Chapter Twenty-One - The Truth Comes Out Eventually

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Lady Whistledown's

SOCIETY PAPERS

All is fair in love and war, but some battles leave no victor, only a trail of broken hearts that makes us wonder if the price we pay is ever worth the fight.

The ones we love have the power to inflict the greatest scars. For what thing is more fragile... than the human heart?

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"Are you sure that we have to go?" Frederick asks, glancing over at me as the carriage comes to a stop. "I mean, there is still time to leave."

I chuckle and glance towards the Featherington house, which was lit up and shining brightly into the street. "I am afraid not. I know that the Bridgerton's will be here and so we shall be too... sorry darling."

"Ooh, perhaps I can feign a sickness halfway through and we can leave early," Frederick says, smiling over at me as we step out of the carriage and onto the street.

"I shall let you know if we need to go to such extremes," I assure, chuckling as I glance over at him. "Besides, it is only one night... how bad can it be?"

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"What were your favorite pastimes in the country?" Lady Bridgerton inquired, peering up at Marina from her spot at the dining table, a fond smile coming across her face as she looked at the girl that seemed to steal her son's heart.

"I enjoyed riding above all else, my lady," Marina explained pleasantly.

"Please, you must call me Violet now," Lady Bridgerton declared, smiling softly at the girl. "Remember?"

Lady Featherington chuckled softly before speaking up, "Miss Thompson is such a proper young lady, is she not?"

"Have you traveled at all beyond England, Miss Thompson?" I ask, looking between Marina and Lady Bridgerton, who seemed relieved to have someone else ask the girl a question.

"Yes, it has been Colin's greatest ambition to travel the world," Lady Bridgerton adds on, looking at her son with a fond gaze.

"Never," Marina confesses, "though it is now a great ambition of mine as well."

"I'm sensing a honeymoon in foreign parts," Lady Featherington muses, "What think you, Lord Bridgerton?"

"I would not like to speculate," Anthony says quickly, placing his cup down quickly to gaze that Lady Featherington.

Undeterred she continues, "yes, indeed. I believe a honeymoon in foreign parts would be just the thing. Mr. Bridgerton, you might even make the most of this fine weather we've been having if you choose to marry sooner rather than later."

"Colin is still very young," Anthony declares, looking at his brother for a moment before turning his gaze away and looking around the table, "I believe a lengthier engagement would be prudent, excellent weather notwithstanding."

The room falls silent for a moment before Colin clears his throat and turns his head toward his mother. "Mother, have I told you Miss Thompson is very accomplished at needlework? She is quite brilliant. Puts my sisters to shame."

"I can assure you, that is not true," Marina says, chuckling and smiling softly as she looks from Colin to Violet.

"You have not seen my sister Daphne's embroidery," Colin jokes, "in all honesty, it is like a battlefield."

Lady Featherington lets out a laugh and looks around the room. Whereas Marina only softly chuckles, her gaze settling on Colin as he continues to talk.

"What about you, Your Grace?" Lady Featherington asks, turning her gaze towards me with a raised brow, "surely you must have some skill you are most proficient at... perhaps one that even caught your husband's eye when you first met?"

"Well, I can say with all certainty that it was not my musical skill that made Frederick ask for my hand," I joke.

"True, true," Frederick continues, winking at me before looking back at the table with a twinkle in his eye. "The first time that I heard her play the pianoforte, I do remember that I had thought that my hearing had gone... much to her dismay."

"I felt horrible that you had to sit through that," I confess, looking up at him with a small bashful smile, "but, I still have not nearly improved as much as I hoped for... but there is still hope."

Frederick playfully groans before smiling over at me. "Yes, and I still have one good ear to listen with."

The table chuckles before Lady Featherington clears her throat and offers us all a smile, "shall we move to the sitting room? Perhaps Philippa and Prudence can show what they have been working on?"

Both Prudence and Philippa sit up a bit straighter and nod their heads, smiles coming across both their faces when they hear about a chance to show off their skills.

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"Oh dear, what can the matter be? Oh dear, what can the matter be? Oh dear, what can the matter be? Johnny's so long at the fair," Prudence sings. Despite her confidence, her voice was most certainly not made for singing.

"And to think that I thought your musical skills were... lacking," Frederick mutters, smirking over at me but wincing when yet another wrong note is playing on the pianoforte by Philippa.

Prudence took another gulp of air and continued to sing the song, seemingly unaware of just how off-key she truly was. "He promised he'd buy me a bunch of blue ribbons. He promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbons. Promised to buy me a bunch of blue ribbons to tie up my bonny brown hair."

"Oh, don't worry darling," I assure, reaching out and patting his hand.

"It will be over soon?" He asks, his eyes rising and shining with hope.

"Oh, please, tell me that it will be," Anthony mutters, leaning over toward us and taking a long gulp of his drink. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Oh, no..." I shake my head and stifle my giggle, "this is only the beginning. I do hope that you are both comfortable..."

"This whole thing may just end with me strangling one of them with this bunch of blue ribbons they're singing of," Fredrick grumbles, taking a rather large swig of his drink.

I gasp and lightly hit his hand, "you will do no such thing!"

He winces and pulls his hand close to his chest, "I was only joking, darling."

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"Well, that went well, yes?" I glance over toward Frederick as we settle into the carriage.

"Well as in we all came out relatively unscathed, then yes," Frederick muttered, "although I don't think that my hearing will be quite the same as it once was..."

"Wel... Prudence was never... the most musically gifted," I say, smiling over at him and shrugging. "But we made it out on the other side!"

"I don't know about that darling... I do think that I left an eardrum or two on the battlefield," Frederick says, smirking as he glanced back over at me.

"Well, how bad can it be now? All we have to get through is their wedding and I'm fairly certain that Prudence won't be singing for it?" I say, chuckling as I glance out of the window at the passing shops. "How much worse can it get?"

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The bond between man and bride is private, sacred. But I must tell you, I have learned that a grave fraud is afoot.

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"Um... darling?" Frederick, put his fork down and glanced over the latest copy of Whistledown and towards me, "have you seen Whistledown today?"

"No, you've been reading it since I came down," I reply, taking a sip of my morning tea and looking back at him with a curious gaze. "Why what is it?"

Frederick merely stays silent, continuing to read the paper, his eyes widening with shock the further down he gets.

When he fails to respond, I let out a sigh and stand up, walking around the table to stand behind him, beginning to read the day's copy over his shoulder. The further down I got into the scandal sheet the more I could feel my eyes widen and the more that my jaw dropped in shock.

"Oh my..."

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As if the Featheringtons did not have enough to be dealing with, Miss Marina Thompson is with child... and she has been from the very first day she arrived in our fair city.

Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but I would wager many will think her actions beyond the pale. Perhaps she thought it her only option, or perhaps she knows no shame.

But I ask you, can the ends ever justify such wretched means?

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-T