"I THINK YOU'RE THE ONLY MAN I CAN STAND."
"AND I WEAR THAT LIKE A BADGE OF HONOR."
IN WHICH OLD FRIENDS
REUNITE UNDER THE
STARS OF THE TON
BRIDGERTON S1-S3
BENEDICT BRIDGERTON X OC
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THE DUKE'S ACQUAINTANCE
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LIZZIE STABILIZED HERSELF against the four poster bed as Sybil laced up her stays, the tightness around her breasts almost suffocating her as they propped themselves up like a shelf. The actual corset felt comfortable, it was just the way her breasts seemed shoved in everybody else's face and the aching in her side for long periods of time that bothered her.
"I wish men would wear corsets and heels again." She muttered, slipping her head through the deep blue empire waist dress, the wide neck and capped sleeves decorated with soft pearls that cascaded down the layered skirt.
Sybil chuckled as she buttoned up the dress, tying it shut near the neck before moving toward the vanity. "I don't know if men ever wore those, your ladyship." Lizzie's eyes lit up, recalling her education at Oxford before she'd been called back to Wiltshire at the news of her mother's illness. She'd never felt so free in her life.
"Yes they did!" She exclaimed, sitting down in front of the mirror so Sybil could finish pinning up her hair, "It was sometime before that horrible business with Robespierre, and it was actually a form of status for a very long time." A glint appeared in Sybil's gaze, her lips twitching upward, "Ah the french, that explains it." Laughter bubbled up in Lizzie's chest before bursting free, betrayal settling into her chest once again. Because this time it wasn't a man that had made her laugh, but another woman.
It felt wrong.
Renee had been the last one to make her laugh. It wasn't fair that others should overtake her.
"There we go," Sybil announced, pinning the last curl into place. Lizzie stared at the beautiful updo, most of her hair tumbling around her shoulders and curling around her breasts, the rest pinned up in a beautiful arrangement of braids and twists.
Lizzie couldn't help but smile. She looked beautiful. Her freckles were on full display, the red rouge actually drawing more attention to the beloved feature.
"Oh you look lovely!" Aunt Cora stood at the door in a beautiful red dress, fan in hand and decorated in her family jewels. The woman pressed forward, dismissing Sybil as she wrapped her arms around her niece, placing her chin on Lizzie's head, "Your parents would be so proud of you." Saltwater burned in the corner of her eyes, pressure building behind them as they threatened to burst like the dam of emotions she'd held in since that horrible day in Wiltshire. But even she could not stop the small squeak of her voice as she asked, "You think so?"
Cora nodded, squeezing her tightly before leaving the girl on her own.
Lizzie forced herself to take a deep breath, staring at herself in the mirror, wiping away the unshed tears.
