The utmost jealousy

The days pass by a lot quicker now that I am not spending so much time with Anthony, or even the other Bridgertons. Of course my time was not now as enjoyable as when I was spending it with my friends, being mocked by Colin or flirted with by Benedict, having Eloise list to me all of her Lady Whistledown suspects or to hear Daphne speak of Simon so incessantly. I have spent much time at balls dancing with other lords as Benedict suggested to me, dancing and drinking and doing whatever it is I am supposed to be doing. It does not make me happy of course but I feel I must. I have been thinking far too much and far too often of Anthony.

"Delilah. Do you wish to attend the opera with me tonight?" Simon asks me and I can hardly contain my surprise as he wishes for me to go somewhere with him. "I have been thinking of going for some time and I wondered if you should like to accompany me tonight."

"The opera? I cannot stand the opera, brother, and I did not think you shall like it." I raise an eyebrow at him. "Why should you wish to go? Is there a lady that shall be there for you to ruin?"

"I knew I should not have asked you, forgive me for having been so foolish as to think you might want to spend some time with your older brother." He raises an eyebrow in return at me, until I nod and agree that I shall go with him. "Good. There are some things I should like to talk to you of."

"Oh?"

"Yes. So get dressed, and I shall meet you at the opera tonight."

I do as I am told, not because I wish to go to the opera or spend time with him, but merely because I truly wish to know what it is he wishes to tell me. I am hoping for some scandal and some excitement that may be able to inhibit my mind rather than playing the events with Anthony on repeat in my head. We hang around in the foyer for a few moments before we are able to take our seats in the box, Simon moving away from me so that he might go and get himself a drink. That is when I see a woman that I recognise and it takes me a moment to figure out where it is I know her from. Of course! She is the woman that Anthony left me upstairs so that he might have her rather than myself. I look to her and she turns to look at me. I stride towards her and she does the same, she does not hesitate nor back away which shows me instantly that she is my kind of woman. "I am not sure we were ever properly introduced. I am Delilah."

"Siena. I shall not kiss your hand nor shake it nor greet you with a smile so do not request it of me."

"I know where your hands have been and so I shall never ask to shake your hand." I raise an eyebrow at her and smirk, taking a moment to concentrate on her face. She is a pretty girl, prettier than I am, that is for sure. She has heavy makeup covering her eyelids and a dark dress that contrasts with the light pink one i wear. "I should like it if we could take a moment to talk."

"I must go and perform rather soon. You shall come and see me afterwards."

"No. No I shall not, I do not wish to actually endure the show. I apologise, I have a short attention span and find it so horribly boring I should rather die than stay the entire four hours." She does not seem to take great offence to this, I imagine that she is well aware that many people share this opinion with myself. She narrows her eyes slightly at me and I know we are both thinking of the same thing: Anthony. "So. We must get payback."

"Hm?"

"Payback. Revenge. A vendetta. Whatever it is you should call it. He made a fool out of both of us, we should proceed to make an absolute fool out of him." I smile as she leans in a little closer to me, interested, and I am reassured once again that she is exactly the person I should like to take action against Anthony with me. "I have not developed any specific ideas as such. What shall make him angry and embarrassed and as irritated as we have been?"

"He is a jealous man. That shall be quite easy to use against him."

"I do not know about that. I have been dancing and promenading with different men all week in his eyeline and he has not said a word, he has hardly given it a second look. Perhaps he simply does not care what it is I do and I should not blame him, we do not have history as the pair of you seem to."

"Who have you danced with?"

"Lord Ambrose, Lord Weaver, Lord Hardy-"

"That is where you are not doing it right." She takes my arm firmly and does not hesitate to drag me across to the side. I am not so used to being man handled! She moves me so that I am away from the rest of the audience so that she may speak more freely. "What does he care about more than anything?"

"Himself?"

"You... are correct. Other than that." She stands with one hand on her hip expectantly. I do not say anything for I do not wish to get it wrong, she is a rather fierce human being. "His family."

"I struggle to see the relevance."

"He has two brothers, Delilah. I am sure one of them shall make him jealous enough that he shall be unable to do anything other than react with the utmost jealousy." She makes eyes at my brother, the ghost small smirk playing on her own lips. "You shall go for a brother and I shall go for a friend."

"I shall not use Benedict or Colin."

"I am sure you shall not have to. I am sure either of them shall be eager to assist you with such a ruse. It shall make him so jealous and so angry that he shall not be able to resist saying anything of it, hm?"

Author's note

Hi!

I'm excited to see what damage Siena and Delilah can do, I hope you are too. It's taking all my will power not to turn this into another Benedict fanfiction

Thanks so much for reading, think we hit 5k today which is SO whack! I love it.

All my love,

Ruby x