Paige Featherington, the youngest of the Featherington four, had always promised herself that she wouldn't get married until her older sister Penelope had married first. Yet this didn't seem like a difficult plan, not when her family had prevented h...
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Paige Featherington had braced herself for that morning, knowing it was unlikely to be any different to the way it had gone for any of her older sisters. That she would sit down in their waiting room all morning but nobody would call upon her. This was the fate upon the Featherington name. For how the name had fallen over the last few generations. Therefore, she had prepared to sit there in that horribly decorated sitting room, her mother sat anxiously on the settee next to her, Penelope perched in her window seat reading.Waiting for nobody to arrive, just like the family had done at the beginning of the social season for the last three years.
What Paige had not been preparing for was her eldest sister Prudence to be sat down in the sitting room seemingly waiting upon the youngest sister. Paige loved all of her older sisters even if some of them were not as bright as others. Prudence had been married a while back, to Harry Dankworth. A man with no real social standing or title, and someone Paige was not sure her sister even really held feelings for. But she seemed happy to not be under their mother's ruling any more and Paige felt a little bit jealous of the freedom which had been extended to her sister. Even if it meant living under the rule and thumb of a man that there was no clear evidence was a good man.
"Littlest sister." Prudence greeted Paige brightly upon seeing her sister enter the sitting room. The woman in question was lounging upon the settee, much like she always did when she still lived in the house. Some things it would appear would never change. But Paige didn't mind that in the slightest.
"Prue. What brings you here?" Paige attempted to not cause offence at her words, but she had a feeling that it was a strong possibility regardless.
"I couldn't leave my poor baby sister alone with mother dearest all morning." Prudence meant well, that was what Paige had to keep telling herself. For it would seem nobody in their family had any confidence that Paige could find herself a suitor.
"Do you really have no faith in me, sister?" Paige spoke before she could consider her words further.
"Oh Paige, nobody should have to deal with mother alone, suitors or not."
"But I wouldn't be alone... I would have Pen." Paige went quiet at the end of her own sentence more than aware that they were both aware how little that Penelope was truly there for any of her sisters. "Thank you Prue." She would finally thank her sister instead. Choosing that it would be wiser to stop the debate where it currently was.
And like they had suspected, nobody appeared to call upon the Featherington household that morning. Not for either of the two eligible daughters. And Paige had to come to the harsh reality that her marriage potential had most likely been completely dashed by the gossip paper that had come out prior to her debut. Her mood dampened and she turned her attention to her older sister Penelope.
Penelope remained sat in her little corner looking out the window book in hand, seemingly unaffected by the lack of suitors arriving. Paige knew that at one point in her life Penelope had not been bothered about the concept of getting married, had almost planned a spinster life with her best friend Eloise. But Paige had come to understand that whilst it had originally been Penelope's goal that when it came to actually living that life Penelope had realised that it was not what she wanted. It was understandable, of course it was. After all, Paige was more than aware that a woman's value was in the marriage they found for themselves. It didn't matter how much talent or skill or whatever they had.
Rather she chose to return her attention away from Penelope and towards the book she had chosen for herself to read. Reading was not Paige's strongest suit, rather she found little point in doing so most of the time. After all, if her eyesight was to go in the same way her Uncle's had, there would come a time where she could not read. And that put a true damper on any actual intent to make a habit of the hobby. However, in a moment when she needed to distract herself and focus upon something else. Then it would work for now.
That was until one of their servants came to the door of the sitting room. It was that of Arnold, a greying man who had worked for the family many years before Paige was born. He was frail but remained serving the Featherington family loyally. And most likely would until he laid upon his deathbed. Something that made Paige feel both grateful and saddened.
"We have a Mister Charles Bridgerton, calling for Miss Paige." Arnold spoke and Paige suddenly cared no longer for the book she had barely been reading. For in walked one of possibly the most eligible bachelors around. Paige knew of the Bridgerton sons well, she had after all been friends with a lot of the daughters but never really spoke to the boys. It just wasn't something she had done.
But she knew plenty about Charles, or at least she liked to think so. Or perhaps she knew very little about him, considering she had never imagined that he would attempt to call on her. Not in the manner he surely was doing so, or at least she was kind of hoping he was. Regardless she knew she could not sit there and stare forever, therefore, she stood from her seat on the settee, and moved towards him. Dropping into a gentle curtsey and awaiting his response. When he bowed back she let a smile overtake her features.
"Miss Paige." His voice was deep with a rough edge and she wished for him to never stop speaking to her.
"Mr Bridgerton." She matched his graceful tone with her own, unsure of what she had to speak to him about in that moment. Part of her had not even planned to get this far.
"This is for you." With his words she finally took note of the rose bush he had brought inside the room. Paige knew that for other ladies that this would be disappointing, not getting a bouquet but the actual plant would be an insult. But for someone who loved her flower gardens more than anything else, this was the perfect gift. And it would appear that Charles was speaking to his younger sister, most likely Francesca who Paige had remained in contact with even when the much taller girl had gone away for music training.
"This is wonderful thank you, would you like to take a seat." Paige invited him to sit down, the settee which her older sister had at point remained sitting upon, suddenly vacant. She expected it to feel funny for him to sit right beside her, after all other than her father no man had ever sat beside her before. Yet it didn't feel any different to one of her sisters sitting beside her. The main difference being the fact that he was much taller than any of her sisters and generally took up more space than they ever did.
It felt strange to talk to the twin of the man her elder sister was hopelessly in love with. Especially in a manner which was supposed to be a way to get to know one another as romantic interests. But Paige found that the more she spoke to Charles the more she enjoyed herself. They seemed like two different souls but there was just something about him which made her feel as though she was being pulled towards him. Something she knew she wouldn't be arguing against. Not anytime soon that was.
She found herself enjoying their time to the point where she felt sad when he had to leave. The time for callers was over, and despite only having one person call upon her Paige couldn't feel bad about it, she felt anything but bad. Sure she felt a little guilty that nobody seemed to call upon her older sister, but she assumed it was only because it was a response to Paige's initial debut in society. There was always chance for Penelope to catch the eyes of somebody at one of the many balls coming up in the oncoming weeks.
