champagne problems - a. bridgerton

wildest dreams

"I have to admit, I was rather surprised to see you here tonight."

Camilla smiled fondly at Colin as they spun about the room. She'd become well acquainted with him over the years and enjoyed his company, almost as much as she enjoyed the company of his sister and eldest brother.

"I might have remained at home, were it up to me." Camilla replied with a small grin, her eyes meeting Colin's in an amused manner.

He chuckled at her response, not expecting anything less from the girl. She'd always had trouble keeping her opinions to herself. It was refreshing in comparison to some of the other women of the ton who kept themselves so tightly wound and unwilling to share even a hint of their personalities with others.

Camilla watched as Colin's eyes shifted once again, causing her grin to widen. She squeezed his hand in her own and forced his eyes to return to her.

"If you want to dance with her, make haste."

As the song came to an end, Camilla bowed to Colin and stepped away from him, leaving him free to greet the newcomer to the ton. She smiled secretively as she crossed the room and rejoined her brother.

"What are you up to, my darling sister?" Charlie asked, eyeing his sister suspiciously. Camilla simply shrugged in response and turned to inspect the crowd once again.

Her gaze almost immediately settled onto a familiar figure in the crowd. He stood closely with his sister and an unfamiliar man speaking animatedly. She frowned in confusion and turned to ask her brother who the stranger was, but Charlie had caught sight of him and was already moving towards the group.

Camilla gaped and followed in her brother's footsteps, curious about the man who seemed to be involved in a rather heated conversation with Daphne using only his eyes. The Lennox children joined the group with Charlie immediately going for the men and Camilla joining Daphne. Camilla gripped her friend's hand in her own in greeting, hoping to offer some form of support to the girl who seemed a bit perturbed by the entire situation.

"Simon Basset! I do not believe my eyes." Charlie greeted happily as he clapped the man on the back in a hug.

"Oh no, it's Hastings now, Lennox!" Anthony corrected with a large grin of his own. It faltered a bit when his gaze swept over the others and lingered on Camilla. He corrected his slip up almost immediately, though it was not lost at all to Camilla.

"Yes and someday you shall be Richmond." Simon reminded Charlie with a grin of his own. The three men seemed to be in their own little world, happy to see one another and ignore their female companions.

Camilla cleared her throat, smirking at her brother when he flinched in surprise at the interruption. Charlie flushed and settled himself. He took a step away from his friends and gestured towards the woman by his side.

"My my sister, Camilla."

She curtsied politely and greeted the duke with a demure smile. Ever the society born well-mannered woman her mama expected her to be. Simon offered her a curt nod and a lackluster attempt at a smile before his attention was returned to Anthony inviting him to the club.

Camilla watched him, her eyes unable to stray from him long at all. He seemed genuinely happy as he spoke with his old friends. In that moment, she couldn't help but get lost in the memories of the previous season. He was a good dancer, though he didn't often partake in the activity. Camilla would never be able to forget the feeling of his hand in hers or the way his gaze never wavered as they spun about the room. No matter how hard she tried or how often she reminded herself that their brief courtship had only been one of convenience and status, she couldn't forget the look in his eyes.

She was brought out of her memories by Daphne's hand squeezing her own. She turned to meet her friend's concerned gaze with a small distracted smile and a nearly silent apology.

"We should find Papa," she murmured to her brother.

"Oh yes! He must need saving from the more determined of those in attendance."

"Surely the vultures have left him alone by now! The man already has an heir, what would he want with a new bride?" Simon muttered with a smirk.

"You'd be surprised, your grace, what some women might do for a title." Camilla replied with a smirk before bidding a short farewell to Daphne and departing from the group. She didn't cast another glance at Anthony, though her heart practically yearned for it. She wrapped her arm with Charlie's as they walked away, Camilla desperately clinging to her brother for support as she turned her back once again.

Oblivious to his sister's emotional distress, Charlie simply smiled and strolled through the room with the ease of a first born son.

When the youngest Lennox's met up with their father he was more than a little eager to leave the ball and return home. Though his children never asked, they could tell from the slightly frazzled look in his eye that he'd had well enough of the party and the attention he'd been receiving all evening.

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Camilla stared absently at her reflection in the mirror as her handmaiden pulled apart the strings and pearls holding her dress together. After she was undressed and into her dressing gown, she pulled the pins and jewels from her hair and then brushed through it. When she was finally alone, Camilla sat by her window and looked out across the garden.

Memories of the previous season flooded her mind. Strolls through the park, horse rides, dances, secret smiles. Every moment she shared with Anthony caused a flutter of butterflies to float through her stomach. She sighed and stepped away from the window and to her bed. After an eventful night, Camilla was desperate to go to bed and forget it all for a bit.

In the morning, her problems that night would seem like nothing compared to the trouble that waited on her front step.