there's nothing the ton would love other than a scandal! be it a lingering touch or worse, a kiss! this author feels the need to remind the reader to think before one acts, for one wrong move and your reputation plummets to the ground. desires are h...
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Lady Whistledown Society Papers
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Grosvenor Square, 1814.
A march down the aisle may very well be the longest walk any young lady ever takes. It does not simply cover the length of the church, but rather countless floors for dancing, and meandering paths for every afternoon promenade too. It is a wonder, then, that feet do not tire, or heaven forbid, trip under the scrutiny of all those attentive eyes keeping close watch indeed.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Aaliyah sat in one of the opulent rooms of Buckingham Palace, surrounded by a few attentive servants as they meticulously styled her hair and applied subtle touches of color to her face. She wore a powder blue dress adorned with gold details and jewels embedded into the silk, her hair curled and braided into an elegant bun pinned with delicate flowers.
Once the servants left, she found herself alone, an unusual feeling of nervousness settling over her. She paced the room, tugging on her silk gloves, attempting to calm her racing thoughts.
A knock echoed through the room, and she cleared her throat before opening the door, surprised to find Benedict Bridgerton standing there.
"Ben," she sighed softly, a gentle warmth in her eyes. He grinned boyishly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. "What brings you here?" she asked.
"I thought you might need some company while everyone is fussing over Her Highness and Anthony," he replied with his signature grin, producing a flask from his coat.
"Oh, Benedict Bridgerton, you are my saviour," Aaliyah declared with a cheeky smile, taking the flask from him and having a sip.
The pair moved to the balcony, where they could see the bustling activity below as servants made last-minute adjustments for the grand event.
Benedict watched her quietly for a moment before speaking, "You look absolutely stunning, Aaliyah."
A blush crept onto her cheeks, and she playfully rolled her eyes. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Bridgerton."
He chuckled and took a sip from the flask, then handed it back to her. "I mean it. You have this way of shining, even when you don't realize it."
She smiled softly, her earlier nerves beginning to dissipate. "Thank you, Benedict. It's... comforting to have you here."
He leaned in slightly, his expression turning more serious. "I wanted to see you before everything gets too hectic. To remind you that you're not alone in all this."
Her heart warmed at his words, and she looked into his eyes, seeing sincerity and affection. "You always know how to say the right thing."
"Well, I do try," he said with a teasing glint in his eye. "And besides, who else will share contraband spirits with you in Buckingham Palace?"
