CALISTA / Bridgerton

TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE - SCREW YOU, HASTINGS
(06/04/2021)

"These days, the modern young lady must display a miscellany of talents in her quest for a suitor. She must be a witty conversationalist, an accomplished musician, and an expert in the art of the swoon. For managing to faint with nary a petticoat out of place is a most coveted talent indeed. Of course, not everyone has fallen victim to the fever sweeping through London Town. However, the talk of the town seems to be the glorious Miss Calista Bridgerton, it seems that she has actually got the influenza, what a sad soul. We have heard that her fever has yet to break.

Her sister, on the other hand, is in great
health- making this the third proposal she has turned down this week, her eyes are very much set on the Prince."

The Bridgerton household was extremely busy, Violet had to juggle attending to Daphne and her soon to be proposal to the Prince and had to care for her eldest daughter who was in no fit state to attend any events with the family. The Bridgerton's hadn't been seen within Society for a week, apparently Calista was extremely ill. It was touch and go for a few days yet her fever broke last night, thankfully to her family who had been afraid to approach her incase of transmission of the flu which nobody had wanted to get. She has been held up in her room for a week, rarely being blessed with companionship.

She had fainted even with elegance, Violet had assured her daughter as Calista cried in bed, struggling to keep the vomit down at the pit of her stomach. Her hair was tied back in a knot, in an attempt to keep her comfy and cool. The fever had broken a few days ago but to be on the safe time, they kept the room well ventilated. The windows were open and the covers were pulled back to let her body breathe. She was starved yet she didn't have the slightest inkling to eat food, the soup beside her bed had been untouched.

The sisters no longer shared a room, Daphne now shared a room with Eloise, Daphne wasn't too fussed about it as she soon would be living in Prussia, she was head over heels for the Prince and it was obvious that the Prince's feelings were more than mutual.

"Your Grace, thank you for catching our Calista before she could do any damage. Although, you wouldn't want to see her, we aren't sure if it is still contagious." Violet awed at the Duke as they stood outside of Calista's door.

"I brought her favourite flowers, hopefully these will encourage her to feel better soon." He said handing Violet sunflowers, an odd choice but she had once told Simon that she likes odd choices.

"Mama, let him in for god sake." The door slightly opened as Simon had to stop himself from letting out a snort of amusement, here she was lying ill and yet she still had a lot to say.

"It's not like we can have sex now is it, I'm fucking ill." She coughed, rolling her eyes.

Violet gasped at her daughters choice of words, not amused in the slightest as she was talking about the Duke of Hastings.

Violet quickly left the two of them in Calista's room, he gently placed himself on the side of her bed and raised the back of his hand to her cheek, almost to check her temperature.

"Have you ever seen someone as radiant as me?" She smiled at him as he laughed heartily at the sight in front of him, she was extremely frail yet never lost her confidence. He had came to let her know that he was leaving the country, yet he struggled for the words leaving his lips as soon as he saw her. He had a conversation with Lady Danbury which had made sense to him.

"Is all this time you are spending
with Miss Bridgerton leading anywhere?" Lady Danbury sipped her tea, glaring at her nephew. She had witnessed the way he reacted once Calista had fallen and she was sure that their were feelings there yet he never admitted it.

"Could it not merely be time well spent?"

"A prolonged courtship is one thing, but now it is very clear to anyone with eyes that Calista Bridgerton has caught the attention of a few other faces, let's not forget Lord Ramsey. If you have designs upon the girl and wish to marry her, you should do so now, before men begin to forget about his very existence. But if you are merely dallying with her, and if she loses her chance of such an extraordinary match, simply because she is too wrapped up in your charms. well, she would be a fool, and I would never forgive you your carelessness."

"Miss Bridgerton is far from a fool and Lord Ramsey had just proposed to a lady."

"Then you are just being cruel, and we both know I taught you better than that."

"I shall not be in need of your assistance anymore, Miss Bridgerton." He looked down to his shoes, too afraid to lock eyes with the woman who he was slowly falling for.

"What?" She whispered.

"What I've been afforded relief
from mamas and daughters alike in order to conduct my affairs in peacewhilst remaining in London. Thus our arrangement has succeeded, Miss Bridgerton. Lord Ramsey is no longer interested in you and neither I am."

"Stop calling me Miss Bridgerton." She ordered,

"These very circumstances prove our ruse should hereby need to end."

"What have I done wrong? Are you embarrassed about Somerset House? I knew I wasn't feeling well yet I still decided to go. I do apologise." She rambled on, of course he would have been completely embarrassed, she thought.

"No, Calista, I wasn't embarrassed. I worried for your health. It appears I am taking you away from attentions elsewhere."

"Attentions? What are you talking about?" She asked, she wished he would have done this later when she was at least looking pretty, yet she was still pretty in his eyes in this time.

"Your brother was correct. I am and always will be a rake. Before I corrupt you any further-"

"Corrupt me? This is ridiculous, you know fine well I am not innocent. We are not innocent, what happened that night -" She raised to her feet, only in her dressing gown, not ashamed of how she must look like.

"That night shouldn't have happened."

She was hurt.
He was hurting.

"I assure you, I am quite capable of deciding the bounds of my own propriety. We both know that. I thought you and I were friends, I thought that you-"

"We were never friends. I do not believe
there could be a more ridiculous notion than that of us ever being friends. A young lady,
barely out of her leading strings, you were a convenience, a diversion, a pretty one at that, but nothing more. Now that I've concluded
my business in town, I shall be moving on. I suggest you do the same." He stood up, leaving Calista speechless, without a witty comment to return to the Duke who hastily left the Bridgerton Household with no words spoken, not even a goodbye.

She stood there, looking like Hell while tears threatened to spill. She couldn't believe that he had left her, left the ruse that she wanted so much to be real. She realised that she shouldn't have went along with it for this long, completely unaware that she longed to be by his side, as one.

"Mama, get me a god damn dress." She shouted as she waltzed out of the room, nearly breaking down in the process, she was still rather weak but she would attend the evening ball tonight if it was the last thing she did.

A DOUBLE UPDATE, WHO AM I XOXO