My Life As A Bridgerton

Part The Twenty-Sixth

I DO NOT OWN BRIDGERTON. I AM SORRY THAT IT HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO UPDATE, BUT WRITER'S BLOCK HAS JUST BEEN KICKING MY ASS. A PART OF ME WANTS TO END THIS STORY, BUT I ALREADY HAD TO END MY LIFE AS THE DAUPHIN PREMATURELY AND I DO NOT WANT MY LIFE AS A BRIDGERTON TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE. ALSO, I REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS SAGA SEEN THROUGH TO COMPLETION.

Paris, 1st French Empire. 3 days later.

We stayed the night in Calais and it was officially the most uncomfortable lodgings that I have ever had so far in my life. First of all, even though it was the largest room in the place, it was still a tavern inn in the early 1800's. The utilities were basically non existent and it was getting a bit nippy as Autumn started to roll around. We had blankets and there was a large fire being tended in the main tavern, but it hardly got up to the suite at all. Eventually, we were all so cold that we had to sleep in the same bed so we could share body heat. If you have never shared a bed with your sister and girlfriend at the same time, I do not recommend it; it was so freaking awkward.

The only good thing was that when the morning came, the innkeeper's wife had a hearty breakfast prepared. Me and the girls feasted on warm bread and eggs, with more ale to wash it down. Once our fast had been sufficiently broken, i paid our bill and found a carriage that would take us to Paris. As the carriage trotted along, the French landscape was a sight to see. The trees and flowers were still in bloom as they fought hard to hold against the chill of autumn.

"I can't believe that we're actually going to see Paris!" Pen squealed with excitement as our carriage rolled along the main road. I couldn't help but get infected by her glee. It was painfully clear that Lady Featherington didn't possess the funds to waste on trips abroad; and even if she did, she would save them for the 2 twats Prudence and Philippa. As far as she was concerned, they were the only Featherington gals who had any prospects in the marriage mart. Penelope had never gotten a chance like this before and unless I married her and brought her into the Bridgerton family, she might never again. I was glad that I could give this to her because she deserved a holiday from the Ton and all its regency era bull shit.

"The first place we must go to is the Musée Napoléon. Apparently, the Emperor has been importing art from his continental conquest." Eloise remarked as that caught me a little off guard to be honest. I honestly hadn't known that Napoleon had done shit like that. It reminded me of the Monuments men and how Adolf Hitler had stolen priceless works of art throughout the European countries that he had conquered and gathered them all to put them in his "Führer Museum". Naturally, I couldn't tell all of this to Eloise with Penelope in the carriage, so I nodded my agreement as we rode on.

                                         ***
Hotel Westminster. Later that day.

After a few hours of carriage riding, we finally made it to the capital of Napoleon's empire. I mean, after spending a couple years in modern day Paris, I thought that it really wouldn't be that much of a shock to see the city. However, when we actually got into 1813 Paris, it was somehow even more charming than its modern day counterpart. The most noticeable difference, besides the regency era structures was that the Eiffel tower was missing.

Now, I totally understand that there is far more to France and to Paris in general than the Eiffel tower, but the truth of the matter is that it is the most noticeable symbol of the city and the country as a whole. Nevertheless, I still felt like I was seeing Paris in the way that it was always meant to be seen: carriages, the upper classes walking about in fancy clothing and the classical powered wigs. It was the kind of Paris that we all tend to picture when we read through our history books.

After pulling over and getting some directions from a local, i found that there actually was a hotel in 1815 Paris: it was called the Hotel Westminster. It was in the center area of the city and was apparently the finest lodging establishment in the entire city. When we pulled up, I had to admit that it did look quite posh indeed. I helped Pen out of the carriage first, followed by Eloise.

"Do you think they shall have hot water?" Penelope asked as we made our way inside.

"They better have it because I will not deal with having a cold bath again in the dead of autumn." Eloise gripped as the memory of having to take cold baths at the Purple Condor in Calais was still fresh in our minds. It was so cold that for a moment, I had considered asking Pen to bathe with me for body heat. I held out though, because I didn't need Eloise to think that I was just using the cold water as an excuse to do her best friend in a rusty tub. As we walked in, we found what passed for the concierge in the foyer.

"Bonjour, how many of you?" the man asked.

"Myself, my intended, and my sister." I explained so as to avoid scandal. I didn't need this Frenchman thinking I was trying to have a threesome. He took our luggage and brought us up to a very fine suite. It made our suite back in Calais look like absolute shit by comparison.

"We have 2 beds this time." Eloise observed as she quickly grabbed Pen and claimed the one closest to the window. I didn't even try to stop her because I knew I couldn't.

"We'd best rest up because we have a good deal of sight seeing to get through tomorrow." I said with a wink as I took it upon myself to unpack.

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