Chapter Three
This Night Is Sparkling

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She was supposed to feel beautiful, but she felt far from that. How can she feel beautiful when her mother dressed her up just to catch the eyes of a man that Scarlett knows she won't be interested in? Sure, she looked beautiful, but there was a fine line between looking beautiful and feeling beautiful.

           The carriage ride to Lady Danbury's conservatory was rather quiet, no one had anything to say. Scarlett's blank face and gaze fixated on the night sky made it clear this was something she did not want to be doing. Her mother and Marjorie sat on the opposite side of Scarlett, Florence keeping her eyes glued to her eldest and trying to find the right words to say while Marjorie held her book in her hands, leg shaking in anticipation to arrive and find a secluded place to sit and read.

"Scarlett, darling?" Florence's voice filled the carriage.

            Scarlett struggled to pull her eyes away from the small specks in the dark sky just outside the window. Her mother had to repeat her name for Scarlett to finally shift her gaze, not being able to ask questions before her mother opened her mouth again.

            "Are you excited? Nervous? Terrified?" She just wanted to know what was going through Scarlett's mind, because ever since Florence told her children they would be moving to London, Scarlett slowly started to drift away.

            "So nervous that if I talk about it I might throw up. You do not want me to throw up on this gown, do you, mother?" Scarlett asked, failing to hide the anger and earned a cold look from her mother.

            "Do you suppose it is too late to turn the carriage around? At least for me?" Marjorie asked. As if on cue, they came to a stop and the doors were suddenly opened, a footman helping Florence out first before Scarlett and then Marjorie.

            They stood outside of a large conservatory, tall windows lining the wall that gave them a sneak peek of the luxurious scene inside. It was beautiful, that was all Scarlett could think. She thought the Ellington home was magnificent, but this place was pure ethereal. It almost made Scarlett excited to go inside.

She pressed down on her lightly golden dress, smalls lines stitched to create floral patterns. Her silk gloves were a cream color to match and her hair was pulled back into a messy loose bun, a few strands left out to frame her face. Scarlett had no desire to make her hair as perfect as the London girls make theirs, she was quite hoping that her choice to have her hair this way would turn suitors away and leave her alone.

           Scarlett inhaled. "Let's get this over with."

           Her mother smiled as she watched Scarlett head for the doors of the building where two men stood to open for the three women. When the doors opened to reveal the young ladies and gentleman dancing, plants and warm lights decorating the large room, Scarlett halted.

            "What's wrong?" Marjorie asked before their mother could.

             Scarlett turned to face her mother and younger sister, trying desperately to not show how nervous she was, but they knew by the way her lip quivered and her eyebrows twitched. She didn't have to say anything for her mother and sister to know she was petrified to walk in there; it was like walking into a lion's den.

           "Scarlett," Florence placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. She inhaled slowly, signaling for Scarlett to copy her, and Scarlett did; inhaling and exhaling at the same time as her mother did. "I know it is a lot of pressure, but you are going to go in there and turn heads and be mesmerizing."

            She didn't want to be mesmerizing. She didn't want to be doing this. But, she nodded anyway to appease her mother and her mother smiled and dropped her hands from Scarlett's shoulders.

             When Scarlett turned and approached the glass doors, they were pulled open to reveal the party. It was as if some string was pulling her inside because her feet moved when she tried so hard to not move. Young ladies and suitors danced in the middle of the room, others standing back and watching amongst the statues and plants filling the rest of the room.

           "What do we do?" Scarlett asked her mother who stood to the right of her, and Marjorie was to her left.

           "I suppose we find something to drink to start with." Her mother sounded just as nervous, because she too was walking into the lion's den. The three of them were Americans, it might be Scarlett getting shot with the judgmental expressions but all three of the Forbes ladies were being aimed for.

            They maneuvered around the people standing and gawking at their daughters and sons on the floor, trying to find a table that held the drinks and something to snack on while they waited around. When they found one, a pale green cloth covering a glass table full of treats and what Scarlett assumed to be champagne, Scarlett let out a deep breath. While her mother picked up a glass and Marjorie picked out a macaroon, Scarlett turned to look toward the center of the room.

The way the girls moved flawlessly left a hole in Scarlett's chest. These girls had been trained for this very moment, they knew the steps even in their sleep. Scarlett stood no chance against them. All the suitors had their eyes on anyone but Scarlett, unless it was to narrow their gaze and chuckle to their friends when they noticed the presence of the American.

As much as Scarlett told herself it was a good thing no suitor was approaching her, it still made her feel ill. She would have to put up with this for the rest of the season and it would possibly reach a point where her mother would force her into a marriage, probably at the request of Lord Ellington. She was already older than majority of these girls by a few years, her time was running out and Scarlett wasn't even aware until this morning.

            Scarlett's eyes scanned the room for a familiar face. Whether it was Adeline or Benedict, someone she could run to and strike up a conversation with ease. Neither was in sight, though. So, she was doomed.

            But then her eyes were drawn to the front doors of the room and she saw him. He stood with his mother and two siblings, seemingly teasing his sister and laughing at her unamused reaction. It was hard to take her eyes off of him and a part of Scarlett felt weird having her gaze follow Benedict even as he pulled his sister away from a suitor that he wouldn't approve of approaching them.

            It wasn't until Scarlett lost them in the crowd of people that she had to look elsewhere. Turning to say something to her mother, she was already a few steps away chatting up the fellow debutant mothers while Marjorie leaned against a statue with her nose in her book.

             "Mar," Scarlett spoke softly to not gain attention, but loud enough for her sister to hear. Marjorie didn't look up from her book, though. "Mar," She repeated more sternly. Still didn't look up from her book. "Marjorie!" How could someone be so lost in a book that all of their surroundings become invisible?

            "Scarlett Forbes." A familiar voice spoke from behind her and it startled the girl to the point she flinched and stumbled into the table, causing some of the drinks to splash out of the glass and onto the table.

When she turned, Benedict Bridgerton stood before her.

             "Mr. Bridgerton," Scarlett smiled, watching with a hopeful expression as he could only laugh at the stained tablecloth from the drinks.

           "You are ever so graceful, are you not?" His eyes shifted to meet hers in the same hopeful manner. "And please, call me Benedict."

Scarlett composed herself. "You startled me, Benedict."

Smiling at hearing his name come out of her mouth, he picked up a glass that didn't spill over and looked toward the center of the room. "Have you taken to the floor yet?"

She wasn't sure if he was asking to be curious or asking in hopes of dancing with her, but Scarlett remembered what Adeline had told her earlier in the day. Benedict Bridgerton does not care for a wife, he wouldn't seek one out of the debutantes before him.

"No. I have not, I have only just arrived." She tried to avoid making it obvious that no one has approached and showed interest in her yet. "I saw you come in, with your sister."

Benedict took a sip from the liquid in the glass, wincing as he swallowed. "Ah, Eloise. We crossed paths with Penelope Featherington and she ran off with her. I saw you from across the room and decided to come say hello."

           "Well, I'm glad you made the decision to do so. I was quite hoping I would see you here tonight."

            His eyebrows raised. "You were?"

Scarlett nodded. "Were you not? Hoping you'd see me?"

            That seemed to take Benedict aback. His face fell but his lips twitched upward and he just stared at Scarlett. There was something different about this girl compared to the other debutants he's seen. Or heard about. Something he liked, something that pulled him in. He'd never been intrigued by a debutant before, but Scarlett Forbes didn't seem to just be another debutant hunting down a husband. And Benedict was going to find out what else she was.

He didn't answer her, because the answer was already obvious. Instead, he asked, "Can I ask you a question?"

             Scarlett straightened herself and the hopeful expression was back, but before she could respond, someone had approached the two. "Miss. Scarlett Forbes," When she looked over, another gentleman stood there and he had to have been a few years older than Scarlett. Then, he noticed Benedict and acknowledged him. "Mr. Bridgerton."

            "Lord Clarke." Benedict nodded his head just as Scarlett remembered to curtsy, but then she looked between Benedict and Lord Clarke.

"Lord?" Scarlett questioned. Eyeing her mother who seemed too in deep with her conversation to overhear what was being said, or what was happening.

"Augustus Clarke." He formally introduced himself and Scarlett looked back at him.

She smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is all mine," Augustus smiled back and he watched as Scarlett shifted her gaze to Benedict. He had to quickly speak again to get her attention back to him. "Would you like to take to the floor?"

"With you?" Scarlett looked confused.

Augustus laughed and nodded. "Yes, of course." He stuck his hand out, but Scarlett didn't take it right away.

Scarlett stole a glance at Benedict who was still standing here. She wasn't sure what to say, so the only thing Scarlett could do was smile at the Bridgerton man then take Augustus's hand. Benedict's eyes followed them as they made their way to the center of the room.

"I must have you know I am not the best dancer. I never learned." Scarlett admitted just as they took their positions, one hand on Augustus's shoulder while his rested on her waist. Their other hands found each other.

"They do not teach you to dance in America?" He cocked his head.

Scarlett's eyes scanned the rest of the bodies taking up the floor. "No, not quite. At least not the way you all dance."

The sound of strings filled the room, starting slow and everyone began moving, and Scarlett kept her eyes low to follow his steps and make sure she didn't step on his shoes that were rather shiny. She could almost see her reflection.

"It is alright if you mess up. Being a bad dancer will not make me any less interested in you." Augustus said, and Scarlett looked up at him as their small steps grew larger as the instruments sped up.

"You are interested in me?"

"Well, I would not have asked for a dance if I was not."

Scarlett was quiet for a moment, her eyes then looking elsewhere. She searched for Benedict, but he was no longer standing where they previously were. She saw her mother, though. Beaming at the sight of her daughter dancing with a Lord. The other mothers with their daughters by their side surrounded Florence Forbes, looks of envy on their faces as they stared at Scarlett and Augustus.

She looked back to Augustus. "But you do not know me."

"Yet." Augustus clarified. "I would like to know you, though."

"Okay." That was all that Scarlett could get out. She wanted to tell him that she would like to get to know him as well; that he intrigued her the way she intrigued him, but she couldn't lie to him so easily during their first conversation.

             They didn't talk much during the rest of the dance. Scarlett had checked out and didn't even remember when they parted ways or how she ended up by her mother's side, listening to her gush about Scarlett dancing with Lord Clarke. It was all overwhelming to Scarlett. And the uncomfortable thumping in her heart only grew when she saw the Queen from across the room, their eyes meeting and the Queen lifted her chin to acknowledge Scarlett.

Scarlett's eyes shifted to the left where she saw Augustus stood, surrounded by young ladies batting their lashes and laughing at anything he said. It was a sad sight to see; all of these girls trying so hard to catch the attention of any man and trying to laugh the hardest to get noticed the most. Augustus must have felt eyes burning through him because he glanced up and directly at Scarlett who looked away before his gaze could catch hers.

Scarlett turned to her mother. "I'm going to go outside for a moment. I need fresh air."

Her mother opened her mouth but Scarlett already walked away. Hurrying toward the doors and they were pulled open for her, immediately hit with the cool London air and Scarlett could breathe again. She didn't know where Benedict had wandered off to, she didn't know where Adeline was, and Scarlett refused to go back inside until this feeling in her chest disappeared.

There were a few gentlemen lingering outside but none of them paid much attention to Scarlett. She could feel their eyes, though. Hear their whispers. But none of them approached her. Scarlett walked until she couldn't feel their eyes on her anymore. She stood by a railing, resting her hands on it as she looked out at the large field in front of the even larger building. What if Augustus Clarke wanted to court her? Marry her? Sure, he's an attractive man with a noble title, but what else was he?

Every inch of her body wanted to bolt. She wanted to run and keep running until she was back in New York. Back in her comfort zone where she could waltz around barefoot with her dark hair wild and loose and no one would judge her for it. They would love her for it. And they did. And so far, no one here seems like they would love her for that.

"Is there a reason you are out here by yourself?" She recognized the voice and Scarlett looked over, Benedict walking up to her with a drink in his hand. She wanted to believe that he had been searching for her, but maybe it was fate crossing their paths once again. Either way, it calmed her heart.

            "If I am being honest, it is all quite overwhelming in there." Scarlett confessed, unable to take her eyes off Benedict as he stood beside her and took a sip from his drink.

"Do you find comfort in the quiet?"

            Scarlett shrugged, her gaze falling. It seemed like she had to think about her answer. "I do not find comfort being somewhere I am not myself. Being in there, it.. it is not me. But it has to be me. And I do not like that."

            "And what is... you?" Benedict then asked, curious.

            Scarlett looked over at him and he was already looking at her. "I am still trying to figure that out. Back in New York, I was so free. Here, I feel restricted. I do not imagine you would understand how it feels, but it is hard to deal with."

            "Maybe I can be of help with that. Helping you be free again." He told her, taking another sip of his drink.

            Her eyebrows furrowed. "How?"

            "One step at a time, Scarlett Forbes."

            "And what is the first step?"

            Scarlett could have sworn his eyes went from her own to her lips, and then back to her eyes. And then he said, "Friendship."

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authors note.
So sorry that it took forever to get this chapter out 🥲 life got so crazy but I hope you guys enjoyed this one<33 Hopefully I can write faster and get chapters out frequently. Once again plssss ignore any grammar errors or typos, I only go through the chapter once and I probably miss so much 😭

Till next time!! Thank you for loving this story even though all of tiktok thinks I'm editing Sophie and Benedict 😞SKDHSKDJDKDJ