23. How Not To Avoid Gossip

"Alright, here's some money. Go to the candy store; I'll meet you there in a minute," I gave my two youngest siblings some pound notes and urged them toward the sweet shop. We were at the mall doing some last-minute shopping. Or rather, I was doing some last-minute shopping; they wanted to come and I couldn't say no. Though I had the sneaking suspicion that they were after treats and goodies. Fine by me; gives me an excuse to get some too.

Hyacinth and Gregory scurried off and, after checking that they were out of sight, I snuck into the nearby jewellery store. I'd racked my brain for the last few days trying to think of something to surprise Simon with on the trip. After all, I wouldn't be going to Edinburgh if it wasn't for him. I wanted to thank him with a special gift. But to be honest, I'd never bought a present for a man I was related to, and I think they had to like it on principle; or at least pretend they like it. Simon was different- I really wanted him to like whatever I got for him. It's so hard to know with men though! They like masculine things, but I have no idea of what those sorts of things are or would be. Pens, maybe? Simon always gets me such personalized surprises; I wanted to do the same for him. Mmmmmm, he likes boxing. I had thought perhaps some sort of boxing paraphernalia, but… Oh, I don't know. I was looking for something a little more….. intimate and personal.

I entered the store, feeling a bit like a little girl tiptoeing into her mother's sacred closet. I never wore any jewellery and never shopped for any before- certainly not for myself. This was more Eloise or Francesca's scene, whereas I felt more comfortable in bookstores and candy shops. This was like entering a brand-new world for me, and not the good kind. Everything was clean and sterile, and there was the polished glass everywhere. It was intimidating, being in such a place like this. It didn't help either that I didn't look at all like any of the workers or other patrons, who were dripping in diamonds and gold and other such nonsense. And here I was with my undergrad university sweatshirt and pink converses on.

I'm pretty sure the saleslady spoke to me because I was standing around looking awkward. It took a good minute or two before she acknowledged my presence in the shop. "May I help you?" She didn't sound as rude as I was anticipating but still not overly happy to be dealing with me. I blinked, shovelling my shoes and trying my best not to seem like a total idiot. My mouth opened, then closed, then opened again. "Erm, I'm looking for…. manly jewellery? Something… a man would wear," my voice was as cringy as you're currently imagining. Luckily for me, the lady didn't care. Her face lit up a little when she realized I wasn't there for myself.

"Oh! Wonderful! What do you have in mind exactly? Looking for a ring or…?" "No! I mean no…. Um, w-what else do men wear? Like a friendship bracelet or something." "A bracelet? We have plenty of those. Actually, we just got in this new male version of a charm bracelet." "Really?" This nabbed my attention. The saleslady brought me over to the men's corner- the really small one in the back, I might add- and directed my gaze to a collection of bands. They were just plain bands without any charms on them; I guess those came separate. She took a few out to show me.

"This one's solid gold, this one's silver, this one is white gold, and this one is platinum." "Mmmmmm, which one's your most popular?" I have no clue about any of this sort of thing. "The platinum," she replied. "And do… a lot of men wear these?" I continued to inspect them ponderingly. "Oh, yes. They're very popular." "How popular?" She looked at me for a second. "Well, let's just say a lot of guys I follow on Instagram have one." "Sounds good to me," Eloise would say what's on Instagram is the height of modern fashion trends. If it's trending on social media then it must be at least a little common.

The saleslady took out the platinum band and handed it to me. I gave it a thorough once over. Perfectly clean and neat; I could see Simon wearing this. "And what charms do you have for this? How do they attach?" "They slide on. They don't dangle or anything; just rest on the band itself. We have a large assortment of charms. Which kind were you thinking of?" "I don't… really know?" I answered truthfully, forgetting about the boxing idea momentarily. She nodded. "Is this for your boyfriend or fiancé?" "No! N-No, he's my uh… my friend. I don't really know what to put on here; we're going on a trip together and I wanted to get him something. I just… oh wait! Do you boxing glove charms or something?" She blinked. "Boxing gloves? Yes, I believe we have that charm. A pair, I take it?" "Yes please." "Just those two." "Yes. That's perfect." "Great. I'll get that ready for you," she took the band back and went to go attach the charms.

The bracelet was all wrapped up in this cute little box; I asked for the manliest colour they had. I'm sure Simon wouldn't mind getting a bracelet- not if other men wear them. Plus he can add more charms to it! This was all very exciting. Or at least it was until I pulled out my card to pay. The saleslady rang me up and told me the amount. I put my card down on the counter for some reason still unknown to me. She saw the name on it and glanced up to me with big eyes. "Wait… You're not… Daphne Bridgerton? The Daphne Bridgerton? The Daphne Lady Whistledown is always tweeting about?"

I can't tell you how cold my blood ran just then. I wasn't looking at her, rather I was staring down into my backpack as I was routing around for something; probably my phone to check if my siblings had called me. All I could do was gawk forward, unable to move.

Profound regret suddenly permeated my every cell. This intense hatred of being a "somebody", of living on display in high society filled me to the brim. Now I remember why I wanted to move away for school. It wasn't just to experience independence and true freedom for the first time in my life. It's because I absolutely detested being on constant exhibit. I loved my identity as a nobody in Europe, and I'd forgotten how much I truly missed it. I missed no one writing about me behind my back online or knowing my name when I came into a place. I missed it… I missed it.

Things only got worse when her face lit up with this pure exhilaration, like she suddenly knew my life story. "Are you buying this for the duke of Hastings?! Is that who you meant by "your friend"?!" Oh god, I hate this; words cannot describe how much I hate this. I have a real moral problem with lying- unless it's undeniably convenient. This, I could easily argue, was one of those times. I straightened up and forced the most innocent grin I'd ever put on display in my life, trying to look as innocuous as humanly possible. "No, sorry. You've got the wrong Daphne Bridgerton," I lied through my teeth. She seemed confused by this. "You're not that Daphne Bridgerton? The heiress the of Bridgerton fortune?" "No, that's not me. I'm not from London. I'm from… far away. Tiny village, you wouldn't have heard of it." "But you're shirt….?" She pointed to my university shirt. "A-A gift! From a friend who does live in London. But not the same friend I'm getting the bracelet for. He's back in… home, where I'm from," god, could I have sounded more pathetic? It would be a miracle if she believed me.

Thankfully- by some divine intervention- she did believe me! Her head nodded, like she tried to grasp her mistake. She eventually gave me an embarrassed modest grin. "Sorry about that. Mistook you for someone else." "That's ok," I snatched back my card and the bag now housing the package. To my surprise, she actually let out a sigh like she was disappointed. Then she smiled back at me; a much more natural one this time. "Do you follow Lady Whistledown on Twitter?" "No, I can't say I do…." You couldn't pay me enough to follow that stalker. She sighed wistfully. "You have the same name as this really rich girl; she's going to school in Brussels." "Is she now?" How do all these strangers know so much about me?! I don't even have social media! It took everything I had to continue acting casual, even though inside I was melting. Another sigh left her lips. Then, to my dismay, she leaned in a tad closer to me, grinning slyly.

"Thought she might be buying that for the duke of Hastings; they've become fast friends. Though everyone knows that they're more, if you get what I mean." I frowned, completely unimpressed. Really? Did she think it good employee practice to stand here and gossip with me about someone she thought I didn't know, who is actually me?! If anything, this is solid proof why you should never gossip, especially with strangers. You never know who they really are. Still, I decided to play dumb, not wanting to blow my cover. "Oh, I'm sure they're just friends if they say they are." "Yeah right; you should the deets Whistedown posts. Can't wait to see how jealous Simon gets when Prince Friedrich enters the scene." "Prince who?" I blinked unfamiliar with that name; not that it mattered, I'm sure. She looked at me. "Oh right, you don't follow her. Word has it that this rich royal guy's coming to London in early June." "Oh," I had no interest in that. Prince whatever-his-name-is arrival doesn't affect me in the slightest, I'm sure.

The saleslady nodded like she was waiting for new episodes of her favourite drama programme. "Ah, who knows? Maybe Daphne will smarten up and sink her teeth into the duke before he gets here." "Excuse me?!" I gasped, accidently nearly blowing my cover. Her smile merely widened, however. "Well have you seen him? He's what Adonis wishes he could be. Ah, if I ever had a "friend" like him, I'd nab him so fast." "Oh, I'm sure… she's happy with life just the way it is." "I doubt it. Who could be content with just "being friends" with a beefcake like the duke? But she's not the one who should be worried of the pair." "Oh?" My eyebrow rose. She nodded, giving herself over to the "tea" completely now. "Well yeah; I mean, it's kinda obvious- according to Lady Whistledown, that is. Simon should be the one trying to get his claws into her.

There's a lot more eyes looking her way apparently."