𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐎 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐓

"𝑴𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑬𝒍𝒐𝒊𝒔𝒆..."

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐆𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑'𝐒, Colin and Anthony, mostly, Benedict usually stayed quiet during times like these, which just justified his position as Eloise's favourite brother, the girl had retired to her room to get some respite.

She leaned against her bedroom window that shone out into the gardens, and she watched the path below, playing out a scene in her head.

Maria would appear from the bushes and stand below her window, ushering her to open it and speak to her. And she would do as asked, leaning her chin on her hand as she spoke to the girl below, gloating about how she was finally taller.

She would hear the light, melodical laugh from the brunette and her heart would melt right on the spot. Shivers would run up and down her arms and she would wish for the moment to never end.

Although, she knew her imagination was running away with her. Maria did not wish to ever see her again, and, while Eloise would deny this out loud, the Bridgerton only longed to see her face again.

Her thoughts were disturbed at a sudden knock on her bedroom door. Eloise turned around in surprise, finding the footman who had taken her to see Maria all those times. The girl was starting to feel as though the world was out to make her feel even more heartbroken with all the reminders of the printer's appprentice.

"Miss Eloise. A package for you," the footman announced, a small, rectangular shape in his hands.

She shook her head, putting up her hand. "Oh, I do not want any--"

The footman merely smiled and interrupted her. He had been told by the girl that Eloise would not take the parcel at first, but he was to insist. "You might want this one."

He stepped further into the room, not wishing to disturb her anymore, and placed it on the sideboard with a knowing smile. "I'll be outside."

Eloise felt her breath catch in her throat at what that could mean, and once the man left, she rushed over to the package and unwrapped it with as much grace as a lady should have.

When she had taken of the wrappings, she found an old book that she recognised to belong to the Bridgerton library, but she had given to Maria. It was Romeo and Juliet, one of the two's favourite to read together.

While it had been a surprise to Maria that Eloise would like a story so filled with romance, she had simply covered it up with the fact that it showed the true reality of love, how it ended in death and misery.

But deep down, Eloise didn't believe that at all. She loved the story because it reminded her of what Maria and her shared. A forbidden love that would be taken down in history. At least, taken down in their history.

Smiling fondly at the memory, but still feeling quite confused, she opened the book out of pure curiousity, only to find a note falling from the spine.

Feeling her heart start to rise in hope, Eloise took the note in one hand, placing the book down carefully with her other. She quickly opened up the piece of paper, her smile growing and her eyes widening at what was written.

𝐌𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞,

𝐈 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐋𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐤.

𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐚𝐬 𝐮𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞, 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐈 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬.

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞,
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐩𝐞

She was giddy at the thought of finally figuring out who Lady Whistledown truly was, but the truth was that she really wanted to see Maria again. To see her brunette curls, her golden brown eyes, her beautiful smile. She wanted to see all of her.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Maria had been unable to keep still all day long, since the morning rose, until it sat still in the highest point of the sky, and until now when it hung by a thread in the west. She was awaiting Eloise's visit since she had sent the note, and now she could only hope that the girl's hatred for her was not more powerful than her curiousity.

Trying to keep herself busy, Maria had felt a new burst of effort in her body and had managed to deal with both her brother's and her own work load, now finishing up with sanding the prints for the paper.

Luckily, her brother was feeling much better these days and had been wandering around with a smile. It had been a while since she had seen him one of those and it gave her hope that things were falling into place.

Letting her hand rest for a moment from the insistent sanding, she got up from her stool and picked up a new piece of printing paper, folding it carefully as she turned around to the workbench. But instead of finding herself alone, she found the one and only Eloise Bridgerton before her.

"You came," Maria breathed out, not completely convinced that it was real.

Eloise tried to keep her smile down and instead focused on how infuriated she felt that the girl had been lying to her. "Why did you not tell me sooner? Why did you continue lying to me? Carrying on with me, when you knew, this entire time that the real Lady Whistledown has been using this very shop to print her scandal sheet."

Drunk sounding laughter could be heard from outside and Maria turned back quickly, feeling quite paranoid. She knew that Penelope would not appreciate that she was giving away any of her secrets, but the girl had not written for a while and had not paid her any visits since she had talked of exposing Eloise.

"I wanted to tell you, I swear," Maria spoke, hurrying closer to the Bridgerton girl. "But she was still here, watching, my every move. You think I simply wanted to not see each other anymore? Did you think so little of me to force you away like that?"

"No, I--" Eloise tried to speak, but the brunette spoke over the top of her.

"I did not want Lady Whistledown to catch us together, not like the Queen did. I did not want her to do what she did. I wanted to protect you."

Eloise's eyes widened and a small blush appeared on her cheeks, but she looked away, not feeling the Sharpe deserved her affection. "A little late for that."

Maria sighed, but she knew the girl was going to act like this. She had every right to be stubborn, to never forgive her for her actions, but it wouldn't stop her from trying.

She walked around the workbench, putting down the folded piece of printing paper and stood only a few inches in front of the girl.

"I am sorry, Eloise," Maria said, her hands wanting to touch the girl's chin, just to make their eyes meet, but in the end she didn't need to when Eloise looked up all by herself. "I do not think I have felt this sorry about anything more in my entire life, and that is saying something. When I was younger I once collected thousands of small spiders and put them in my brother's bed, just to scare him, but he ended up getting bitten all over and I did not stop crying until he forgave me."

Eloise put a glove to her mouth, stopping herself from letting out a chuckle and stopping me from believing I had succeeded in apologising to her.

"So, Miss Bridgerton, I am sorry more than I have ever been sorry in my entire lifetime. I just hope that you can forgive me before that lifetime ends."

"You put... spiders in your brothers bed?" Eloise pondered, feeling as if her laugh would escape her lips at any moment now, but she didn't let it, instead thinking about how she could do that to Colin at one ppint or another. Then she recovered herself and looked up into Maria's eyes, realising the small space between them. "I deserve a lot more than just an apology and an anecdote. I deserve the truth."

Feeling slightly forlorn, Maria nodded in agreement and Eloise moved herself away from the girl and around the other side if the workbench.

"Lady Whistledown seems to have stopped writing at all. Which is why now is the perfect time to find her, when she is unsuspecting," Eloise rambled, her thoughts merely spilling out of her mouth. "And with your knowledge of her methods and my endeavors, I'm sure together we can finally unmask her."

She stopped talking and her eyes looked up to the taller girl, seeing her smiling with her heart-melting smile. It made Eloise want to lean in then and there and kiss the smugness away, but that would irrational and not at all correct in current circumstances.

Eloise cleared her throat while trying to driver her thoughts away from her kissing the other girl. "I must know everything you know."

Maria nodded, knowing this command would come, and so she was ready with what little information she would share. While the girl did not agree that what Penelope did was right, she was not going to give her up just like that. It simply was not her place as a lowly printer's apprentice.

She leaned down on the workbench, elbows holding her up. "All the manuscripts were delivered in the early hours of the morning, never arriving later than six. Normally twice a week."

"Do you have the wrapping they came in?" Eloise asked, leaning in to meet Maria's eyes.

"There were never any wrappings," the brunette shrugged. "Whoever Lady Whistledown is must be of high society because they were always sewn into silks."

Maria set off further into the shop to show off the silk, and Eloise stopped for a moment, feeling herself quite fond of this new, authorative tone in the girl's voice.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*