Set me on fire
Summary: Eloise Bridgerton x Female identifying reader
Your strong opinions have led you to many places, but none have felt as right as sitting beside a witty brunette at a women’s rights meeting.
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The dingy room, nestled above a tavern in the west end of London, was filled with many familiar faces. After almost a year of attending these bi-weekly meetings, you felt comfortable in this crowd. The mixture of gender, colour and age were comforting. Nothing like you see in your day to day life, and you were all the better for it.
A chance led you to these meetings of like-minded people. You accidentally stumbled on your valet, a sweet man around your age of one and twenty, talking about it with a maid from a few households down. Your interest was imeadiately peaked and reluctantly he divulged about the meetings he regularly attended. More convincing and he was letting you read issues of the groups pamphlets. It was world altering. Sure, you views were always rather outside of the standard norms… but knowing you weren’t alone in them was monumentos.
You quickly decided that these meetings were where you needed to be, and sneaking out with a borrowed set of clothes from one of your handmaidens became a normal occurrence. The first meeting was terrifying, feeling so out of place and underprepared. It was a shift going from believing yourself to be radical to realising how naive and conservative you are. However now you felt at home, discussing the newest issues with members that became your friends.
This meeting was your first of the year, your family had just returned from the Devon countryside for the tons new season that started a few days earlier . This year you were reluctantly debuting, despite having no desire for marriage. Your family were late to arrive, missing out on your presentation to Queen Charlotte thanks to your father being stuck in business negotiations with the neighbouring estate in Devon. You were just glad this had allowed you to have time get all your feelings out to friends at this meeting before you say something you would regret to your family, or worse the Queen.
While settling into your seat in the back row as the official meeting began you saw an unfamiliar late comer make her way into the room. The figure was a brunette girl who looked to be of similar age to yourself. She looked as you imagined you did at your first meeting, a mixture of terrified and exciting. You saw her glance at the spare seat beside you, your shawl neatly placed on it. You quickly moved it to your lap and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Thank you” she whispered as she slipped into the seat beside you.
“You’re welcome,” you whispered back, “I’m Y/N, is this your first meeting?”
“Eloise. It is, how can you tell?”
“I can sense the fear,” you joked causing a look of horror to pass across her face. “I’m kidding, I just attend regularly and have never noticed before. That and you are sporting the same expression I wore the first time. Don’t worry it will quickly change to one of awe. The speakers today are all wonderfully empowering, you’ll love it”
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The meeting passed quickly, and you spent a fair chunk of time sitting side by side speaking to Eloise and answering any questions she had. You quickly realised how much you enjoyed her company, and couldn’t wait to spend some time with the witty young woman. That would have to wait until the next meeting, because unfortunately today was the day of your first ball. Your handmaidens had been poking and prodding you all day to get you ready for Lady Danbury’s ball to officially open the season. You could feel the pressure you father to be at your best behaviour, in fact it seemed to manifest in the pressure on your ribs from your corset.
All too soon you were exiting your carriage on the arms of your father, his tight grip ensuring you could not escape. The ball was in full swing, couples twirling, gaggles of women huddled together gossiping and men clearly rating the appearance of potential partners with drinks in hand. It was everything you dreaded. Your father led you in and was not so subtly pointing out all those worthy of talking to, men with titles from rich families. Eyes looked over you from all directions, raking up and down your figure. You felt like a prized cattle for sale, not a human being. You felt your heart race increase and your breath become rushed as your father introduced you to more men. Just as you thought you would be sick in the middle of the ballroom you got lost in a pair of grey eyes.
You breath calmed as you gazed into the eyes of a stunning woman standing in a gaggle of people near the refreshments. She looked almost shocked to see you, and it took a second before your realised this was the same girl from the meeting. You gave her a gentle smile. She turned to one man and two women beside her and spoke quietly to them, all four giving her a confused but agreeing nod before heading in your direction.
“Lord Y/L/N, it’s lovely to see you again,” the elder lady spoke to your father, the words accompanied by a polite bow.
“Lady Bridgerton, you likewise. This is my daughter Y/N, this is her first season.”
“Miss Y/N, lovely to make your acquaintance. This is my son Vicount Bridgerton and his lovely wife Vicountess Kate Bridgerton”
You bowed at both as they gave you polite smiles.
“Lord Y/L/N, would you allow me to accompany your daughter for a moment. I wish to introduce her to the rest of my family,” Lady Bridgerton asked. Your father nodded, knowing he had little choice unless he wanted to slight a powerful family of the Ton. You gratefully accompanied the three Bridgertons away from your father who went in the opposite direction towards some old business acquaintances.
“We are terribly sorry to bother you Miss, but my sister wanted to get to know her fellow debutant” Vicount Bridgerton said as you all headed towards the refreshments, where the said sister was waiting impatiently. “Miss Y/N, this is my sister Eloise Bridgerton.”
You smiled, happy to see Eloise again even if no one knew you two had ever meet before. She looked beautiful in her baby blue ballgown, but you couldn’t help think she looked just as good at the meeting where she could show her true personality.
“Thank you mother, siblings. I’m going to show Miss Y/N around,” Eloise said as she gently tugged your arm and led you away.
“Since when did she want to make friends?” You could hear the Vicount whisper to his just as bewildered wife.
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Eloise silently led you around the ballroom before sneaking outside the French doors as a large group came in. She pulled you down into the dark garden, stopping to pull you onto a bench hidden amongst the extravagant topiaries.
“Y/N, I can’t believe you’re here! I had no idea you were a member of the Ton,” She exclaimed once she was sure no one was around, giving you a tight hug.
“Unsurprisingly I don’t like speaking about it, at the moment it feels like the marriage mart goes against everything I believe in. I feel like I’m being paraded around to be sold to the highest bidder, my feelings never being taken into account” you grumbled. You grounded yourself again by looking into her eyes before whispering “It’s lovely to see you again El,”
“I’m truly sorry, you don’t deserve this. While I understand the pain of being a debutant I at least have the comfort of knowing that my family will not force upon me a marriage I don’t want. We will just have to do our best to find you a love match,”
“I appreciate that El, but I don’t think that will happen. In honesty I can’t see myself ever falling in love with a man,” you whispered baring your soul to her. You knew what her values were, and could only hope that she would support you with this secret.
“Oh,” Eloise whispered back, processing what you meant. “I truly understand”. She tentatively grabbed your hand stroking her thumb softly over your palm. While your heart broke knowing she’d be subjected to the same pain due to a cruel society you couldn’t help the hope that bubbled up.
“You feel it to right? As soon as I saw you today I felt like I could finally breath again,” you bared your soul, praying to every deity she wouldn’t run. For a moment she was silent, and you could feel your stomach drop as you tried to pull your still joined hand away in embarrassment.
“Yes, I feel it,” she finally said softly, tugging at your hand so you’d stay put. “I think I knew what it was when I first met you at the meeting, even as you teased me. The feeling was like how my mother described her first interaction with my father. I’ve been thinking about you ever since. Y/N, I know this may be improper…. but may I kiss you?”
You nodded slowly and lent in, closing your eyes as your lips gently met. Her lips were soft and silky against yours as you joined together. Neither of you fought for dominance, instead the kiss deepened instinctively your tongues dancing against each others. You could almost feel the fireworks, and you quickly realised you’d face whatever the consequences to be able to do this again and again.
Eventually you parted, both breathing heavy but with wide grins over your face. You stayed hands interlaced, side by side for as long as possible.
“Don’t worry, we’ll work something out. I won’t allow you to be separated from me.” She whispered to you as you rested your head on her shoulder.
A moment later she whispered again “do you believe in soulmates?”
FIN
Hi all, hope you enjoyed! Please let me know what you think, this is my first Bridgerton imagine so writing more formal conversations was not the easiest to wrap my head around. Hopefully minimal 21st centurisms appeared in our earlier 1800s England setting.
Feel free to send in any requests, I’m particularly looking forward to writing some Reader x Benedict works as well as getting a little more *x rated* because isn’t that half the fun of Bridgerton?!
Ali x
