The Second Born Bridgerton // Benedict Bridgerton

Ruin yourself

"I shall take Penelope outside for some air." Colin offers, rising to his feet and taking her arm, Benedict following suit. He moves in close to talk to his brother for a moment under his breath, before they both nod and our two siblings leave.

This is when he turns to me, with a happy grin on his face. "My dear wife, it appears we find ourselves alone together. And for the first time, it is not improper nor inappropriate, but it is exactly alright." He clicks the door shut, and turns back to me, holding his arms out. I run to them, pushing my lips against his and grinning as wide as he may, laughing as he picks me up in an instant and carries me towards the bed. Things move from there and you need not know the details, and we finish, my chest rising and falling quickly as I gasp to kiss him once again. "You know, that was also the first time you actually allowed me to take you on a bed. It took marrying you for me to do such a thing."

"And such an outrageous thing, nonetheless." I tease him, running ny hand along his chest and letting out a sigh of content. "How long do we have before Pen and Colin arrive back?"

"And why is that? Were you thinking of asking for round two? I am well in support of the concept but may find the execution slightly difficult, I am rather exhausted, however, I am sure that if you were willing to-"

"Benedict, concentrate. How long do we have before our siblings arrive back?" I laugh a little and pull the covers up to my chin so that he may no longer be so distracted by my chest. "They have been out ever so long already."

"Colin said he should try to give us the best part of an hour." He tugs helplessly at the covers. "Oh, come off it, Peaches! You must allow me to at least gaze at them if you shall not allow me to touch them any longer... I am sorry. I did not intend for that to sound so much like a demand!" He chuckles a little, planting kiss after kiss on my neck. "Although I am now your husband and so I do demand to see your breasts."

"Well, if you are so desperate, then you may." I giggle back at him, nodding and clamping my hands down tightly onto the covers so that he may try, but he may have to wrestle with me first. And so he does, taking one of his hands and tugging at the thin covers, realising that it does not move. "I said you may, what are you messing around at?"

"You are the most irritating girl in the ton, that is all I may say. I am sure no other would act so childish!" He continues to grin, using one hand to prise my own off, gripping around my wrists and pressing them to the headboard.

"Childish? Oh, my lord, you do know just how to compliment a lady. I have waited my entire life for someone to call me childish. I do believe I may swoon!" I giggle as he moves back onto me, kissing my lips and keeping my hands pinned back. "Bene-"

At that moment, the door opens and I am sure it is neither Colin nor Penelope since it opens with such force. For a moment, I am sure we are being robbed, until I make eye contact with Anthony. Benedict neither moves nor panics and so I do not either. "I must admit, Anthony, I did think you should be the last to join the wedding party."

"I have followed you and I have got here as fast as I could. Your mama is extremely worried about you, Peaches. And our mother is furious, Benedict, as am I. You should have told us where you were going, you should not have ran away! Taking Penelope and Colin with you was something you should not have done, you need not have done. You two may be vulgar and believe you may do what you please, and you have ruined yourselves but our families cannot take any more hits to our reputation! Do you have any idea the sort of place you have bought her? It is outrageous, all the members of the ton has assumed she is already with child and with what lady whistledown said, I am not clear on whether it shall even be your own, or some drunk fools you have both engaged in an affair with! Is that so?" With each word, he seems to become more and more frustrated. "And do you even listen now? You have married and you believe that means I can now no longer control you? I shall cut you off if I must Benedict."

"I shall do nothing of the sort. You wish for me to be as honourable as you, Anthony, is that it? Well, I am not and I may never be, dear brother. As long as you do not get yourself killed in ridiculous circumstances such as duelling a duke, I shall never need to be like you. Do not attempt to ruin my life only because yours is." Benedict releases my hands and turns to his brother, scowling and putting his trousers on, so that he may stand and talk to him properly.

"You speak to me with so little respect, Benedict. I am viscount, you cannot argue with what I say. I can cut you off if I wish to, and currently I am considering it. I told you not to marry the girl and you have chosen to do so any way.  Is what lady whistledown said true? Is all of it true? Why should you wish to ruin our family? Why must you ruin yourself? Why will you not stop and take a look at what it is you have done, Benedict?" Anthony continues to probe and ask question after question, before benedict interrupts him with a well tempered sigh.

"I am in love with her, Anthony. No, we did not wait until the wedding night. But no more of what lady whistledown has said is true. I do not know if she is with child or not, she has not told me of any changes in her courses and so I assume not. Despite contrary belief, not eveything revolves around you and our family. I love you all dearly, I do indeed, but that does not mean you must know and be present for eveything. I have married Peaches now and you must accept that no matter what circumstances arose to make that happen. You care so deeply of the opinion of the ton that you have not even congratulated your brother on his marriage. That is the difference between yourself and I, Anthony, and it always shall be."

"What? That you shall congratulate your brothers on their illicit marriages before you attempt to explain to them the severity of what they have done, the consequences for themselves and their family, that they have clearly not even begun to think of themselves?" Anthony breathes hard from his nose, screwing his fists up.

"No. You prize duty and honour above all. Above love and family and no matter how hard you claim this is all to protect me, you have done nothing but push me away. She is a lady, an accomplished and beautiful lady, and you should have never opposed me marrying her in the first place. But you were determined you should not support me, even though you knew this is what I wanted. You refused to give me your blessing and now you wonder why I have disobeyed you." He runs a hand through his hair and sighs. "Leave, Anthony."