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“Do you think they will hate us?” Penelope said worriedly in the back of the carriage,
“Even if they do, I would argue it will take less than a second for their ire to fade”, Colin assured her.
“Are you sure?”
“I am positive”
“Even though we did not report anything out of the ordinary once in our letters?”
“Even then”
“But..”
“Pen” he said softly, “They will be fine, they will be happy for us, excited. All will be well”
“I know, I just cannot help but think of the worst-case scenario.”
“Are you not looking forward to seeing Eloise?”
“I am, of course, I am”
“But you are worried she will not understand?”
“I would argue it is not unexpected, given that we are married, but yes.”
“She will get over it, or rather, she will have to get used to it.” Colin chuckled lightly,
She squeezed his hand, although her nerves had not settled any.
The previous months for Colin and Penelope had flown by, a few days after they waved off Francesca, John, Eloise and Michaela as they headed to Scotland. They themselves left on an extended Honeymoon tour. They saw France, Spain, Italy, Greece and even stopped off in Ireland on their way back, and they saw a lot of each other, although that wasn’t reserved for just the honeymoon, or the wedding in fact. Which meant as they returned to London, heading for a reunion with the family at Bridgerton house before the start of the season, they were decidedly not alone.
When the carriage stopped, Penelope’s worry only intensified.
“I fear I may lose the contents of my stomach” she chuckled uncomfortably, until she saw his concerned face, “I won’t, I just feel as though I am”
He nodded comfortingly, then stepped out of the carriage and helped her down carefully, doing the same for Rae behind her.
“How should we do this?” She asked,
“What if I go in first and make sure they are not…I do not know, armed?”
She giggled at that,
“Or perhaps calm would be a better descriptor, then you can come in after and then…”
“That sounds sensible, lead the way, Mr Bridgerton”
“Hello, Family” Colin announced, stepping into the drawing room.
“Colin!” Hyacinth shrieked, being the first one to her feet to hug him,
“Son, it is wonderful to see you, you look well” Violet said, being the next.
“Where is Penelope?” Gregory, surprisingly, was the first to ask.
“Yes, what exactly have you done to my best friend?” Eloise grunted from the couch, book in hand as usual.
Colin couldn’t resist the snort that escaped him with the innuendo of her question, but disguised it quickly as a cough.
“Penelope is here, but you all need to sit before she comes in. No rushing to her or yelling or being overexcitable, got it? Say your hellos carefully, please”
Daphne let out a tiny gasp at the same time as Violet let out an excited, “Oh”. The others reacted a little slower but no less positively. Anthony and Kate grinned at each other, and Benedict stood, clapping him on the back.
“Ok, on your best behaviour then?” He warned them, all nodding in silence as if they were in the schoolroom. “I will go and fetch her. I shall be back in a moment”
The second they were at the door the whispering started,
“She is with child, surely, all that bravado from Colin?” Daphne immediately said,
“Oh, I cannot wait for another niece or nephew” Hyacinth cooed,
“Edmund is but three months old. Are you already bored with him?” Kate chuckled,
“Of course not, but they are like hair ribbons in a way, one can never have too many?”
“That is an odd comparison, Hy, I must say,” Benedict laughed, but she just shrugged,
“Why must all of you always expect children? They have not been married even a year,” Eloise argued, “Could she not be very tired given all they have travelled? Colin is used to it, but Penelope is not. Perhaps she is just a tad under the weather, seasickness and the like”
“I suppose that is possible” Anthony agreed,
“Let us not be too hasty, now” Violet said emphatically,
“Mother, I do not think you could change the chances of another grandchild at this point just by will” Benedict laughed,
“Perhaps…we should not speculate, and we shall welcome Penelope as our sister, regardless of any news they may or may not have to share” Frannie butted in with,
“Well said, dear” John said, patting her knee.
Daphne sighed, “I do forget on occasion you are the best of us, Francesca”
Frannie gave a pleased smile before a clearing of the throat got their attention.
“Really?” Colin questioned, eyebrow raised,
“Is Penelope with child, Brother?” Hyacinth asked excitedly, not seeing Penelope standing a pace behind him.
“Very subtle, Hy” Gregory shot in her direction,
“No, Hyacinth, I’m not” Penelope said, stepping into the room fully now.
The young girl’s face faltered into sadness for a split second, along with half the room, until they took her in properly.
“Good Heavens!” Anthony was the first to get words out, as all of them jumped to their feet immediately.
“Remember what I said, please” Colin warned again, his hand coming to rest on Penelope’s back.
They all froze, then Violet moved forward first, gripping Penelope’s arm,
“Oh my dear girl, why did you not tell us?”
“It all happened when we were away, it did not seem pertinent when no one could do anything” she explained, “and when we were coming home, we thought it would be a surprise”
“Well, it is definitely that” Benedict laughed,
“May I?” Violet asked with a trembling voice, and Penelope nodded,
Now placed in Violet’s arms was a rather small, perfectly faced, sound asleep bundle of joy,
“Family, I would like to introduce you to Agatha Eloise Bridgerton, our daughter”
Violet had tears streaming down her face, “Oh, she is just precious”
“Congratulations, Brother, Penelope” Daphne said, pulling them into a joint hug.
“What wonderful news” Anthony said, beaming,
“Little Edmund will have yet another cousin to grow up with; I cannot contain my excitement” Kate added gleefully, hugging the couple next.
“Oh, I cannot wait to meet him. We actually received your letter just before she was born” Penelope smiled,
“It was a lot of elation in a few short days, I will say that” Colin added.
“Wait, that would have been nearly two months ago” Anthony enquired, “Is it March now. So she was born in January? But you were married in June…that means…”
“That we have yet another niece to cherish, is that not right, Brother?” Benedict said interrupting what was sure to turn into a tirade that did not need to happen, especially in front of everyone.
Colin stifled a smile while Penelope blushed fiercely,
“Why is Anthony talking of all these months, Mama?” Hyacinth asked,
“Never you mind, dearest, look at the baby” Violet said, shooting a scornful look at her eldest,
“She looks just like you, Penelope” Francesca said, peering over Hyacinth’s shoulder,
“And she has red hair” Colin grinned, pulling back the blanket she was wrapped in just enough to reveal the first wisps of auburn hair.
“She is tiny” Gregory remarked, “much smaller than Augie was”
“Girls tend to be smaller, plus look at Penelope”
“But Colin is also a giant, to balance that out”
“That is true, but for my sake, I am very thankful she was not any bigger. I spent the last few months of our trip trying my best not to topple over,” Penelope laughed,
“You were adorable”
“I was huge”
“And all went well with the birth?” Daphne asked,
“It was utterly terrifying” Colin said, paling slightly at the memory
“It was as normal as it could be” Penelope said, waving him off, “Ridiculous amounts of pain for hours, and every second was worth it. I was up and about in no time. Our last stop in Ireland was when she arrived. It was beautiful and green and was the perfect place to recover. It also meant it was not such a bad return journey.”
“That is good to hear” Kate said, relieved.
“Right, give her here. Mothers and Sisters have had their turn,” Benedict said, scooping Agatha out of Daphne’s arms.
They all continued to coo around the baby. Penelope squeezed Colin’s hand to get his attention, nodding her head towards the other side of the room, where he looked up, understanding immediately.
Eloise had abandoned her book and was watching the group of siblings from the edge of her chair, unable or unwilling to join them.
“El”, Penelope said softly
“Pen” she smiled, although it looked as though it had taken great effort.
“Will you give me a hug? I have not seen my best friend in months”
Eloise jumped to her feet and threw her arms around her,
“I have missed you, Pen. Scotland was far too quiet,” she laughed,
When Penelope pulled back, she saw the tears that had flooded Eloise’s eyes.
“You named her after me?”
“Of course I did, who else?” Penelope said, getting equally teary.
“I am sorry, Pen”
Penelope’s brow furrowed,
“Whatever for?”
“I didn’t know you wanted all this. I thought we would be spinsters together, I thought you wanted it just as much as I did”
“I know, and to a certain point, I put on that mask on purpose. It was not because I wanted to be a spinster, but I thought I was going to have to be. My life now? It is more than my wildest dreams”
“I am happy for you, Pen, really. Even if I think you are too good for my brother”
Penelope let out a watery laugh, “I am still of the opinion he is too good for me”
Eloise rolled her eyes, but didn’t say anything more.
“Would you like to meet her?”
El went still for a moment, then nodded slightly.
“As long as I do not have to hold her” she immediately added.
“Whatever you want” Penelope said, linking her arms and bringing her over to the group, where it was John’s turn to hold her.
Penelope happily received little Aggie back when John saw her return, tilting her so Eloise could see her properly.
“She is very beautiful, Pen”
“Is that a smile I see, El?” Colin teased good-naturedly,
“Hush” she glowered at him
“Are you sure you do not wish to hold her?” Penelope asked,
“Maybe just for a minute” El said, and Penelope placed her into her arms.
Penelope breathed an internal sigh of relief, and Colin, who must have magically sensed it, pulled her closer into his side.
“What are we all doing standing in the doorway?” Violet suddenly said, “Come, sit, we will order some fresh tea”
“El, would you like me to take her?” Colin asked gently,
“No, I am alright for now” she said, taking a seat in the nearby chair.
They all filtered in and sat down when Rae appeared at the door, catching Penelope’s eye,
“Ma’am?” She said in question, and Penelope nodded,
“Excuse me” Colin said a moment later and disappeared, returning soon after, just as the tea arrived.
Once cups were poured and plates filled. The couple began to field questions about their travels. Happily chatting about the blue ocean and remarkable mountains.
Gregory noticed first.
He began to blink very quickly, thinking he was seeing things.
“Dear lord” he gasped,
“What is it?” Anthony said, looking around in confusion.
It was only when a cry sounded, and everyone turned to Eloise, who was still holding a very asleep baby, that they caught on that Colin was holding another nest of blankets.
He grinned,
“I do apologise, we did have another guest for tea, I hope that is alright.
“Twins?” Violet said in awe, tears pooling again.
Penelope nodded,
“That is why she is so small, it is because there were two of them” Daphne gushed,
“And twins do come a tad earlier” Anthony said, nodding to himself as he did the mental arithmetic,
“Not that early, Brother” Benedict muttered under his breath, earning a look of betrayal from Colin, especially as he was on his side earlier.
“This is Thomas, Thomas Anthony Bridgerton” Penelope said, beaming at the man she had long considered an older brother.
“Me?” He swallowed thickly,
“You” Penelope replied in a similar tone.
“You have done so much for us all, Ant. It was the least we could do” Colin smiled, standing to hug his brother and show off his son.
“Although it does come with a caveat, I suppose” Penelope laughed,
“Which is?” he narrowed his eyes sceptically before grinning down at his now settled nephew in his arms.
“He is Thomas Bridgerton, but he is also Lord Featherington now, too”
“Even as a baby?” Hyacinth questioned,
“Technically yes, although I do think he may struggle to run an estate” Colin laughed, “So he, and we, may need Uncle Anthony’s help to get things properly organised for him, and to accompany him to his first day at the House of Lords when it comes.”
“I would be honoured” he smiled, “I know he is Lord Featherington, but he, unlike Aggie, has a very Bridgerton appearance”
“I agree, but maybe not quite fully” Colin chuckled, pulling down the blanket to reveal his albeit darker, but still rather red hair.
“What can I say?” Penelope laughed, “I swear it is the curse of the Featheringtons that the redhead trait is to be passed down to us all. Prudence and Phillipa’s girls have the same colouring as Aggie does”
The babies were passed around yet again, so everyone got a turn.
“I cannot believe you two didn’t mention a word in your frequent, may I add, letters home”, Violet said, falsely scolding them.
“I am sorry, Violet. When we found out I was expecting, it would have taken so long to get home. So we prepared to go to Ireland for the rest of my confinement, and then it sounded like a nice surprise”
“Oh, dearest, do not fret, I am not angry. And you were quite right, it was a rather tremendous surprise,” Violet said, taking Penelope’s hands, “But I can think of something you can do as recompense”
“Of course, anything” Penelope said quickly, making Violet laugh
“You will come with me to the modiste, and you will allow me to fill a wardrobe of clothing for each of my newest grandchildren”
“Violet…” Penelope began to protest,
“No…that is what I am choosing, you must agree”
Colin was laughing to himself at the exchange,
“Of course, thank you, Violet”
She couldn’t help but be filled with emotion as the babies were finally returned to Colin and Penelope. Thomas is resting easy in Penelope’s arms, Aggie in Colin’s.
“You will both be the very best of parents, you already are. They are very lucky to have you.”
Colin turned to his wife, overflowing with admiration,
“No, Mother, it is all Pen. The three of us are lucky to have her,” Colin said, voice assured,
“You know that isn’t true, Colin” Penelope said quietly,
He shook his head, “We will have to agree to disagree on that particular fact, my love”
“How did your mother take it, Penelope?” Benedict asked, breaking them from their moment.
Suddenly, Colin and Penelope’s eyes widened,
“She doesn’t know” Colin clarified for the confused faces, before turning tp Penelope “But she would have seen us in the carriage arrive outside Bridgerton house”
“Or Varley would have and told her immediately” Penelope winced,
“She may kill us”
“Where is my daughter?!” Came the shrill crow of the person they most feared in that moment, echoing from the hall below. “I demand to see her”
“I think she might know now” Benedict added unhelpfully, grinning with mischief.
“We should flee” Penelope whispered to Colin,
“I hear Greece is nice this time of the year?”
“Perhaps if we think about it hard enough, we will just appear there”
Colin broke out into uncontrollable laughter, which in turn launched Penelope into side-splitting giggles of her own.
“Mama, are they well?” Hyacinth asked, confused by the sudden outburst
“They are very well” Violet said softly, her eyes flicking up to the portrait of her and Edmund, “They are very well indeed.