rage. [A. Bridgerton]

i

London, 1813.

THE CARRIAGE CAME to a sudden halt as the Ellsworth estate in Grosvenor Square was no longer a mere speck in the distance. Outside of the home stood Evelyn's father and three brothers, clearly waiting for her arrival. It had been almost a  half-year since she had seen them. Her father, the Duke of Edinburgh, looked much older with the passed time. Beside him stood her eldest brother, Elias, his clean-shaven face made him look younger than her second eldest brother, Elliott, who stood beside him. The two brothers were two peas in a pod, with only a thrice-year difference. Her youngest brother, Emmett, stood beside the older two. His stature had changed from a boy to a young man in her departure.

Evelyn's thoughts were soon interrupted by the coachman, who had opened her golden-white carriage door briskly. The coachman held out his hand for her gloved one to take as she gracefully exited the chariot that held her in for what had felt like hours. Evelyn muttered a small 'thank you' to the coachman before she paraded two of twenty steps. 

"Duke Ellsworth," she greeted the older gentleman as she curtsied in front of her papa and brothers. "Lord Elias, Elliott, Emmett," she continued.

The four Ellsworth men looked at her for a mere twenty seconds before they all laughed generously at her weak attempt at a curtsy. Her papa pulled Evelyn into a tight embrace. "My dearest Evelyn, I have missed you so," he expressed, pulling away from her. The Duke of Edinburgh kept Evelyn at arm's length, both his hands holding onto her petite shoulders. "My, you have grown!" Her papa gasped. 

"Or maybe you're just shrinking, papa, I do think that comes with old age," Elias joked. 

"Oh, hush, you rake, or you will see we are one less of an Ellsworth by dusk," her papa joked back to his eldest son. Elias gasped and dramatically grabbed his chest. "I am wounded!" Evelyn laughed along with her two other brothers at Elias' dramatics.

"Shall we head inside?" Evelyn asked. "I should like to acquaint my most esteemed family with my travels to Aunt Hattie's!"

And with that, the Ellsworth family sought refuge in the elegant white-brick estate. 

...

It was dark now. Evelyn knew she should be asleep in her chambers. She knew that tomorrow was a big day; alas, she stayed put on the settee. The fire cracking was the only sound in the drawing room as her mind wondered.

The woman was absolutely stunning.

Her long black hair cascaded down her shoulder and back. Her eyes an ocean blue. Or what Evelyn thought the ocean would look like. Her mother's stare entranced Evelyn, her soft smile comforting. Evelyn's mother wore a dark blue dress laced with designs of midnight. Behind her, her Papa stood, an arm resting on her mama's shoulder. His suit jacket matched the color of her mama's dress. The painting captured the two in their most loved state. A love Evelyn wishes she would soon have.

'I wonder what she was like' Evelyn thought to herself. She couldn't help but wonder if she had any of her mama's attributes. Did she have her eyes? Her nose? Her long beautiful hair?

"Your mama would have been proud to see what a fine young woman you have grown to be."

It was her papa that broke Evelyn's thoughts. 

She turned to face him. His arms were crossed and he had a sad smile worn on his face. Evelyn knew he loved her mama more than anything in the world. "What was she like, papa? Did she worry about the season as I am?"

Her papa sighed and sat beside his daughter on the settee. "She was divine."

"Truth is, I do not know if your mama was uneased during her season. If she had been, she did not show it," the older gentleman began. "She was the most delicate woman I had ever had the pleasure of knowing. She had a fire to her that never extinguished even when consumption took her."

The two looked longingly at the painting that hung above the fireplace mantel. Edward sighed and looked at Evelyn, his one and only daughter. Evelyn possessed many attributes of her mother. Her composure. Her elegance. She was only unlucky enough to be blessed with her papa's nose. Everything else was her mother's. 

"I am confident in your capability to find a remarkable husband this season, my darling Evelyn, for you, and only you, know what qualities will make or break your happiness in your near future. Understand that it is love that will make the world go 'round."

Evelyn glanced away from the painting, and to her papa, who was now looking at her mother. 

"Thank you, papa," she whispered quietly before announcing her departure for bed. Leaving her papa alone with his departed bride.

Edward let out a hushed sigh, looking at his lost love, "I miss you more and more every day, Elsie. I hope I am doing right by you."

And with that, Edward Ellsworth, the Duke of Edinburgh, left his spot on the settee and gathered the nearly dissipated chamberstick, and returned to his chambers. For he and his family should have a long day ahead of them.

...

A/N:

I would like to embrace the fact that the Ellsworth family knows of their closeness and how rare it is for them to have that. It should provide an important detail in the future :) Please let me know what you think of the story so far!! 

hasta la vista, alissa