Headcannon the first time Alice Mondrich meets Penelope at a society event and it goes like this:
Alice: Oh you are Penelope Featherington. You are courting Colin, correct?
Pen: No, we are just friends.
Alice: But there will be courting the in the future?!
Pen: No, I’m afraid not. Just friends.
Alice *pulls Will aside*: You said Colin was going to marry her
Will: Yes, he doesn’t know it yet. And it will be a shame when he does. Whenever he sees her with another man, he helps pay the children’s tutor for the month with the liquor he consumes.
To add to my red post (in which I mostly explain that Colin’s burgeoning love is evidenced by how the color red goes from being in front of him to framing him and increasing in vibrancy), here’s a few more observations.
When Pen enters the ball where she’s wearing the emerald green dress, she’s enveloped by a bright red cloak, but once she has arrived, she casts it off. Perhaps the meaning here is that she has been enshrouding herself in her love for Colin and allowing it to hold her back from pursuing others, but now she is putting that love aside and not allowing it hold her back anymore.
I have to imagine that all of the love storylines will be mirroring each other’s and Polin’s storyline in certain ways, so pay attention to how they are framed by red as well.
Bonus: A note on emeralds. In 2x01, the queen said that emerald is her favorite gem. Penelope is in emerald. Penelope is Lady Whistledown. The Queen is obsessed with Lady Whistledown. I’m sure by the end of season 3, we’ll see the Queen show her admiration for Pen/Whistledown. Personally, I’m hoping the Queen employs Pen somehow. 🤞🤞
One thing I love in Bridgerton that doesn't exist in the books is the Mondrich family. They come to serve looks and have the wildest change of careers. Love to see them winning