Beyond Her Reach - A Bridgerton Story

Chapter 2: Looking Up

Eloise did not tell anyone about having met Vera Montgomery at the party. No one else mentioned her after that night, which gave Eloise reason to believe Vera must have snuck down to the party, spoken with Eloise, and snuck back upstairs before being noticed by more than a handful of people. That or she was a ghost of social seasons past come to punish Eloise for her transgressions against the young men of London. Both options were equally probable.

When the next dance of the season arrived, Eloise found herself feeling less dread than usual. If Lady Montgomery was to be there again tonight, the evening might indeed be saved. Violet was very pleased when Eloise did not complain over the braiding of her hair or the fitting of her dress. She did not dare tease Eloise about it, and had happily convinced herself Eloise's improved temperament was due to the excitement of seeing a specific suitor.

In spite of the anticipation, Lady Montgomery was nowhere to be found when Eloise finally arrived. Eloise concealed her own disappointment from herself, realizing the woman had only briefly attended the last one because she had been visiting its host; she had no reason to attend a dance on the other side of town. But in her search for Lady Montgomery, Eloise forgot her strategies for avoiding London's bachelors entirely. Where she would have usually rotated between back corners for at least the first half of the evening, tonight she looked around the building for Vera, forgetting that she too might be watched. Before long, she had begrudgingly promised dances to six of the party's young men just to get them to cease speaking to her long enough for her to continue her search. She realized much too late that there was no way she could step on enough toes to get out of six dances.

Eloise bore her burden well enough... for Eloise at least. She managed to stomach four of the six dances before she was miserable enough to feign dizziness-- the men who had been promised her fifth and sixth dance were crushed when she forbade them from even sitting with her until her head improved. The evening was only halfway over by this point, but Eloise was certain Mama would not scold her too harshly if she told her in detail about having entertained four dance partners. Thus justified, Eloise slipped away without saying goodbyes to find the carriage waiting to bring her home.

"Miss Bridgerton, do not tell me you plan to leave already?"

Eloise recognized Vera Montgomery's cool contralto immediately, turning away from the row of carriages quickly to find its source.

She found it immediately, standing now directly in front of her. Tonight, Lady Montgomery was wearing a similar dress to the one she had worn to the first party of the season, but instead of red fabric accented with gold, she was in a deep blue dress with silver ribbon tracing around her neckline and waist. Her hair was still pulled up, but instead of tight, complex braid work, it was piled loosely on her head with several tendrils falling down towards her collar. Eloise was certain she would have seen Vera immediately had she arrived sooner-- there was not a single girl in attendance who looked quite like that.

"Hello, Lady Montgomery." Eloise said politely.

Vera rolled her eyes but did not insist that she be called by her first name. "Hello, Eloise. I have just arrived and I find that you are leaving already, what a terrible shame."

"Oh...well, I was truly just getting some air, Mama would not appreciate me leaving so early." Now that Lady Montgomery had arrived, Eloise decided there was little harm in staying a few moments longer.

"You've had enough of tonight's circus already?" Vera laughed. "I can understand that, I suppose."

Eloise nodded, grateful her dances would not be the subject of interrogation, at least by Lady Montgomery. "The last time I saw you, you only attended because of convenience and boredom. Why come tonight?"