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Cressida, renowned for her grace and carriage, tripping and spilling punch on Penelope's gown that first year--the only one her e

Cressida, sweetly begging young bachelors to ask Penelope to dance, her requests made with such volume and fervor that Penelope could only bebefore a croorried she was about Penelope's appearance "It's just not healthful to weigh e," she'd cooed

Penelope never knehether Cressida had been able to hide her s her barb She'd fled the rooled as she ran away

Cressida had always known exactly where to stick her sword, and she'd kno to twist her bayonet It didn't matter that Eloise reerton always tried to bolster her confidence Penelope had cried herself to sleep more times than she could remember, always due to some well-placed barb froet aith so e to stand up for herself But she couldn't let Cressida have this Not her secret life, not the one little corner of her soul that was strong and proud and coht not kno to defend herself, but by God, Lady Whistledown didwPenelope?" Colin asked cautiously

She looked at hi several seconds to remee with Colin Bridgerton, not cowering in the corner of a ballrooht?" he asked

She nodded Or at least she tried to

He opened hisparted for several seconds

Finally, he just placed his hand on hers, saying, "We'll talk about this later?"

This tie a short nod And truly, she just wanted the entire awful afternoon to be over, but there was one thing she couldn't quite let go of yetwCressida wasn't ruined," she said quietly

He turned to her, a slight veil of confusion descending over his eyes "I beg your pardon?"

Her voice rose slightly in volume "Cressida said she was Lady Whistledown, and she wasn't ruined"

'That's because no one believed her," Colin replied "And besides," he added without thinking, "she's

different"

She turned to him slowly Very sloith steadfast eyes "Different how?"

Soan to pound in Colin's chest He'd known he wasn't saying the right words even as they'd spilled from his lips How could one little sentence, one little word be sovery wrong?

She's different