Aurelia Bradford loved her family to the ends of the Earth, but even that love was tested when tightly confined in the walls of a carriage for several hours. She was beyond thankful that her brother, Marcus, and her father had decided to travel a few days in advance to finalise business in Manchester - there was barely enough room for the five of them already, adding another two would be torture. Plus, her brother could be insufferable at the best of times, never mind on a tiresome journey through the Italian countryside.

"Why is nature so boring?" Athos Bradford scrunched up his nose at the passing trees and hillsides.

His mother, Lady Bradford, tutted at his impatience - only two hours into their journey - and pretended not to have heard him.

"They are just so green and leafy," He continued, blissfully unaware of his family's disinterest in the topic, "I can't wait to never see the colour again once we arrive in Mayfair."

Evelyn, the eldest Bradford child, struggled to stifle her giggle. "London has trees, Athos."

"But it's a city," He replied confused, his brow creasing as much as his six youthful years would allow. "Where would they grow?"

Aurelia tore her gaze from the book in her hands to look at her youngest sibling. "There are several parks in London, brother. Each one with hundreds of trees."

Athos sunk into his seat, dispair written all over his tiny face. There was to be no escape from nature like he had wished for. After being born and raised in Rome, the youngest Bradford had suffered painful withdrawal symptoms from city life since they left the capital. A few hours in the family carriage, surrounded by nothing but fields had already started to take its toll - nearly driving him to madness. Only his sisters' stories of their old lives in London, before he drew breath, helped him keep ahold of his sanity.

"When you are older," Their mother said, her opening statement a warning to her children that she was attempting to share some motherly wisdom - a rare occurrence indeed, "you'll be promenading laps around those parks."

Aurelia bit down on the inside of her cheek to catch the irritated sigh from escaping her mouth. Athos was barely six years of age and she was already planning to marry him off at the earliest convenience. As if she and her older siblings didn't get hounded by her enough. If Lady Bradford didn't have such a strong distaste for Italian men, an opinion not shared by her daughters, she would have marched both her girls down the aisle years ago.

Whilst Aurelia had her fair share of suitors in Rome, Evelyn would have been spoilt for choice. Usually, the ton would look down on her mature age with speculating eyes, but in Italy, she was a rare jewel that every man wanted, but none of them could have. They were practically throwing themselves at her feet.

"Don't worry, Athos," Evelyn tried to reassure her brother, "there are plenty of lamp posts in London, too."

The little boy's face lit up as bright as the sun, giddy with excitement at the prospect. His eldest sister always managed to make him smile, she was highly skilled in knowing exactly what to say at the right time. Aurelia had always envied their closeness. Athos was meant to be her little brother, Evelyn had already been an older sister to Marcus, it was supposed to be her turn. Yet, even if the sight of him nestling into their sister's side did sting her heart with jealousy, there wasn't a single thing they could do about it. Envious green wasn't a flattering shade on anyone.

"Did Papa say whether he and Marcus were greeting us at the house?" She changed the subject. "I can't imagine the ton will allow us to slip in quietly."

"They've been too busy with work to be concerned about what society thinks," Lady Bradford scoffed, as she always did when discussing her husband's affairs.

"Aurelia is to be presented without a chaperone?" Evelyn questioned, her mouth ajar.

Aurelia was surprised her mother didn't pass out at the suggestion.

"Of course not," Lady Bradford pressed a firm hand to her chest, steadying her heart, "I shall be presenting you both."

Daring to peer above her pages, Aurelia's eyes landed on the expectedly horrified face of her sister. "I'm to be presented, as well?" She asked. The idea had never entered her mind. "I'm three and twenty years, Mama. My time has passed."

"Nonsense," She instantly dismissed her claims, "you're intelligent, bilingual and can play the harp, which is more than can be said about girls your age or younger."

The question as to why her sister was still unwed had crossed Aurelia's mind from time to time. Before they had left for Rome, families were prepping their sons to court her years in advance of her being presented into society. As a daughter of a British noble, she held some sway in Italy, yet she still ran from a husband. Aurelia had suspected it was part of some grand scheme on her mother's part, though she hadn't quite figured out the details yet. Her mama displayed no signs of panic when Evelyn entered her fourth season in Rome, even after she spent hundreds, if not thousands, on sending her to a ladies finishing school to prepare her for marriage when they first arrived. Lady Bradford lacked a steady nerve, so something was definitely amiss.

"You have to get married, sister," Athos stated, radiating a childlike glow, "you'll be a wonderful mama"

Evelyn smiled at him, grateful he thought so highly of her, but even through her appreciation for the compliment, she couldn't conceal her pain.

"Both your sisters will make lovely mothers, don't you think, Athos?" Lady Bradford extended the kind gesture to her second daughter. The youngest Bradford rapidly nodded his head, wholeheartedly agreeing with his mother.

Aurelia's grey eyes filled with shy pride. "Maybe I should focus on finding a husband first, mama."

Lady Bradford hadn't allowed for Aurelia to be presented during their time in Italy, so at the age of twenty, she would have her first season. She was nervous, to say the least, but naturally excited to return back to London society. She'd gravely missed it.

"Obviously, Aurelia," Her mother tutted, "babies don't just fall out of the sky."

Whilst Lady Bradford had not gone through the exact details of how a child was conceived, both her daughters were well aware of the process. As in London, gossip spread like wildfire through Rome. Once one person knew something, the whole city knew about it by the end of the day. Plus, on a visit from one of Aurelia's recently married friends, she disclosed a rather explicit story of her wedding night. Aurelia could have only been more enlightened if she was there herself.

"Where do babies come from?" Athos pipped up, reminding the women that he was still in the carriage, listening to their every word.

Without a second's hesitation, Lady Bradford replied, "From a married couple." The answer didn't shed any more light on the truth, but Athos accepted it anyway. He didn't need to know anymore.

"I can't wait to be back in my old room again," Evelyn chirped. "It is much bigger than my one in Rome."

"But won't you miss the balcony, sister? I could have spent my whole day out there reading," Aurelia stated. The only reason that she didn't was that her mother never allowed it.

"The views from the back windows in Mayfair are far superior," Evelyn smirked.

Aurelia cocked her head to the side. "All we could see were the gardens."

"And the Bridgerton's too," Evelyn pointed out.

Lady Bradford's eyes grew so wide with rage that they almost fell out of their sockets. "Evelyn Bradford, that is enough of that improper behaviour." Their mother's wrath was so frightening that an entire army would stand to attention the second they whiffed it out, yet somehow, Evelyn appeared to be immune to it.

"Whatever do you mean, mama?" She protested her innocence, "I was simply admiring their flowers. If I remember correctly, they are rather spectacular. I can't help but wonder how beautiful they are, now they are fully grown."

Aurelia rolled her eyes as she caught onto her sister's riddles. The Bridgerton boys were admired throughout London, both for their looks and vast wealth. Even before they'd reached marital age, the eldest three were considered the most eligible bachelors in the ton. Aurelia only knew Benedict, the second son, on a friendly level as they were of a similar age - not to mention that he was the most tolerable out of the three. Colin and the other Bridgertons were merely children before the Bradford's left for Italy, leaving Benedict and his older brother Anthony as her only options. The decision was not a difficult one.

Anthony Bridgerton, simply put, was the most aggravating person to ever walk the earth. He was beyond the realm of smug and arrogant, literally transcending the boundaries of rakishness, and loved to drive Aurelia to the brink of insanity. Before their return, she'd hoped to hear the news of his engagement or marriage, so she'd be able to avoid him during the season. Alas, to no surprise, he remained a bachelor, meaning her mother still had cause to intervene. Maybe Lady Bradford would take pity on her second daughter and solely badger the future viscount with her first. Aurelia could only pray.

"There will be no gawking at young gentlemen through windows," Their mother warned, with a firey glare aimed directly at Evelyn.

"We'll have no problem there, then" Aurelia assured her, "the Bridgerton boys are anything but gentlemen."

Lady Bradford's blazing stare shifted to her youngest daughter. "Aurelia Bradford, don't you dare speak ill of such a highly respected family. Honestly, how I will ever find either of you husbands when you don't know how to behave?"

Athos giggled to himself, enjoying their scolding. It was rather entertaining when you weren't on the receiving end.

If Aurelia was being truthful, the last thing she wanted was her mother to find her a suitable match. All she'd be interested in was their wealth and social standing, ignoring their personalities completely. Both Bradford girls had decided a long time ago that the less influence their mother had on their future proposals, the better.

"We'll be on our best behaviour, Mama," Aurelia offered her a small comfort, "we promise."

"Though," Evelyn couldn't resist adding her opinion, "if it is going to cause you too much distress, Mama, I don't mind skipping out the whole ordeal."

Lady Bradford's head went into a spin, puzzled by whether she should be more appalled by her daughter's spying expertise, or that she was so willing to abandon the season altogether. She never imagined there could be a chance of one of her children turning into a spinster. How embarrassing. "Don't be ridiculous, no one is missing out on the season. It's too important."

Important for her, or important for her daughters? - her meaning was unclear.

Evelyn's plan had crashed and burned. She hated society balls, dancing with anxiety-riddled strangers was not her ideal evening, and talking with them was an even crueller punishment. People could be so dull.

"When I turned eighteen," Lady Bradford began to reminisce out loud, "I couldn't wait for my first season, it's where some of my fondest memories were made."

"Maybe if I was presented into London society when I was eighteen, the idea would be more alluring," Evelyn groaned in an unladylike manner. "At my age, I'll be left with the scraps of society."

"You'll be lucky if you get that," Their mother snapped. Her outburst was even a shock to herself, she rarely allowed herself to speak so harshly, especially to her children. Yet, she doesn't apologise. Her daughters needed to realise how serious the season was, their futures depended on it. Aurelia was already three years late, her older sister five - it was definitely going to raise some eyebrows.

"Is Marcus receiving the same harassment, or is the golden child excluded from it?" Evelyn dared to question.

"You're brother is too busy with business to be concerned about marriage, right now."

Marcus was only one year older than Aurelia, but it felt like twenty when she compared his treatment to hers. From the second he could talk he was taught how to speak like a lord, how to act and behave like a man who owned a vast amount of land he would inherit when the time came. When Aurelia learnt how to speak, she was told to keep her mouth shut and smile. She was just glad she didn't inherit her mother's wicked grin or scornful frown.

"Well, I for one, am happy to finally be attending balls back in London," Aurelia attempted to break the tension. "It will be lovely to be back amongst old friends, once more." Anthony Brdigerton was excluded from that list, naturally. "I hear there is a new dressmaker in town, just arrived from France."

Lady Bradford let out a long, pitiful sigh. She despised anything French, going as far to refuse to even eat croissants when invited out for breakfast. Her children didn't dare tell her about pain-en-chocolates for fear they might be banned from the house.

A sly grin spread across Everlyn's face. "A new dress is exactly what I need. A fresh wardrobe for a fresh start, how delightful."

Their mother was inclined to disagree, but if buying new dresses would persuade her daughters to attend balls, it would also draw them one step closer to walking down the aisle. She knew when she was fighting a losing battle, so would equip herself with every chance they gave her. "I suppose new dresses wouldn't hurt," She pretended to be foiled by their scheme, "but I forbid any of the French styles. You are British ladies, and you shall dress as such.

Aurelia somehow managed to restrain her ecstatic squeal, happy her mother had agreed. Her sister was right, a fresh dress for a fresh start. After her first ball, only one name would be on the ton's lips at the end of the night, and it would be Aurelia Bradford.