𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒
"𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒅𝒐 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏."
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀'𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐃𝐀𝐘𝐒, with her brother still being bed-ridden, the work loads piling up, Penelope's dreadful plan and not to mention, Eloise, the girl was ready to give up and just collapse.
It was all she could think about, and her heart yearned to see the Bridgerton again, but she also knew it would be a terrible idea to meet. If they were seen together again, it would only put Eloise in more danger, and she couldn't have that. She couldn't bear the thought of her getting the same fate as she had.
It was midday as the thoughts swelled in her mind again, and she tried to shake them away, somewhat unsuccessfully, as she was printing some new sheets of paper on the line printer.
Taking the sheet she was printing that minute out from the machine, she heard the store door open and close and someone had walked in.
Maria didn't even look up, so uninterested in the world around her. She continued on with her work and spoke clearly and as authoratively as she could.
"Sorry to inform you, but the master printer's not here. Maybe try another day."
There was silence for a few moments as the brunette still did not look up and instead analysed her printing skills on the newly made page, then the voice spoke and it made Maria's heart beat fasten.
"It is not printing I wish to solicit."
She looked up at caught sight of the beauty that was Eloise Bridgerton as she took down her hood.
Maria felt elated to see her, but it was only fear that took hold and she rushed over with wide eyes, gently pushing the girl away from the windows.
"Eloise, you should not be here," Maria said quietly, looking out of the glass to check no eyes were peering in.
Eloise felt slightly forlorn at the girl's reaction, but only used her quick wit to hide it. "Not even a little excited to see me, then?"
"Of course I am, it's just..." Maria turned away from the window, making sure the door was properly closed before carrying on speaking. "The Queen's guards have paid me a visit. The printing shop has doubled my work load from the trouble it has caused and my brother is still not well enough to leave his bed."
Eloise sighed softly and looked up at the brunette with a guilty expression. "Y- Yes. I think that may be my fault. The Queen, she... she saw me visiting you the other day and now believes me to be Lady Whistledown herself. Ridiculous, yes?"
Maria stared down at the girl with a look of astonishment and had combing through her hair. Of course, this was all a facade. She knew of all this already, but she would never betray Penelope's secret, as much as she wanted to warn Eloise of what was to come.
"I believe, yes, it is quite--"
"Maria, what is that on your face?" Eloise asked, cutting acrose Maria and putting a gloved hand to the girl's cheek. The gloves were only lace, so her skin was practically against Maria's own as she ran her thumb along the bruise.
Suppressing the need to shiver, Maria shook her head. "It was the Queen's guards, but I am fine."
"You do not look it," Eloise said, her eyes wide with worry and guilt. "Oh, I have caused this all."
"Don't be foolish. You did not force me to talk to you," the brunette reasoned, not ever wanting to see the Bridgerton as sad as she was now.
"But you are hurt," the smaller girl retorted, taking her hand back from Maria's face. "That was only caused because of my carelessness."
"Eloise, I just think--" Maria began, and Penelope's words ran through her head. She shouldn't be here, Eloise shouldn't be in this part of town because it was not safe. She couldn't let her get hurt. "Eloise, I think it best if you don't come back here."
"What?" Eloise let out in almost a whisper, not believing she had heard the girl correctly.
Maria shook her head and turned around, she didn't think she could stand the saddened look on her face. "It is best that we do not see each other again. You should go back to Mayfair, where you belong, and live your real life. Not the one you have imagined here with me."
"I don't understand, Maria," Eloise said, stepping forwards towards the girl who had her back to her. She felt tears prick her eyes and the despair she felt was overwhelming. "I have not imagined a single thing. This was--"
"This was, what, Eloise?" Maria demanded, feeling herself want to cry at her own words. What she was saying was breaking her heart as well as Eloise's. "This was nothing. Just leave, please. Before I force you out. You don't deserve this, not any of it, but get out."
Eloise stood still for a moment, a single tear falling down her cheek and then she turned away and out of the back door, her broken sob echoing in Maria's head.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
Eloise was trying to calm herself down still, even after a day of the terrible conversation between herself and Maria. While she was still highly upset, she felt she could not cry any more tears and she felt more angry than anything.
How dare the girl speak to her like that when she knew what she felt had been reciprocated. The girl had said that she was what she thought about, though from the conversation they had yesterday, you would think that Eloise was a random girl from the ton.
Well, maybe she had been that at the start of their... relationship, but she had thought they had blossomed far from that. Although, she had appeared to be wrong, and she was paying greatly in the way of mild panic attacks and a broken heart.
To calm her nerves, she decided a casual game of chess with Benedict would suffice, but of course she was wrong when all her mother could speak of was the upcoming ball she had planned to smooth things over with the rest of high society.
"If we garner enough support, the Queen may even be swayed to forget all about this wedding business," Violet told to Mrs. Wilson after an out of tune interruption from Hyacinth on the piano.
Eloise felt her chest tighten at the sound of the Queen being mentioned and her brother gave her a weird look as he made his move on the chess board.
Feeling as if she could loosen her lungs with a bit of fresh air, Eloise quickly got up from the chess match and lifted up a window in the drawing room, sticking her head out into the wind.
"It is positively suffocating in here," Eloise complained, her voice coming out breathless.
"Eloise, dear?" Violet asked, making her turn back from the window. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Playing the situation off, Eloise fixed her hair as she bitterly spoke. "Do not fret, Mama. I'll still be in attendance at your ball."
Violet looked at her daughter with a slight glare and Anthony joined the conversation as he brooded over his newspaper next to Gregory.
"Participating in this farce along with the rest of us."
Violet looked appalled around the room at her children. "I am doing this for all of us."
"Perhaps there is still time to change your theme," Benedict said, trying to be helpful, while Hyacinth continued to play the piano.
Eloise took the moment to rush up to Mrs. Wilson for the fourth time that day with her only question. "Has there truly been no Whistledown delivery today?"
The lady shook her head and Eloise sighed. Then, as if the name 'Whistledown' had led her, Penelope entered the Bridgerton's drawing room with a smile.
"Good day, Bridgertons."
They all smiled to her before Eloise rushed over, grabbed the girls hand and dragged her to her bedroom.
Eloise checked there was no one around outside before closing the door and standing in front of Penelope, breathing heavily.
"I am going to confess."
"What?" Penelope said, dumbfounded.
"I know all I need to know about Whistledown," Eloise explained, walking around the Featherington to the other side of her room. "I shall find a printer, publish a counterfeit paper, and give Her Majesty exactly what she wants. An ally."
"And you'll use the assistance of that apprentice, Miss Sharpe," Penelope said with anger, utterly confused at what Maria had done now.
Hearing her name, even her last one, made Eloise remember the heart break she so wished to never think about again. "I do not wish to speak of that girl ever again."
Penelope stared hard at her friend, finally realising what Maria had done. She had finally heeded her warnings and pushed Eloise away, but now the Bridgerton wasn't thinking straight and Penelope could only think that that was because she didn't have Maria guiding her.
Eloise saw her friends expression and mistook it for more confusion, and so she sighed. "I am doing this for my family, Pen. I make the Queen, once more, our supporter. It'll make the rest of society overlook all the scandal we have recently caused."
"Eloise, I do not wish you to do anything rash," Penelope finally spoke.
Shaking her head, Eloise had no clue what else to do, truely. "There is little sand left in this hourglass. If I have to say I am Whistledown, then so be it."
"That will only last for so long," Penelope exclaimed, hoping that her friend did not go along with this plan because it would mean a huge and terrible fallout for herself. "You cannot continue lying like that. What will happen... What will happen when the real Lady Whistledown decides to publish again?"
Eloise scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. "I have already lied so much about Maria, what reason is there to stop now? And, quite frankly, I no longer care what the real Lady Whistledown does, or does not, decide to do. She is dead to me."
The red-head felt herself having to swallow a large lump in her throat at the girl's words, but she didn't know whether that lump was fear or guilt.
"Pen, I have made my decision," Eloise said. "At the very least, it will allow me a little more time to... finally find the real writer and make her pay for all of her crimes."
She took the Featherington's hands in her own with a soft smile.
"I only wish to thank you. For always being such a loyal friend, whatever the circumstances."
Eloise hugged the girl tightly and Penelope felt it would only be right to hug back. However, she still felt that lump in her throat grow larger, and she decided it was definitely guilt. She just hoped she would be able to handle it when the next Lady Whistledown newsletter came out.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐮𝐬 𝐬𝐨?
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐳𝐲 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧.
𝐘𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭'𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐮𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭.
The classical music played as Eloise walked down the carefully decorated stairs of the Bridgerton house behind Colin, Benedict, Anthony and her mother. Yet it was only a smirk that played on her face when the ballroom was revealed to have no guests in attendance.
The Sharmas and Lady Danbury walked in through from the hall, looking around quite as confused at the empty space as Violet.
"Well," Violet said, her voice echoing in the emptiness. "This is unexpected."
"It is still quite early, I suppose," Lady Sharma tried to reassure, but with an uncertain smile.
A man from the orchestra they had hired for the evening walked over, clearing his throat to call Violet's attention.
"Would you still like us to play, my lady?"
Eloise turned her head and she met her brother, Benedicts, eyes, both of them looking as if they would burst out laughing in seconds. Violet, however, did not find it funny. "That will not be necessary."
The man pointed to the other's above them and they started talking to each other as they set their instruments down.
"If there's no need for my presence, I'll head to my studio," Benedict said to Anthony, scratching his head, but with the ballroom that empty, everyone heard clearly. "I, for one, do not wish to be around such misery all evening."
"Wait," Anthony tried to stop him, Eloise quite surprised.
"I know of your opinions, brother--"
"You will stay for a dance," Anthony ordered, holding Benedict back from leaving and walking to the middle of the floor. Eloise looked up at Colin, both sharing a face of confusion. "There shall be dancing. A new perspective, yes?"
Benedict looked at his brother curiously, but smiled all the same. Anthony returned it and walked to the side of the room, looking to the balconies above.
"Dancing? With whom?" Colin questioned.
"Anthony," Violet warned, but Anthony ignored it, instead calling upstairs.
"Hyacinth!"
"Yes, brother?" his sister's voice asked back, slightly muffled with so much space between them. Then her and Gregory's heads appeared over the top of the railing.
"Come down here and do me the honor," Anthony smiled with open arms, making Elosie chuckle.
The young girl looked surprised and Gregory was outraged. "If she gets to dance, so do I."
The two children rushed down the stairs and as they reached the bottom, Hyacinth took Anthony's hand with a smile, him spinning her with a similar grin.
"Come," Lady Danbury commanded. "Show this dowager the benefit of all these lessons I hear you've been taking, Mr. Bridgerton."
"He is much better than me, I will say," Eloise smiled, Benedict walking up beside her.
"Something lively," Anthony called to the orchestra as everyone laughed and partnered up around him. "A country dance, perhaps?"
They all joined hands and the dance began, everyone turning in a circle, ducking beneath one another's arms and spinning between people's feet.
Eloise had never felt such joy around her family before, and she felt light on her feet and the music floated down from the rafters. Perhaps it was because there were no requirements, there was nothing to be expected, there was no pressure. She was free to act as she would when alone.
But there was always the small thought in her mind that reminded her, this is exactly how she felt whenever she was around Maria.
Then the music faded and they all bowed and curtiesed to each other, their laughter spilling out into what should have been lonely emptiness, but what was instead a family home.
Everyone started to calm down slightly, the feeling of burning joy slowly extinguishing and they all caught sight of Kate and Anthony who were staring deeply into each other's eyes. Eloise turned away, only not to be reminded of love. It was paining her not to think about Maria, but she believed it would hurt her more if she never forgot her.
Feeling the awkwardness set in, Hyacinth jumped into the middle with an excitement fit for her age. "Perhaps a quadrille?"
Everyone seemed much too exhausted for that which was shown through subtle looks and pointed stares to each other. It was mostly established by Lady Danbury's sound of disagreement.
Colin cleared his throat, not wanting to disappoint his youngest sibling and instead turned her attention to something else. "Perhaps we should start eating some of that food."
Eloise sighed as most of them rushed over to the tables laden with all kinds of meats, cheeses, olives and fruit. Her eyes widened and her stomach growled for a plate of everything, but she settled for a handful grapes, as always.
There was a few moments of idle chatter; Violet and Lady Danbury stood in the middle of the room still questioning the ton's absence from the ball that night.
Eloise was ushering Kate to help herself to a couple of grapes when she heard her mother's voice calling for their maid.
"Mrs. Wilson?"
"It was just delivered, ma'am," the woman replied and Eloise spied her handing over a new copy of Lady Whistledown's newsletter.
Eloise felt her feet moving before the rest of her body, her anticipation growing, heart beat feeling rampant inside her chest.
"Is that Lady Whistledown?" she asked into the dead silence of the ballroom.
Her mother did not answer, however, looking down at the newsletter with pursed lips. Lady Danbury did the same, but her with more curiousity than anything.
"Has she published, Mama?"
"Indeed, she has," Violet replied, her voice low and sinister. "And now we may know why we are the only ones here."
Eloise felt herself look at her mother with confusion, and she grew more nervous with each passing minute. Then her mother began to read, making the girl's heart sink and tears threaten to spill.
𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐦 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐄𝐥𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐞'𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐲.
𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐬, 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭.
Eloise now took the newsletter into her hands, both of them trembling and she read it herself. All eyes on her and she felt herself want to be dragged up to the stars, never to return.
𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬.
𝐎𝐫, 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞.
Eloise couldn't bare it anymore and shoved the letter back into her mother's hands and rushed away from the ballroom. Her tears fell down her cheeks and she wished nothing more than to never had existed. She wished to have been born differently. She wished she hadn't fallen idiotically in love with Maria Sharpe.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫, 𝐚𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐝, 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭.
✧・゚: *✧・゚:*
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