The Wallflower and the Roses - A Bridgerton Fanfiction

Part 1

PART 1.

5 Bruton Street,

Mayfair,

London.

April, 1824.

When the Bridgertons threw a party, they did it right.

And when the Bridgertons threw a start-of-the-season ball, everybody in town was buzzing to be on the invite list.

And it really did seem like ever last soul on Mayfair, was present tonight in the Bridgerton ballroom –singing, dancing, laughing and enjoying themselves.

Except…well, Penelope Featherington.

Oh she was invited alright (Eloise Bridgerton was her best friend after all) and she was not so stupid as to actually MISS a Bridgerton ball.

But the simple reason why she was made the exception was that she was neither dancing nor singing.

Nor, was she laughing.

And she definitely wasn’t enjoying herself.

Unless one’s definition of ‘enjoyment’ would be standing alone in a corner, with an empty lemonade glass in one’s hands and fervently thanking God for making one escape one’s mother’s company.

She sighed. Her situation seemed fairly pathetic!

“Mostly pathetic”, she said out loud although no one was close enough to hear her.

And even if they were, they probably would not have noticed her.

The thought of her apparent invisibility made her sigh again.

She had been in this situation so many times before and she had done this a million times before and yet tonight as she stood watching the waltzing couples –one of which was her friend, Eloise— she felt that same emptiness that had gnawed her at every such ball.

One would think that after being not noticed by the ton for about 12 years, she would be used to it by now.

Oh, but it hurt so much.

From her vantage point, she had a view of almost the entire ballroom. She could see Felicity talking away with Mr. Albansdale, and she could deduce her happiness even at a ballroom’s length.

At some distance, stood Mother with Mrs. Bridgerton and Mrs. Sheffield, all three of whom, seemed to be deeply engrossed in a discussion which seemed to require a fair bit of vigorous nodding and shaking of heads.

At the opposite end of the room, though in her straight sight, stood the Bridgerton brothers. It was one of those few occasions when all four of them were present together. They were bantering with each other, or so she could deduce.

She smiled, seeing them interact in such a manner. Watching the Bridgerton siblings had always awed her and made her wish she had more siblings too.

Although, it wouldn’t work out well if her siblings turned out to be like the ones, she presently had. Don’t get her wrong, she loved them all, but at times she wished that they were more sensible. God only knew what would have come of her, had she not had Felicity, the only Featherington sister blessed with both beauty and charm. She shuddered at the thought of life without Felicity.

And as she stood there, watching the Bridgertons, one of them, she couldn’t really say which one, for they all looked the same from such a distance, turned and caught her eye.

She immediately looked away, embarrassed at being caught openly staring at them.

In retrospect, it wasn’t very wise on her part, to stare at a group of men –many of whom were bachelors – openly, in a ballroom. Anybody could have caught her staring at them. And she knew the things people would say, if they did.