Two can play this game
Eloise patted her dress down and tucked her hair behind her ears. She took a deep breath and walked towards the corner of the ballroom.
Through the corner of her eyes, she noticed Mabel watching, her eyes widened as if Eloise was a ghost that no one else could see.
Eloise marched towards the fireplace, where she spotted a familiar splash of dirty blond hair. She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He turned and smiled when he saw who it was, "Miss Bridgerton."
Eloise smiled back just as brightly, "Mr. Carrington."
A thought fleeted across Eloise's mind, as she noticed Mabel was still watching. Was it incredibly cruel to flirt with a man that had led them to meet?
Eloise silently shook the thought away. What Mabel had done was a thousand times worse than what Eloise could ever imagine.
Eloise cleared her throat and lifted her right hand up. Mr. Carrington, or Wesley, clearly not used to the attention, stuttered before he carried her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Eloise was suddenly grateful she was wearing gloves. She cleared her throat and put on her best debutante voice, "So Mr. Carrington," she said as demurely as possible. "I was very happy to see you tonight."
"You are?" he was very shocked. In his defense, his surprise was warranted, she wasn't that happy to see him the last time they encountered.
"Yes, I am. I know the last time, I was just very shy, I just thought you were so incredibly.....handsome." Eloise choked back her words, she felt like throwing up any second. But she had to keep up the ruse. She could still see Mabel staring, almost glaring at the sight.
Mr. Carrington took a step closer to her. Further up, Eloise could see he was not actually bad-looking. He was only a few years older than her and his green-blue eyes seemed to have been taken from the ocean itself. But what stood out the most was his smile; he seemed genuine. And kind.
It made Eloise feel bad for how she rejected him last time, though she really didn't mean to be that brash.
"Miss Bridgerton, would you care for a dance?"
They were basically standing an inch away. Eloise looked through the side of her eyes and noticed how the man beside Mabel was still chattering in her ear. Mabel tried to seem interested but she couldn't stop staring at Eloise. A memory pricked Eloise's mind.
Eloise, I really like you. Trust me, I do. But this - you and I - can't happen.
Eloise stared back at Wesley and smiled. She picked up her fan and inched closer, as she stood on the tip of her toes. She leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "it would be my pleasure."
At this moment, she saw Mabel's eyes widen, shake her head, and rush straight towards the door. Eloise was fuming.
What the hell! She told me it's over but she's mad at me for moving on?
Eloise could feel steam come out of her ears and picked up her dress and began to head towards the door.
She quickly turned and looked back to poor Mr. Carrington who looked just as dejected the first time they met. "I'm so sorry. I have to go. I'm so sorry."
He stared back at her with shock but gave her a quick nod. She smiled and rushed out of the room.
She ran out to the front yard and ran down the stairs. It was so dark that without a lantern, she could barely make out any faces. As she took a view of the courtyard, she noticed a figure running through the gardens.
Eloise ran to the gardens, chasing after the figure. When she was gone from the courtyard's hear shot she cried out loud, "Mabel!"
She kept running until she found Mabel standing under an arch, pacing back and forth, not noting Eloise's arrival.
"Mabel," Eloise huffed. "Do you know I've done more running since the day I met you than I've ever done my entire life?"
Mabel turned and rolled her eyes, "I'm so glad this entire situation is hilarious to you."
Eloise stood up straighter, "Hilarious? Nothing about this is funny to me. Do you think I like seeing you with other men?"
"Me? What about you, flirting and whispering with Mr. Carrington? Don't think I didn't notice the irony in that?"
"You have no right to be mad at me. You ended this, not me. I can do whatever I want. You don't care about me. You never did."
At this, Mabel turned to face her, her eyes filled with tears. "Never cared? I never cared? Eloise, I did this because I care! I care about you more than anyone else in the world!"
"Then why did you leave?"
Mabel screamed,"because I'll ruin you!"
"What?", Eloise's voice softened.
"I'll ruin you," Mabel repeated, her voice hoarse.
"I'd rather be ruined than be without you."
"You don't mean that."
"I do."
Mabel sighed and wiped her tears. "No, you don't. Someone has to make the choice, so I will. I am making this decision for the both of us."
"No! My whole life, everyone has always been so keen on making decisions for me. What I should wear, what I should I do, where I should go, but no this. Not you. I vowed to myself that I would choose for myself. Mabel, you taught me that. So no, I can't let you go."
Mabel turned her back to Eloise, staring up at the stars. "Eloise, please don't make this harder than it is."
Eloise huffed and marched towards Mabel, turning her around."I always thought there was something wrong with me. I was never really like the girls I grew up around. I felt odd. I felt left out, bizarre. Broken. There seemed to be someone for everyone. Hell, even my best friend fell in love with my brother. I've been searching my whole life for more. For purpose. Mabel, when I'm with you, everything makes sense, everything is right. For the first time I know, I'm meant to be here. With you. So no Mabel, I can't let you go. I don't care if I'm ruined because of it."
Tears fell down Mabel's cheek as she squeezed her eyes closed."Eloise no," she pleaded.
"Mabel!", Eloise shouted. "Don't you understand? Nothing will be worth it if I have you! Even if you left and I married a man, it wouldn't be worth it if I didn't have you. I love you, Mabel. I want to be with you. Even if it means ruining my life.
I'll happily ruin it for you."
Mabel stared at her not with happiness or sorrow, but with indifference. Silence loomed over them for several minutes.
Mabel lifted her head,"I'm not a coward."
"I know."
"And you understand how much I'm sacrificing?"
"I do."
"Good. Fine. Okay," Mabel said as casually as if she was deciding on what to eat for dinner.
"Really? Why?"
"Because I love you too."
And with this, Eloise rushed over to her and they embraced. "I love you so much", Eloise murmured as she stepped back and held Mabel's face in her hands.
Leaning on her the tip of her toes, she pushed forward and kissed Mabel as passionately as possible.
Mabel could feel Eloise smile through her lips and reciprocated the kiss just as intensely.
Eloise, not knowing what to do with her hands, grasped Mabel's hair and was swiftly met with a moan as Mabel wrapped her arms around Eloise's back, allowing neither of them to come up for air.
They felt like the only two people alive in the world.
But alas, they weren't.
A ruffle of the trees caught their attention and they quickly tore apart from one another.
They looked from where the sound came and saw a shadowy figure standing under the arch, their appearance too dark to make out.
The girls gasped as they took a step forward to see who it might be, but the figure turned and ran, the sounds of their footsteps disappearing after mere seconds.
"Oh my god," Eloise whispered.
"Eloise, what just happened?"
"I think our worst fear just came true."
~~~~~~~
A/N:
have a wonderful day my lovelies
violet
20/09/22
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