𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏.

he never knew what it would be like to be a father. sure, one can never truly prepare for the moment, however with every passing second kate was pregnant it felt as if anthony couldn’t breathe. he was nervous, even after having edmund when his next son was born, yet no one could EVER have prepared him for what it would be like having a daughter. a sense of pride filled his chest, a sense of longing, and while he understood in some aspect, what it was like to take care of a girl ( woman ) no one could’ve ever prepared him for what it meant to have his own. but the second he laid eyes on baby charlotte, anthony knew he would do anything and everything for his little girl — give her the world if he could.

yet what came with having a daughter was the talk of her much dreaded social season. of course, anthony always brushed it off with a wave of his hand, enjoying the moments as she grew up along her siblings. he enjoyed the trips to aubrey hall and his life never felt more complete than it did with his four children and his wife.

and as another social season came upon them, anthony found himself spending more time in his study, worrying about the day he needed to send his daughter away. well, he knew he technically could say NO to every eligible bachelor out there, but he was worried, as he was for his own four sisters. his eyes glanced up from his paperwork, spotting the young ( she would always be young to him , his little girl ) standing in the doorframe. anthony gave a small smile, glancing out at the beautiful day before looking back at her.

❝ i am surprised you are not outside with your mother. it is a lovely day, however, if you’ve. come here to tell me she requires my presence outside for another game of pall mall . . . i must send you back with bad news. ❞

when it came to family,    hers was one of the best.    of course,   she hadn’t ever known any other,    but she was certain that the love shared between them was a rare and special thing.    that day,   their house was quiet.    her brothers were out,   doing whatever it was that men did.  the last she’d seen of her little sister,    was her braiding together a new flower crown to add to her wilting collection.   a flower crown of spray roses and baby’s breath adorned her own head,  one made earlier that day by mary.    she never could refuse her.      “       i was out for a little while,    but the sun was getting quite overbearing.      ”       this was an obvious lie.    if there was anything she loved,   it were days when the sun stood high in the sky,    bathing them all in its warmth....    but at that very moment,   she was on a mission.

        her hand is still scribbling away on the pamphlet,   attention evidently split between him and the paper, although it doesn’t stop her from saying something in return.  “i believe the usual adverb used is extremely instead of a bit when describing my stubbornness, actually.  i have more than enough siblings who can attest to that.”  one too many, he’d probably say once he learned she was the fifth child of eight.  but eloise knew neither of them considered the other a friend yet, so sharing of personal details was appropriately out of the question — so far, she supposed.  there was already so little that could be considered ‘appropriate’ about what she was doing.

though it wasn’t as if eloise has never questioned and scorned the rules of polite society, anyway.  “do not fret, mister sharpe.  i don’t have comments or corrections on all of your arguments.”  she finally lifts her pencil then, casting him a smile that one could only describe as condescending as she holds the pamphlet out to him.  “just most of them.”

he hadn’t expected to see her again.   not after their first encounter outside the publishing house.    the one where he’d been unbelievably rude.   then again,   she hadn’t been very amiable either.   having her show up here,   a place where he had not expected to find a lady within a hundred years,    was quite a surprise.   he’d misjudged her tenacity,   it seemed.   her suggestion that she had some corrections on his writings was met with amusement,   but here they were,   her attention entirely focused on the pamphlet in front of her.    he couldn’t help but stare at her.   at the way she bowed over the paper,   her fingers tight around the pencil she had brought herself.     at the way her entire focus seemed to lay with her task.   it was quite something. 

        dark  hues  looked  up  from  his  book  instantly,  even  before  amelia  spoke  up.  he  had  heard  her  steps,  growing  used  to  being  attentive  to  every  noise  going  on  around  hastings  house.  it  was  a  habit  now,  comforting  even.  knowing  where  each  of  their  children  were,  if  they  were  in  bed  or  walking  around  their  bedrooms  or  whispering  secrets  into  the  night.  it  sounded  like  home  to  him,  so  different  from  what  hastings  house  had  been  when  it  was  him  growing  up.  closing  his  book,  the  duke  paid  attention  to  his  daughter  before  hearing  her  quiet  words.  a  smile  graced  his  features,  accounting  books  being  closed  as  he  stepped  away  from  his  desk.  ❝  you  couldn’t?  ❞  he  echoed,  sitting  on  the  couch  near  the  fireplace  and  tapping  the  empty  space  next  to  him  so  @wistledowns​  would  follow  suit.  

         ❝  is  something  the  matter,  darling?  ❞  he  asked,  concern  burning  bright  behind  his  gaze.  there  was  nothing  simon  would  not  do  for  his  children,  especially  his  eldest  who  had  grown  up  far  too  fast  for  his  liking.  ❝  are  you  nervous  about  the  queen  presentation  tomorrow?  because  if  so,  i-  well,  i  suppose  my  advice  is  not  as  good  as  your  mother’s  for  she  went  through  the  same  thing  before  but…  you  ought  to  know  you’re  my  daughter  and  i  am  proud  of  you  regardless.  and  should  her  majesty  not  name  you  the  diamond,  know  you  will  always  be  our  precious  amelia  and  we  love  you  so  very  much.  ❞  he  whispered,  planting  a  soft  kiss  on  the  top  of  her  head.

as the clock ticked further into the night,    the nerves within her stomach became all the more apparent.   after twisting and turning for what felt like hours,    she had to concede that sleep would not come until her swirling thoughts were put to rest.    usually,   this meant she would’ve sought out her mother.    it was she who went through the entire ordeal of being introduced to court and would therefore understand her worries the most.   yet,    instead of her parent’s room,  her feet brought her closer to her father’s office door.   the flickering light of the fireplace and the slightly ajar door alerting her to his presence there.   all at once,   she longed to be a little girl again,    curling up within her father’s embrace.    the world had seemed less scary then.

        “i am not blushing, i do not blush, pen.  it’s just   the heat from the sun affecting my complexion.  it does that, you know.”  her attempt to sound scholarly comes out in stutters and stumbles instead — not unusual, considering her trademark eccentricity as her brothers liked to put it, but she was never akin to a bumbling fool.  eloise had blamed it on the heat and she would tell her dear friend it was due to the unexpected turn of events at her brother’s wedding as well  ( never mind that she was completely unfazed earlier );  she just wouldn’t admit it was because a certain boy from bloomsbury had been brought into the conversation.

well, at least eloise wouldn’t readily, admit to it.  should penelope say anything more, she feared she might.  “your cheeks are quite pink as well, though i daresay it’s because of all the polite smiling you had to around colin before i saved you from him.”  she pops a grape into her mouth before lightly shoving the plate towards her.  “you don’t always have to indulge him, you know.  i’m certain he knows he’s just a filler conversation until we manage to find each other in the crowd.”

it would’ve been funny,    seeing her dearest friend blush over a boy,   had she not been incredibly worried about her intentions.    it was eloise’s investigation into lady whistledown that had brought her to the boy in question,   after all.    which meant she was one step closer to figuring out her secret identity.    her comment was made merely to steer the conversation in another direction,   knowing perfectly well that it would be met with disbelief and indignation.      “       if you’re absolutely certain that is it.      ”       her lips curve into a smile,    clearly not believing a word leaving her mouth.    the smile doesn’t remain for long,    as eloise’s next words filter in.   the mention of colin flustered her,    and she quickly accepted the offering of grapes so she could take her time formulating an answer.     

“         —        @spnstr​,     you are entirely biased      ！         ”      nervosity has fingers twiddle with the purple ribbons of her dress,    dark eyes taking in the view of the room.   there was apprehension plaguing her features.     her first social season.     with all the stories she’d heard from her family,   she did not know if she should be excited or run in a different direction entirely.    being flighty was one of her personality traits,   after all.    they would surely not be surprised if she changed her mind at the last conceivable moment.       “       i do not see why these sorts of events are not yet a thing of the past.    why shouldn’t we women be allowed to find a husband at our own pace,    just like the men?       ”