EPISODE 1: CAPITAL R RAKE
CHAPTER 2. I BET...

"I BET..." I START to say to Louis. "That my dear sister will last about an hour before she runs off from mama."

We walk into Lady Danbury's first ball of the season.

"Oh, no." Louis shakes his head. "She'll last much less that that."

I raise a challenging eyebrow.

"Care to bet something other than words?" I ask him.

"Of course." Louis gives me an upside down smile. "What do you want if you win."

"I want you to finally play me a song on the piano." I tell him, beaming. "What so you want if you win, which is not happening."

"Well, if I win." He smirks. "I want us to finally do that thing that I have been asking you to try."

I make an amused face.

"Oh, but those are not a very fair set of rewards." I tell him.

"So, you admit to me being right?" He asks, smirking.

"You, sir, have just gotten yourself a bet." I reply.

"Stop fussing with your dress." Anthony scolds Eloise as we enter the ballroom.

"You look lovely, dear." Mama tells her, as I fix her dress for her.

"I look like a prize calf, trussed up for auction." Eloise retorts and Benedict leans in and moos.

Louis and I laugh.

"Even Daphne and Diana felt most apprehensive at their first official ball, and look how well their season turned out." Mama tells her.

"Oh, right." Eloise rolls her eyes.

"Oh." Mama lets out as she sees the Marquis of Ashdown, who was literally a child, approach us.

Eloise has a mixture of horror and panic in her eyes and Louis offers up his arm.

"Come, Eloise. The cakes at these occasions are surprisingly good." He tells her, and Eloise quickly grabs onto it and they both rush away making me chuckle.

My mouth falls open in awe of his actions.

"Come on, sister, let us not allow them to get erratic after they've had too much sugar." Benedict urges me, and I take his arm and follow behind my husband and my sister, joining them.

Benedict and Eloise go off on their own, as Louis and I stop to converse.

"That was cheating!" I accuse.

"Cheating?" He asks, amused. "I was just saving my poor sister-by-law."

"You dirty cheater!" I accuse. "That absolutely does not count!"

"You know what they say, my love." He tells me. "Everything is fair in love and war."

"I do believe this bet has not been won by fair means, my dear husband." I tell him.

"Are you backing away from your words, my lovely wife?" He questions.

I give him a look.

"Fine, we will do it." I inform.

"I THINK I HAVE entirely corrupted you." Louis breathes out, breaking our kiss for just a second, after we had just stumbled out of that dreadfully boring ball and in the balcony.

"Oh, it is adorable that you think it is I who is being corrupted." I tell him, and pulling him into another kiss.

"When you manage to find this paragon of virtue, whatever makes you think she will accept your suit?" We hear someone's voice, and jump apart. "Are the young ladies of London truly so easily won by a pleasing smile and absolutely nothing more?"

Louis and I look at each other and then look towards the noise.

"So, you find my smile pleasing." I could just hear the smirk in my brother's voice.

"I find your opinion of yourself entirely too high." The lady retorts sharply, making me raise an eyebrow amused. "Your character is as deficient as your horsemanship."

My jaw fall open, as I look to Louis, who was just as amused as I was.

"I shall bid you good night." The lady completes and walks away.

After a second, Anthony huffs and stomps away too.

"Well..." I trail off. "Wasn't that something?"

"It was kind of interesting." Louis adds.

We both look at each other with a mischievous look, and do not say anything for a few moments.

"I bet they'll be engaged near the end of the season." I say.

"I bet they'll be engaged near the middle of the season." He says, at the same time.

"YOU DO KNOW, ELOISE, that you might enjoy the next ball if you, in fact, danced with someone." I hear mama say, as Louis and I walk into the living room of the Bridgerton estate. "Meeting new people, it can be thrillingly

"Yes, it certainly seemed as though Anthony had a thrilling time." Eloise teases our brother. "Swept away by many a nimble-footed young lady, Brother?"

I chuckle, as Louis sits down at the small circular table with Anthony, who was drinking his tea and I make myself comfortable next to Eloise.

"I can still barely feel my toes." Anthony replies. "I thought you ladies were taught to dance."

"I thought you gentlemen capable of worthwhile conversation." Eloise replies right back, and Louis chuckles. "How sad both of our hopes were dashed."

"I think Eloise would make a brilliant diamond." Hyacinth announces, as she snuggles up to my side, making me smile.

"Oh, yes, of course." I nod, amused.

"I could not agree more, Hyacinth." Mama replies, excitedly. "Perhaps Her Majesty will take note at her ball tomorrow night."

"I despise you, both." Eloise seethes towards us.

I laugh.

"I love you, too, dear sister." I answer.

I watch as a maid puts down a fresh cup of tea and some biscuits in front of Louis.

I stand up, and walk towards him, and Louis pulls me onto his lap.

Anthony scrunches his nose, Eloise makes a disgusted face, Hyacinth looks giddy and mama is beaming.

I ignore all of them as I take a bit out of my freshly acquired biscuit.

"Brothers." Benedict greets. "Sister."

"Are you and the modiste still, uh, making a stitch?" Anthony asks, and I choke on the biscuit, while Louis hides his face into my back.

"Apparently not. Have you found a wife yet?" Benedict sharply retorts, making the two of us continues to chuckle. "Or are you planning to offend every girl until there are none left? Is Mother aware?"

"Aware of what?" Anthony asks, getting up. "I'm off to deal with our solicitor. Have fun with your pretty pictures, Brother." He then turns to us. "And you two with..." He trails off, and then makes a disgusted face. "Whatever it is, you both want."

We laugh at him and he walks out of the room.

"But seriously, could you two be more in love?" Eloise asks.

"Oh, I think you both are just wonderful together." Hyacinth adds.

"Do you not have your own house?" Benedict asks.

"Benedict!" Mama scolds.

But Louis and I both know, it is all in good fun.

"We do, just last week you hosted one of your many parties there." Louis tells him, and his eyes widen.

"What parties, Benedict?" Mama asks.

"There are no parties, mama." Benedict tells her, giving us a playful glare.

A/N

guess who's exams just got over?

that's right! me! fuck yeah!

also i just binged wednesday, and oh my god, i am completely in love with xavier thrope!