Eloise Bridgerton

Eloise Bridgerton - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Theo stared at her for a few moments. Eloise carried with her a notebook. She was craning her neck to see the podium, completely oblivious to her surroundings.

Theo smiled and then walked up to her.

"Fancy seeing you here", he said.

Eloise turned and her eyes widened with surprise as she realised who it was.

"What are you doing here?", she asked.

"I needed to get away for a while", said Theo with a sigh.

"That's funny. Before my older brother Anthony got married he would get away from time to time as well. I'm quite sure he didn't come here though", said Eloise.

Theo smiled and said "It seems you had the same idea of wanting to get away."

Eloise nodded and then said after a small pause "Duties of a Lord getting to you"

Theo gave an exasperated sigh and then said "I have no idea what to do. People keep referring to me as "My Lord". The whole thing is absurd. I can't understand half the things my estate manager says. I just keep signing papers. And on top of that, all these ridiculous social engagements. Ghastly! I don't know how you coped."

Eloise smiled and said "Well, Anthony learnt about being a Viscount since he was born. He always knew he was going to take over. The sense of responsibility was a little deeper when my father died so young. I'm sure with time, you will understand more about the estate. But I would recommend reading everything you sign."

"Why?", asked Theo. "Isn't it the estate manager's job to look after the proper functioning of the estate?"

"It is", replied Eloise. "But it's your name on the document. You need to make sure you agree with whatever you sign. You should be aware of the way your estate is functioning and make changes if you don't. People think being a Lord is just about drinking and attending soirees. There is quite a lot of truth to that, especially the way the ton functions. But after seeing my older brother Anthony, I realised it takes a lot of work. It's a role of responsibility. And if you use it right, you can have an impact."

Theo nodded thoughtfully at her words.

"As for the social engagements, I haven't really coped. I spent most of last season trying to run away from any bachelor my mother thrust in my path and I spent a lot of time during social engagements with...."

Eloise paused at the end of the sentence. She couldn't bring herself to say Penelope's name out loud. The betrayal was still as raw as the moment she had found out the truth.

"Social engagements with?", questioned Theo, bringing her back to the present.

"With family", Eloise said, clearing her throat.

Theo gazed at her with a slight frown but the tense set of her jaw warned him not to push the matter further.

He fished in his pocket and brought out the piece of paper.

"You read it?", asked Eloise, raising her eyebrows.

Theo nodded "I must say I am impressed. I was hoping to hand it over to a friend of mine to be published."

"Really?", said Eloise, looking delighted.

Theo smiled in response as he observed the excitement on her face and felt a strange pang.

"Well, fancy you saying I am good at something", said Eloise, breaking into his thoughts.

"I never said you weren't good at things", scoffed Theo.