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ACT ONE chapter one
The carriage gently rocks side to side as it's brought past the front gate of the Bridgerton's household in Mayfair. London is a luscious city, bustling with life much like Paris, with a vibrant summer sky and greenery planted about the streets.
Mabel Bourque peers out of her window with an eager eye, a grin stretched timidly across her porcelain face as all sorts of feelings churn within her stomach. Ones of excitement, fear and homesickness.
Oh, how she wishes her mama and papa could be here to watch her debut, hold her hand and provide the comforts of home. But she is a girl of twenty and one and she must not cling to her mother's skirts any longer. Besides, her mama promised that the Lady Bridgerton would indefinitely treat her like another member of her family. She's holding her to that.
The coachman pulls the carriage to a stop just before the grand entrance, where the Bridgertons stand in a line from eldest to youngest (from what Mabel can guess). After nervously flattening the crinkles out of her dress, she breaths in and with the help of the footman, steps out onto the gravel.
"Miss Bourque." Violet Bridgerton greets merrily, taking her hands in hers and applying a light squeeze.
Mabel flushes at the nine pairs of eyes on her, cheeks aching from her smile. Her voice is soft and an almost undetectable accent rings through her words as she says in turn, "Lady Bridgerton, we meet at last. Mama has told me so much about you."
"Oh!" She chuckles, leaning in as though sharing a secret, "Let us hope I meet such expectations then."
"I don't doubt it." Her eyes dart then to a rather strapping gentleman standing a head taller than herself, though that isn't a hard thing to achieve, giving her a dutiful smile as he comes to stand beside his mother. "And I take it that you are the Viscount Bridgerton?"
"Oh, Anthony," Violet removes one of her hands from hers to touch her son's arm, "Yes, this is my eldest."
"Indeed," He bows his head, "Welcome, Miss Bourque."
"Oh, please," She looks between the two sweetly, "If we are to live together for the entirety of the season, call me Mabel."
"Quite right, Mabel," Violet nods, pleased, "Let us remove such titles and be whom your mother and I have been for years, friends."
There's a clearing of a throat behind the two leading Bridgerton's, and it seems Violet is holding back an eye roll, smile tightening at her children's impatience.
"And uh," She moves aside, brandishing an arm towards the rest of her family. "This is Benedict-"
"-Hello-"
"-Collin, my third son, is currently away on travels, so please pardon is absence, as well as my eldest daughter, the new-"
"-Duchess of Hastings, yes, she told me." Mabel beams, gloved palms neatly folded over her front, "We had quite the back and forth last season. It's a shame that her duties keep her busy, but she told me she would be here for my debut and..."
"Eloise, my second daughter." Violet introduces without fault, moving down the line and pulling forth a poorly postured lady with brunette hair left to fan over her shoulders and a crooked pull on her lip as she forces a smile of obligation. Despite her obvious disdain to such introduction, Mabel finds her quite pretty.
"Yes, I got your letter." Eloise says lazily, gesturing forward with her hand.
Mabel turns hopeful, straightening her back, "Oh, good. When I didn't get a reply after the fortnight had passed, I had worried it got lost."
"Nope." She shakes her head, rather forthright, letting an awkward pause overcome them, caught in the eye of each other's stare.
Violet is quick to move Mabel along to her third daughter then, Francesca, her fourth son, Gregory, and her fourth daughter and overall final child, Hyacinth.
"Delightful to meet you all." Mabel smiles.
Hyacinth bounces on her feet, eyes bright, "You're really pretty, I can't imagine why the Queen wouldn't choose you to be her Diamond of the season."
Mabel blushes, "Thank you. I can't imagine why she wouldn't choose you when you come of age, either."
Hyacinth lights up brighter, "Brother did you hear?"
Gregory nods, though remarks rather cheekily, "I, for one, don't see it."
Hyacinth gasps and swiftly turns to their mother, "Mama!"
"Gregory, watch your manners in front of our guest!"
"What manners?" Eloise snorts un-lady-like from the side of them, and both Gregory and Hyacinth stick their tongues out at her.
Mabel giggles, facing an embarrassed Lady Bridgerton once more to say, "It is quite alright. I wish I had siblings to tease like such."
"I envy your mother." Violet jests beneath her breath, walking her up the stairs arm in arm, Anthony at their side. Mabel giggles softly.
. . .
The present family of seven leave Mabel to her own devices after giving a tour of the place, the girl finding solitude in her new room, staring out of the window facing a view of the gently milling street below as she comes to terms with what she is truly about to do. Come out to good society, find her perfect match and leave her mother's nest once and for all.
She's already done the big scary part, leaving said nest, and all of France to be exact. But now, in a mere few days she is to be presented before the Queen of England! Oh, she might just have to pass up on such opportunity for heart failure from just the thought of doing such.
She giggles at the silliness of her thoughts, pressing her fingers to her mouth when a gasp falls past her lips at the sight of a carriage entering in through the Bridgerton's front gate.
Could it be? Surely not.
Jumping up from her seat at the window, she hurries on out of her room and through a thorough look back through her mind, finds herself into the drawing room where Eloise sits with a book, Francesca at the pianoforte with Violet overlooking her play.
"I do believe you have a visitor." She breaths excitedly.
They all turn to look at her, flushed features turning only pinker at the attention.
"Whoever could it be? It is rather late." Violet frowns, face suddenly breaking into an adoring grin when a person stops behind the miss Bourque and Mabel turns to find who she assumes is the new Duchess of Hastings or better known to her, the woman behind the letters. "Daphne!"
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here for your arrival." Is the first thing that leaves her mouth when they meet eyes.
"Please!" Mabel bats off with a chuckle, the two girls folding into a light hug, "I am just happy to finally see you in person."
"Indeed, it feels like a dream." Once they've pulled back and Daphne's squeezed her shoulders, Mabel steps aside to let her family greet her, suddenly feeling sheepish for being the first to say 'hello' when she's never met her before.
"We have so little time but so much to catch one another up on," Daphne says to Mabel once the fuss of her return is over with, "It is far too late today but tomorrow, we will promenade and I shall show you may favourite place in Mayfair."
Mabel reaches forward to squeeze her hands, "I cannot wait."
