CALISTA / Bridgerton

SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - PARTNER IN CRIME
(30/03/2021)

The blonde rushed towards the overly familiar Ramsey Mansion, it stood gloriously detached from any other building. It wasn't a secret that Lord Ramsey was wealthy, not as much as The Duke of Hastings but perhaps on some level he was, he had the pleasure of roaming Calista's body whereas Simon Bassett had not. She eagerly knocked on the door and was met by Arthur, himself with a surprised look on his face but didn't question her arrival in the broad of daylight. She didn't wait for him to invite her in, she just lightly barged passed his strong arms that were in the door frame.

"Yes, Cal. Please do come in." He rolled his eyes at her abruptness that he had gotten so terribly used to.

"I need a favour." She bluntly asked, afraid he would say no because she no longer harboured love for him. He listened intently and invited her through to his study, thankfully his father was out of the mansion or he would have got an earful yet again how he continued to let, 'a fucking Bridgerton rule his life.'

"I need you to dispose of Lord Berbrooke." She whispered in a hushed tone, afraid that anyone would hear her and discover her plan. His eyes widened, flabbergasted at what words left his Calista's mouth.

"You can't be serious. Please tell me you aren't serious, Cal."

"Think about it, if he's gone, Daphne won't have to marry him. You know I'm right, Arthur. Don't pretend you haven't done it before." She rolled her eyes at his now sensitive soul.

"Is that a threat?"

"No, it's a mutual understanding of what you have done before. I'm asking as an old friend to do this for me. Perhaps I'll let you do that thing that you've always wanted to do to me." She smirked, sitting on his lap as an attempt to persuade him. Trying to use her sexuality to get him to agree, a toxic trait she formed as a younger woman.

She knew how to get what she wanted from Lord Ramsey.

"Trying to use sex as a weapon won't work on me, Calista Bridgerton. I know your heart too well for that." He scoffed but made no attempt to remove her from his lap, enjoying the warmth that radiated from her. She pouted, fluttering her eyelashes, she looked innocent but she was far from it. The sight almost made him groan in complete sexual need for her.

"Why haven't you asked your Duke to do your dirty work for you?" He added, amused that she had came to him instead of the man she was courting.

"Only you know me like the back of your hand. Plus, it's too early for him to see that side of me yet, I must remain societies perfect debutant if he is to marry me." She almost gagged at the thought of marriage, she needed to keep up the ruse of engagement to the man who she didn't want to marry. However, she wasn't wrong about not wanting Simons thoughts on her image tarnished. She didn't want him be disgusted of her behaviour.

He lightly kissed her nose.

She held her pinky forward for them both to pinky promise one another, a subtle hint of their past reconnecting.

"I shall make it look like a debt gone wrong. You must tell nobody, not even your precious Simon of this, Calista. I only trust you. I will grab my brothers and do it tonight. I have a date with a woman tonight, my father set it up in an attempt to forget about that damning Bridgerton's." He smiled lovingly at his best friend, a soulmate in another life.

"Do tell me, what's she like? Please don't tell me it's Cressida." She squealed in excitement of the possibilities of Arthur going on a date, she imagined him being awkward at first but if he liked the woman, he would soon warm up to the idea of a new woman. She was pleased that he was trying to experience new people just like she was.

"She's the complete opposite to you; a brunette, she's quite tall but not taller than me and she hates reading literature but loves poetry. She's also not as confident as you but perhaps she will become more confident around me as time grows."

Unspoken words created silence until Calista spoke up.

"I'm glad. I'm happy for you, Dove."

"I know you are." He softly kissed her lips, another peck after the other as they both slowly deepened it. Breathless with passion for one another.

"I love you, you know that. We'll never forget each other. We'll still have afternoon tea together, right? You won't ignore my friendship because you have another woman." She added, sadness taking over her feelings thinking she would never spend time with Arthur. Even though she was often sarcastic around him, he was her best friend, even though they slept together she was willing to end that if it meant that he found happiness with another woman. She would never disrespect another woman like that, she knew her boundaries.

"Nobody will ever stop me, I'm hurt that you'd think otherwise. You know you will always have my heart but I must move on from you, now. Trust is the key. Although, Lady Whistledown is having a field day with writing about us."

"That old witch, she's really cramping my style."