Romeo. Eloise Bridgerton

𝑖. Something brittle

Fleur felt a hidden dagger piercing her heart. Since she didn't have any suitors last season, and the comparison to Sloane was that much bigger because of this. Zahara had a ridiculous resolution of marrying Fleur off before Lola was of marriageable age. In Fleur's eyes, Zahara blamed her for not being attractive.

"Elizabeth!" Her Mama called out. Fleur's servant came running into the room. "Get my daughter in her dress, please. She'll need her corset today more than ever."

            She actually didn't. Fleur was unhealthily skinny. It was the one thing she could control about her appearance, so she did. And she did to the point where it became unhealthy. Her Mama and the other girls made comments about it all the time.

Elizabeth knew this, but nodded regardless. "Yes, my lady." Fleur followed her into her room, dropping the beautiful purple dress back into the box. She turned back towards Carlotta, mouthing Help me to her.

Lola outed her tongue, pointing it at Fleur. Fleur closed her bedroom door behind her. Her walls were a light green colour, the furniture painted white. "Which one would you prefer?" Elizabeth asked. She held up two similarly white corsets.

Fleur pointed at one of them. "That one, please. You heard Mama. Gotta have a good corset today."

            "How are you today, Miss?" Elizabeth asked.

            It's tradition in the Lachapelle family that on the children's 12th birthday, they get to pick their own servants. Henry and Sloane both picked children of elder servants or servants from other houses. Fleur, on the other hand, asked for a carriage and went down to the poor neighbourhood.

            Plenty of people had no job in that neighbourhood. All she had to do is walk up to a few people, asking if they were interested in a job. A job that came with a mansion, and decent clothes, a good amount of money, three meals a day. Not many of the neighbourhood's residents would say no to that.

            She hired three people — Elizabeth, who'd impressed her with her hair salon in an alleyway. Elizabeth started out doing just Fleur's hair, but throughout the years she'd started to dress her, among other things.

            There was also Ruth, an elderly woman. In the neighbourhood, everyone was sitting alongside another person, except for Ruth. She sat all on her own. When Fleur asked her what happened, she'd told her that her son passed away from the flu a month ago. Fleur needed nothing more than that to hire her. She essentially was a cleaner.

            Lastly, there was Louis. Despite being a man (Which wasn't generally done for servants.) he immediately caught Fleur's eyes. He was so sweet with the horses of Fleur's carriage. She appointed him to her personal coachman. If he wasn't riding, he was attending the horses. Mama wasn't happy Fleur had come home with a new coachman instead of a maid, but she was at peace with it after long consideration. All three had become trusted friends. That's what Fleur called them — she didn't like the word servant.

"Miss? Are you quite alright?" Elizabeth asked again, snapping Fleur out of her thoughts.

            She jerked her head back towards her friend and smiled. "Very well, thank you," She said. Her eyes travelled down to the corset in Elizabeth's hands. "Let's get this dress on before Mama starts to worry we're late."

            And so, the stress levels in the house of Lachapelle rose. Zahara did indeed worry they would be late, despite Fleur being dressed perfectly on time. Fleur was rarely ever late, especially on occasions such as these.