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𝐋𝐀𝐃𝐘 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐁𝐔𝐑𝐘 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐀𝐒 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐀 𝐅𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐓𝐅𝐔𝐋 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓. Many had already taken to the dance floor as Anastasia waltzed in with her mother and chaperones behind them. She was in awe at the spread of flowers and easily managed to catch sight of the waiters carrying her favourite cake, strawberries and cream. Although, Anastasia was on the hunt for something sweeter.

The Queen and her were spotted almost instantaneously by the lady of the manor as she stalked over with a bright grin that Anastasia returned.

"You look ravenous, my dear."

That much was true, her dark curls framed her face and the maroon gown she wore, from the covens of Italy, made sure she struck the crowd. A gold pair of heels presented her as a symbol of strength and beauty.

"Suitors will be lining up and down these halls," she mused but her mother didn't look impressed and rolled her eyes with a scoff under her breath.

Anastasia eyed her mother out of the corner of her eye before feeling disappointment creep up her own throat. Suitors, the word made her cringe and she found herself already searching the crowded room for a early escape, should she need it.

"Though, I fear none are worthy of my daughters hand, some are most unimpressive I find." The Queen arched an eyebrow, clear judgment retching her face as she scoured over many faces.

"Well, let us see,"Lady Danbury's tone was ambiguous and cleared her throat before she tapped her cane twice and the echo of the clang made the room still and the tons heads turn. "Your princess, my darling niece, has returned."

An applause sounded through the ballroom whilst Anastasia smiled to blank spaces in the room, careful not to give any the wrong idea.

"Let this ball and tomorrows be a honour to her and our Majesty," Lady Danbury bowed her head which Anastasia retuned. With one swift clang from her cane the music resumed and like moths to a flame men lined up at her feet.

"Princess," they praised. Each one begging for a dance with her whilst she nodded her head meekly and without out looking, she grasped at the first gloved hand she'd seen and was whisked away.

Lady Danbury and the Queen shared a glance with one another, "she has been thrown into the lions den."

Charlotte hummed a quiet laugh, "on the contrary, it is them who find themselves enraptured with a lion."

Anastasia looked up at the man's face and cringed, he was old. Thinning hair and a musky scent that enhanced as he opened his mouth to talk, "my, my you truly are the fairest of them all."

"I thank you, Lord." She ended her sentence curtly, no interest in finding out his last name and looked to the mistro and urged them with her eyes to hurry the song.

"Lord Blackburry, my princess." His clumsy foot was misplaced and he stepped on her nude toes that made her hiss. "My apologies, an old man like me needs some practice before a grand finale."

His words were suggestive and Anastasia thought she would be ill from the stench he wretched of, "excuse me, I am in need of a refreshment."

She snatched her hands from his warm ones and were thankful she wore gloves as the sweat coated his forehead and palms. She dived for the champagne a waiter cruised round with and all but downed it in two swigs.

A clearing of a throat made her turn to see three men, all fairly youthful. Dashing grins that tried to charm but only quelled the princess, "would you do me the honour of allowing me to have a dance?"

One man jutted himself in front of the other, "or a punch perhaps? You look slightly parched."

"Pardon me, but my dance card is already full and i assure you I am anything but parched." She pushed the empty glass into the chest of one of the boys who quickly held it before it would fall. The only view they had of her was that of her back.

Hiding from an swarm of people that had come to celebrate your return faired harder than she had realised. Anastasia excused herself kindly and managed to venture outside, the fresh air encased her in a coolness that eased her pulse.

From her younger years she had no worry of conversing with large crowds, who would want to talk with one who could not speak at all. She discovered that she wasn't one for public speeches, simply preferring private conversations with those she was comfortable with.

A blue dress, filled with white crystals throughout the embroidery caught her attention as the glow from the moon reflected the shine into her eye. Anastasia turned and there she was.

The Bridgerton looked exasperated as she too looked to be hiding, her back pressed against the wall and a hand on her chest whilst breathing heavily.

From a minor gap she had managed to come besides the girl whom hadn't noticed her presence, she seemed to never notice when Anastasia was near. It alarmed the princess. Everyone knew when she was near and yet this girl who plagued her mind since the moment she saw her in that stupid feather hat had never left her.

Eloise was an enigma that Anastasia wanted to uncover.

"It is rather hot, is it not?"

Eloise sharply turned and let her mouth fall ajar whilst standing up straight and curtsying, "princess."

Anastasia prodded closer, "no need for formalities, we are both women of the same age, are we not?"Eloise nodded, at a loss for words but Anastasia simply held more questions in desperate need of answers. "Miss Eloise, is that correct?"

The Bridgerton held the same look as the one where she was said to debut, Anastasia worried she would faint. "You know my name."

"I am the princess, it is predominant that I know all the young ladies of such fine beauty." As her vision wandered up and down Eloise's frame she noted how bare her neck was, the softness of her skin and her eyes. Oh, how blue they were, if she stared at them long enough Anastasia found herself reminiscing the Southern Ocean that had become her home for some moons.

Eloise was enamoured, she had learned of Anastasia's return long before she had seen her face. In fact, from the moment the doors opened Eloise felt magnetised and tingles ran up and down her body as she looked to the deity that was perfectly still. She still remembered how she looked.

Black skin glowing feverishly from the light of the windows, even though she looked perpetually bored Eloise was enthralled. She blamed her shaky stature and untameable heart completely on Anastasia, she couldn't look into those steely eyes knowing her footing would slip entirely if she did.

"Then, you would have miscalculated, all the beauties are in there," Eloise waved her hand behind her. As she did Anastasia breathed in and felt her mouth water as she embodied the scent of her favourite desert, strawberries and cream.

Anastasia arched a brow, "you do not find yourself beautiful?"

Eloise barked a laugh and the princess looked taken aback, the Bridgerton was quick to quieten and apolagies, "forgive me for acting so-

Anastasia let out her own laugh that Eloise thought had sounded like bells. "You truly are a spectacle, miss Bridgerton," her disassociation from following the crowd made her all the more enticed into knowing more about her.

Eloise went red in the neck but the cover of dark gave nothing away, "it seems only you seem to think so."

"Well I am the smartest person in this city, funny how that works out." She gave her a dashing grin that settled Eloise's nerves easily and she herself copied the princesses actions.

"I take it you have no interest in marrying," Eloise looked over to the princess and found her looking in grotesque. "Or you would be inside."

"I find marrying at my age to be unnecessary and given my position and lineage," a hefty sigh left her, "I will be perfectly fine if I end up alone."

"If only my mama would see it as just that but she undoubtedly urges me to find a husband, much like the rest of them."

"You do not wish to marry?"

"I could think of no worse a punishment and I cannot understand why no other women see it as the same as I do," Anastasia could tell she was very passionate about this subject.

"Have you ever thought that some women have no choice but to marry?" Anastasia pondered quietly to her and Eloise looked at her completely perplexed.  "That maybe a woman simply wants to find a marriage for herself, do you believe that a man could not love a woman as well as her mind?"

Eloise appeared to put her foot down as she crossed her arms, stepped closer and tilted her head, almost patronisingly. Anastasia found this amusing, the girl had forgotten herself, forgotten who she was speaking to entirely.

"I do not, why subject yourself to a man's word, is it truly a worser fate to stay with family?"

Anastasia was slowly uncovering the book that was Eloise, so many chapters but the idea of her was in every page.

"So you do not believe in love?"

"No, I do not, it is a fabrication of lies found only in fiction."

Anastasia truly had never met anyone like her, no one she had come across, even in distant countries had she met someone holding such disdain for marriage.

"You have such an indifferent way of thinking."

Eloise seemed rather chuffed with herself, "well thank you-

"But you're wrong." The Bridgerton furrowed her brows together, "love is real, some are lucky enough to receive it or some will have never experienced it but when you do," Anastasia smiled to herself, "it is the most precious thing life can offer, even if it is for only a moment."

Eloise heeded her words as she became entranced with them, she had landed herself in front of the lion and was realising how little she knew. Though, her pride was as mighty as that of the lion and she did not back down so easily.

"I am a cynic, whilst I do understand your preference for love, like the rest of the half brained sheep in there," Anastasia scoffed wildly at her complete ignorance.

"Half brained sheep. Is that truly how you perceive me, just because I believe in love?" Anastasia found her talking blasphemy, she was a firecracker and the princess just loved it when they went bang.

"It is, princess" Eloise bit back and Anastasia felt an excitement return, much like the one when they'd dock at a new harbour. The Bridgeton didn't sound half as sure as she was before but it managed to fool herself.

"You use my title as an insult?"

"I do, and what is your rebuttal, princess." A fire had set Eloise ablaze only heightened as she discovered that she'd felt the most pleasure sniping back at Anastasia, she truly did not care for the way she was speaking to Englands princess.

Anastasia stared, the argument tugging at the string that seemed to pull them ever closer together.

"Miss Bridgerton-

"Princess! The fireworks are to start," Brimsley loudly called for her into the darkness and the two women stepped back from one another in haste, as if they had been caught in a compromising position.

"Just a moment, Brimsley," she turned back to Eloise but kept her distance. "I think you'll find you pouring out your distastes for society to the queens daughter a fairly silly move as I begin to think of a punishment even worse than marriage."

A smirk lifted to her lips and Eloise felt her mouth part, "you wouldn't, that's cruel."

"On the contrary, you would make the most beautiful diamond, Miss Eloise."

She saw the girl turning red and excused herself with a turn of her red dress. "Your mother will be happy to know you are enjoying yourself, even if you were seen on the dance floor once."

He had a warning to the last of his words that she dismissed as they ventured further into the gardens where a tent had been placed. "The festivities simply amuse me and I cannot wait for the fireworks."

The man took note of how she did not mention whom she was speaking with, he took it upon himself to speak with the Queen on how her daughter was conversing with Miss Eloise Bridgerton.

"And where have you been all evening?" Her mother asked as soon as Anastasia sat down in the seat next to her, attention all on the sky above her.

"That is a fantastic story for tomorrow morning," a shallow gasp left her in excitement as the first flare went up. It disappeared in the air but then with a loud explosion red sparks filled the air, the crowd clapped in awe and Anastasia hadn't smiled so broadly as several more followed.

Charlotte looked over at her daughter and a soft smile displayed, the resemblance to George was uncanny. She turned to Lady Danbury bowed her head to her and the queen did the same, a small sentiment shared between the oldest of friends, they had made Ana happy.

The sky was illuminated in lavish purples and pinks, reds and yellows and blue, several blues entwined with white followed and Anastasia let her eyes trail down from the stars and to the audience. It was no trick of the light as she easily managed to captivate the attention of Eloise who looked flustered.

Either at being caught looking or at how each colour that reflected in the sky bounced perfectly beautiful off of her bronze skin.

Anastasia raised a glass of lemonade in the air and gently tipped it in the Bridgerton's way, a Cheshire grin pulling at her face. Eloise became crimson and pursed her lips whilst looking back to what had captivated everyone's attention but could not stop herself from seeking even a glance of the woman oceans apart from her.