First Impressions // A Bridgerton Story

Chapter 16

Sneaking around... breaking rules... acting mad...

It was what Amelia's siblings loved most about her. Not just because her acting out would mean that she would receive the punishments and would take the attention off of them. (She never did receive those punishments, only strong talking to, which only ever resulted in her continuing the behaviour).

Her siblings loved those traits most about her because it reminded them what it meant to be normal and alive. Especially her brother George, he was often commenting on how amusing Amelia was, and that some day she would make someone very happy.

Amelia was a noisy child who enjoyed escaping the busy and often suffocatingly boring life of an English Royal. And she often succeeded in disappearing without anyone noticing for hours because she was the youngest of 15 children.

All of her siblings required more attention than she did as almost all of them were entering their adult lives and beginning their responsibilities. They required more of a watchful eye.

Which is how she found herself under constant attention in present time. It was almost as if she were a diamond everyone was afraid to look away from in case it got stolen. But it was not like that back then.

It was no surprise to anyone if Amelia returned with her new dress covered in mud, and her carefully braided hair out of place. It would be a surprise if someone found her in a library reading quietly. It felt unreal to whoever found her that she was calm and unmoving.

Amelia enjoyed her time outside. Exploring the park attached to Buckingham palace was her favourite past time. She watched birds, found rocks, and let her childish imaginative mind run it's course.

And it would be common for her to meet other fellow children in the park. Offsprings of servants or workers in the palace who were simply too busy to keep track of their own children. She made many such friends but they never stayed too long, their parents had to keep on moving to do their jobs.

However, one such friend remained. He was the son of the Queen's head servant and the Head Cook.

Charles Fitzroy.

He would later go on to study at Eton and then at Cambridge University after her father, the King, put in a good word and paid for his education. And after Charles finished his studies, he would go on to become the equerry of first the King, and then later the Prince Regent, Prince George, Amelia's eldest brother.

But he would then, join the army, where he served as a foot soldier. He wanted to protect his country, and in a way, he wanted to protect the one person he loved most.

Charles, or better known as Charlie. Was a loyal childhood friend and the first true friend that Amelia had ever made.

The day they met was a sunny one, a rarity in London, and Amelia had decided to explore the park once again, only this time she would go closer to the lake. She had brought some bread she stolen from the kitchen to feed the ducks who lived there.

As she slipped off her shoes and waded into the water, which turned out a little deeper than she expected. She stood, with her dress floating beside her. She could practically hear Charlotte, her mother, screaming already, "It's the finest silk! Imported straight from India! How dare you ruin it?".

But Amelia couldn't care less of it was imported from India or not. Perhaps they should make her shorter dresses.

She had been so focused on feeding the ducks and especially the baby ducks that she hadn't noticed someone beside her until there was a splash and she jumped to the side, seeing a boy with red hair jump in next to her.