4. The Spring Social

"Edmund, I shake my head at the way you're managing Daphne. That girl is too wild and free-spirited. She'll run loose if you let her. You've got to pull in the reins before her head gets too full of these new-fangled liberal ideas.

Remember, the one chance your family has at raising its station is for Daphne to marry well."

Francesca watched Eloise and I get ready for the social this afternoon. To which I was still against going to, I might add! I was at the vanity, getting my hair ready; wearing a frown the whole time I did so.

"You know what marriage is? Marriage is willingly letting someone shackle you up, drag you around wherever he likes, and take away all your personal freedom…. Even if the chains are made of gold. What woman in her right mind would ever agree to something like that?" Eloise grinned to herself from where she was finishing lacing up her dress. "Well I, for one, can't wait to get married. It's not all doom and gloom, Daph." "Isn't it?" I retorted bitterly. She rolled her eyes. "Course not. There're some real sweet men out there. Men who are easy to fall in love with…. Marriage actually sounds pretty great, if it's with the right person," she then put in an earring.

I scoffed. "Easy for you to say. You don't have a PhD on the line." "Why don't you just not get a PhD? None of us are," Francesca chimed in. She was in the middle of munching on all the Belgium chocolate I'd brought back for her. "Because I want a PhD! It's been my dream since I was at the academy. I only made the mistake of telling our father that before he died…." Eloise's hand flung up above her. "Ah, why don't you just get on with it and get married? That would solve all your problems, then we wouldn't have to listen to you complain all the time." "I don't complain all the time! And don't worry; I'll get my PhD," I glanced back into the mirror at my reflection. Somehow…

A light tapping on the door caused us all to stir. "Five minutes, ladies," Anthony called from the other side. "We'll be right down!" Eloise hollered before turning her head back to me. "Just try to have a good time this afternoon, Daph. You're not the only one on the marriage market now." "There is no marriage market anymore! This is the twenty-first century, Eloise. You can meet someone online if you wanna date that badly." "Ha! The kind of guy I'm interested in won't be online. You can only meet at high-class functions like these."

"Speaking of high-class functions, Lady Whistledown just tweeted that everyone who's anyone in London will be at the spring social today!" Francesca read off her phone with excitement. "I thought I told you to stop following him! Seriously, I don't understand why you're not more freaked out by this. Some random guy who knows when you're leaving or entering the city- it's really creepy when you think about it," I shuttered. Eloise shot me a glare. "Would you stop saying "he"? You don't know it's a man." "Well even if it's not a man, it's still creepy. I don't even have social media and they're tweeting about me." "Don't forget Instagram!" Our little sister piped up. I frowned. "Thank you, Francesca," can't forget about that too. "Well you better make a good impression this afternoon, Daphne; unless you want Lady Whistledown blabbing about you to the whole world." "Oh, that would be nothing new. He's already saw fit to stalk me it looks like," I finished the conversion.

Benedict gave me a side hug when he finally arrived back at the estate. He showered, got changed quickly, and joined the four of our in the car out front. There was Anthony, Colin, Benedict, Eloise, and me going to the palace's affair; it was strictly for grown ups today. Along the way, Anthony coached us on what to do and whom to make sure to say hi to. To be frank, none of us were really interested in listening except for Eloise. She loved this sort of thing. The car rounded the corner into Buckingham Palace and Anthony turned to Benedict.

"Now I want you to keep an eye on Colin and Eloise. Make sure everything goes smoothly with you three. Daphne and I will do the majority of the visiting." "How come you and Daph get to have all the fun stuff?" Eloise pouted, folding her arms. "Because I'm the eldest brother and she's the eldest sister. You three can still mingle but be quiet and respect everyone else's time. If you need anything, find Benedict." "Gees, thanks, bro," Benny's eyes rolled dramatically. Anthony always assigned the younger siblings to him or Colin when Benedict was absent. That way he and I would be free to do as we please without having to worry about them. Well, I didn't have to worry about anyone; it was kind of an unspoken given that Anthony kept an eye on me at these things. Gotta love overly protective older brothers. Still, I didn't let that itself spoil the mood.

The car pulled up and the driver opened the door for us. Anthony exited first, extending his hand for me as I got out second. Then Benedict, then Colin, and finally Eloise. I know this may seem random but believe me, in situations like this nothing was done randomly. There was a long red trail on the ground leading to the garden around back. Lots of people were already there, wearing all fancy clothes and jewellery which looked uncomfortable. I think I was the only woman present who didn't have on any rings, brackets, earrings, or necklaces. Now how's that for class? What can I say? I don't like unnecessary things.

There was a formal system at play here. When one first entered the royal garden, one had to be announced at the entrance. Only then could you go inside and join everyone else. The queen and her family were at the back but we never got close to her or any royal. I felt much more comfortable staying nearer to the front of the party which is where we were announced in. This was an old-fashioned affair where you were called by title and position. If you didn't have one, you were simply "Mr.", "Mrs.", or "Miss". Eloise found this painfully embarrassing but I could have cared less. I didn't have a title; what's the shame in that? Billions of other people don't have them either. And I rather liked being a nobody and the lack of attention that entailed.

Eloise was announced first. After she was in, Colin was called up next. Then Benedict. For Anthony and I, things were a little different. Since we were the official heirs to Daddy's estate- and therefore the most eligible members of the family- it was only proper I be escorted in and Anthony escort someone. To quote Daddy: "People in your position do not enter alone." Before going in, we stood behind the entrance. Anthony peered down at me from the corner of his eye.

"Nervous?" "For a social? No." "Heh, you'd rather be at a museum or library, wouldn't you?" "You know me well, big bro." "You'll have a good time, I promise." He couldn't promise that but I grinned nonetheless; his heart is in the right place anyway. "What about you? Are you nervous?" "Mmmmm, I'd be less nervous if our siblings weren't here, but I think Benedict will do a good job of keeping them in line." "It's a party, Anthony; not a funeral," I reminded him. "I know, I know…. There's just… so much at sake." "We're not going to meet our future spouses today here, big bro. It's just one party; we'll be in and out, and home in time for dinner." He chuckled. "You're probably right. But just in case, keep your guard up and agree to nothing. If someone asks to take you out or something, come get me and the three of us will talk about it." "Do I need your permission to date now?" My eyebrow raised up. "Course not. But everyone here will be aware of what we're both getting from Dad, and you need to be careful." "I am careful, Anthony. I wouldn't agree to go out with anyone willy nilly. And besides, I'm too busy with Masters to date anyone right now anyway." "Good, that calms my nerves… a little," he said and I laughed. Then he took my arm in his and we stepped up to the front entrance to be announced in. "The Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and Miss Daphne Bridgerton!" He bellowed.

Oh, you'd never seen so many heads turn so fast. I groaned silently, trying my best to keep a straight face. My eldest brother gave my arm a squeeze of encouragement. "You're going to do great," he whispered on the sly. Heh, great; yeah, we'll see about that.

There was small talk; oh, the small talk. Frankly, small talk bores me to death. The only ones who are really good at it are Anthony, Colin, and Eloise. Benedict found some fellows he knew from Oxford to chum around with, and I made my way over to the food table- the only good part about these sorts of gatherings. I'll admit, I love good-tasting food, though my definition of "good-tasting" might not be as refine as you would expect. I loved street foods, particularly in Belgium and Paris. Give me a good Belgium waffle smothered with chocolate sauce, Oreos, strawberries, and whipped cream and I was in heaven. A good fish 'n chips with curry sauce would do just dandy too. While the rest of my family mingled, I stuck mainly to the food table, people-watching and not really doing anything else. It sounds horrible but I had no interest in talking to these people. It's not that I thought I was so high above them; small talk just bored me to tears. It seemed like such a waste of time to me better spent reading or watching a documentary.

Course I couldn't avoid people forever. Eloise shot me the sternest of glares and waved me forward when she saw me reaching for my third slice of cake. Rolling my eyes, I finally set my plate down and manoeuvred my way through the crowd. I was able to do so in such a way that I looked busy but was really doing nothing. Eventually Anthony found me, approaching my side. He'd been talking to someone named Siena for that past little while.

"Having fun?" "Is it time to leave yet?" I countered. "Not yet. Are you making sure to drink plenty of water?" "Yes, big bro," I rolled my eyes. "Good. Don't feel light-headed?" "No, I'm fine. Go back to your mingling; I'll be fine." "Alright. But stay close by; don't wander off too far into the garden." "Alright, alright," my hand shooed him away. He gave me one last smile before returning to Siena. I lazily wandered my gaze from him out into the crowd. Ugh, I'm so bored! When is someone interesting going to come along?

"Excuse me, Miss Bridgerton?" Oh boy, here we go. I take it back; I don't want anyone to come along. Wincing momentarily, my feet spun around to see Nigel Berbrooke standing there. He gleamed down at me with this wide smile. Now he was the first guy to talk to me tonight. You might think that's weird for someone apparently so "eligible" as me. But one word explains it all- Anthony. He did a very good job of monitoring who got to approach his precious baby sister, who I guess he didn't think was a very good judge of character herself. Nigel must have somehow managed to slip by him just now and was very off-putting by how wide his toothy grin was in my direction.

Still, I know Eloise would never let me hear the end of it if I was rude, so I forced a tiny grin back. "Good afternoon, Nigel." "Oh, you remember me?!" He sounded much too eager. "Yes. We met at the Christmas Ball two years ago." "Ah, yes; I remember that night well. You're looking…" He cleared his throat before carrying on. "You look beautiful, Miss Bridgerton." "Please, call me Daphne," my hand rose up. "Daphne…. Daphne," he said as if he was savouring the sound of my name in his mouth. Ok, I immediately regret it; Miss Bridgerton sounded much less creepy than that.

My fingers twisted together a bit in pure awkwardness. Honestly, I wanted to be anywhere but here at this moment. "Erm, so… W-What are you doing now? I mean are you working or….?" "Oh no, dear! I'm a Baron. I don't have to work," cause you know, that's charming to hear. It took everything I had not to frown in total disgust. "Oh… That's… nice." "A-And you! I hear you're living in Brussels now." "Uh, yes, while I'm getting my Masters. I want to apply for PhD positions this fall." "Ah, splendid! What are you getting your Masters in?" "Troubadourian history."

The grin immediately washed from his face, though I doubt he realized this was the case. Once he saw my physical reaction to this, his sickening grin quickly returned. "O-Oh, history! That's… useful. Are you planning on…. teaching or….?" Oh my god, he's struggling so hard to compliment I choice of study. Attractive, indeed. "Well, I don't know yet. We'll see where I'm at when I'm done my PhD." "Marvellous! And are you planning on getting your PhD here in England?" "No, I….."

"Daphne! Daphne!" Oh, thank god! Anthony's voice has never sounded better to my grateful ears. He rushed over to us, taking my shoulders in both hands. He flashed Nigel a mild, dismissive smile. "Will you excuse us, Nigel? I have to get to my sister a drink." "Now?" My eyebrow rose up at him. "It's been over an hour," he stated flatty down at me. "Oh, come on, Anthony," I sighed, forgetting that this was my ticket away from Nigel for a second. Upon hearing this, however, Nigel perked up with enthusiasm.

"Oh! Well if Daphne… er, Miss Bridgerton is thirsty, I'll be more than happy to get a drink with her. Would some white wine do?" I had to cover my mouth with my hand to hide the smile I got when Anthony shot Nigel the most monstrous glare. You'd think Nigel's tried to poison me or something. "My sister does not drink alcohol, sir. It is bad for her condition. Come on, Daphne," taking my hand, Anthony got me the heck out of there, leaving a dumbstruck Nigel behind. Was that brash of my brother? Yes. Was I grateful he did it? Hell yes!

Anthony brought me off to the side and stationed me near a wall. "Wait here. I'll go get you some water." "Alright. Take your time; no rush." "Try not to sound like you're having too much fun," he smirked at me before leaving. I could perfectly well fetch my own water but any excuse to get away from that horrific scene was good enough for me.

While I waited, this tall, dark-skinned, very handsome man in a crimson jacket came over to the refreshment table. He poured himself a glass of punch and spun around to survey the party. I watched him for a minute, then also glanced back at the crowd. When I gazed back, I was surprised to see him looking me now.

Neither of us said anything right away, more so merely observing each other. When that got too uncomfortable my lips opened a little. "Enjoying the party?" That was the best thing I could think of to say spur of the moment like that. "It's palatable," was his tart reply. "That's good…." My eyes gazed back forward. See what I mean about being horrible at small talk? Though I couldn't help feel his eyes on me from their corner once again.

"You're Anthony's sister, aren't you? That Bridgerton heiress." Well now, talk about attitude. What kind of a way was that to speak to a lady? Yes, I'm an heiress, but not by choice. To think he even knew me by that…. Nugh! Not ten seconds in and I already don't like him. The cheeky jerk. Well, if he's going to be a brat, then so am I.

"Mmmmmm, you're right, sir. Sorry I don't recognize you; my brother's never mentioned you before," that's about as sick a burn as I can muster without foreplanning. His eyebrow raised slightly. "Am I honestly to believe you don't already know my name?" My eyes widened at the arrogance in this guy's tone. Man! No wonder Anthony's never brought him up; he's a total creep! Talk about being high and mighty about yourself. Who does he think he is? Some sort of celebrity? Maybe he is a celebrity…. Oh, I don't care! You shouldn't talk to people like that. It's rude and conceded…. Just ugh! Thank god no one's forcing me to marry someone like him.

I didn't hold back my unimpressed and unamused frown anymore. "No, in fact; I don't know your name, and I think I'm ok with that." His expression when I said this… Priceless. "What?" That was the only response he could think of I'm sure. My smirk began to return. "Now if you'll be so kind to excuse me, I have a Masters dissertation to contemplate." And I was about to walk away until….

"Basset!" All the satisfaction I previously felt drained away at the sight of my eldest brother bouncing towards us with two glasses of water in his hands. He seemed a little too happy for my liking to see whoever this was standing here with me. Red coat guy also seemed pleased at the arrival of my brother.

"Bridgerton!" "Come here, old friend!" Anthony set the glasses down and gave this man a hug. They pulled apart, still keeping their hands on one another. "I heard about your dad. I'm so sorry, Simon." "It's alright… I'm alright," this Simon- what I suppose he was called- nodded. "Well, now at least you're finally the Duke of Hastings! Well done, old chap!" Anthony gave him a slap on the arm. I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat, grabbing their attention again. "Anthony," I gave him a pleading look. His eyes snapped in realization.

"Oh, right! Here's your water; I brought you two, since they're small glasses," he handed them to me, which is not what I meant for him to do. Simon's eyebrow raised once more in an unimpressed manner. "You're drinking water at a party?" "She has a condition which alcohol makes worse. You remember how bad my dad's blood pressure was? Well, turns out its hereditary," Anthony told Simon. Then he spun to address me.

"Baby sis, this is Simon Basset, the new Duke of Hastings. We were students at Oxford together." Anthony turned next back to Simon. "Simon, this is Daphne; my sister. You remember me talking about her? She's the one who went off to university in Brussels." "Ah yes, the "scholar" in the family," he jeered, making me frown. This pompous….! Too bad Anthony didn't seem to think so. He lowered his eyes a tad at Simon- affectionately, I might add. "We'll have to catch up sometime. Don't be a stranger at the club." "I won't. Thank you, Anthony." My brother gave him one last smile, then took my arm. "Have a good afternoon, Simon." "You as well, Anthony…. Daphne." Oh god, don't say my name, I inwardly rolled my eyes. With that, Anthony led us away to where our other siblings were coagulating. I made the mistake of looking over my shoulder at Simon a final time, only to be punished at the image of him looking back. I glanced forward and sighed gravely. "If I never see him again, it'll be too soon." Anthony laughed at this. "Oh, he's not so bad. At least I can relax a little with him." "Why's that?" "Cause he's not interested in you- he's not interested in anyone, as far as I can tell."

"Mmmmm, thank god for that."