Colin jumped down from his carriage, intending to help clear the scene, but it quickly became apparent that Oxford Street would be a snarl for at least an hour, with or without his help. He checked to make sure that the milkwagon horses were being properly cared for, informed his driver that he would be continuing on foot, and took off walking.
He stared defiantly in the faces of each person he passed, perversely enjoying the way they averted their gaze when faced with his obvious hostility. He almost wished one of them would make a comment, just so he could have someone to lash out at. It didn't matter that the only person he really wanted to throttle was Cressida Twombley; by this point anyone would have made a fine target.
His anger was making him unbalanced, unreasonable. Unlike himself.
He still wasn't certain what had happened to him when Penelope had told him of Cressida's threats. This was more than anger, greater than fury. This was physical; it coursed through his veins, pulsed beneath his skin.
He wanted to hit someone.
He wanted to kick things, put his fist through a wall.
He'd been furious when Penelope had published her last column. In fact, he'd thought he couldn't possibly experience a greater anger.
He was wrong.
Or perhaps it was just that this was a different sort of anger. Someone was trying to hurt the one person he loved above all others.
How could he tolerate that? How could he allow it tohappen?
The answer was simple. He couldn't.
He had to stop this. He had to do something.
After so many years of ambling through life, laughing at the antics of others, it was time to take action himself.
He looked up, somewhat surprised that he was already at Bridgerton House. Funny how it no longer seemed like home.
He'd grown up here, but now it was so obviously his brother's house.
Home was in Bloomsbury. Home was with Penelope.
Home was anywhere with Penelope.wColin?"
He turned around. Anthony was on the pavement, obviously returning from an errand or appointment.
Anthony nodded toward the door. "Were you planning to knock?"
Colin looked blankly at his brother, just then realizing that he'd been standing perfectly still on the steps for God only knew how long.wColin?" Anthony asked again, his brow furrowing with concern.wI need your help," Colin said. It was all he needed to say.
* * *
Penelope was already dressed for the ball when her maid brought in a note from Colin.wDunwoody got it from the messenger," the maid explained before bobbing a quick curtsy and leaving Penelope to read the note in privacy.
Penelope slid her gloved finger under the envelope flap and nudged it open, pulling out the single sheet of paper on which she saw the fine,neat handwriting that had become so familiar to her since she'd started editing Colin's journals.
I will make my own way over to the ball this evening. Please proceed to Number Five. Mother, Eloise, and Hyacinth are waiting to accompany you to Hastings House.
All my love,Colin For someone who wrote so well in his journals, he wasn't much of a correspondent, Penelope thought with a wry smile.
She stood, smoothing out the fine silk of her skirts. She'd chosen a dress of her favorite color—sage green—in hopes that it might lend her courage. Her mother had always said that when a woman looked good, she felt good, and she rather thought her mother was right. Heaven knows, she'd spent a good eight years of her life feeling rather bad in the dresses her mother had insisted looked good.
Her hair had been dressed in a loosely upswept fashion that flattered her face, and her maid had even combed something through the strands (Penelope was afraid to ask what) that seemed to bring out the red highlights.
Red hair wasn't very fashionable, of course, but Colinhad once said he liked the way the candlelight made her hair more colorful, so Penelope had decided that this was one case upon which she and fashion would have to disagree.
By the time she made her way downstairs, her carriage was waiting for her, and the driver had already been instructed to take her to Number Five.
Colin had clearly taken care of everything. Penelope wasn't sure why this surprised her; he wasn't the sort of man who forgot details. But he was preoccupied today. It seemed odd that he would have taken the time to send instructions to the staff about her delivery to his mother's house when she could have conveyed the order just as well herself.
He had to be planning something. But what? Was he going to intercept Cressida Twombley and have her shipped off toa penal colony?
No, too melodramatic.
Maybe he'd found a secret about her, and was planning to cross-blackmail her. Silence for silence.
Penelope nodded approvingly as her carriage rolled along Oxford Street. That had to be the answer. It was just like Colin to come up with something so diabolically fitting and clever. But what could he possibly have unearthed about Cressida in so short a time? In all her years as Lady Whistledown, she'd never heard even a whisper of anything truly scandalous attached to Cressida's name.
Cressida was mean, and Cressida was petty, but she'd never stepped outside the rules of society. The only truly daring thing she'd ever done was claim to be Lady Whistledown.
The carriage turned south into Mayfair, and a few minutes later, they came to a stop in front of Number Five. Eloise must have been watching at the window, because she virtually flew down the steps and would have crashed into the carriage had the driver not stepped down at that precise moment and blocked her path.
Eloise jumped from foot to foot as she waited for the driver to open the carriage door; in fact, she looked so impatient that Penelope was surprised she didn't brush past him and wrench the door open herself. Finally, ignoring the driver's offer of help, she climbed into the carriage, nearly tripping on her skirts and tumbling to the floor in the process. As soon as she'd righted herself, she looked both ways, her face pursed into an extremely furtive expression, and yanked the door shut, nearly taking off the driver's nose in the process.wWhat," Eloise demanded, "is going on?"