emeralds and diamonds ♔ bridgerton

Part 3

"i cant believe i left by just saying his name." i muttered as anne locked the necklace hanging around my neck into place.

"you cant keep worrying about the bridgertons and more about what may happen today." she reached for the feather.

"i know, i know. today determines wether every man in london wants me or i'm just cast aside like a unwanted piece of cake."

anne slid the feather into my perfectly placed hair, "well as marie antoinette said, let them eat cake." we both laughed. when we were younger we both adored marie, which probably wasn't a good idea. the people of france still had a grudge against the late queen.

we both looked into the mirror standing ahead of us. "tu iras bien aujourd'hui."

"i'm not worried about doing great, i need to be perfect." all my work, all my training was finally going to pay off. there was no need to impress the french queen, she had seen me since i was born. but i had to impress now the english queen and from what i hear she liked the judge her ladies more. which meant if even the smallest thing was wrong, everything was over.

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the bridgerton house was full of chaos that morning. all the servants rushing around, daphne arriving without her husband, and the viscount would be newly married to the viscountess kate sharma. benedict could not stand the rustle and bustle of today. his sister would be reintroduced to society after leaving last years marriage market early.

he sat up in his room, staring at the blank canvas. he had so many ideas rushing through his mind, but couldn't pick a single one. he thought of the lady howard from last night, of his mother, of the fruit basket sitting in front of him. he began to set his paint brush on the red when his brother burst through the door, "benedict!"

red splattered all of him and his clothes. "what colin?" he looked at his brother standing in the doorframe who was wearing a very nice suit.

"why aren't you ready? we're leaving soon."

"i didn't know it was expected that i attend." benedict set down the paintbrush on the table, standing right next to him.

"mother made it known that we all must attend, even if we aren't looking for a marriage match."

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all the ladies sat in this big room. all the mama's sat in a corner silently judging all the women talking to their daughters. i was stuck talking to a group of eligible bachelorettes.

"so what are the men like in france?" miss williams asked me. when i told them i was from the foreign country a flock of ladies came swarming around me.

"they're charming of course, and they have such kind eyes." i smiled.

"so why didn't you marry over there?" a blonde girl asked me, she was feisty i could tell.

"the queen saw it best that i find myself an arrangement from across the waters."

the ladies slowly got called to walk in front of the queen. some walking back into the room crying or looking as if they were to faint. was it really that bad?

i heard my name called and my back stiffened. second to last, great. anne gave me a hand up from the couch, she walked me to the door. she silently shuffled behind me as we waited for the doors to open.

"lady victoria howard of france." i heard the man in front of me yell as the doors swung open. every eye was piercing into a different part of my body.

one foot in front of the other

i kept repeating to myself as i walked further into the room. i tried not to make harsh eye contact with the queen but it was terribly hard. she sat there with ladies adoring over her. cakes stood as high as vases, a constant tray of drinks being brought out for her refreshment. her crown shined in the sunlight from the windows. if i had seen her walking around the streets, i would've thought her as a goddess. lady danbury was standing there next to her, eyeing me down. that seemed to be common with her and the people standing around.

one foot in front of the other

i was inching closer and closer to her majesty. if you thought about it, it was like a dance.

i stopped in front of her. i felt my lungs stop as i dipped my head down to match my legs. this reminded me of when i was meeting the spanish diplomats. they came to visit a few times during the year but i didn't meet them until i was 15. it shocked me to think of all the great things i had done since i was born.

i felt the queens eyes go up and down my small body. i felt my stomach squeezing tighter and tighter, but i could not tell wether it was my corset or my nerves.

she got up, which seemed like a good sign. she used her lady's hand to step down from her pedestal. my heart stopped, everything seemed to go in slow motion. i felt her reach down for my chin and lift it forward. i let my legs lock back out. all i could was smile looking up at her. "i have never seen anyone do it better." she muttered. i felt fireworks go off in my stomach which was turned in a knot from before.

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the bridgertons watched every girl walk down the crimson carpet. all of them were merely shooed away by her majesty, none of them impressing her enough. every once in a while she would yawn out of boredom.

then lady victoria walked out. the sunlight shining on the diamond necklace wrapped around her neck which was perfectly placed. daphne leaned into her brother and his viscountess, "she will be the diamond." she predicted. daphne herself would know best seeing that she was the diamond from two seasons ago.

colin already knew how graceful she would be. although most of the women in french court went through the same training as her, she was obviously the highest on the list. maybe that's why the queen sent her to england. maybe that's why out of all the ladies in that beautiful court she was chosen.

benedict had found his muse. he tried to lock every step, every movement, every breath into his mind like a portrait was painted at every second. he needed to make this last forever. her smile when the queen commented on how marvelous she had been. she may have been the ton's new favorite eligible lady, but she was now his muse. he wanted to capture every emotion she felt, how she made him feel.