Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story

Chapter 8 - Hide and Seek

NOTE: Content warning of homophobic slurs and thoughts, though they belong to the gay character in question.

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After only a few hours of sleep Amelia woke up to the sound of Emily Dorset rummaging through her belongings, probably looking for something to wear for breakfast.

"Good morning!" She smiled when she noticed that Amelia was awake.

"Good morning..." Amelia muttered and yawned deeply.

"Where were you last night? Geoff said you felt unwell and retired early, but you were not in your bed when I came back from the ball." Emily wondered with wide blue eyes.

"Um, what time did you come back...?" Amelia asked, in order to achieve some more time to construct a clever lie, but she did not come up with anything better than having been very briefly to the library.

"Around eleven in the evening, I think." Emily replied, seeming slightly suspicious.

"Oh, that was exactly when I went to the library to get something new to read! Then, I... Uh, I ran into Lady Featherington and you know what a blabbermouth that woman is." Amelia put on a smile and hoped that Emily did not know the Featherington woman so well that she would go and confirm the story with her at some point. "You were already fast asleep when I got back here."

"Oh yes, she is awful..." Emily laughed and the suspicion on her face turned into a relieved smile. The poor girl had probably thought that Amelia had gone off to seduce her brother in the middle of the night.

"Breakfast?" Amelia suggested with a grin after having quickly got dressed. She suddenly felt very eager to see one certain member of the Bridgerton family, although he probably was not even up yet. Emily nodded excitedly, so they left the room together. "So, tell me..." Amelia smirked. "How many times did you dance with Miles Bridgerton last night?"

"Three..." Emily whispered and blushed severely.

"Did he finally propose?" Amelia enquired even further.

"No, not yet... I believe he is being polite and waiting for Geoff to do it first, since we are guests here." Emily pondered and this time it was Amelia who was blushing, but more out of shame than anything else. Last night with Eddie she had completely forgotten that she was indeed waiting for a proposal too - from Geoffrey Dorset. "But there is still time, we are staying here for two more days after all, because of his injury." Emily smiled, probably thinking that Amelia's sudden silence was caused by disappointment.

"Of course, I am sure they will both propose before we leave Aubrey Hall." Amelia said with a smile that was meant to be reassuring. She did not know what she had been thinking, that somehow yesterday had changed everything? Eddie was still a future viscount and she was still a tarnished family's daughter, no matter how close they might have gotten to each other while sitting in that damned wheat field, walking home together in the summer night or secretly kissing in the servants' corridor.

Amelia took a deep sigh as they entered the large breakfast room filled with prestigious guests, who were talking to each other in low but cheerful voices while sitting by their own tables. She felt uneasy due some judgemental looks burning against her back as she and Emily approached the small round table where the Dorsets were seated, but a wide smile instantly spread on her face when she suddenly saw Eddie on the other side of the room, sauntering towards his own family's significantly larger table. He cast a quick excited smile at Amelia as well, before sitting down next to his younger brother.

"Miss Fife, you look especially radiant this morning!" Geoffrey smirked and Amelia forced herself to look at him instead. "I see that yesterday's rest did you very good."