The Second Born Bridgerton // Benedict Bridgerton

Bottle of bourbon

"I do not know Pen. You have... you have tarnished my reputation, you have suggested things that are... well, should never have been suggested. You have given me no choice but to run away with him rather than being married here around people like you and his family. He shall be devastated that his beloved brothers and sisters shall not be there to witness it, I am sure. What you have done is... it... I am unsure how you believe you shall be able to fix it." I pause for a moment, letting out a breath so that I may attempt to calm myself. "But you are my sister. You are my sister and you are the only sister I have that should even care of my whereabouts. I know I should not have been so harsh but I wished only to help. You.. I... I forgive you. I shall not forget, but I forgive. Now... will you please help me retrieve a dress from marina? I do not wish to wear purple on my wedding day."

Pen greets me with the biggest smile I have ever seen as she launches her body at me so that she might hug me. "Peaches I am sorry, I shall find a way to make all things right. Beginning with getting you the most beautiful dress imaginable." She nods, scowling with determination and marches from her room, allowing herself into marina's without so much as a knock.

From there, I pack a bag and I make my way from the house with the dress. I walk to the corner where we arranged to meet, and I stand there in the cover of darkness for a few moments alone. I glance up to see the carriage rolling towards us, and Benedict hops out, holding his hand out in order to take my bag from me, but not before he kisses my forehead. "Hello, you. And is my perfect lady ready for our perfect wedding, hm? You packed all that you needed?"

"I packed all that I needed. It is not much. I have taken a white dress from Marina, I have bought some sweets and I have taken one of my father's bottles of whiskey. I have not had whiskey before but you seem as though you shall enjoy it very much."

"I am a sophisticated gentleman, am I not? That is why I enjoy whiskey such." He strokes my face and takes a strand of my hair between his fingers. "We must go, we must go quickly. It is dark of course but Anthony and his eagle eyes may recognise that the carriage is missing almost immediately- who goes there?" He twists his head, holding my shoulders protectively from whoever is walking towards us. "Colin? What are you doing? I cannot stay and talk, we must leave."

"Brother, allow me to come with you. I cannot cope with the gossip around this town, I am being stared at and talked of and I wish to get away. Shall you not be happy to have your favourite brother at your wedding?" Colin offers me a small smile, holding one hand in his other. "I do understand if you shall not want me but I... I wish to get away as you do. I have even taken a bottle of bourbon from Anthony's personal store." He holds it up in an attempt to convince us.

"If he is going then I wish to too! I am your sister and I shall wish to support you also!" Without warning, Pen now rushes across and joins the three of us, throwing her arms upwards. "You must allow us to! Shall you not want company on such a long journey? Shall you not want witnesses?"

"Witnesses, Pen? The entire concept of Gretna green is that you do not need witnesses or permission or family." I watch her for a moment. Benedict glances to me, hesitating as he looks to me to make the call. "I... I am not sure it is such an entirely good idea. Colin, if you rush away after such awful things that lady whistledown has said, do you not think it does not look so good? I am sure you wish to avoid more scandal, do you not? And Pen, you are not even involved, only myself and Marina and Colin and Benedict... not you. Surely you do not wish to embroil yourself in this also?"

"How much worse do you believe things can become, Peaches? Honestly? I do not think it can ever be much worse. I wish only to escape as you do. I should like to come along." Colin is insistent, smiling and leaning against the carriage with Pen stood attentively by his side.

"And I do not care of the scandal it shall cause me. I am positive that lady whistledown shall be quite enamoured with the two of you, and she shall be kind when she writes of us." Penelope nods, smiling as Colin does.

I laugh a little and nod, benedict taking my hand in his own and kissing the back of my palm as he likes to and I like him to as well. "Well then, I suppose that we shall go as a group. I do think that our mother and Anthony shall not be very pleased with this decision."

"Anthony does not matter." Colin let's himself into the carriage and sits down, Pen climbing in and sitting beside him. I sit across and Benedict by the side of me, his hand still interlocked in my own. "I no longer care what he says nor does nor thinks."

"I have never cared. It is just unfortunate for us that he is our older brother, the viscount, and has proved himself extremely talented in ruining whatever it is he can." Benedict laughs, before he moves his face close to my neck and kisses me gently, his mouth close to my ear. "I must admit. I was rather looking forward to spending the duration of the carriage ride alone with you, my dear. It shall have to wait until we reach gretna green now... mm. I do not wish to wait." His hand rests on my upper thigh, and I look up at him, biting my lip gently.

"You do not have any choice but to wait. Plus, the next time that we do, we shall be man and wife. It shall no longer be so scandalous."

"And you shall not miss the scandal of doing all the things we are not supposed to?"

My heart skips a beat and I gulp down the lump that is stuck in my throat but I must push him away, we are in polite company. And so we set off for Gretna green.