Chapter sixteen
In the grip of Fate

Fleur walked into Lady Danbury's estate, wearing a gorgeous dress Elizabeth had picked up at Madame Delacroix's earlier that day. Zahara and Franklin walked behind her, looking as stoic as ever. Fleur's eyes scanned the room, but she didn't know who she was searching for. Eloise, Penelope, perhaps Thomas?

            The mass had already populated the ballroom when they arrived. Zahara had made sure they arrived an hour later than the party began. Not too early and not too late, she'd called it. Enough to draw attention, but not the undesired kind.

They made their way to the side of the ballroom. While Zahara watched the dancing couples, Fleur looked down at her dance card. She always hated the card dangling from her wrist. It made her feel like a cow up for auction, as if there was a price written on the card.

Zahara saw the man approaching before she did. "Mr. Bridgerton!" The Mama exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise."

Fleur looked up, seeing Benedict. She bowed. "Oh, please. Enough with the formalities," Benedict said. Fleur smiled, and stood upright. Benedict cleared his throat. "Might Henri be here tonight?"

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Bridgerton," Fleur said daintily. "He preferred his own company tonight."

Benedict nodded, but his face spoke a million words. At least, to Fleur. He was clearly disappointed to see his friend was not in attendance. Fleur knew they were acquainted, but she had no idea they were that well acquainted.

"Very well," Benedict said. "Will you take my arm for a stroll along the room then?"

Zahara quite nearly jumped through the ceiling. Her face cleared up. "Of course she will, my Lord." And practically shoved her daughter into his arms.

Once out of her Mama's hearing, Fleur said to Benedict. "Do not tell me you're doing this as a favour to me."

Benedict nudged his head. "I had hoped my dear friend would be here, I admit. But you looked so miserable, I might as well save you."

"Fool!" She exclaimed. Fleur wanted to slap his arm, but quickly remembered she was surrounded by the ton. They would certainly have opinions on that. "Now she shall think you are a suitor. You are digging your own grave, Benedict."

"Worth it," Benedict gave her a sideways grin. "Besides, Eloise is over there. I was hoping to grant you some time with her by separating you from your mother."

Fleur grinned when she heard. "Perhaps you have wit after all."

In one of the corners, underneath a plant hidden in a corridor, Benedict and Fleur found Eloise accompanied by Penelope. Penelope was wearing another one of her outrageously bright yellow dresses. Eloise, however, was wearing a light purple dress, beautifully decorated with sequins.

"Flo!" Eloise exclaimed once she saw her. She reached for both her hands, undoing her arm from Benedict's. Benedict knew when to take his leave, said his goodbyes, and left. Eloise eyed her brother's back with a confused expression. When he was well out of reach, Eloise hooked her arm around her friend's, and leaned in. "What were you doing with Benedict?" She asked out of pure curiosity.

            As Penelope hooked Fleur's free arm around her own, making them stand in a line with Fleur in the middle, Fleur laughed at Eloise's question. "You might not believe it, El, but your brother is a friend of mine. He's been kind to me."

              Eloise's eyebrows knitted together. "Right."

            "Don't worry. You're still my favourite Bridgerton." That had Eloise's mouth turning up at the corners.

            For a couple moments, the three friends watched the ballroom dance by. Lady Danbury had definitely outdone herself decoration wise. But then again, Lady Danbury's balls were always one of the highlights of the season for Fleur. Technically, she was biased, since Lady Danbury was one of the few members of the ton actually being nice to her.

            "How is it that every season, these evenings get more dreadful?" Penelope giggled.

            "Tell me about it," Fleur agreed. "Third year here, and I still cannot see why everyone loves it."

            Fleur felt Eloise clinging onto her arm, and the insides of her stomach did a somersault. "And I cannot see how you haven't flung yourself out of the nearest window yet. Three years spent in this misery is just too many."

            The brunette couldn't disagree with her friend's statement. It had been a miserable journey. But Fleur didn't think Eloise knew how big of a role she played in making her see beyond that misery.

            Before they could comprehend what had happened, a swarm of girls surrounded something. Fleur craned her neck to see what the commotion was about, but soon backed down again. "Oh, no." She spoke.

            "What's wrong?" Penelope asked.

            She pointed at the mass. "That's Thomas. If Mama sees him, she'll want me to stand in the crowd for him." She duck her head, hiding herself behind Eloise. Eloise and Penelope closed the distance between them so she'd have a bigger hiding field. Fleur didn't have to ask them to do so. They just knew.

            Eloise leaned back a little so she could keep her voice low. "I thought you liked Thomas?" She glanced forward, to the man in the middle of the group of girls. One corner of her lip tugged up in a scowl as she looked the young man up and down.

            "I do, but so does every other young lady." Fleur replied, peeking over Eloise's shoulder to glance at Thomas. His eyes scanned the room, obviously searching something. Fleur had an idea of what he was searching. "Difference is, they wish to marry him. I don't. I think. I simply wish to spend time with my friend. But now that every other lady wants him, he'll think I do too. And Mama certainly doesn't help that image."

            Penelope came up with a plan. "We need to cause for a distraction if we want to make a getaway."

            That moment, Freya walked by. She hadn't yet seen the three in the corner, but Eloise was quick to sneakily call her over. "Eloise, Penelope, what a pleasant surprise," She smiled. Her eyebrows furrowed. "Fleur? What are you doing hiding behind—"

            "Freya," Fleur interrupted her. She couldn't bother hiding anymore. If Freya saw her that soon, anyone else would too. "I have a favour to ask of you."

            The blonde tilted her head in confusion, the distinct Cowper flowers threatening to fall out of her neatly pinned–up hair. "Anytime. Fleur, what's going on?"

            "See that man over there?" Fleur pointed at Thomas. Freya looked over her shoulder at him. She turned back and nodded at her. "I need you to distract him. Ask him to dance," She stopped, considering her words. "You're a . . . conventionally attractive girl. He will not be able to deny."

            Freya looked over her shoulder again, this time she eyed the other girls around him, too. "Are you sure about this?"

            "Absolutely."

            "Okay. I'll do it." Freya gave her friend an assuring squeeze in her hand before walking straight towards the crowd in the middle of the room. Fleur ducked back behind her two friends, watching the interaction from afar. Freya's skills were unmatched to the other girls. She was able to get him to talk to her within a matter of minutes.

          Fleur's face lit up when she saw Thomas take out a pen and write down his name on her dance card. Freya looked back to the three in corner, giving them a victorious smile. He then led her to the ballroom, and once the music started, Fleur made her escape.

            They decided to get stranded in the backyard. Penelope walked with them outside, but after being outside for a few minutes, she said she had to get back to her mama. Eloise and Fleur continued their walk outside regardless. They sat down on a set of stairs in a somewhat secluded area. The hems of their skirts were brown with the mud they'd walked through, but neither of them seemed to mind at that point.

            Fleur leaned forward, leaning her chin on her fist. She looked at the girl beside her. Eloise's face seemed to glisten in the beginning gleaming of the moon. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, which contrasted with her otherwise pale skin. Her eyes, looking up into the sky, appeared identical to the colour of the sea Fleur so desperately wanted to visit at least once in her life.

            Noticing the silence had gone on for a tad too long, Fleur cleared her throat. "I suppose I should not ask how your first official ball has been so far."

            "I think we both know right now  is the best part of my evening yet," Eloise laughed. "I panicked. I filled my dance cars with fake names — authors. I suppose it was a test for the men in that room, to see if they would recognise the names. Perhaps then I could have considered their intelligence an asset, but so far no one has noticed."

          Fleur chuckled. It was a typical Eloise thing to do, and she loved it. "I think about five men in total in that room as of now have read anything Wordsworth."

            "There goes my glimmer of hope," Eloise smiled softly at the sky ahead of her. She looked down, then did something unusual. Her hand reached for Fleur's, holding it in her grasp. "You really are my greatest friend here. Don't tell Pen."

            Fleur tried not to smile too hard at the slight touch of their hands. A strange feeling occurred inside of her, and she couldn't place where she was supposed to know it from. Her voice was surprisingly calm when she replied. "You are my greatest friend, too."

This is a relatively short chapter, but I PROMISED YOU GUYS. I would up the romance in S2 and that's exactly what I'm doing. It's gonna be a long road, but it will be worth it. Promise!