Following their promenade down by the river, the viscount and viscountess Bridgerton parted ways.
Anthony had business to discuss with a group of Lords at White's which meant that he would be away from the townhouse for at least the next five hours.
At first he had been concerned as to what she would do whilst he was gone, but Aurora quickly remedied this by telling him she had invited a group of young ladies to luncheon.
It wasn't exactly a lie.
Rushing home, the Bridgerton girl made her way directly to what she had labelled the 'Tudor reception room'. It was a traditional looking sitting room furnished almost entirely such Oakwood furniture.
The room was decorated in red and varieties of brown and beige, thus making it the perfect atmosphere for study. Over the past few days she had collected items from around the house, such as a large globes and maps of historical battles, and - with the help of a couple of servants - had managed to convert the room into something of a schoolroom.
It was not long after she herself had arrived that the other young ladies started to enter.
First came Eloise and Penelope, along with two daughters of Lord Black named Lucia and Agnes.
An exciting and energetic atmosphere overtook the room as more ladies filled it, until eventually there were twenty two in total.
Having spread everyone out amongst the four wooden tables she had fashioned in the centre of the room, facing a large blackboard, Aurora took her place and the front of the room alongside Lord Harding.
Harding had promised to help the young ladies in their studies of foreign history and biology. Aurora had been most pleased at his willingness to support her cause and was delighted to have such an able tutor working alongside her.
"Welcome everyone," she began, "I am so glad that you have all shown an interest in our society. You'll see that the tables you are sat around each have a theme. For example, Lucia's table is focused around literature, whilst Pen's table has historical books and maps, this table in front of me is centred around the sciences, and finally, the last table will be exploring philosophy."
She gave a pause for the young women to make sense of her words.
"This will change with each lesson as we explore different topics. Also, please feel free to move around from table to table as the morning progresses. You are not confined to one particular subject for the next three hours. However, at the same time, if you find it of particular interest then do feel free to remain at that table for as long as you like. Reggie here will be helping tutor you in the sciences and as for the rest of the subjects, well, I'm sure we can struggle on together."
With that said, a quiet round of applause was given as Aurora Bridgerton made her was to the history table.
Also surrounding the table were Eloise Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Arabella Archer, Agnes Black, and Isobel Moreland. It was immediately clear that this was a topic of great interest to the girls present, and Aurora made note of this fact. Contemplating the idea of delivering whole group lectures on the topic, should the others be willing to listen.
"What should we begin with?" Asked Aurora. After all, history was a rather broad subject.
"Your speciality is classical civilisations, is it not?" Inquired Penelope. "Perhaps you could teach us a little bit about the Romans or the Greeks. And maybe you could tell us about Latin!"
Eloise's face lit up with glee, "yes!" She demanded, "is it true you're fluent?"
Aurora chuckled and nodded her head.
"Yes, it is indeed true. If you are interested I would be more than happy to tutor you in it at some point. As for now, I think the Romans would be an excellent place to start. After all, they have greatly influenced our own society."
"This is so exciting," whispered Eloise to Pen, "I feel as though I'm at University!"
"I once heard a story about Rome being founded by the sons of a she wolf?" Questioned Arabella. "Is this true? Or is it simply myths?"
With this question, the ball began to roll as Aurora explained the founding of Rome and the mythology surrounding it.
Time passed within the blink of an eye, and suddenly it was three o'clock, meaning that they had to part ways.
Waving goodbye to everyone, Aurora was shrouded in a feeling of blissful content. It had been even more successful than she could have imagined.
Rolling up the history maps that they had used, she nearly jumped when a lock sounded at the door to the school room.
"Come in," she called.
The door opened to reveal Lord Harding, a grin covering his face.
"That went rather well I think. You must be happy?"
She could not help a grin of her own which spread over her features, mirroring his.
"Yes. Yes, it went so very well, don't you think. These young girls they have such a passion for learning and they are so incredibly intelligent."
She sighed in a sadness.
"I wish that society would allow them to use their intellect instead of having to hide it away. These women could be scientists, historians, lawyers. If only they were allowed to pursue their interests."
Harding walked over to her and grabbed her hands in his own, a comforting look in his eyes.
"What you are doing here will allow them that privilege. Do not loose faith, Aurora. One day women wool have the same rights as men, and it will in part be down to what you have done here today."
"Thank you, Lord Harding. You have helped me in ways I cannot even begin to descibe. Your knowledge of scienece will be invaluable to us."
"I only wish I could be of more use to you in the mathematics department," he responded with a look of guilt. "Without mathematics, I think your ladies will struggle to understand more complex scientific theories."
Aurora frowned, contemplating a solution to tqt she knew of no one with a strong enough knowledge who would be willing to tutor women.
Alas, she was not granted long to ponder her thoughts before the door to the study burst open to reveal Anthony Bridgerton.
Noticing the pair stood with Harding's hands clasped around hers, a mixture of pain and fury crossed his face.
"What on earth is going on?" Demanded the viscount.
***
Dear readers,
I know this chapter is published a little later than usual, I had to attend Saturday morning mass ahead of my confirmation so I did have any time to write!
I hope you're all enjoying this twist in the story. I think it's nice to see the women pursuing an education and supporting each other. I'm also loving getting to write more of Eloise and Penelope.
Yours truly
Valentina