Oceans Apart ||Bridgerton|| (♡ Simon Basset)

iii.

The season's opening ball at
Danbury House is a most highly sought-after invitation,
indeed, for every darling debutante from
Park Lane to Regent Street will be on display.

Titled, chaste, and innocent,
this is what they have been raised and trained for since birth.
Tonight, we shall discover which young ladies
might succeed at securing a match,
thereby avoiding the dreadful dismal
condition known as "the spinster."

......
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MOTHER gets out of the carriage, and then Daphne.  I step out of the carriage and Anthony follows me. I just wish that this night could end really soon. Anthony steps beside Daphne, mother on her other side, and they start walking inside. "You ready for your first ball?" Colin asks as he joins my side. I look at the house, or rather the mansion and it is quite beautiful. "Let the night end already." I say. He laughs and hooks my arm with his. 

Together we walk inside. The hall which is filled with people just entering and passing through. Before we walk inside the ballroom there is a table which is filled with dancing cards. Colin grabs one for me and ties it around my wrist. "This is ridiculous." I say. He raises his eyebrows. "We only get to dance as many lines that stand on this card and you boys get to dance as much as you want." I say. "That's the way it works." he says. "Well, I will make it my goal to keep it empty until the night is over." I say. "Good luck with that, there are already a few men eyeing you." he says. I look around but see no one eying me. "I was just joking." he says with a big smile. "Oh, you are so funny." I say sarcastically and we walk inside. 

The ballroom is filled with people. In the middle of the ballroom, people are dancing and on the sides, people are talking with each other. It's mostly the girls flirting and mothers telling gentlemen what good qualities their daughters have. "Which is the earliest time that people start to leave?" I whisper. Colin lets out a laugh. "Not for a long time my dear sister." he says. I look around and see that most of the men are looking towards something or rather someone. They are all looking at my sister. We follow my sister, brother, and mother as they walk to the edge of the dancefloor. "They're all staring, Mother." Anthony says. "Allow them to come to you, dearest." mother says to Daphne. 

"So do you see any girls to your liking?" I ask Colin. "What do you mean?" he asks as a slight blush creeps on his face. "Oh come on. I want to know how these things work from your side. I mean what are you looking for, how do you decide to pick one." I say. "Alright." he says and he looks around. I follow his gaze. "There." he says as he nods at a girl with a light pink dress. The pink dress is covered with small pink roses. She has her hair tied up and looks rather pretty. "Okay, why her?" I ask. "Well, she is standing all alone which is a plus since she will be easier to approach. She is also fairly pretty and doesn't seem to be craving attention." he says. "Okay. So what are you going to do now?" I ask. "Now I am going to walk over to her and introduce myself and probably ask her to dance." he says and he starts to walk away. "Wait, Colin, no. You can't just leave me here." I say and start to walk after him. But right then a couple who is dancing spins in the way. "Colin." I say. He turns around but keeps on walking. He smirks at me and then turns around again. 

I sigh. That idiot. Now I am just here standing behind my mother, sister, and brother as some forgotten sheep. "Let us take a turn about the room." Anthony says and Daphne and he walk away. "Is this what every ball looks like?" I ask as I stand beside my mother. "Just about yes." she says. "So what happens now?" I ask her as I look around. I see my sister and my brother waking around the ballroom. "Right now your brother and sister are making a round through the ballroom. He will no doubt come for you soon when he found somebody your sister can dance with." she says. "Do I really have to?" I ask. "Yes you do Delia." my mother says as she looks at me. "I know this isn't your favorite thing in the world, but one day you must marry and it's better to start sooner than later. I don't expect you to find a match this season, but I just want you to get used to this." my mother says. I nod.