,wallflower' • BRIDGERTON

chapter 2

【2】

Dear gentle-readers,

It has been said that, of all bitches dead or alive, a scribbling woman is the most canine. If that should be true, then this author would like to show you her teeth.

My name is Lady Whistledown. You do not know me, and rest assured, you never shall. But be forewarned, dear reader, I certainly know you.

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It was the next morning and Hope was getting ready for a ball, she didn't want to attend because of the sly remarks she knew would get thrown at her like sharp knives. Hope was in her room by herself, putting on a slightly orange but brown dress. She never wanted to be dressed by her handmaidens due to the fact that having eyes on her, watching her every move and looking for any insecurity terrified her.

Tonight she had to dance, interact, and who knows what else tonight. She stood in front of her mirror, her dress was in her arms and she had on only her knickers, corset, and bralette.

Her curly long hair reached past her shoulders. Her eyes flickered up at the mirror and she examined her body, she noticed that her arms had gotten thicker since she's been in the Bridgerton estate. It didn't look right, at least to her. If only she'd not been so comfortable her body wouldn't look like this.

Hope's eyebrows furrowed as thoughts and words of self judgment ran rapid in her mind. Suddenly the door to her room clicked open and she immediately turned around with widened eyes.

"Benedict! Can't you see that I am indecent!" She hissed sternly, covering her entire body with her dress. Benedict looked at Hope with confusion. "Oh dear, Hope. Don't make it a habit of being late. And trust me, you're going to have other things to ponder about other than your indecency." He said, crossing his arms and tilting his head.

"The event is not for another 2 hours, I have plenty of time." Hope said crouching behind her standing mirror and quickly putting on her dress. "It's better to be early then late, those were mother's words not mine." He said, before suddenly pulling out a pamphlet from behind his back.

"Speaking of words, our newest Lady Whistledown's newspaper has a lot to say about you." He said, which made Hope poke her head over the mirror. "Lady Whistledown? The anonymous female writer?" She said, Benedict said before Hope revealed herself, she had on the dress she once had in her hands. She walked up to him and grabbed the pamphlet from his hands, she skimmed down the front of the paper before a smile grew.

"A ruby and a diamond of the first water. She wrote about me and Daphne, Benedict."

She glanced up at him. "A ruby represents love, passion, and raw emotion. While the diamond represents purity and health. Are these two ladies Her Majesty chosen polar opposites? We will find out soon..." She trailed off before eventually stopping. She kept looking at the printed words but she stopped reading them.

"If I slip up even the slightest during this season's opening ball I might as well be stripped from the Bridgerton's grace as well as my fathers. Lady Whistledown will probably find anything to nitpick about me and Daphne if we are not perfect." She said with a soft tone, like she was tiptoeing on creaky floorboards.

"Then don't be perfect... be a Bridgerton." He said before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

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