𝘼 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 [Eloise Bridgerton]

•3•

The girls and their mothers particularly enjoyed Thursday's activities in which all the women gathered together to try on dresses for upcoming parties. The Queen had announced that Saturday's outdoor event would give the girls another chance to get to know their suiters and dance the night away with their soon to be husbands.
Of course, Eloise was made to attend as she would be next season's shining jewel, but for now, her sister Daphne was doing a very fine job of maintaining and holding the constant spotlight and attention.

It was the middle of a glorious day, sun at it's peak, gazing into the giant windows of the Bridgerton family suite.
Like most days, the Featherington family had invited themselves inside to admire Daphne's new dresses and help themselves to tea and biscuits. Their family was made up of three siblings and a guest—Marina Thompson—who was staying with the Featheringtons for the season.
Unlike her new part-time siblings, Marina liked to stay at a distance from the crowd and watch the girls try on their dresses from a far away couch. The group dearly hoped a bachelor would notice how stunning the dresses fitted them.

Penelope Featherington enjoyed wearing dresses too, but often let her sisters—Philippa and Prudence—take the spotlight for themselves. They very much resembled Cinderella's step sisters: selfish, delicate and self obsessed.
They tried ever so hard to convince men to like them, but they almost never ended up getting their way.

Men didn't seem to like girls with ugly tempers.

The Bridgerton brothers had been sent away for the day, allowing their sisters to take the suite for themselves.
A giant personal dressing room.
Daphne stood directly opposite the main mirror, staring admiringly at her wonderful new white gown. It somewhat resembled a wedding dress and she matched it with white gloves that covered almost all of her arms, beautiful sequins draping down the bottoms of the skirt.

"Don't you look fantastic!" Lady Featherington gasped dramatically as she strode into the room holding five colourful dresses across her arm.

Daphne bounced slightly, letting out an exhilarated squeal, clearly pleased with how her dress looked in the mirror.
Eloise—who unsurprisingly sat with a book in her hand—complimented her sister's looks, smiling as she watched her sister gaze at her pretty reflection.

The magical yet tragically sorrowful story lay in Eloise's hands, which couldn't help making her wonder where Ruby had gotten to. She was meant to be trying on dresses here too.
After the events in the maze, the two had parted without a second glance, though it did pain Eloise to leave the gardens after such a short time spent wandering them.
Ruby had also been left to walk solo. She had enjoyed her time spent with Eloise in the silence of the enclosed maze. It was secret yet spacious; they would most probably be able to get away with anything inside of it.

Eloise snapped out of her heavy thoughts as their grand, white double doors both flung open boldly, revealing the exact answer to what she was thinking.
Ruby was here.
And she was late.

Unexpectedly, behind Ruby followed her mother, Lady Bainbridge. She was clearly back in the game and determined for Ruby to find a husband this season, preferably the Duke who had asked her to dance the night of the Queen's first ball.
For a while, Ruby's mother had let her daughter experience independence and freedom.
Clearly that time had come to an unfortunate end.

Before Lady Bainbridge could even begin to announce her and her daughter's arrival, Lady Featherington danced towards Ruby and took hold of her wrist, following her over towards Daphne in the mirror.
"I've discovered the most perfect dress for you!" She exclaimed.

Ruby smiled politely and rushed along as to not topple over herself while Lady Featherington pulled at a high speed across the rug. Eloise smirked into her book, trying her best to not show how funny she found the whole situation. Though, Ruby glanced her way and saw her giggling silently, which only made her smirk too.

"It's a wonderful pastel pink, isn't it?" Babbled Lady Featherington as she held the dress up to Ruby's front at many different unrealistic and excited angles.

The young girl didn't know what to say. She was overwhelmed with the woman's excitement and decided to simply agree to anything and everything the Lady suggested.

~

"Doesn't it look wonderful?!" Beamed Ruby's mother in awe at how well the pink gown fitted her daughter who stood confidently, yet slightly bored-looking, in front of the tall white mirror.

Ruby gazed at Eloise's reflection in front of her—in which she could only see half of—and attempted a knowing smile, reminding the girl of what happened in the morning maze.
"I will most certainly wear this to the event on Saturday, but...,"
Ruby paused, holding a mischievous thought. "But I first would love to know what Eloise thinks of my gown."

As soon as Ruby finished her sentence, Eloise snapped her neck upwards swiftly, heart skipping a terrifying beat, noticing her reflection was even more shocked than she imagined it to be. Unsure of why she was so unusually fearful, Eloise nodded, "I think the dress is wonderful."

But Ruby hadn't gotten want she wanted. So, she pranced towards Eloise, presenting every angle of the memorising pink gown; her feet circling the ground as she modelled and showed off.
Eloise watched, stunned and shocked.
She had no idea what to say.

"Does it look good on me?" Ruby teased with a wink and a smirk. She didn't stop there.
Ruby glided across the room while Daphne giggled at her exaggerated performance; then made her way slowly towards Eloise's pastel couch.
"Isn't it wonderful?"

Eloise gulped uncomfortably—by now the whole room had absorbed the awkwardness and nervousness that she most probably also felt.
"It looks amazing Ruby. Do you think we are able to speak in another room for a moment?"

Lady Featherington frowned.
And Daphne glanced at her mother, slightly raising a brow with confusion, who hadn't said much at all since Ruby had arrived.

"Of course. Yes! We can talk."
Ruby realised, urgently, that she may have gone a little too far.

~

"What in the world are you doing?" Eloise snapped, cheeks reddening.

"Don't you admire this dress?"
Ruby asked playfully with a spin.

Eloise rolled her eyes. "Yes! Of course I like the dress, but you cannot just prance around me like some sort of imbecile, asking continuously what I think of the dress!" She was clearly very irritated now.

Ruby didn't see the big deal. The other women around the room had complimented each other's dresses before. Why couldn't Eloise? And why was Eloise so worried about what her family thought?
"What is so wrong with asking how I look?"

Eloise paused, half not knowing what to say and half speechless at Ruby's relaxed state of manner. She acted as if Ruby had just committed murder.
"Maybe you should be thinking about how your husband will admire your dress. Not what a girl like me thinks!"

The bold remark stung a lot more than Ruby had expected it to.
But why did it hurt so much?
Why out of all people, did Eloise Bridgerton make Ruby feel so...

Before she could wonder any further, Eloise placed a soft hand on her arm.
And once again, blue met green, ocean and emerald.
Her eyes, met hers.

"You must know that I adore your gown, Ruby," the Bridgerton began, "and I would love nothing more than to..."
Her voice trailed into silence as she broke the lingering eye contact that seemingly lasted for an eternity.

"To what?" Ruby asked.
All of the sarcasm had now faded from her voice completely.
And all that remained was the sweet tinge of her voice that was only heard when something had become sorrowful.

Eloise did not continue.
She only smiled, sadly.

And then she walked away.