𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆

"𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆!?"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄 𝐘𝐀𝐖𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘-𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 as her and her brother went about their work at the printing shop so early in the morning. It had been like this ever since she remembered, but even so she had never gotten used to getting up just past four.

The sun had barely risen, only appearing slightly beneath the dark blue clouds, when Maria found herself taking some of the pamphlet packages outside. She started doing as she usually did, crouching down in her overalls to tie the newsletters to the rickety old sack truck when feet hurried beside her.

Looking up from her work, startled, she found a girl, around her age, but slightly smaller, wearing a blue dress. The girl looked as if she was anticipating something, but Maria could only stare at her in confusion.

"Um, hello?" she said, and the girl looked down at her with wide eyes.

Beside her stood a footman who was trying to keep a straight face, but underneath it seemed distraught at the situation he had gotten himself into.

"Tell me what you know of her," the girl in the blue dress and pretty eyes ordered, pointing to Maria who slowly raised herself from the cobbled floor.

"I have no idea who you are speaking of, miss."

"Don't be coy. We know this is where Lady Whistledown prints her paper," the girl exclaimed, pointing between herself and her footman.

Maria looked to the footman, slightly scared as to what was happening, but the man only subtly shook his head. She looked back to the stranger with an oblivious look, not willing to give anything she knew about the true identity of Lady Whistledown.

"We do?" the footman asked.

The girl looked to him with a blunt expression. "Why did you think we were here?"

"I don't think you'll find an answer to your question here," Maria spoke, getting back to work and piling the packages of pamphlets onto the sack truck. "I'm sorry."

"I think you're evading my question."

"I am, again, sorry to inform you," Maria sighed, dragging another sack into her arms. "But you never asked me a question."

The mysterious girls felt herself slightly stuck and her eyes wandered as the other girl piled the sacks up. The girl was quite muscular, she thought and then shook her head, that was not a thing for girls like herself to take note of.

Clearing her throat, the girl pointed to the sacks the girl was carrying. "What are those papers?"

Maria looked up at the girl with slight intrigue. This girl was quite something, she had to admit. She hadn't given up to figure out what she was hiding, yet it also irritated Maria quite a bit.

"Nothing you will find interesting, I assure you," she only spoke, putting her hands on her hips in front of the other, slightly smaller, girl. "Maybe you should 'promenade' back to your estate and attract some trivial gossip there?"

"That is not what--" the girl stammered, but recovered herself quickly as Maria smirked. "I am not here in search of gossip."

"Oh, really?" Maria said, surprised. "Not here to find out who is the most eligible bachelor about the ton this season?"

"I will assure you that I am not at all interested in that," the girl replied, her eyes trailing carefully up Maria's body, making the brunette blush deeply. "But your assumptions are not the least bit surprising."

"How so?"

"A woman is allowed to have but two interests," the girl explained. "Marriage, or spewing slander about her peers, apparently. It'd never occur--"

"Believe me, miss, I do not have those assumptions about you," Maria said, sighing deeply. "Because I don't think it has occurred to you that I am also a woman."

Maria rose her eyes up to the other girl, seeing her eyes widen in realization. She smirked at her reaction and the other girl merely stood there, face disbelieving.

"I knew... I know you are a-- You are infuriating and I have only just met you!" the girl exclaimed, making both the brunette and the footman chuckle.

"Well, miss, since you 'know' I am a woman, I believe this can be a much more neutral conversation, eh?"

The mysterious girl looked into the other's eyes and squinted, confused as to what the weird, swirling feeling in her stomach. "I guess, yes, it can."

"So, why are you trying to find Lady Whistledown?"

"I wish to discuss much more intellective matters than 'trivial gossip'," the girl informed, speaking proudly. "The rights of woman. The exploration of her mind!"

Raising an eyebrow, Maria smiled. Maybe this girl wasn't as bad as she had previously thought. "Sounds fun."

"Quite! Now, will you answer my question?" the girl asked, crossing her arms, wearing a smug smile.

Maria looked deeply into the other girl's eyes, making her feel her face heat up. Before answering, however, the brunette leaned back to one of the pamphlet sacks, taking one out and passing it over to the stranger.

The girl looked down at it with furrowed eyebrows, reading the title: 'Appeal in Defence of Women Rights'. Then she looked back up at Maria with a huff.

"This is not--"

"You said, 'The rights of women', did you not?" Maria replied with a raise of her eyebrow. "If so, that could be a good read, don't'cha think? New ideas, unsettling forces of power. Not too new or unsettling for you, I hope?"

The girl sighed, looking slightly disappointed, but she continued to read the pamphlet with interest.

Maria watched her with a ghost of a smile, "But I hope you the best on your quest, Miss Bridgerton."

Maria turned, stepping back into the printing store, the sounds of Eloise behind her.

"Wait! How do you know my name!?" she cried. "Excuse me!?"

Maria only smiled, closing the door behind her, the Bridgerton's voice dwindled and her brother walked out from the store front.

"What was all that racket?" Theo asked, head trying to look at the now closed back door.

"Nothing," Maria said quickly and went back to work, only the face of Eloise on her mind.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

"Psst," a voice whispered to Maria that night as she finished up her packaging for the day. Ink staines her fingers from printing and she sighed, knowing who was calling to her from behind the nearby wall.

Walking over while checking for anyone nearby, Maria leaned against the stone as Penelope Featherington put down her hood.

"My mistress would like to know that the papers have gone out on time?" she said in her phoney irish accent. Maria only shook her head with a smile.

"Don't use that accent with me, miss," she replied. "I know you and I feel as if I am doing something terrible when you disguise yourself."

"I guess so," Penelope nodded, but then her expression turned to seriousness. "You had a visitor this morning."

"Ah, yes. Miss Eloise Bridgerton, I presume?"

Penelope nodded again and Maria only clicked her tongue. She had merely guessed her name earlier, but it seemed that she had got it correct.

"Did you speak to her?"

"I did," Maria answered, but quickly spoke again after seeing Pen's fearful look. "But I said nothing of importance."

"But you did! Don't you see? Eloise is much smarter than I fear you realise," Penelope whispered fast, her words practically jumbling into one. "She has matched the 'k' stamps that are on both that Women's Rights pamphlet and Lady Whistledown's newsletter. She knows this is where she prints!"

My eyes widened at my stupidity, I really had not expected the other girl to have such an eye to catch the similarities.

"I am so sorry, Pen," Maria said. "I did not even realise, you're right. Will she be coming back?"

"Knowing Eloise? She won't leave this alone until she gets to the bottom of this," Penelope informed and Maria understood with a grave look.

"You want me to lie?"

"I want you to misdirect, is all," the red-head corrected. "I still don't understand why you haven't revealed my identity, but I trust you will do what is right."

"I haven't revealed it, Pen, because I understand why you do what you do," the brunette responded, taking the other girl's hand in her own. "I think we have much more in common that you know and you are my friend."

Penelope smiled and she put her other hand over the girl's. "I appreciate your help, Maria. You are a true soul."

"As are you, Pen."

The red-head smiled before the sound of a door opening could be heard behind them. Maria felt Penelope's hand slip out from her own and she had disappeared into the night before the brunette could say another word.

"Mari, what are you doing?" Theo asked as he stepped out from the printing shop.

"Nothing, brother," she replied simply.

He raised an eyebrow, but shrugged. "You seem to be doing a lot of 'nothing' lately."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*