𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆
into the serpentine

EVEN THOUGH THERE was little else Guinevere wanted than to stay curled up in her bed all day, she took the opportunity of a bright sunny day to visit her friends.

She had begun her monthly pains just the morning after the Hartside ball, and now she had the terrible inconvenience of blood coming out of her at random intervals for the next couple of days, but life could scarcely stop because of it. Guinevere was at least blessed to have a short circle in comparison to Freyja, who had her courses for a whole seven days.

How her sister managed to even go horse riding — astride, to most people's shocked sensibilities — she didn't know, but Guinevere certainly couldn't do the same.

But such an occurrence meant she had entirely missed the previous day's happenings in Hyde Park, which had ended up making Edwina fall ill.

When Guinevere arrived at the Sharma residence, she was greeted by a drawing room filled to the brim with flowers, a sight never before seen in Guinevere's own drawing room.

Guinevere was not the recipient of many flowers, save for her family who knew how much she adored them — but those were usually potted plants or even seeds, for she hated to see flowers wilt. In her first season, she'd received the odd bouquet, but people usually associated flowers with passion, even though their meanings were vast and not limited to love. Red roses were the often chosen bloom, but love could be represented by various others types of flowers. Guinevere knew herself not to be associated with the passion necessary for a red rose, and truly, would wrinkle her nose at receiving such a gift, but maybe one day she could be gifted a flower with similar meaning, or at least, she could dream.

She was surprised to see barely any flowers inside Edwina's room, there was only a succulent and very far away from the bed, making her frown.

"Do you not like flowers?" She asked as she sat down on the foot of the bed, after having given Edwina her best wishes and handing her a handkerchief for the runny nose she was sporting.

Edwina blew into it before responding, her hair tied messily into a braid and sticking to her forehead. "I'm allergic."

"Oh, what a pity," Guinevere remarked, thinking about all the lonely blossoms sitting in the drawing room. "They could bring some color to cheer you up. I think we could even attempt a rainbow out of the ones you received."

Edwina laughed, but it turned into a cough and Guinevere was quick to get up and hand her the glass of water that was by the bedside table, helping her friend drink it.

"Don't worry," Edwina said after recuperating. "Mama and Kate have been picking the ones they like best to decorate their rooms. You can take any you like as well if you want."

Guinevere felt conflicted at that, she'd like nothing more than to fill her room with flowers, but it wasn't seemly at all to be seen taking bouquets from someone's house into her own. Just as she was debating how to answer, Edwina spoke.

"I can have a footman deliver them, very discreetly."

She smiled at her friend. Edwina was rather eager to get rid of the flowers and knew just how to convince Guinevere. "Fine, I'll pick one or two to take home."

"One or two dozen, if you'd please."

Guinevere shook her head at her, finding it hard not to laugh.

"But tell me, how are you feeling?"

"Better than yesterday, it is merely a cold, but then again that is why no one is swimming in the Serpentine in April," Edwina responded, making Guinevere smile.

"No one is ever swimming in the Serpentine."

"And I can see why, it is positively foul."

"How did it even happen? I heard from Freyja you got pushed in, but Kate was fuming about Viscount Bridgerton when I saw her."

It was a most confusing tale, the recounting of events that led to Edwina and Viscount Bridgerton taking an impromptu swim into the Serpentine in Hyde Park. Some said it was Mr. Babbington that pushed Edwina into the lake, and Lord Bridgerton bravely rescued her, but she had a hard time believing such a thing. The other story was that Bridgerton and Babbington got into a fight over Edwina and ended up pushing her accidentally into the river, and that one was even harder to come to terms with.

"Newton was too excited when he saw me and jumped straight into my arms," Edwina explained. "The problem is he came at an alarming speed and I was standing on the bridge over the Serpentine, and well, I took a fall."

"That's far less dramatic than the account of it I've been hearing," Guinevere commented.

"Reality is often less dramatic."

"Why was Lord Bridgerton there though, if you were with Mr. Babbington on his curricle?"

"He came to call while I was out, and he and Kate went to walk Newton on the expectation of running into me, and perhaps rescuing me from boredom as well," Edwina recounted. "They certainly managed, even if I ended up more wet than expected."

"Why would you ever go out with Babbington?"

Edwina wrinkled her nose. "It was an oversight, but I did not want to be rude and refuse when nothing else was keeping me at home."

"Well, at least you have better prospects than that if Lord Bridgerton coming to call on you is any indication. Has Kate warmed to him, if she is even taking out walks with him?"

Edwina laughed heartedly, this time not followed by coughs, but so hard that it made her have to blow her nose once more. "Far from it. She was incensed afterward, speaking of his lack of good behavior, called him insufferably arrogant, even."

Guinevere frowned at that. From what she knew of Viscount Bridgerton — the gossip of Whistledown aside — he was always polite and genteel, Wulfric even held him in some regard, which was a hard thing to happen. Rakehell or not, he was always well-mannered amongst the ton.

"Truly? That is odd."

"Isn't it? But here is the best part, according to Kate, he confessed he could not help himself!"

Guinevere felt her eyebrows rising, and Edwina was practically beaming. "Whatever does that mean?"

Edwina giggled, her face gaining back some of its colors. "I can only guess, but all I'll say is that in every novel, there is merely a fine line between love and hate."

As Edwina smiled conspiratorially at Guinevere, she was suddenly struck with the notion that for all she looked like an innocent angel, Edwina could be quite wicked, taking into account the way she'd not only managed to get Guinevere to dance with someone of her choosing, but also seemed to be hoping to get her sister married off, even if Kate and everyone else was none the wiser.

"She is, however, determined to strike him from my list of suitors, so we must find others to fill in that space." Edwina reached to take a slim notebook from her bedside table. "You could help me."

"Who is on the list?"

Edwina began to go through the pages, before finding what she was looking for and handing it to Guinevere. It was not a particularly long list, but in it were the names of several eligible bachelors, and not to her surprise, these were all very reputable men, with nary a bad mention on Whistledown, or even Guinevere's own acquaintance.

"I see none of my brothers have made the cut."

Edwina looked bashful for a moment. "We agreed that a Duke may be a reach, and your accounts of Alleyne made Kate less than keen."

"And Rannulf is hardly a scholar."

"Oh, that is not why he is not on the list," Edwin bit her lip before answering. "It's the circles he frequents."

Guinevere smiled. "No need to sugarcoat it, I know perfectly well that the only truly eligible of my brothers has already married."

"Are they really so bad?"

With a shake of her head, "I exaggerate a bit due to being their sister, I think. I can only see the parts that make me want to warn any that approach away." She smiled at the thought. "I even thought that Rannulf and you would suit when we first met."

Edwina looked surprised at that. "Really?"

"He is far from a scholar, in fact, I fear he has not touched a book in the years since graduating from Eton."

Edwina was deep in thought for a moment, before looking expectantly at Guinevere. "It is not ideal, but I shouldn't lock myself in any preconceived notion of what I want. If you would not mind, I'd like to add Rannulf to the list, if only to keep the possibility open."

She seemed worried about what Guinevere would think, that perhaps she would scorn her for even thinking of the ambition to marry her brother. But in her mind that would only mean adding Edwina to her family, and if that was one thing she could never bemoan.

Guinevere extended her hand. "I don't mind at all, in fact, give me that quill."

Edwina obliged, and with perfect penmanship, another name was added to the growing list of possible suitors.

"And what of you, Gwen?" Edwina inquired, fumbling about for another handkerchief as her nose began to sniffle.

"What of me?"

"How was your dance with Mr. Bridgerton?"

To be reminded of her shortcoming at the Hartside ball was a prick to her pride, for now, there was one more person in the world that knew Guinevere was hardly the perfect debutant she liked to be perceived as.

"He was a perfect gentleman, polite in conversation and with a pleasant disposition," she decided to say.

"So, you share in Kate's opinion he is agreeable?"

"Indeed. But wipe that twinkle from your eyes Edwina, lest I start calling you Cupid."

"Oh, but you look so handsome together!" Edwina exclaimed, pouting a bit.

"One shouldn't choose a spouse based on looks alone," Guinevere retorqued.

"But it certainly is a factor, is it not?"

Guinevere held in a frown. "Mr. Bridgerton is perfectly nice, but it is an entirely unsuitable match. He is a third son who's only just begun to travel, hardly the mindset to be married, and I wish to have a household of my own to manage, which can hardly happen when going from hotel to hotel across the continent." Edwina's face seems to lose its gleam at each word Guinevere spoke, but it would not do to stoke false hope in her. "Besides, he is the sort of gentleman that is friendly, one shouldn't misconstrue it for anything else."

"I merely wish to see you happy," Edwina defended, and Guinevere placed a hand on her arm, smiling gently.

"And you're a wonderful friend for that. But a match for me will be harder to come by, I receive decidedly fewer callers than you but worry not, I have plenty of time. So let's focus on you for now, alright?"

Edwina nodded. "But do let me know of any gentlemen that catches your eye, I would love to aid you in any way I can."

"You are already a great help by merely being my friend," Guinevere stated, and Edwina lurched forward to give her a hug.

"Oh, I know I'm disgusting at the moment, but that is so sweet!"

Guinevere could feel how oddly warm Edwina was, and that made her worry even more, but she let her hug her, even wrapping her arms around her. The compliment of sweet was one she only ever received from her family, so to hear it from Edwina was a nice change, that maybe she was after all a nice person, even if so many would say things to the contrary.

It was not easy to open up, Guinevere was bound by societal rules and even her own reserved nature, but some people — like Edwina, and even Colin Bridgerton to a degree — seemed to shine so bright it bent the rules and made even people like her want to smile unabashedly. Guinevere would never feel comfortable going about the world as they did, but it was pleasant to be in their company.

𝖆𝖚𝖙𝖍𝖔𝖗'𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖊

i love 1 friendship
and it's the extrovert introvert due of edwina and gwen, with their local mom friend kate

also, it was supposed to be Nigel Berbrooke in the lake incident, but the show made him a scumbag and kate would never allow him anywhere near edwina, so I grabbed a name from sanditon and pronto! we have our bumbling but well-meaning fool