Penelope had grown up with her mother constantly whispering things in her ear that knocked her self esteem down another few steps. Her sisters weren't much help, either, with their snide comments about how much she weighed and boasting about their waspishly thin waists where she could hear them.

Yes, of course they were all very, very beautiful. She loved her sisters, really. But... could little Penelope not be beautiful, too?

Of course, her confidence had improved as she grew into herself. That part had come with Lady Whistledown, and seeing the way that the entirety of the ton waited with baited breath to see what she had to say. For the first time, her words mattered to someone outside of Eloise, her dearest friend and closest confidant. And that feeling had been very powerful for her.

Even if no one truly knew that it was her behind the scathing judgment columns and gossip, it still felt good to see affluent figures with a copy of the pamphlet behind their little novels, reading whatever it was that she had published that night.

But... alas, Lady Whistledown could only help her with so much. She was having trouble as Penelope. Colin, the man she had fancied for as long as the day was long, had been acting like she was just another friend of his sister's to him. And that, in itself, was painful. She figured it was because she, as her sisters described it, was "two stone heavier than she ought to be."

Well. She couldn't help that, now could she?

Penelope was currently hiding from her mother in a little alcove across from the dance floor and reading. She was sitting in a windowsill that was delightfully cool and comfortable to sit in, occasionally looking up. She could still see the dance floor, of course, it was only off to the side a little bit.

But, it was better than nothing. Whispers erupted, making her look up. You'd arrived. She quickly looked down again. You were an affluential noble - the exact sort who never got involved with anybody like her. And you didn't like Colin at all. She'd never spoken with you personally, but she had heard that you could be terribly cruel.

So, obviously, her heart jumped into her throat when she looked up again and you were looming over her. "Oh! Your Grace, I... can I help you?" She stammered.