WILLPOWER [a.b.]

0.1

ONE

"what a plot twist you were"
-faraway

**

IT WAS A BRIGHT AND SUNNY DAY in London, and activity in the Bridgerton House was in full swing. Maids raced back and forth, their chaos mixed with the typical commotion caused by the large family, creating a lively atmosphere. Today marked the beginning of the social season of 1813. Summer had arrived in England and with it came lavish parties, dinners, and other activities to be hosted and attended by the bourgeois. It also happened to be the day Daphne Bridgerton, would make her debut into society. The young debutant had prepared her entire life for this impending moment. Countless hours had been spent teaching her how to speak, walk, dance, and look like a perfect lady. Daphne was the eldest daughter of the Dowager Viscountess Violet Bridgerton, making her a member of one of the most popular and well regarded families of the ton. Each of the eight Bridgerton sons and daughters were known to be   terribly attractive and charismatic. Daphne was no exception and under most circumstances she was one of the most poise and collected people you would ever meet. However the importance of this particular day was beginning to set her nerves ablaze.

Meanwhile, Emma Dawson sat peacefully nestled next to a window, nose deep in a copy of Sense and Sensibility. She was doing her best to stay out of the way of Daphne who had relentlessly began pacing about the house. Her seclusion was also an attempt to soak up as much alone time she possibly could before she would have to accompany her sponsor family to the palace for the coming festivities.

Emma Dawson had become quite the anomaly to her fellow aristocrats following last years season, and her failure to secure an engagement. Perhaps some assumed she thought herself too good for any of the men who "adored" her but others spread more dubious rumors for why she wouldn't wish to marry when she had so many "perfectly suitable" options. She was sure there would be whispers today as she stepped back into the social spotlight.

Her original hope for temporary isolation however was becoming rather bleak, seeing as Daphne was set on interrupting her reading. She popped up every couple minutes or so, having escaped her mother or maids briefly, begging Emma for advice.

Every year the queen would appoint a diamond among the up and coming group of young ladies. The diamond represented the epitome of societal standards, and would be the most sought after girl for the rest of the season. It was a title which Daphne Bridgerton coveted fervidly. Emma was the previous year's diamond, even though it didn't get her as far as most girls. Sure the line of sutors was long but the conversations weren't even the least bit stimulating, let alone romantic.

Emma supposed her biggest mistake was letting herself become so fixated by stories of love, the kind where the characters longed for each other with a fiery passion only known to that of fiction. She wished for a man who would value her sense of self worth instead of look down upon her for it.

Daphne frantically walked back and forth, making circles around the parlor. The incessant sound of her heels hitting the polished wooden floor caused Emma to send her an exasperated look. "Daph, I don't know how to make it anymore obvious but I'm trying to read."

"How can you think of books at a time like this!" The brunette cried. She quickly approached Emma and snatched the copy of Sense and Sensibility out of her grasp leaving her no choice but to pay attention. "You must help me prepare."

"Oh, Must I?" She crossed her arms and sat back deeper into the chair, with a pout.

"Emma, I've never been so nervous. I fear I may faint." Daphne began to fan herself with the stolen book.