Falling for a Bridgerton : a Bridgerton fanfic

chapter 25 : the party pt.3 | eloise & mabel

Eloise paced around her room excitedly.

Today was the day

She could feel her heartbeat rising & rising, and she hoped it wouldn't explode out of her chest.

She took a seat on the bench placed in front of her vanity. She inspected her face closely in the mirror; her eyes carried slight bags under them but she couldn't blame herself.

She stayed up all night unable to sleep, thinking only and only about her sweet Mabel.

She figured she must have been talking about her so much that her sister had gone so far as to extend Mabel an invitation.

It worried her slightly that her family was aware of her fondness for Mabel, but she hoped they would just see it as a budding friendship and nothing more.

Looking at her reflection, she took a deep breath and scrunched her nose.

For the first time in her life, she actually put careful thought in her appearance.

She had to impress, of course.

Eloise had picked out a silver dress with matching jewellery. She finally understood why her sister was always so concerned with her attire, there were people to please.

Well for Eloise, she only aimed to please just one.

Eloise took one more deep breath, and prayed that it was going to be a good day.

She plucked a flower out of a vase, and placed it behind her ear.

Mabel would like that, she thought.

And she was right.

~

She rushed down the stairs to the courtyard. It was incredible: the decorations, the confections, the gowns, and the tuxedos.

However, everything paled in comparison to her.

"Mabel," Eloise whispered to herself.

She made her way to the front of the yard, where the carriages were arriving.

When Eloise caught a glance of her, she swore her ever increasing heartbeat stopped for a second. Or two.

Eloise wouldn't be shocked if she died. She was clearly seeing heaven.

"Eloise!" Mabel wrapped her arms around her. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too," Eloise smiled, lingering in her spot, never wanting Mabel to let go of her arms. "Come, I want you to meet someone."

~~~~~~~

"This is my best friend, Penelope Featherington. Penelope, this is Mabel Hawthorne."

Penelope quirked an eyebrow and grinned. She quickly embraced Mabel, "it's so nice to meet you. I feel like I've known you for months."

"Hilarious," Eloise sarcastically muttered under her breath.

"I'm going to grab you two a drink, don't move a muscle," Eloise said as she made her way to the refreshments.

"It's so nice to meet you Pen," Mabel smiled. "Ever since the whole letter mix-up, I feel like we were destined to be good friends."

"I couldn't agree more," Pen chuckled.

"Sooo," Mabel spoke, balancing back and forth on the tip of her toes. "Did anything end up happening with your beloved, Colin?"