"The green, green dress what a pleasure to unwrap,"
All Elizabeth wanted was to fall in love and all Anthony wanted was to never fall in love. So what happens when their mutual hatred grows into something else entirely.
Started : 26/04/22
Finished :...
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xii. I had all and then most of you some and now none of you
ELIZABETH HADNT EXPECTED TO BE sitting in the bridgerton house for Christmas.
6 months after the season that had led to Daphnes marriage, during the cold month of December, Elizabeth and her siblings sat in the drawing room of the Bridgerton home mansion away from Mayfair.
Their father had died three weeks ago of an unknown lung disease. She'd been so distraught that Violet had offered for them to stay for the winter period.
So now here they were, Elizabeth and her two younger siblings sitting in the drawing room with the other women.
The funeral had been only a few weeks ago and so many people had gone, paying their respect. Even her sister had managed to get their.
Amber was currently two months pregnant with her first child and her husband was worried that the stress would be too much on her, that's why she didn't come for Christmas.
"I really like the violin though," Heather said as she talked to Hyacinth. The two were practically best friends and Elizabeth saw herself in them.
"I've always wanted to play the flute but my mother says we have to wait until I've finished the pianoforte to branch out," Hyacinth explained.
Elizabeth sighed as she watched the exchange, she wished that her life was simple again and that she didn't have to worry about going bankrupt and just worry about which instrument to play.
Her fathers death had been an extra weight added to her shoulders and despite their immense wealth, she was still worried she wasn't good enough.
"You two should read more," Eloise said, leaning forward against her hand as she looked at the young girls.
Elizabeth was about to interject and stop her from from spewing her political ideologies when she heard the door open.
Anthony walked in and everyone looked at him as he came in, Elizabeth hadn't talked to him for a while and she didn't know what to say to him.
Violet looked at the other girls and watched as he came to sit down next to Elizabeth, starting a casual conversation with Jonathan.
She tensed up almost immediately and some of the girls started dispersing from the room one by one.
"Can I show you my art collection Jonathan?" Eloise asked and the boy looked up, his eyes wide.
He stuttered for a second, looking between his sister and her best friend, standing up awkwardly.
"Uh, sure," he said, shaking his head as he waved goodbye to the other two.
Before she left, Eloise turned back and winked at her friend. She knew exactly what she was doing leaving the two in the same room together and forcing them to talk.
Eloise, and rhe rest of the family, all saw that there could be something between the Viscount and the Lady but neither were ready to admit it.
Elizabeth took a deep breath, placing her hands on her lap as she wiped the nervous sweat from them.
Neither of them said anything for a moment, sitting side by side in a comfortable silence.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth," he said, turning to look at her, breaking the silence.
She sighed, smiling half heartedly, "It's okay, I'm the woman of the house from them now, and the man of the house," she said.
"You don't have to take that burden," he said, placing his hand over hers. She didn't know what to do so left it there, pretending like nothing was happening.
"Oh I do, I've already been looking over the books and I've got to pay off the last bit of Amber's dowry an-" she said before he cut her off.
"You don't have to do that, your brother is the man of the house now," Anthony stated, his brows furrowed together.
She shook her head at his suggestion, "My brother is 16 years old, hes going to Oxford next year, I'm not letting him turn into you,"
Anthony sat there in silence for a second, thinking of what to say to make it better.
He couldn't let her ruin her life to safe her siblings lives, "I can work your books as well," he suggested.
She looked away, "I can't ask you to do that Anthony," Elizabeth said, almost laughing at the absurdity of it.
"It's the least I can do Ada," Anthony said and she looked at him, her eyes meeting his.
She smiled to herself, "You haven't called me that in a while," she stated, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks.
"I thought you didn't like me calling you Ada," he said with a chuckle and she looked away, hiding the smile from her face.
"I may have overreacted a bit," she said and he smiled to himself, the two of them falling back into a silence again.
☆☆☆
SHE SAT AT THE LARGE TABLE WITH her family
Sitting at the dinner table
"Lets say a prayer, Elizabeth would you like to have a go?" Violet suggested and she nodded.
Elizabeth sighed, thinking to herself about what to say. She didn't have much to be thankful for after the events of the last few months but she just sighed.
"Thank you Lord, for everything you've given us," she said, shaking her head, "And thank you for the people who can be here today and I ask you to look after all those who aren't,"
They all muttered an amen and Anthony, who sat at the other head of the table, looked up at her, their eyes meeting.
They all started to dig into the food, the group like one big family. Daphne and Simon sat together, smiles on their faces as they talked about their pregnancy, Colin talking about the trip he was going on next week to Greece.
She smiled to herself, thinking less of the family that she had lost and the family that she had, the family that she would eventually get.
