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chapter five: let the games begin
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Aubrey Hall.
It was bigger than Charlotte Wentworth imagined. From the view from the carriage she was riding with her siblings and Lady Danbury, the incoming mansion had many windows and floors, even vines sprouting through the outside walls, making the home look worn, yet sophisticated all at once. Charlotte appreciated the beauty of it, anything to keep herself out of the conversation between the others in the carriage.
All the trials and tribulations Charlotte trudged through with a certain viscount did not stop the incoming invitation for the Wentworth's to stay at the Bridgerton family home for the next week. Since the poetry reading party a few days prior, nothing was resolved. The Wentworth siblings were divided. Amelia on one side with a growing relationship with the viscount her older sister wanted her to stay away from. And Charlotte on the other side, simply not knowing what to do to make things better regarding her relationship with her sister. Finally, Daniel. He was in the middle, unfortunately. So, therefore, as divided as the three were meant no communication when they had to be in the same room as each other, which was going to be quite often in the days to come.
The invitation from the Bridgerton family blindsided Charlotte, to say the very least. She knew Amelia and the viscount had grown closer as the days went by after the party, much to her dismay, but never so close that it prompted a week-long stay at his family home. But Lord Bridgerton was not as slick as he thought. Charlotte knew exactly why they were invited. This was an initiation of some sort. This was the test for the viscount to see if Amelia could fully take on the role of viscountess.
If Amelia would choose to be blind to his true intentions, Charlotte would see clearly for her, no matter how strained their relationship still was.
A hand gently grasping her own brought Charlotte out of her thoughts. Taking a glance between the hand and the person next to her, she gave Daniel a subtle nod of appreciation for his action. Though the two had hardly spoken for some time, he could tell just how anxious she was about the impending trip.
Charlotte had not socialized much since her breakdown and exit from the party. She knew some of the Bridgertons such as Violet Bridgerton and Eloise were in attendance. Furthermore, she knew they both saw everything that transpired at the party, and Charlotte was nervous to even step out of the carriage when they arrived. She was embarrassed by her own behavior, though nothing could stop her anxiety from running rampant. She just hoped they could see past it, not only for her own sake, but Amelia's as well. The last thing she wanted was to create a damning reputation that could destroy her life and family name. A bit dramatic but Charlotte was known to already damage reputations by leaving a bit of a good lasting impression. She could thank William for that.
As the carriage rolled closer to Aubrey Hall, Charlotte could not help but compare it to her own family home. The Wentworth's were known to be a pretty wealthy family back in France but their home seemed to not compare to the Bridgertons. Yet another reason for Amelia to insist on marrying into their family.
