"My final letters, were they read? Or were they written in vain?"
Although born in France, Juliette Villeneuve often spent her childhood summers in London. With the passing of each summer, her adoration for a certain Bridgerton boy grew. During thei...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
LADY WHISTLEDOWN'S SCANDAL SHEET AS OF LATE, as always, was the fuzzy grains of a red-seeded dandelion, simply released by a mere puff of breath. They floated to every crevice of Grosvenor Square, spreading to every Lord and Lady. Where the seeds landed, grew a pesky weed of Lady Whistledown's words. The square was ridden with the impurities of the High Society, ridden with rumours of the happenings at Vauxhall the night before. Grosvenor Square was overrun by weeds.
As the early morning sun blessed the cloudless sky, Juliette sat on the wooden porch swing. The heat of an eager imminent summer kissed her skin and warmed the coldness that prevailed from the prior night. She was entranced by the words of her novel, transported to a fictional world. The bustling excitement of Lady Whistledown's rapidly sowing words was unknown to Juliette. She was ignorant to the commotion of Grosvenor Square, as she was too mesmerized by the comfort of another reality.
Suddenly, her book was ripped from her grasp with haste. Juliette gasped loudly as she was torn from the fictional words and was brought plunging into reality.
Édith, her sweet cousin, stood in front of Juliette, eyes wide with mischief. The novel was shut and held tight to her chest, ultimately losing Juliette's page. Juliette tried not to dwell on the sliver of annoyance budding within. She noticed Édith's free hand was tucked behind her back. Unquestionably, the young girl was up to no good.
"Yes, Édith?" Juliette questioned, irritation slightly fell from her tongue.
An impish grin pulled at Édith's lips. Excitedly, she announced, "A new scandal sheet has been released!"
The thirteen-year-old girl nimbly withdrew her arm from behind her back, wielding an intricate sword of words. Lady Whistledown's scandal sheet was held tightly in her clutch. The beige pages fluttered in the light June breeze.
Juliette inhaled sharply, her heartbeat spiking at the news.
"Oh, please, Juliette, let us read it!" Édith pleaded. With haste, she seated herself next to Juliette, offering the scandal sheet. The wooden swing swung backwards at the sudden movement, releasing a low creak. Eyeing the DuBois property, she continued in a hushed whisper, "We must be quick before Mama comes out!"
Lady DuBois had taken a disliking to the notorious scandal sheet, as many on the receiving end of the blade did. She claimed the words were mere poison and did not merit being spread any further. She banned the words of Lady Whistledown, as they were not to be spoken within the DuBois property. For, she insisted, the DuBois family has far more pressing concerns than an anonymous scribbler.
Juliette was uncertain. Lady DuBois's reasoning was sane. After being labelled a crone, Juliette consumed her time pondering whether there was truth to the words. As she thought of the words more, the more she allowed them to nibble away at her soul. However, the pouted lip and pleading eyes Édith wore tugged mercilessly at Juliette's heart. Biting her cheek, Juliette truly attempted to refrain from granting her cousin's wishes. She had no desire in reading what the anonymous scribbler scrawled as of late, for she wished not to be marked a crone once again. Albeit, it was a difficult feat saying no to Édith.
