The Emerald Viscountess

~2~

"Hurry along, we mustn't be late for Daphne's debut," Eleanora said, ushering Eloise, Francesca, and Hyacinth down the stairs; Eloise being the most stubborn and grumbling in defiance.

"How can we be late for Daphne when she isn't even out of her room?" Eloise argued, "I am already roasting."

"Are you to complain the entire day, Eloise?" Francesca asked flatly, accustomed to Eloise's complaints.

"Surely I cannot be expected to bear these fashions the entire day."

"I feel like a princess!" Hyacinth chimed in, "Do I look like one?"

"If you feel like a princess today, imagine how beautiful you'll feel when the time comes for you to present yourself to the queen," Eleanora smiled, placing her hands on the youngest Bridgerton's shoulders.

She turned around just in time to see Gregory racing past the girls and grabbing hold of Hyacinth's ribbon located in her hair, running away with it, while Hyacinth chased after him down the stairs.

"Is our dear sister still not ready?" Benedict asked, meeting with the girls in the foyer, followed behind by Colin.

"She's only been readying herself the entire day," Francesca replied, rolling her eyes.

"You mean her entire life?" Eloise said.

"Now, now. When you girls come of age to present yourselves to Her Majesty, you'd want to take your time on perfecting everything, too. Just give Daphne a few more minutes," Eleanora assured.

"Or a few more hours," Benedict retorted.

"I shall run upstairs and hasten her along," Colin offered.

"Colin, wait - I'll do it!"

"She likes me better than you, Benedict."

"Did she say that?"

"Everyone says that."

"All right, lets stop squawking about," Eleanora chimed in, straightening her arms in front of the brothers in order to prevent them from racing to Daphne's room. "Let me go up and check on her."

Gathering up the front of her skirt and going up the steps quickly, Eleanora raced to Daphne's room, finding the door open and Violet standing in the doorway, gazing in proudly at Daphne standing in the mirror. Eleanora decided to stand beside Violet, taking in the view of Daphne's beautiful debuting dress.

"Oh!" Eleanora gasped and clapped her hands together, "She just looks lovely."

"I can barely keep myself together from all the emotion," Violet replied, wiping away at her cheeks with a handkerchief.

Eleanora decided to step in fully into Daphne's bedroom, standing behind Daphne as she gazed at herself in the mirror. Eleanora looked up and down at the intricate white and gold dress with a train that was longer than Eleanora was tall.

Daphne saw Eleanora in the reflection and turned to her. "How do I look?"

"Just wonderful. Truly magnificent. Utterly divine. I'm running out of words!" Eleanora laughed, holding Daphne's hands in hers, feeling like an older sister. Eleanora took a step back. "Pretend I were the queen. Show me how you'd curtsy, like how we've practiced."