Chasing Miss Bridgerton

Chapter 2

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the luckiest debutante of them all?

~ Lady Whistledown Society Papers, 26 April, 1818

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T H E R E were many reasons Charlie decided to ask Adeline Bridgerton to dance, but none had anything to do with romance or desire.

For one, he had to steal a dance while he could. The last time he saw Adeline, she was the most popular debutante in London and had a full dance card within minutes of entering a party. Although, he suspected this was no longer the case since she had yet to marry.

Secondly, as an eligible young gentleman, he was required by propriety to ask any lady standing on the edges of a ballroom to dance.

The main reason, however, was far less gentlemanly. Charlie asked Adeline Bridgerton to dance for work. More specifically, for the King.

Yes, the King of England—although not directly—required him to dance with her.

As the second son of a wealthy duke, the thought of joining the workforce had never crossed Charlie's mind. For he had all he could ever want—a large fortune, the respect of nearly every man in the peerage, a constant stream of delectable women fawning over him—it was all in the palm of his hand. But at some point he realized that his lavish lifestyle had rendered him bored.

So, when the King himself requested Charlie to work as an agent for the Crown, he could hardly refuse. It was exactly the type of adventure he had been seeking.

He first started working as an agent four years ago. The job required frequent travel and although his family, meaning Simon and Daphne, thought he had been wandering around the Continent for his own amusement like many other young lads they knew who adored travelling. Including Daphne's brother, Colin.

While Charlie didn't despise the globe-trotting aspect of his career, he had recently decided that he would enjoy staying home for a while. 

His superiors were kind enough to grant his wish and gave him an assignment which required him to stay mostly in London. Being the respected member of society that he is, the Crown decided Charlie would be the best person for this particular job and that the annual ball at his own brother's house would be the ideal place to start.

"What brings you back to London, my lord?" Addie asked as they reached the dance floor.

Oh, what a question. Charlie couldn't tell her the truth, of course, but over the years he had become a master at lying. Always coming up with plausible excuses even when on the spot and with no sign of any tells. 

"I thought it was high time I visited my nieces and nephew." He replied. It wasn't a lie, per say, he really did miss his family.

Adeline smiled softly. "They have grown quite a lot since you last saw them haven't they?"

"Indeed. Amelia has grown at least five inches since I last saw her and I had the distinct pleasure of meeting the new Earl of Clyvedon this morning," Charlie put his strong arms around her as the musician's started to tune their instruments in preparation.

"Oh isn't he a sweet young chap?" She smiled up at him.

"Oh yes, and quite dignified. He only spit up on me once," Charlie looked down at the pretty girl in his arms. When he first met Adeline Bridgerton nearly five years ago, he was still quite young. He was unsure, unworldly and, to be frank, entirely clueless. He'd found her oddly intimidating, with her inquisitive eyes and a face that could never quite hide what she was thinking. For the first time, Charlie had a glimpse of how his brother felt whenever he tried to speak during his first decade of life; utterly tongue-tied. Thankfully, this unnerving sentiment he felt whenever he was around Adeline seemed to fade. Over the years, he gained confidence, which evolved into a touch of arrogance, and now whenever he walked into a ballroom (which was rare) or social house he felt relaxed and level-headed.