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Day 1: 8am
Penelope Featherington has absolutely no idea that Eloise has gone behind her siblings back to plan this. Well Eloise has told her all her ideas and Penelope has done most of the work. Anthony had refused to let her join him at Glastonbury, but he had agreed to Eloise having an unsupervised trip to Aubrey Hall with Penelope while he is there. There is absolutely nothing to do at Aubrey Hall and Anthony knows it. So Eloise has decided to throw her own Festival.
Penelope has done an incredible job at organising it. One hundred people camping in the grounds, another hundred with a pass for each day, one stage with artists from noon till midnight, three marquees one with a sound system for a silent disco, one a makeshift shop for the artist to sell merchandise and one a quiet zone, eleven food trucks and plenty of portaloos and showers. She'd secured people to man the festival, and even set up a few teepee areas for glampers. She believed it to be some kind of project and not Eloise spending her entire trust fund. What Penelope didn't know wouldn't hurt her.
Now the final bits are being set up and Penelope is conversing with the site manager she has hired. Eloise beams. Take this Glastonbury.
12pm
All the food vendors have arrived now and it is all set up. At the gates to the hall people wait with wristbands for guests. Eloise can't see how this could go wrong.
3pm
The festival is open and people are setting up their tents in makeshift campsites. Penelope grins. "We deserve an A for this." She informs her, watching as someone tries and fails to pitch a tent nearby. "Glad we aren't sleeping in tents though." She adds with a beam.
7pm
The first event is an opening night party, which will go on until 1am when the council permit their site manager had acquired runs out. Penelope is chatting to someone on the phone as Eloise gets herself dressed for the party.
9pm
Shit. Penelope is hugging a very familiar face. Genevieve Delacroix, her brother Benedict's girlfriend, who is supposed to be at Glastonbury with Anthony's group. If she is here then Benedict must be too.
"Boo." It's as if she's conjured him. She whirls around to see an amused looking Benedict behind her. "Really Eloise I don't know whether to be proud or angry. You could have told us you were throwing a full blown festival without anyone's permission."
"You should have told us." She recognises the other voice. Her brother Colin. He too looks amused. "We might have helped you cover it up."
Penelope frowns. "Cover what up?"
Benedict raises an eyebrow. "This festival Eloise has thrown." Penelope blinks at him her face a mask of confusion. Before anyone else can speak she goes white as a sheet and passes out, Colin and Genevieve just managing to catch her in time.
She really should have filled Penelope in.
9:20pm
Colin bans her from the room he's placed Penelope in, arguing that she caused Penelope to pass out, so Eloise goes to find the swings they used when they were kids. Except there is a crowd of people gathered around them drinking and smoking weed. She didn't think this festival through.
She goes to the one spot she knows they won't be in. It's fenced off from the festival goers. Hazard signs up to scare people off. She flashes her ID to the security guard stood by it and squeezes through a gap. Her Dad's grave looms before her. She needs to be here. Just for a bit.
9:35pm
"Thought you'd be here." Benedict's voice sounds. "I had to bribe the security guard with several Kit Kats and a ten pound note since you didn't think to get me a VIP pass. I can't even wonder freely around my own family home." He adds, but there is a familiar twinkle in his eye that reassures her he is being playful. "Wanna tell me why you decided to throw a festival?"
Eloise shrugs. "I was angry at being excluded."
Benedict looks impressed. "Maybe you can solve all the worlds problems after all." He teases.
Eloise sighs. "Pen did most of the work, I just flapped around her."
Benedict nods. "You probably should have told her that you weren't supposed to have done this."
"You should have told me." They both turn to see Anthony slipping through the fence.
"How did you get through?" Eloise demands.
Anthony smirks. "Gave the security guard a packet of Jammie Dodgers and a four pack of redbull."
Eloise sighs. "Should I be worried that my security staff are easily bribable?" She asks.
"Definitely." Anthony and Benedict say in unison.
Eloise nods. "Are you mad?" She asks Anthony.
Anthony chuckles. "Well when I saw the event pop up on my social media I was absolutely furious, but now I'm here I'm more impressed then anything. I mean seriously Eloise pulling this off is quite something, so while I will be punishing you at some point, I'm here to enjoy it."
Day 2
10am
When Anthony said he wanted to enjoy the festival him standing on a table that belonged to strangers in the campsite singing loudly as his wife Kate laughs hysterically is not what Eloise is expecting to find when security call her. Apparently her brother is still drunk from last night. Penelope is trying to reason with him to get down. Colin half assisting, half laughing. Benedict is watching fully laughing. Genevieve is nowhere to be seen.
"Get down." Eloise screeches at him. "Now." She adds. "Or I'll call Mum." She adds.
Anthony laughs. "You'd have to tell her what you did." He taunts.
"Get down or I will push you " Eloise threatens, Anthony responds by doing a tap dance. Kate is doubled over laughing. Eloise wants to scream.
"See why he doesn't want you at Glastonbury?" Benedict teases, as Eloise makes to push him off.
"Health and safety El." Penelope flaps. "Don't push him."
Colin looks amused, but seeing how stressed his best friend is looking, he gently grabs her and pulls her away from the choas, before she can get too worried.
Anthony begins to sing and Eloise is ready to scream.
12pm
Penelope is stressed. Everyone can see it. Furious at Eloise for not telling her the truth about the festival and stressed and upset because there is a technical issue. Colin is trying to calm her down, Genevieve and Benedict assisting, but she looks close to passing out again. Eloise knows this is her fault.
"You know," Drawls a voice that she hasn't heard before. "you look totally bored for someone with a VIP pass."
"Yeah well the musicians aren't great, I mean who is Theo Sharpe and the runners and why would I want to see them?" She is lashing out a little. Not that the band will care.
The man beside her laughs, running a hand through his brown hair. "That's the question isn't it?" He grins. "Shame someone better wasn't around."
Eloise nods. "I mean they have a two hour set. Why would they need that?" She adds unamused.
"I can't possibly think." He responds. "I hear they do some covers though, maybe you can put in a request for a song? You are Eloise Bridgerton aren't you?"
Eloise frowns. "Am I that obvious?"
He chuckles. "Maybe."
"And to answer your question I wouldn't mind if they played something decent." She responds.
The man laughs. "Decent?"
"El," Benedict's voice sounds. "we need you."
Eloise gives him a small smile. "Nice to meet you." She tells him and then she runs off the find Benedict.
3pm
Penelope might have a break down with her stressing over the fact someone had set their tepee on fire. Again Colin is calming her down. The pair have always been close. Eloise isn't bothered like Penelope. It's a festival. It is inevitable someone would do something stupid. And Eloise has done one thing and that is ensure that the whole thing is covered by a good insurance policy. They'll cover it.
7pm
She is between the barricade and the stage in that weird middle section where security stand and sometimes bands venture. It almost time for their headliner for the night. Penelope, Colin, Kate. Anthony, Benedict and Genivieve are all stood with her.
The lights go down, although it's daylight so it doesn't have much affect and then the guitars start up. Kate climbs onto Anthony's shoulders, Benedict and Genivieve are dancing already, twirling each other around happily. Are they all high she wonders. Especially Anthony, because this is just not Anthony behaviour. It's surreal. It's more normal behaviour for Benedict she admits, he is just himself, but she just cannot get over Anthony.
She's so busy wondering what has gotten into her brother that she totally misses the first few songs of the band. Watching in horror as Anthony slaps Kate's ass, as he lowers her from his shoulder. Kate for her part laughs. Eloise is going to be sick.
Then she hears it. An all too familiar voice. "And our next song is dedicated to the woman behind this festival," She looks up in horror to see the lead singer, Theo Sharpe, winking at her. He is the same man that she had been speaking to earlier. Whose music she had insulted. "We hope you find this song decent."
Penelope catches her eye and raises a questioning eyebrow, as the band start a cover of some pop song she recognises but can't place (she much prefers her own indie and rock songs). Theo's eyes stay on her the whole time, making her squirm. It's not like her to feel uncomfortable like this. Penelope is watching fascinated, but thankfully the girls behind her scream that he's watching them and Penelope looks curious but says nothing.
Eloise tries to carry on, but she feels flushed. Is this what fangirls feel? Is she one of those people obsessed with someone she doesn't know now? Is she like every other teenage girl?
"He's only seventeen." Anthony shouts over and over again, clearly tuning in to his inner fan girl. She's getting worried he's about to throw himself at Theo and his band.
They finish the song and start the next, but Theo keeps his eyes on her and she feels like she might melt. Stupid hormones.
10:30pm
"You're amazing. Really really amazing. Like the very best, I am in awe of you. You are the best band I've heard. I'm your biggest fan. Sign my forehead." Anthony babbles at Theo.
Benedict gives him a look. "Brother," He asks in a tone that tells Eloise he's about to say something snarky. "are you high?"
Anthony grins. "High on the atmosphere and the joy of meeting the greatest band of all time."
"So you are high." Benedict concludes. "Come on Anthony time for bed." He states, grabbing his older brother and pulling him a way. Kate stumbles after them laughing and Genevieve quickly offers her some assistance.
Colin apologises profoundly to the band, which seems to amuse them all. As they begin to discuss their up coming tour with Colin, Theo steps towards Eloise. "Well was the music decent?" He asks, a twinkle in his eye.
Eloise blushes. Damn her body betraying her. "I suppose so."
Theo grins. "And will you venture out to another one of our gigs?" He smirks.
"I suppose I might." Eloise grins.
Eloise misses day three of the festival, to go to a local pub with Theo. Penelope shoots her a knowing smile when she returns after the last act has preformed and says nothing. Anthony and Kate are too hungover to notice and Benedict and Genivieve seem to be enjoying their turn to be horribly drunk. Colin is so busy herding his siblings that he is clearly oblivious to Eloise.
It will be the first of many nights Eloise stands in the gap between the barricade and the stage, and the sadly the first of many nights that Anthony asks her boyfriend and his band to sign his forehead while intoxicated.
Aubrey Hall festival returns the following year, but sadly Violet Bridgerton takes charge and it is a classical music festival. Eloise wouldn't know anyway because she and Penelope are finally eighteen and at Glastonbury where they really belong, partly because Anthony has finally allowed it and partly because Theo Sharpe and The Runners are performing and this time she gets to stand in the VIP section grinning like a Cheshire cat. She pretends not to notice that Colin and Penelope keep vanishing or that Benedict and Genivieve have abandoned them for a group of artists they both know. She uses ear defenders to mask the noises coming from Anthony and Kate's tent and she doesn't even complain that Francesca who is only seventeen is allowed to come even though seventeen year old Eloise was not allowed.
Moments before his bands show Theo gives in to the request and signs Anthony's forehead with a permanent marker, he dedicates that pop song cover to her again and this time she knows all the words. Maybe fangirling isn't so bad.