Lady Danbury smiled archly. "Maybe I am."
Felicity and Eloise gasped again, louder this time.
Penelope's stomach lurched.wAre you admitting it?" Eloisewhispered.wOf course I'm not admitting it," Lady Danbury barked, straightening her spineand thumping her cane against thefloor with enough force to momentarily stop the four amateur musicians in their warm-up.wEven if it were true—and I'm not saying whether or not itis—would I be fool enough to admit it?"wThen why did yousay—"wBecause, you ninnyhead, I'm trying to makea point."
She then proceeded to fall silent until Penelope was forced to ask, "Which is?"
Lady Danbury gave them all an extremely exasperated look. "That anyone could be Lady Whistledown," she exclaimed, thumping her cane onthe floor with renewed vigor. "Anyone at all."wWell, except me," Felicity put in. "I'm quite certain it's not me."
Lady Danbury didn't even honor Felicity with a glance."Let me tell you something," she said.wAs if we could stop you," Penelope said, so sweetly that it came out like a compliment. And truth be told, it was a compliment. She admiredLady Danbury a great deal. She admired anyone who knew how to speak her mind in public.
Lady Danbury chuckled. "There's more to you than meets the eye, Penelope Featherington."wIt's true," Felicity said with a grin. "She can be rather cruel, for example.Nobody would believe it, but when we were young—"
Penelope elbowed her in the ribs.wSee?" Felicity said.wWhat I was going to say," Lady Danbury continued, "was that the ton is goingabout my challenge all wrong."wHow do you suggest we go about it, then?" Eloise asked.
Lady Danbury waved her hand dismissively in Eloise's face. "I have to explain what people are doing wrong first," she said. "They keep looking toward the obvious people. People like your mother," she said, turning to Penelope and Felicity.wMother?" they both echoed.wOh, please," Lady Danbury scoffed. "A bigger busybody this town has never seen. She's exactly the sort of person everyone suspects."
Penelope had no idea what to say to that. Her mother was a notorious gossip, but it was difficult to imagine her as Lady Whistledown.wWhich is why," Lady Danbury continued, a shrewd look in her eye, "it can't be her."wWell, that," Penelope said with a touch of sarcasm, "and the fact that Felicity and I could tell youfor certain that it's not her."wPish. If your mother were Lady Whistledown,she'd have figured out a way to keep it from you."wMy mother?" Felicity said doubtfully."I don't think so."wWhat I am trying to say," Lady Danbury ground out, "prior to all of theseinfernal interruptions —"
Penelope thought she heard Eloise snort.w—was that if Lady Whistledown were someone obvious, she'd have been found out by now,don't you think?"
Silence, until it became clear some response was required, then all three of them nodded with appropriate thoughtful-ness and vigor.wShe must be someone that nobody suspects," Lady Danbury said. "She has to be."
Penelope found herself nodding again. Lady Danbury did make sense, in a strange sort of way.wWhich is why," the older lady continued triumphantly,"I am not a likely candidate!"
Penelope blinked, not quite following the logic."I beg your pardon?"wOh, please." Lady Danbury gave Penelope quite the most disdainful glance. "Do you think you'rethe first person to suspect me?"
Penelope just shook her head. "I still think it'syou."
That earned her a measure of respect. Lady Danbury nodded approvingly as she said, "You're cheekier than you look."
Felicity leaned forward and said in a rather conspiratorial voice, "It's true."
Penelope swatted her sister's hand. "Felicity!"wI think the musicale is starting,"Eloise said.wHeaven help us all," Lady Danbury announced."I don't know why I—Mr. Bridgerton!"
Penelope had turned to face the small stage area, but she whipped back around to see Colin making his way along the row to the empty seat beside Lady Danbury, apologizing good-naturedly as he bumped into people's knees.
His apologies, of course, were accompanied by one of his lethal smiles, and no fewer than three ladies positively melted in their seats as a result.
Penelope frowned. It was disgusting.wPenelope," Felicity whispered."Did you just growl?"wColin," Eloise said."I didn't know you were coming."
He shrugged, his face alight with a lopsided grin. "Changed my mind at the last moment. I've always been a greatlover of music, after all."wWhich would explain your presence here," Eloise said in an exceptionally dry voice.
Colin acknowledged her statement with nothing more than an arch of his brow before turning to Penelope and saying, Good evening, Miss Featherington." He nodded at Felicity with another, "Miss Featherington."
It took Penelope a moment to find her voice. They had parted most awkwardly that afternoon, and now here he was with a friendly smile. "Good evening, Mr. Bridgerton," she finally managed.wDoes anyone know what is on the program tonight?"he asked, looking terribly interested.
Penelope had to admire that. Colin had a way of looking at you as if nothing in the world could be more interesting than your next sentence. It was a talent, that. Especially now, when they all knew that he couldn't possibly care one way or another what the Smythe-Smith girls chose to play that evening.wI believe it's Mozart," Felicity said. "They almost alwayschoose Mozart."wLovely," Colin replied, leaning back in his chair as if he'd just finished an excellent meal."I'm a great fan of Mr. Mozart."wIn that case," Lady Danbury cackled, elbowing him in the ribs, "you might want to make your escape while the possibility still exists."wDon't be silly," he said. "I'm sure the girls willdo their best."wOh, there's no question of them doing their best," Eloise said ominously.wShhh," Penelope said. "I think they're ready to begin." Not, she admitted to herself, that she was especially eager to listen to the Smythe-Smith version of Eine Kleine Nacht-musik. But she felt profoundly ill-at-ease with Colin. She wasn't sure what to say to him—except that whatever it was she should say definitely shouldn't be said in front of Eloise, Felicity, and most of all Lady Danbury.