Bridgerton: early years

The tin can's part 1

A/N: Please read and vote.

Eloise Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington were at it again; more so Eloise. There was one place in the Featherington house which they were forbidden to ever step foot in. The kitchen. 

So when Miss. Eloise ("I am sorry but I don't give the slightest fuck") Bridgerton found out about said rule, you wouldn't guess she wanted to go! 

"I bet we could bake something better than whatever they've served us this week," Eloise declared, wrinkling her nose at the leftover cakes on the table "There is no reason why we shouldn't"

Penelope, glanced at the door. The last thing she wanted was to get in trouble with her house maid Valery "I don't know about that, Eloise. We have never cooked before and if we get caught..."

Eloise rolled her eye's and whispered "we certainly not get caught if we keep our voice down." She started to go through the ingredients looking at  the labels hopping they'd know how to cook. 

 "Miss Penelope, Miss Eloise" Valery, a sturdy woman with no patience for nonsense had sneaked in like black cat and caught the two right when Eloise had just split flower all over her dress.  "You too best get out of here, before I call your mother. This is no place for young ladies. Go on now, into the garden!"

The girls didn't move, they just stood frozen. So Valery grabbed the shoulders and pushed the out the back door and into the maids garden. Penelope, despite living in the house for almost a year, she had never truly explored this part of the grounds.

Probably because I was forbidden to go into the kitchen. 

From her window, she had only seen glimpses of the garden—the tidy rows of vegetables and the washing lines swaying in the breeze.

"Who knew this place could be so... ordinary? and at the same time so unbelievably alien to me" Eloise remarked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

Penelope nodded. "I've always thought it would be more magical. But it's just laundry and cabbage."

"That's because you're thinking too small," Eloise said with a knowing look. "If you look hard enough, every place has a secret."

Penelope raised her eyebrows. "What kind of secret do you think this garden holds? Hidden treasure?"

Eloise scoffed "what ...No! something even better."

They wandered around the back of the clothes line to a little squared of bit lined with a metal gate instead of a fence like the rest of the garden, Eloise's sharp eyes caught sight of something peculiar—a low, half-hidden door on the side of the house. "What's this?"

Penelope stepped closer "I've never noticed that before." 

Probably because I've never been here before.

She crouched down, brushing away some dirt and leaves. A latch covered in rust fell of the wood of the house and the small door swung open. She peeped in.

What the hell is this.

 A set of metal pipes disappeared into the wall, snaking their way along the foundation of the house.

Eloise smirked. "What do you suppose they're for?"

Penelope hesitated, then shrugged. "Could be anything. Maybe they're for the... mice"

"Only one way to find out," Eloise declared with enthusiasm. Without a second thought, she slid under the house, dragging Penelope along with her.

The space beneath the house was dark and damp, the air filled with the musty scent of earth. They crawled along the pipes, dragging the dresses through the dirt and cobweb. Following their strange, winding path until they reached a heavy wooden door, almost entirely hidden beneath the stone foundation.

Penelope's breath caught. "Another door?"

Eloise grinned. "I told you—every place has its secrets."

She grabbed the handle, giving it a firm tug. The door creaked open, revealing a narrow passageway. The two girls squeezed through, their hearts racing with excitement and a little fear. The passage wound its way underground, dark and eerily quiet. And then, just as the air began to grow stale, they emerged into a massive underground chamber.

Penelope gasped. The chamber seemed to stretch beneath all the houses in Grosvenor Square, a vast network of tunnels and hidden spaces. In the center of the room stood an ancient, weathered door. It looked like it hadn't been opened in centuries.

Eloise's eyes gleamed with excitement. "I wonder what's on the other side."

"Do you think... do you think this connects all the houses in the square?" Penelope asked, her voice filling the chamber with an echo of her sweet voice.

"If so that's my house over there" Eloise said pointing to a door a couple of directly across the one they came from.  She wallked over, her hand reaching for the door.

Penelope hesitated, slowly she took a deep breath and followed Eloise, feeling that whatever lay on the other side of this door... would be terrifying. 

"Are you ready?" Eloise whispered, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

Penelope hesitated. "No!"

Eloise pulled the door open with a soft creak, revealing a narrow stairway. It was dimly lit by flickering candle sconces on the walls, casting long shadows that seemed to dance as the girls slowly ascended the stairs. The stone beneath their feet felt cool, and each step seemed to echo ominously through the walls.

As they climbed, the faint hum of the bustling Bridgerton household grew louder, a symphony of chatter, clinking cutlery, and the occasional bark of a dog.

Eloise pushed open another door, and they were suddenly inside the Bridgerton kitchen.

The girls froze.

No one had noticed their arrival yet. The kitchen staff were busy preparing for dinner, completely unaware of the two intruders standing there, wide-eyed and breathless.

Penelope's heart hammered as she took in the sight. She had been in many kitchens before, but the Bridgerton kitchen was... alive. Copper pots hung from every wall, and the scent of freshly baked bread filled the air. Servants bustled about, carrying trays of food, whispering about Lady Bridgerton's plans for the evening, and completely ignoring the two young girls lurking near the doorway.

Eloise grinned wickedly. "I can't believe it. We have a secret tunnel"

Penelope smiled "Well it's not necessarily ours..."

"I don't see anyone else using it."

We only there for five minutes the likelihood of some being there the same time. 

 Eloise was about to drag Penelope further into the house, a maid turned, carrying a tray, and nearly bumped into them.

"Oh! Miss Eloise! What are you doing in here?" the maid exclaimed, startled.

Eloise blinked, her quick wit failing her for just a moment. Then she smiled

 That signature Bridgerton charm shining through, every Bridgerton has it even little Hyacinth. It is so beguiling it make's a non-Bridgerton forget what they were thinking about before they were blessed with such a eclipse from the human form.

 "I was... just showing my friend around. Don't mind us!" She grabbed Penelope's hand. "We're leaving now, so... goodbye"

Without waiting for an answer, Eloise tugged Penelope back the way they had come, giggling uncontrollably as they dashed down the hidden stairway, the door clicking shut behind them as they disappeared back into the underground passage.