Anthony's point of view

Dear readers,

My mind has not been fully able to comprehend what happened yesterday afternoon. I have seen more competitions than only this one and they were all interesting, but nothing has, or ever will, be as unforgettable as this one. We all came for a reason, William Williams, the 'man' who was going to win this competition with much ease and grace. But that is far from what happened. As it came to my ear, it was no one less than the queen THREATENING Eloise Bridgerton to unmask the competitor.

As I heard, there would be consequences for the young lady if she did not find out who 'he' was before the end of the game. Well, she did. And as I saw by the surprise on her face, it was a shock for her as well that not only William Williams was not a man, it was her very own cousin. Yes, Olivia Bridgerton had been behind that big hat all along, and none of us knew.

How could we? Who would have ever expected a woman to come out on top? Who would have ever expected someone out of society to be this rebellious? I certainly did not. But I still loved it. I heard many whispers, all judging, hating, and shading the young girl for her actions. All men. All the talks and all the shame she got thrown over her after she left came from men.

And I know just why. Because they cannot stand it was a woman beating every single one of them. They cannot stand they lost from someone of the female species, only 17 years old. It was a pleasure, seeing all of their defeated faces, the shame dripping off of them. And not one of them had the guts to admit that she made a point and that she was right.

Olivia Bridgerton is not a brat, nor is she asking for attention. She only showed us the truth. She showed us that women are just as worthy as men are, maybe even more.

Yours truly,

Lady Whistledown

A pleasure?! She found it a pleasure?! My own bloody cousin secretly entered a competition and most likely even broke the law without telling any of us and she found it a pleasure?! Because it was certainly not pleaserous to me. There I sat, seeing the hat fly in the air, her face revealed and making the entire audience gasp.

She blew it. Every chance at getting herself a proper husband is out of the window, only because she wants to prove something. And guess what, the only thing she proved was that she does not belong in this world. Every man whispers badly about her, they must be ashamed to even look at her. She ruined it all, maybe even for Eloise, and what for?

I may hope she has any kind of proper explanation for her behavior because if not, I never wish to see her again. Not in my house. It is my duty to protect my family from any kind of scandal and if that means I must send her away, then I will.

"she is awake," Colin says when entering the living room,

"and how would you know that, brother?" I aks suspicious,

"because the maid said so. Anthony." He nearly rolls his eyes at me,

"I think you may all prepare at saying goodbye" I announce. I hear someone behind me getting up and hear Eloise's voice from the other side of the room,

"is she leaving? Whatever for?" she asks,

"you are not sending her away," Benedict speaks, standing right next to me,

"yes, she is leaving sister! Of course she is! after that horror she pulled yesterday it is the only choice I have. She must go before she makes it worse, or family name is at stake"

"as if I care about a family name! she is my cousin, and one of the best friends I have had in ages! She did this for me! She could have stayed hidden but she showed herself because I asked her to! So then blame me too brother, send me away with her!" Eloise shouts,

"you know I cannot, Eloise. Stay quiet, you are only making things worse"

"no. no you are the one making things worse. why can you not for once see that she only tried to help, she made a difference Anthony, she is someone now. she made herself someone better than just pretty and a good dancer.."

"well I did not ask her to do that, did I?"

"no. you hated every step she took. No wonder she did not tell any of us, she must be terrified of you"

"I am your brother!"

"and she is your cousin! She deserves more than your hate!"

"she deserves NOTHING. Now stop talking, she is coming" I hear footsteps on the stairs and I stand a few feet away from the door, ready to give her the goodbye speech. I wonder whether she has already packed her suitcase, I am aware she must have thought about the consequences. The door opens and there she is, Olivia Borough it is again.

I look at her in disgust, she wears the same clothes as yesterday and it looks horrifying. She is ought to wear a dress and be a lady, now she is looking like a brutal man. The look on her face is just as rough as her clothes and it seems as if she just had a physical fight, and is now ready for the next one.

"what are you wearing?" I ask annoyed,

"clothes"

"YES, I CAN SEE THAT." I give her a tight look,

"then why do you ask?" she stays utterly calm and it is working on my nerves. How dare she talk to me that way, after all that has happened. She should be begging for forgiveness instead of giving me an attitude. Our eyes meet and her blue eyes are now raging with fires, this may be a long day I see. Luckily the only weapon she has is her sarcasm, and that will not provide her the win today. Not when she is fighting against me.