Falsely Deflowered

Penelope is wary and scared of her debut ball and begs her brother to let her be and just choose whoever he wants as a husband for her. But John is adamant that she enjoy the full experience of a season and then choose a husband from all the gentlemen that offer for her. Resigned, Penelope decides to be a wallflower and somehow get done with the season as she knows that no such offers for her hand would be forthcoming.

While most of her estimations ring true, she does end up attracting some of the least gentlemanly attention because of her lush figure. Hiding and leaving early become her usual practices at every ball until one day, that very practice turns into her biggest mistake. Lord Fielding, a baron and a very lecherous fellow who had been eying her since her first ball, manages to catch her unaware and tries to take advantage of her. Due to their altercation, a few people arrive on the scene and a huge scandal takes birth. Fielding magnanimously announces that he will marry her and that they were just celebrating their betrothal as she had accepted his hand in marriage. Too shaken and distraught by the things she hears being whispered, Penelope doesn’t say a word as she is led home to face her brother.