STAND BY ME ⟦ BRIDGERTON ⟧

XII. WATER AND STAIRS

Louis awkwardly balances her.

"Lady Danbury, can you take Diana to you home?" He asks her. "As, you can see, she is quite..." He pauses, as Diana bops his nose. "...indisposed."

"Yes, I noticed." Lady Danbury replies.

"I am afraid if her family might see her in this condition, she will be in a great deal of trouble." Louis tells her. "So, I had hoped, you could take care of her."

"Oh, I certainly will, You Highness." Lady Danbury says, smiling. "But, I do have some business left to attend. Could you do me the favor, and take her to my house, I will be there shortly."

"I do believe, that would not be appropriate, Lady Danbury..." Louis tries to say, but Lady Danbury shakes her head.

"I have known you since birth. I do believe you to be a proper respectful gentleman, who your Mother is proud to have raised." Lady Danbury tells him, raising her eyebrow. "Now, go. I shall tell Lady Bridgerton that Diana will be staying with me tonight."

"Very well." Louis replies, with a sigh. "I shall bring Miss Bridgerton back to your house."

"TU SCIS QUOD EGO amo te maxime?" Diana asks, in Latin as she sits beside him in the carriage, and Louis looks at her, in confusion. Do you know what I like about you the most?

"I con not understand you." He tells her, with furrowed eyebrows. "Is that Latin?"

"Tu as les plus beaux yeux." She continues, not hearing him, as she leans over, and rests her head on his shoulder. "Sic oculis dreamy." You have the most beautiful eyes. Such dreamy eyes.

"Why are you speaking Latin?" Louis asks, a grin on his face. "I can not understand anything you say."

"Brunneis!" She says, excitedly. "Color tam mirabilis." Brown. Such a wonderful color.

"You are entirely drunk." Louis tells her, laughing.

"Non solum qui biberint non blurry." She replies, as Louis just gives her an amused look. I am not drunk you are just blurry.

"You should close your eyes and rest, Miss Bridgerton." He tells her, smiling as she nuzzles into his neck.

"You should start calling me, Diana." She mumbles, making a beaming smile form on his face.

"DIANA!" LOUIS SAYS, DEFEATEDLY. "Come on, you can do this."

"It is too difficult." She whines.

"It is not that bad." He tells her.

"They are scary!" She tells him.

"They are stairs!"  He replies, sighing.

Right now, Diana was sitting on the first few steps of the huge staircase at Danbury House, while Louis stood in front of her.

"Diana, come now, you just need to climb the stairs and then you can go to bed." He tells her, but she shakes her head.

"How about, I sleep right here?" She asks him, going to lay down completely on the steps, but Louis stops her, holding her so she could not sleep on the stairs.

"You can not sleep here, Diana." He tells her, as she grabs his arms, making herself comfortable, and closing her eyes.

"Of course I can." She replies, sleepily, and after a moment, Louis sighs.