jaw. “Of course you are,” she mumbled. 

Colin glanced at her curiously, “I beg your pardon?” 

Eleanor cleared her throat and plastered on a practiced smile, quickly changing the subject. “Colin, would you like to meet some of the other husbands in the neighborhood?” 

Mary pointed past him, “They’re all talking over there by the grill.” 

Colin and Penelope stole a glance behind them at the trio of men chatting over by the meats. 

Eleanor came up and patted his shoulder. “Come on, I’ll introduce you to everyone.” She started leading him away towards the other group. 

“Oh boys,” Eleanor called out as they approached, “this is Colin, Penelope’s husband. They just moved here recently.”

Eleanor gestured to each man one by one. “This is David, Lucy’s husband. Over here is Henry, your host and Mary’s husband and this is Jeff, my husband.” 

Colin smiled charmingly and shook each one of their hands, “It is lovely to meet you all.” 

Eleanor clapped her hands together, looking around the group before pursing her lips. “Well, I better get back to my girls, but talk amongst yourself and uh… be nice to Colin? Alright? Alright.” 

Eleanor let out a deep sigh as she walked back to her group. “What’d I miss?” 

Penelope took a sip of her water. “I was just complimenting Mary on an excellent party. You must’ve worked so hard, It looks lovely.” 

The day was warm and surprisingly sunny, and somehow Penelope’s genuine kindness made Mary's chest feel vaguely the same way. 

“Thank you, Penelope. That,” she paused to smile, “that really means a lot.” 

Penelope looked over her shoulder to the group of husbands. She had to stifle a giggle. He looked so out of place. Chestnut curls near and styled, a fancy outfit compared to the jerseys and denim the other men were wearing. 

Penelope looked down at her own outfit and then did a scan of the backyard. The blush on her cheeks grew deeper as she turned back to her friends. “Colin and I are overdressed, aren’t we?” 

Mary and Eleanor smiled as Lucy waved her off, “Who cares? You guys look absolutely adorable. How’d you get him to match with you? Or was it just a coincidence?” 

Penelope shook her head, “Colin really likes fashion. That cardigan he’s wearing was like 500£, I think he’s been looking for an excuse to wear it.” 

Lucy’s eyes widened, “Gosh. How rich are you guys?” 

Penelope giggled as the tips of her ears turned pink. “I didn’t grow up rich, but Colin did. The Bridgertons are the nicest people you’ll ever meet, you’d never expect it.” 

“So you like your in-laws then?” Eleanor questioned, “That’s lucky. I can’t stand my in-laws.” 

Mary nodded in agreement. “Henry’s mother has always been a thorn in my side.” 

Penelope glanced back at her husband, “I’m sure that’s how Colin feels about my mother.” 

Lucy leaned forward. “Oh? Come now, don’t leave us hanging?” 

She grinned thinking about how often Colin and Portia used to butt heads. “Let’s just say my mother isn’t the warmest person, Colin was never a fan of how she treated me and I think in truth, my mother was always a little insecure about the affection I held for the Bridgertons growing up.” 

Penelope glanced back again at Colin as Eleanor started ranting about how horrid her own in-laws treated her. Her gaze lingered as she took in Colin’s features. His jaw was set and his lips pressed into a thin line. The closer she looked the more she realized his knuckles turning white from gripping his soda bottle so hard, and his shoulders were rigid and tense instead of the relaxed posture they were usually in. 

“Do you guys have any idea what they’re talking about?” Penelope interrupted, her eyes still fixed on her visibly distressed husband. 

Lucy tilted her head as she followed Penelope’s gaze. “No idea?” 

“Probably us.” Mary said with a bitter chuckle, “I gave Henry an earful today, I’m sure he’s blowing off steam.” 

Penelope’s frown grew deeper, “Well that doesn’t sound very nice?” 

Eleanor shrugged, “It is what it is.” 

Penelope glanced between the women, “Well yes, but-“ 

Penelope’s sentence was cut short by the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. 

“What the fuck did you just say?!” Colin's voice boomed as he shoved Eleanor’s husband back a few feet. 

Penelope whirled around as her friends and the other party guests gasped. 

“Colin!” She yelled, rushing to his side. “Enough.” She hissed as she grabbed onto his forearm, halting his advances on the man he shoved.

The other guys were gathering around Jeff as he held his hands up in mock surrender, “Can’t take a joke, Bridgerton?”

Colin shot him a deadly look, his teeth gritted together. Penelope couldn’t for the life of her imagine what the man could’ve possibly said to arouse such a reaction out of Colin. Her sweet, charming, affable husband was never this quick to anger? 

“Colin, let’s go.” She whispered loud enough for only him to hear. His fists were clenched at his side as he continued to glare daggers at Eleanor’s husband. Everyone was frozen, staring as they waited to what would happen next. 

Penelope tugged on his arm a little harder. “Colin,” she repeated sternly, “I said let’s go.” 

Colin nodded stiffly and turned around. His anger seemed to be radiating off him in waves as he grabbed her hand in a vice like grip, quickly dragging her to the patio door. 

“Thank you for a lovely party.” He mustered out to Mary as they passed her. Penelope managed a guilty, apologetic look to the girls before Colin all but yanked her out the door. They didn’t even grab their food. 

“What the hell was that?!” She said once they were out front again.

Colin swallowed hard as he continued walking quickly back across the street. “Penelope…” 

“No! Colin, seriously I mean? Come on. You almost hit the man!” 

“And he would’ve deserved it too!” Colin seethed back as he hastily unlocked their front door. His hands were trembling as he struggled with the keys. “Fucking arseholes,” he muttered under his breath as he finally opened the door. 

Penelope followed him in quickly. “Would you just take a breath and tell me what could’ve possibly happened to make you react this way?” 

Colin looked over to his wife, his demeanor softening as he took her in. She approached him cautiously and grabbed his hand. Her gaze was concerned, but not judgmental. Colin let his eyes flutter close, sighing as he pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“They,” he paused to sigh again, “it wasn’t- it, it was what they said. Particularity about… you.”

Chapter Text

“Colin, would you like to meet some of the other husbands in the neighborhood?” 

Colin looked to Eleanor. He didn’t know too much about her, only what Penelope had shared. Not all great things as far as he heard, but everyone deserved a chance to choose kindness. 

He had to admit to himself he was a little nervous to meet these other guys. He didn’t have too many close friends. Sure he was universally adored almost anywhere he went. Perhaps it was the middle child syndrome, always charming and humorous, yet overlooked. 

Setting others at ease, even at the cost of his own comfort, was something that came naturally to him. Penelope had helped him become better when it came to putting himself first. 

All things considered, he was rather excited to make some new friends of his own. A rather large portion of his close friends ended up marrying into the family. Phillip and Michaela, both started out as his friends before falling head over heels for his sisters. 

No risk of that happening this time, he thought to himself as Eleanor led him over to the chattering group of men. 

“Oh boys,” Eleanor called out as they approached, “this is Colin, Penelope’s husband. They just moved here recently.”

Colin smiled and shook each of their hands as Eleanor made introductions before excusing herself quickly. 

David, Lucy’s husband, pointed to the cooler over by the patio door. “There’s cold beer, man.” 

Colin shook his head, sipping his Coke as if to enunciate his satisfaction with the nonalcoholic drink. “Going dry with my wife for the duration of her pregnancy.” 

Jeff and Henry scoffed, chuckling. “You’re a stronger man than I,” Henry nodded in agreement, “I could never give up beer for nine whole months. 

Colin furrowed his brows slightly but quickly regained his composure. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal to him? Penelope was growing a human from scratch. The least he could do was not drink with her in solidarity. 

“Uh, well I’ve always enjoyed the drink, but I don’t quite fancy it more than my wife.” The thought process seemed fairly obvious to Colin, no use in being rude about it though. 

David nodded along. “So you two been married long?” 

Colin sipped his drink again, glancing back at her while she laughed with her friends. The baby blue bow in her hair bouncing with each giggle. 

“Two and a half years.” 

Jeff let out a low whistle. “And you’re only just now having kids?” 

Colin returned his attention back to the group. Again, this didn’t seem like such a foreign concept to him? Lots of couples waited for the right time to have children. 

“We wanted to wait till we were ready. Penelope and I both have careers we’re passionate about.” 

Henry shrugged as he flipped some burgers on the grill. The low sizzle filled the awkward silence that followed. “Well, Mary’s father had to walk me down the aisle with a shotgun, if you know what I mean?” He punctuated the statement with an elbow into Jeff’s side, both the men chuckling in unison. 

Colin swallowed uncomfortably, noticing that David wasn’t joining in on the banter, but he wasn’t protesting it either. 

Thankfully the conversation started to flow in a more neutral direction. David brought up the upcoming Arsenal vs Chelsea. Colin smiled, this was something he could talk about. 

“My entire family is coming over to watch that game. Bridgertons are Chelsea all the way.” He glanced back at Penelope before beaming to the group, “Penelope and I are quite excited. First time we’re hosting at our new house.” 

Jeff groaned, rolling his eyes dramatically. “Bloody hell mate, try not to brag so much. Eleanor turns into a real bitch whenever I invite people over for football.”

Colin’s eyes went wide. He’d sooner rather cut off a limb than use such derogatory language towards his wife. 

“It doesn’t matter now. Watching at the pub with the boys is way better.” Henry interjected, before turning to Colin with a smirk, “Plus we get to flirt with the bartenders without shame.” 

Schooling his features was out of the question now. Colin was appalled and his facial expression surely showed it. He looked over to David, who had been rather quiet the entire conversation. He was clearly at least somewhat disturbed by the nature of the conversation, but not enough to do anything about it. 

Colin was certainly not that man. 

“Are you always this disrespectful when speaking about your wives?” 

The three men stared at him. An array of different emotions displayed. Defensive, affronted, guilty. 

“Come on, don’t be like that. We’re just messing around.” Jeff said with a smug smirk. 

“Somebody’s whipped,” Henry said with a chuckle. 

Colin gripped the neck of his bottle until his knuckles turned white. 

“If ‘being whipped’ means respecting my wife, then shit? I guess I’m whipped.” 

Henry looked to be at a loss for words and David looked like he wanted to be anywhere else on the planet. 

But Jeff?

Jeff took a short step forward. 

“We didn’t mean to ruffle any feathers. Look, can I ask you a question about Penelope? A serious one?” 

Colin's expression remained guarded. He’d never been good at reading people, that was always Penelope’s superpower. Colin trusted too much, gave people the benefit of the doubt even when they really didn’t deserve it.

He clenched his jaw and nodded. “Go ahead?” 

With a completely serious expression, Jeff crossed his arms and spoke firmly. “Do her carpets match the drapes?” 

No…. No, no, no, no, no. There is no fucking way he heard that correctly.

Colin’s voice was deadly quiet, “Excuse me?” The blood was currently pumping louder than a bass drum in his ear.

Jeff held up his hands and chuckled. “I’m just fucking with you, mate. That’s not my real question.” 

Colin felt like he was choking on his rage. His knuckles were white and strained as he gripped his Coke for dear life. Surely his teeth would shatter at any moment from how hard he was gritting them. 

“My real question is,” Jeff said pointing over Colin’s shoulder to Penelope with an arrogant smirk, “have her tits always been that big, or is it just cause she’s knocked up? 

He threw his soda bottle to the ground, mainly because if it was in his hand another second he would’ve used it to smash this bastard's head in. 

Gasps erupted through the crowded backyard as his hands connected with Jeff’s chest, pushing him as hard and as far back as he could. 

“What the fuck did you just say?!” 

He barely registered small, soft hands gripping his forearm with surprising strength. Penelope’s voice sounded muffled to his ears. His sole focus was on the man who’d just insulted his wife not once, but twice. 

David and Henry heard the entire exchange and yet they still gathered around the loud mouthed asshole. 

Jeff held up his hands again, that same smug smirk plastered to his face. “Can’t take a joke, Bridgerton?” 

He curled his fists at his sides, mentally begging Jeff to take one more micro step towards him. 

He vaguely registered Penelope’s voice attempting to remove him from the situation. But his mind was racing with questions. 

What are the odds the police get called if I knock this guy's teeth in?

If I beat this guy to a bloody pulp, how quickly would Anthony be able to post bail?

Would we have to move again if I killed this guy?

“Colin,” her voice sounded a little louder now, and he could faintly feel her tugging on his arm as she spoke again, “I said let’s go.”

The only thing he could manage was a stiff nod. He grabbed her hand, not wanting any of those men to lay eyes on her for one more second. 

He dragged her away, curtly thanking Mary before leading her the rest of the way out of the house. 

“What the hell was that?!” Penelope seethed as he started storming back across the street. 

Only then did the shame start to set in. He embarrassed them, he embarrassed her. In front of her friends and practically the entire neighborhood. 

He had to swallow the lump in his throat before he could speak her name, “Penelope…” 

“No! Colin, seriously I mean? You almost hit the man!” 

“And he would’ve deserved it too!” It sounded petulant even as the words were leaving his lips. Shame and anger were swirling around his gut, making his hands tremble as he fought to unlock their front door. 

“Fucking arseholes,” he muttered more to himself than anyone else. 

He hurried inside, wanting to be as far away from the Edison home as possible. Penelope was hot on his heels though. 

“Would you just take a breath and tell me what could’ve possibly happened to make you react this way?” 

As he turned around, he immediately softened. She looked so concerned, so worried for him. He stared at her, vulnerability shining in his eyes as she slowly approached him. She grabbed one of his hands and he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. The reality of the situation setting in. 

He was gonna have to tell her everything.

~ 

Colin was sitting on the sofa. Once he had informed her his ire had been spurred by insulting comments about her, she understood. 

Penelope had instructed him to sit as she went into the kitchen to make tea. Also to take a moment to herself. 

Foolishly, she had assumed the days of insulting comments had been behind her. There were no mean girls in the suburbs? No men who would take time to bully her appearance? 

That kind of stuff happened on the playground, in the cafeteria, with children. Not with grown adults who have their own lives? 

Oh boy, how she was wrong. 

She walked back over to where her husband was sitting rigidly on the couch. She sat down carefully as she handed one of the steaming mugs to him. 

“Alright, take it from the top. What happened?” 

Colin kept his eyes downcast as he recalled the events. Every nasty thing said about Mary and Eleanor. The way David was oddly silent the entire time. Then finally, the taunts from Jeff. 

Penelope did her best to keep her face neutral. Showing that the comments made her feel negative would only make Colin’s own guilt worse. 

They did get to her. Well, sort of? She had grown so much from the insecure girl she used to be. To her credit, the comments didn’t make her feel less about herself, but Christ they made her feel icky. 

She fought the urge to cringe at the misogyny directed towards her. 

Once Colin finished his retelling he finally looked to her. “Tell me what you’re feeling?” He said quietly. 

Penelope shrugged as nonchalantly as she could. “Grossed out, mostly. The comments on my appearance don’t hurt, just the fact that they dared to say it to you.” 

Colin gently took her mug from her hand and set it down on the coffee table. She immediately slotted herself into his arms. Fitting together like puzzle pieces as Colin sighed. The last bits of tension slowly leaving his muscles. 

“I’m so sorry, Pen-”

“Don’t you dare apologize for this. There’s not one part of it that was your fault.” Her tone was firm but still gentle. 

“I know it’s not, but my reaction…” He shook his head against her hair, “I know how much this gathering meant to you, to us. Now the whole neighborhood is going to think you married a hothead.” 

Penelope giggled at the image. Anyone who knew Colin could attest to the opposite. 

“Who gives a damn what anyone thinks? We know the truth and that’s all that matters.” 

Colin scoffed, a smirk beginning to form on his lips. “I’m surprised to hear you say that. Especially being that you’re the one who’s going to have to face a few of those people next Wednesday.” 

Penelope chuckled. “I’m pretty sure book club is not going to be too upset about what you did. From what I’ve gathered we’re pretty much the only couple on the block in a happy marriage.” 

Colin snorted. “I’m not surprised. God, the things they were saying, Pen. It makes me sick, I couldn’t fathom talking about you like that.” He finished his sentence with a shudder. 

Penelope patted his chest. “Well, I promise not to bring you to any more gatherings where those arseholes are on the guest list.” 

Colin squeezed his wife a little tighter and kissed the top of her head.

“I love you.” 

~ 

Penelope’s nerves were buzzing come Wednesday morning. She hadn’t seen any of the girls from book club since the indecent at Mary’s barbecue. She knew the other wives in the neighborhood didn’t have quite as good a relationship with their husbands as she had with Colin. But surely, they must be harboring some sour feelings over what happened. 

That’s how she found herself once again in the kitchen baking. With her mind racing the past few days she needed a good distraction. 

She also figured it couldn’t hurt to bring a peace offering of some sort to book club. 

The oven timer dinged and Penelope hurried out of the study. The smell of biscuits flooded her home. She smiled to herself as she took the shortbread out of the oven. Colin was going to be thrilled when he came home, and then immediately disappointed once he realized she was bringing the sweets to Eleanor’s. Being the loving wife she was, Penelope decided to set a few biscuits aside for when her husband returned. 

Colin was currently across town, helping Benedict hang pieces and set up his new art gallery. He was bound to be tired when he returned home and Penelope was sure some warm biscuits would make him happy. 

She started making caramel and melted down some dark chocolate. The house smelled even sweeter as the sticky sauce bubbled in the pan. Once it was to her desired thickness she poured it over her shortbreads, letting the caramel cool before adding the chocolate over it. 

She was finishing the last of the biscuits off when the front door opened. 

“Pen?” 

Penelope sighed, he wasn’t supposed to be home for another few hours. 

“Are you baking, love? The house smells amazing,” Colin called out as he followed the scent. 

The kitchen was still an absolute mess. Shortbread cooling on different racks, chocolate drippings on the counter, and some flour smudged on her nose. There was absolutely no surprising him now. 

She grinned sheepishly as he entered the kitchen. 

“I was just going to bake something small for book club. Then I figured you’d be hungry after hanging paintings all day and I wanted to surprise you.” 

Colin smiled as he closed the distance between them, Penelope was already tilting her face up in anticipation of the kiss. 

He hummed as he pulled back, reaching over her shoulder to pluck a biscuit off the rack. “You’re a very good wife, you know that?” 

She rolled her eyes at his impatience, turning back to face the counter as she started to clean up the mess she’d made. 

“Why are you home so early? I thought surely you wouldn’t return till evening?” 

The refrigerator door was open as Colin poured himself a glass of milk, likely to wash down the shortbread. 

“That was the plan. But Sophie got a flat tire on the way to the gallery from work. Benedict had to go rescue her, so we’re gonna finish the rest tomorrow.” 

Penelope nodded along as she wiped down the counter. “Is Sophie okay?” 

Colin grabbed another shortbread from the rack and dunked it in his milk. “Oh, she’s fine. Ran over a nail I think, nothing serious.” 

Penelope watched him polish off a third biscuit and quickly moved to plate the rest of them. Settling them to the edge of the dining table. 

“The rest are for book club.” She said, trying to hide her grin. 

Colin licked the sticky caramel off his fingers as he came up behind her. 

“Whatever can I do to convince you to share more with me, Mrs Bridgerton?” 

Penelope scoffed amusedly as she turned to face him, leaning back against the edge of the dining table. 

Just before their lips could meet again the doorbell rang. Penelope immediately turned her head. 

“Are we expecting someone?” She said already walking to the door. 

Curiously Colin followed close behind her. “Not that I know of?”

Penelope opened the door and her eyes widened a bit as she saw Eleanor, Mary, and Lucy standing on her doorstep. 

She couldn’t help but gulp. “Oh, uh… hello girls. I- I was actually just about to-”

All three women looked Penelope dead in the eye as Eleanor interrupted. 

“Is Colin home?”

Penelope hesitated to answer. She gave a sideways glance to her husband, the door cracked open just enough so that Penelope was in view, but Colin was hidden behind it. 

“Um, why do you ask?” 

Stupid question. She knew exactly why they were asking. Especially Eleanor, being that her husband was the direct target of Colin’s rare sign of aggression. 

Eleanor raised a brow, her eyes darting behind Penelope’s shoulders, presumably scanning the inside of her home for Colin. 

Eleanor took one step closer to the front door.

“Penelope, I think you know why.”