“My goodness,” Eloise whispers as she steps into your chamber, wasting no time before throwing herself onto your bed. A mischievous glint dances in her eyes as she grins up at you. “Who would have thought our mothers would actually agree to a sleepover? We live but a street apart, yet I was certain they would find some reason to object.”

You let out a soft chuckle, walking over and perching on the edge of the mattress. Before you can settle, Eloise nudges you playfully with her foot. “Come now, lie back,” she teases, laughter laced in her voice. “I am hardly a stranger.”

The two of you have known each other for as long as you can remember. The Rustingtons and the Bridgertons have always been close, their children practically raised together. You and Eloise, however, were something else entirely.

Amongst your families, you were known as inseparable—peas in a pod, never seen without the other. No one, of course, suspected the quiet affection that had long been growing between you and the fifth Bridgerton child to be one of romance.

Obliging her request, you shift until you are lying beside her, warmth radiating between you. Without hesitation, she loops her arms around your middle, resting her chin lightly on your shoulder. Her gaze flits across your face before drifting to the rest of the room, a soft hum escaping her lips.

“What are you reading?” she asks, lifting a hand to gesture towards your nightstand. There, atop the polished wood, sits a book—its pages well-worn, its spine softened with use. “Read it to me,” she murmurs, settling closer, as though the night could stretch on forever.