𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐄𝐑

"𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒔 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒒𝒖𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓, 𝒏𝒐𝒘."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐈𝐒𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍'𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐀𝐁𝐁𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐄, milling around, just waiting for the disaster of a ball to start. Her mind was still set on her last visit to the printer's shop and how she had, again, met that girl who she had now found out the name of.

Maria Sharpe. She couldn't stop herself from swooning ever so slightly at the name. Although it had no difference to any other name, it was just the fact that it belonged to that girl that made it so special.

Eloise had never suspected to feel what she is feeling and it terrified her greatly, but then she started to think logically. She had never been afraid of what people would think about her before, so why should she start now? Then again, it wasn't like she was going to start parading the fact she had a certain feeling for another woman, that wouldn't end quite well.

While waiting on the grass with her brother, Colin, she heard someone coming up beside her and turned to see her best friend, Penelope Featherington.

"Oh, Pen!" she exclaimed out of pure relief, it had been getting quite boring with only her family to speak to. "Oh, you are finally here. With only my own family to speak to, I've begun talking to the trees."

The two girls laughed joyously at her joke and Colin frowning, leaned closer towards Penelope.

"Is she calling me wooden?"

"I do not think so," Pen tried to recover, but Eloise only interrupted again with, "I could call him much worse."

"Is there not another pamphlet on women's rights to read somewhere?" Colin retorted, making Eloise's face heat up at the reminder of who had given them to her.

"El is quite done with that," Penelope said, only hoping that to be the case, but with one look at Eloise's awkward expression, she felt slightly distraught.

"She has brought one with her here," Colin informed. "Prepare yourself for many a quotation, Pen."

"The printer's pamphlet?" Penelope asked, feeling guilty for speaking about her friend in such a forgetable way. "I thought you'd realise she was not connected to Lady Whistledown. Those letter 'k's have not been smudged for some time now, have they?"

Eloise sighed, stopping her friend before she could be scolded anymore. "I am just as much interested in their new letters now. It is a rather radical publication which is why I seem to like it so much."

As Eloise gushed, she started to realise that she was merely quoting what Maria had said to her. The girl had given her multiple reasons as to why she would enjoy each new copy, the girl having read them herself before her arrival.

"The apprentice there, well, one of them, Maria Sharpe--"

Penelope's head snapped up at the mention of her name, wondering why Maria had felt the need to misdirect with the use of her real name. "You know her name? Do you not think you're getting into dangerous waters, El? That side of town?"

Eloise supposed her friend was right, she wasn't nearly being as careful as she should be with this secret. Her sneaking off to the other side of town in the early hours of the morning just to see a girl she felt her heart beat quicken for was not exactly a good way to explain away her giddy speech.

"I've tried to dissuade her from it," Colin mentioned, making Eloise's shoulders slump. She had remembered all the conversations of her brother trying to oppress her new fascination, but it had not worked once. She was determined to go to one of the women's rights meetings and she was determined to see Maria there. "Perhaps you can convince her while I am gone today."

"Where are you going?" Eloise scoffed.

"Are you joining the men on the hunt?" Penelope asked with confusion. She had hoped she would be able to see the man more often now that she had arrived at the country house.

"I am not," Colin replied, awkwardly. "I have decided to pay your cousin a visit, in fact."

"Marina?" "Miss Thompson?"

Colin nodded firmly and Penelope swayed slightly on the spot, her eyes meeting her shoes in the grass. Eloise raised an eyebrow at her brother, only feeling even more justified of her sneaking around.

"I rather think I am not the only one getting into dangerous waters."

Behind them, Violet Bridgerton's voice erupted and Eloise felt herself wanting the floor to open up and swallow her whole.

"Eloise, Penelope," her mother announced, Colin moving away swiftly. The woman walked over and put her arms around both the girls to the distaste of Eloise. "I think you will find we have much to offer the young ladies today."

Eloise felt a shiver creep up her spine at the sound of potential men who couldn't hold one intelligent conversation, not like Maria could, but she shook the thought away. "Yes, well, Pen is a young lady, and we do have so much to catch up on, so--"

Her mother pulled her back as she tried to get out of her grasp. "Eloise... I hope you will behave yourself this week. We... We are hosts."

Gaining a nod from Eloise, her mother smiled slightly before walking alongside them, still with her hands around them. "Perhaps you and Penelope might like to spend some time with the other young ladies in attendance. Hmm?"

Eloise knew there was only one other 'young lady', excluding Pen, she would wish to spend time with that second.

"Or, at the very least, there will be some good gossip to absorb," her mother finished her lecture.

"We'd not dream of doing anything differently, Lady Bridgerton," Penelope said, only to get herself and Eloise away as quickly as possible.

However, Violet had managed to lead them right over to the celebrations and pushed them gently towards a circle of other young women around their age.

They both chuckled awkwardly at how forced and unnatural the circumstances were and curtsied out of politiness. As the conversation continued, though, Eloise turned her head to look out to the rolling fields, wishing that Maria was only here with her to give her some respite from the suffocation of society.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Eloise stood on the sidelines of the ball, her arm looped with Penelope's, and both of them watched as the people danced before them. No foot out of place, no smile faltering, no hand starting to roam. Those were only some of the rules that seemed to run through everyone's blood as they kept up their facade.

She felt calm watching things from far away because she knew that from there, nobody would bother her to be perfect, or to smile, or to be someone that was not truely herself. Yet, that was exactly how she felt when she was around Maria.

As Eloise's eyes wandered around the ballroom, her whole body tensed when she spotted her mother coming towards her and Pen with a suitor on her arm. While the man may have seemed attractive to other young woman, Eloise only longed for the attraction of one person.

"Lord," Eloise muttered, squeezing her arms tighter around Penelope, making the girl look to her in confusion. "She's-- She's coming towards me with a suitor."

"And what if you said yes?" Penelope merely asked, earning a look of disbelief from the brown-haired girl.

"To a dance?"

"I only mean to say--" Penelope tried to explain, but seeing Eloise's fearful look, she changed her tone to something of humor. "It'd entertain me so much for you to say yes to the dances you are offered so I might hear about them."

After some sounds of sarcastic understanding, Penelope sighed and leaned in slightly.

"There is only so much more I can hear about a pamphlet."

Eloise felt her shoulders slump and she gave her friend a glare. Though there was a small voice telling her that maybe she had gone a bit overboard about the Women's Rights pamphlet.

"Never mind," Penelope only chuckled, but Eloise still stared at her friend with slight offence.

Penelope, not having realised, turned back with a much bigger thought on her mind. "Have you spoken to Colin about his visit--"

Before she could finish, Eloise had turned back to the dance floor, only to see her mother a few steps away with the possible suitor. She started to struggle, trying to move herself away, but found herself caught up with Penelope.

"No, no, no," she mumbled, still trying to get away, but Violet caught her in time.

"Eloise," Violet chuckled as Penelope turned to face the other direction out of awkwardness and Eloise stood in place, awaiting her horrifying fate. "I would like to introduce you to Lord Morrison."

Her mother nudged her forward slightly as the man in front of her bowed. "Miss Eloise. A pleasure."

As Eloise nodded, not having a wish in her mind to continue the conversation, the Lord looked to Violet with a questioning stare. Violet only looked back and so the man took it upon himself to put out his hand in offering.

"Might I have the honor?"

Leaning forward slightly, Eloise looked at the man as if he had mistaken her for someone else. "Of what?"

The man chuckled out of nervousness, along with Violet while Penelope stood behind them, putting a gloved hand to her mouth to hide a laugh.

"A dance, Eloise," her mother clarified, knowing how difficult her daughter was going to make this interaction, but she took it in her stride. "Yes, I think you shall, Lord Morrison."

Eloise, again, tried to sneak away, but Violet caught her hand, placing in the palm of the man's. The girl could only think about how horribly sweaty it was and how Maria's probably didn't feel like this.

"Remember, hosts?" Violet whispered, making Eloise smile uncomfortably as she was dragged to the dance floor with her new dance partner.

"You wish to be entertained," Eloise told Penelope bitterly and the red-head only chuckled in response.

The dance then began as they took to their positions, Violet telling Eloise to smile, which she did, just extremely forcefully.

The girl felt her chest tighten up and breathing start to quicken out of pressure. She didn't want to be, she never wanted to be at one of these balls, and yet she was forced.

Lord Morrison took her hands after they bowed to each other and as the music continued, their feet moved in time and direction. Eloise only tried to keep her breathing steady as the man led her in dance this way and that.

"Miss Eloise--" he tried to speak, but Eloise cut across him.

"Would you mind keeping quiet?" she asked, but realised that on its own may seem rude, she added on an extra sentence. "I am counting my steps, so..."

She chuckled and she started to ramble out of nerves, remembering a sentence she had read to Maria the last time she had visited. "'What worries you, masters you.'"

"Ah. You have read Locke?" Lord Morrison recognised, making Eloise raise an eyebrow.

"I have. Have you?"

"Yes," the man responded with a slightly bored tone. "It is required of all men past a certain age, surely. Not so much for young ladies."

He turned her quickly in the dance, and she felt herself spinning with a frown. "Because our feeble minds might collapse if we put too many ideas in them."

They both chuckled, Eloise more so out of spite while the man's was more genuine. "For most of the ladies I have met, that seems to be true. Many of them cannot even articulate a thought."

Squinting her eyes at the man, Eloise felt her blood begin to boil at the man's obvious prejudice. "And do you not think it's because they haven't been offered the same opportunities?"

Lord Morrison sighed at the girl's words, continuining to follow the music and dance. "I understand that you scorn this farcical performance that is good society."

Eloise only held an amused look, not because she found him funny, but because he was as dumb as an oaf. She knew that she shouldn't have to stand for it, and Maria definitely wouldn't in her place.

"What do you say we quit the dance floor and add some brandy to the punch?" the Lord asked, leaning in closely to say it lower. His smile showed mischievious intent, but Eloise only saw the obvious lack of intelligence.

"You'd rather alter the punch than engage in meaningful conversation?" Eloise asked with a small sarcastic chuckle.

The Lord looked away with a disapproving stare. "And you would rather count your steps."

Feeling herself stare at him for a moment out of pure shock of his words, she was turned in his arms and she let go of his hand.

"Perhaps I shall quit the dance floor, now."

People's eyes watched the two of them as the man stood dumbfounded at the girl's sudden departure while Eloise merely ignored him, heading for the staircase.

Lord Morrison grabbed the girl's arm roughly, turning her around. "I do think we should finish this dance. People are looking."

He tried to recover from his anger by looking to people around the room, smiling to make up for Eloise's lack of care.

Scoffing, Eloise stared at the man. "I see what masters you. Next time you compliment a woman, at least try not to insult her entire sex in the process."

Her blood rushed in her ears and Eloise held the sides of her dress so as not to trip as she stormed off the dance floor. Lord Morrison looked at her once before thundering out in the opposite direction.

"Eloise," her mother's voice called as Eloise kept walking and let out a whimper. "Eloise."

She didn't want to hear it as she hurried up the steps, but knew her mother deserved better than to be ignored. "What?"

"I invited Lord Morrison specifically for you," Violet said in a low voice, aware of listening ears. "He is known to share your rebellious spirit."

Stopping herself on the stairs, Eloise turned back to her mother with disbelief in her eyes, tears ready to fall. "My rebellion is not some party dress I put on to play a part, Mama, and it is certainly not some accomplishment I've developed, like singing or painting, to help me attract a suitor."

Her mother opened her mouth to speak, but Eloise didn't let her, wanting to finally get some feelings off her chest. Not all of them, though, of course. "I... know... I am a disappoitment to you. So just allow me to take my leave and go to bed."

Violet had no words for her daughter and Eloise saw that, so she rushed up the stairs, dress trailing behind her.

Penelope, who had been watching the whole scene, rushed to follow her sobbing friend up the stairs.

"El!" she called out.

"I wish to be alone," Eloise could hardly muster before hastening her pace out of the ballroom and towards her bedroom.

Oh, how she wished she could just go back to sitting in that back alley speaking to Maria.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*