An hour later, Aurelia stood alone in her old room as reality came crashing down on top of her. She was finally back home.

It was late. Normally, by nine o'clock, she was tucked up in bed reading a few chapters of her book before turning off her lamp and going to sleep. It was now eleven, she was dressed in her nightgown but couldn't bring herself to get into bed. The last time she slept in it she was only four and ten- a child. In many ways, she still was. Being in her room was like stepping back in time.

She tried resting on her sofa, perching on the side of the bed, even lying on top of the covers, but nothing could convince her to get in. It was pointless trying. It simply didn't feel right. Giving in, she slid on her robe and went for a stroll around the house.

Even though it was night, a few maids continued with their cleaning, no doubt under strict orders from their distressed butler. He profusely apologised for the chaos the house was in once the family had managed to usher themselves passed his blockade. Aurelia was yet to come across the 'chaos' he was illuding to, the place looked cleaner than she could remember it ever being.

The maids curtsied to her when she walked passed and then returned to their work. Lady Bradford refused to hire staff whilst in Italy, claiming she didn't want strangers prying into private family business. Aurelia thought it strange at first, but came accustomed to it a month or two later. Now, she was struggling to undo everything she learned over the past six years. Though, being waited on hand and foot wasn't going to be much of a hardship to overcome.

The lounge outside her father's office had always been her favourite room in the entire house. She could curl up on the big sofa, Magnus, the old family cat, would snuggle into her side, as both of them warmed up in front of the huge marble fireplace. Lord Bradford would leave his office door open so she could listen to him work. Without Magnus or her father there, the room felt empty. Still, it was more comfortable than anxiously loitering in her bedroom.

She'd brought a book and planned to read it until she fell asleep on the sofa. However, ten pages in, she heard the door creak open as Evelyn popped her head into the room.

"Need company?" She asked with a grin.

Aurelia returned the gesture. "There's no point being in separate rooms if we're both up."

"My thoughts exactly." She sauntered into the room and sat on the other end of the sofa, tucking her legs underneath her body. "I don't remember England being this cold. I put every cover and blanket on my bed to warm me up, but the weight of it smothered me."

Aurelia put down her book. "I couldn't get into mine. It was like I was trying to get into a stranger's bed."

Evelyn tried not to smirk at the accidental innuendo.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," Aurelia sighed, staring at her sister with a disapproving glare. "I thought once we were home, everything would be normal again, but it feels like anything but." They were like intruders in their old lives. "If we can't fit back into our house, how are we going to fit back into the ton?"

"I don't know," Evelyn shrugged. It was never going to be an easy task. Lord and Lady Bradford may have only informed their children they were leaving on the morning of their departure to Rome, but the ton didn't even receive notice - a fact that will have left them seething with irritated curiosity. There was a chance the family might not be welcomed back.

"It is going to be a fight to prove we still belong here," Aurelia groaned, "they will not make it easy on us."

Evelyn nodded. "They rarely do. But, we are no longer children, they can't scare us into submission anymore."

Aurelia smirked. "Mama might, though."

Evelyn let out a loud laugh, not caring if it woke anyone in the nearby rooms. "If we can survive our entire lives with her as our mama, the ton doesn't stand a chance against us."

"They'll be a piece of cake in comparison," Aurelia agreed.

Evelyn clasped onto her stomach and moaned. "Oh, don't mention food. The pantry is empty and I'm starving." The cook had insisted he could whip something up with ingredients from the servant's pantry, but Lady Bradford claimed the family would rather go hungry than stoop so low. Her children did not agree. "No doubt we can make up for it tomorrow evening."

Aurelia cocked her head to the side, confused. "Tomorrow evening? What's happening then?"

A triumphant smile danced across her older sister's face, happy to be in the loop about something before her. "We've been invited to a ball at Lady Danbury's." Aurelia's frown cut deeper into her forehead. "It appears Mama did let someone know about our plans to return. Either that, or Lady Danbury is physic."

It wouldn't come as a surprise if she was. Lady Danbury seemed to know things about other members of the ton before they even knew about it themselves.

"How do you know about the ball?" Aurelia asked. "Mama never mentioned anything to me."

"I found the invite on a table in the foyer, along with 'welcome home' presents for us all." She coly explained.

Aurelia's ears perked up at the word. "What kind of presents?"

Evelyn grinned at the childlike wonder sparking in her sister's eyes. "Come on, I'll show you."

Grabbing hold of Aurelia's hand, she dragged her out of the room and down the stairs to the foyer, both of them giggling like little girls up to no good.

Sure enough, on a table in the foyer, an invitation lay on top of a box labelled 'Delacroix'. Aurelia gasped with delight. "Do you think they are dresses?"

"No, I think they are macaroons and Lady Danbury wanted to reuse the box," Evelyn sarcastically replied.

Aurelia didn't waste time rolling her eyes. Instead, she pushed the invite to the side and opened the box.

The sisters' eyes grew with adoration as they pulled out the two most beautiful dresses they had ever seen in their lives. Evelyn pressed the lilac gown to her body, before twirling around the room to make the skirt fan out. Aurelia allowed the red silk of her's to glide between her fingers, the soft material almost floating against her skin. Flowers were embroidered into both of the bodices and puffed sleeves, and the necklines scooped into the perfect smile.

Neither one of them could truly believe the dresses were theirs.

"Do you think the Queen will approve?" Aurelia asked, "We need to make a good impression since we missed the presentation."

"How couldn't she?" Evelyn said, still awestruck by her gown, "I dare say she might be jealous."

Aurelia couldn't imagine a woman as beautiful as the Queen being jealous of them. All that mattered was that they were enough to impress her. They needed to win her favour if they were to survive their return to the ton. Without it, they'd be ruined.

-----

The next evening, Aurelia fidgeted at her mother's side as they ascended the steps up to Lady Danbury's house. On her mother's opposite shoulder, her sister seemed so calm in comparison, as if she'd been preparing for the moment her entire life.

Aurelia had felt dazed and disorientated from the second she put on her new dress. The night before, when she ran her fingers over the red silk, it was regal to touch - now, after a sleepless night, Aurelia felt like anything but. She worried the bright red washed her out, and the bodice was so tight that her small chest would burst the seams.

Lady Bradford thought both her daughters looked like two beautiful ladies suitable for marriage. All she had to do now was convince the rest of the ton. She was going to need all the strength and luck she could get.

Once the family reached the front doors, they were greeted by the butler and shown into the house. Shuffling through the corridors Aurelia transformed into a nervous wreck. It had been six years since she'd seen anyone celebrating in the ballroom beyond two oak doors, and now they were about to dramatically announce their return. She thought she might faint.

"Okay, remember what I told you," Lady Bradford said as the three of them prepared to walk through the ballroom doors, "heads up, shoulders back, and give them a show."

Aurelia was definitely going to pass out. Without having to remember her mother's list, she was already struggling to walk as her legs turned to jelly.

Evelyn reached across and grabbed hold of her sister's hand, comforting her as best she could without drawing their mother's attention. Today she would not accept a show of weakness, today they needed to be a front of strength. Aurelia gave Evelyn a small smile to thank her.

Both sisters inhaled a deep breath in and the doors to the ballroom opened.

Dancing and music flooded their senses, hitting them like a powerful wall of bright colours and sound. It was everything that Aurelia had ever dreamed of. Her nerves morphed into excitement as everything called to her - she wanted to dance to every song, eat every canopy, taste every drink.

Though, her excitement was short-lived. "Lady Bradford, and her daughters, Miss Evelyn Bradford and Miss Aurelia Bradford." The world stopped spinning when they were announced into the room.

Whilst the music continued, every eye in the place was glued to them. Jaws swung open, gasps echoed, and eyes had burst so wide they appeared near explosion.

Aurelia couldn't breathe. She was certain she was dead. Ever since childhood, she'd hated being the centre of attention, and there she was, right in the middle of it. None of the Bradford women dared move.

"I don't recall there being such a long pause in the waltz," A strong voice bellowed around the room, followed by the clicking sound of a cane against the marble floor. "Continue, please." Lady Danbury emerged from the sea of dancing couples, her smile growing wide when she set her eyes on the new arrivals. "Lady Bradford, I feared your letter was a joke. I'm glad to see it wasn't and you are back when you belong."

Lady Bradford let out a sigh of relief. "Lady Danbury, it is so lovely to see you again. May I reacquaint you with my daughters, Evelyn and Aurelia."

The sister's curtseyed to her, before Evelyn added, "It is a pleasure to meet you again, Lady Danbury. We must thank you for the dresses, they are divine."

Lady Danbury drew closer to the girls with a watchful eye, making the both of them feel like they were being examined. "Your daughters are more beautiful than I remember, Lady Bradford. You can rid your concerns about them not finding them matches. I'm sure they will both hear wedding bells by the end of the season."

Lady Bradford was pleased to gain her approval, now all she had to do with gain the favour of the queen. "Are the King and Queen here tonight?"

"Sadly not," Lady Danbury sighed, but whether it was with relief or disappointment, Aurelia couldn't quite make out, "His Highness has taken ill, too much fun at the last ball, I hear." The two women giggle. "But, you are sure to have your hands full tonight, you will be the talk of the evening, I can assure you."

Nerves sparked down Aurelia's spine. She knew it would happen, she'd been dreading it since the day her parents told her they were to return.

"Come," Lady Danbury hooked her arm through her old friend's, "let me reacquaint you with society."

The two women disappeared into the crowd, leaving her daughters on the fringes of the dance floor, with eyes still looming over them.

"I suppose we should mingle," Evelyn said, her words lacking enthusiasm. "Would you like a drink?"

"Yes," Aurelia replied a little too quickly. Evelyn nodded and wandered off to find some refreshments.

Cementing her arms to her side, Aurelia forced herself not to fidget, as she stood alone in the room of strangers. It wouldn't be so difficult if she knew someone, at least then she'd be seen talking to another member of the ton who wasn't her sister, no longer deeming her the outcast. But she didn't recognise a single face, where had all her old friends gone?

"I must be seeing ghosts," A voice whispered into her ear.

Aurelia whirled around and her eyes lit up, happy to see a familiar face. "Benedict," She sang, "I was starting to fear everyone I knew had vanished from London."

"I think you'll find you had that department covered," He said, taking hold of her hand, "it is lovely to see you again, Aurelia." He placed a single kiss on her gloved knuckles.

Aurelia smiled at him, pleased her absence hadn't strained their friendship. Even though he was six years older now, he still looked the same as when she left. They'd had a happy childhood together, so many lovely memories she would cherish for the rest of her life. Maybe, one day, their children could share the same.

"I'm sure you have a lot of questions about why we left," She said. She'd practised a speech in her head a thousand times, until she was positive she had an answer fully prepared for when people asked her the inevitable. The real test would be whether she could remember it.

"All that matters to me is that you are home," Benedict put a stop to her panicking.

A sigh of relief slipped through Aurelia's smile. "A fact that I am also grateful for."

For a moment, the pair shared a pleasant silnce, just happy to be in one another's company once again. It had been far too long since they'd last spoken, and now Aurelia had returned, Benedict was determined that the next gap without conversation would be much, much shorter.

"Benedict," A voice called to the side of them, "have you seen Mother? I'm concerned she chasing after an audience with those bloody Bradfords." Benedict whinced at his words, realising his current company had not been acknowledged. "The last thing I need is her medling in any of my..."

The voice trailed off when its deep chocolate brown eyes fell on a victim of his harsh words.

Aurelia pursed her lips, anger instantly filling her chest and her glare turned to ice. Before her, stood the very man she'd been praying to avoid.

Anthony Bridgerton.