The Second Born Bridgerton's Wife // Benedict Bridgerton

Honeymoon bliss

The ball is hosted by lady cowper, and I am quite sure that it's only reason for having been organised is to remind everyone quite how much money they have. There cannot be much other reason for it, is not the marriage season and so it shall be the highlight of mosts social calendar for the next few months. It was certainly the highlight of mine, with the only other things I had booked in being date night at Aubrey hall with my current incredibly grumpy husband and my own father's funeral. Colin insisted on reminding me as such. "I do suppose this shall be the only ball you attend your a while, Peaches. For once you return to Aubrey hall, I am sure my brother shall want you to himself once again and we shall not see you until it is time to meet the child!"

"The child shall not come for months, Colin. I do expect I shall see you before that at least... plus, you are aware that you may visit Aubrey hall whenever you wish? All of you may. It should be nice to have familiar faces around." I struggle a little up the steps, already feeling very much pathetic.

"You mean to tell me you find yourself bored with Benedict's? I have said it once and I shall say it again, you could have indeed had the most handsome Bridgerton brother and yet you did not choose him!" Colin exclaims, shaking his head and teasing as he insists on doing.

"She could not have done. Myself and Peaches did not get along well enough for us to be married, do not be so silly, Colin." I know that Anthony is trying his best to be kind to me, but it does still surprise me as he makes a joke. I look at him and he smiles down at me, which encourages me to laugh myself. "Perhaps I can owe you a dance though, Peaches. I feel as though I have much sordid behaviour I must make up for."

"You shall owe me a dance and I shall redeem that almost instantly. I shall not wait until you have changed your mind!" I hold my hand out to him and he takes it, guiding me to the dance floor and placing his hand a little awkwardly on my waist as the music begins. "I apologise since I may be a little clumsy. You must picture me as though I am not a pregnant buffoon who shall most likely step on your toes."

"You are not a buffoon, do not be so silly."

"I certainly feel one." I force a smile, concentrating on where my feet shall be going so that they shall avoid his own. "And how is the marriage market for you? I hear that you shall be looking for a wife. I pray the lord has mercy on the soul of whoever winds up married to you."

"I wished the same thing for whoever married you and for whoever married Benedict. Perhaps I shall find someone just as ill tempered as myself and we shall get along like a house on fire."

"Perhaps. You definitely need a woman who shall keep you on your toes, no one meek and mild shall do. Goodness, you should be quite impossible to put up with and so it must be a lady of great patience and a strong will. Wherever shall you find someone as such?"

"Benedict managed to find someone as such, I shall be so lucky as well. I am sure."

I hesitate for a moment, unsure as to whether that was his attempt to compliment me. Either way I laugh a little, and the song finishes. "I must excuse myself rather quickly, I am afraid. I fear that if I do not find myself somewhere to sit extremely quickly then I may have to feign a swoon, and then you should need to catch me, and I am sure that you should not like to do that at all. Thank you for the dance, Viscount Bridgerton" I bow my head as I excuse myself, finding myself a comfortable corner where I may sit but still enjoy the spectacles and gossip of the night.

"May I take a seat by the side of you?" It is a familiar face that joins me, and a face I am nervous to see, I must admit. Lord Henry Granville takes a seat by the side of me, he does not wait for me to approve this, a glass of champagne in his gloved hand. "Peaches, it feels as though it has been a long time. I did think you should come and see me before you left for your honeymoon bliss. Alas, I was wrong."

"Lord Granville. I..." I find myself unsure completely what I am to say to him. After last season, after what Lady Whistledown wrote of Benedict and the Lord's parties, I had felt too worried and too embarrassed to return to him. "I apologise, that is all I can do. Last season was... very interesting for me and I suppose that I felt simply too ashamed to come back to the studio after what the scandal sheet wrote of me. Myself and my husband, in fact, but also yourself and your parties. Do they still occur? Or are people avoiding them now?"

"My dear, you have been concerned about the wellbeing of my parties? You needn't have been. It is a den of scandal, Lady Whistledown writing of it as such has only boosted attendance. It seems they are now quite renowned and so there is hardly enough space for a single more person nowadays." He looks at me, his hand reaching gently to take my own. "And as for you and your husband... you, my dear, you did never partake in anything other than painting and you should not be ashamed of that. Your husband was... well, I saw that man a lot more frequently than perhaps you should have liked, and I shall not lie, I was surprised by the many compromising positions I did discover him in-" As he says this, I scowl a little at the thought of my husband and Lord Granville's wife, or my husband and Genevieve who claimed to be my friend. "-my dear, it is in the past. He should never engage in these things any longer and believe me, if he ever did decide that he shall, I should tell you as soon as the news got back to myself. Hm? You have nothing to worry of."

"I know I do not." I sigh and run a hand over my head. "I do not know why I feel such ridiculous jealousy, I know I cannot control the women he has been with before and I should not wish to! I do suppose being back in London has given me more of a chance to reflect on what happened last season. He is an idiot of a man, is he not?"

"As are all men. He is a good idiot, though. One with a caring heart. And you do love him as he loves you, my dear." With that, he rises and excuses himself so he may return to his own wife, leaving me alone by the side of the dance floor once more.

"I merely came over to check on you. I saw that was Lord Granville, the two of you spoke?" I am once again shocked as Anthony takes the seat beside me and so actively chooses to spend the evening talking to me. "Is all okay?"

"All is perfectly fine. We spoke only of my fool of a husband." I smile a little as Anthony gently hands me a champagne flute. "Oh I-"

"It is not champagne. I know that shall make you feel queasy. It is apple juice or something of the kind." He handles his own glass, looking at me. "Am I trying too hard?"

"To be a good brother in law? Not at all. If it means you shall bring me drinks and save me from how entirely dull this ball has already become, then I must admit I rather like you trying too hard." I sip from the glass and I am surprised as I find it actually settles my stomach better than anything I have found previously. "Viscount Anthony, I do believe you have just provided me with the perfect morning sickness remedy."

"The apple juice? Well, I am glad to be of service, even if it is to you." I have to look at him to see that this is his attempt at a joke. He sighs. "Anyway, if it is so dull, shall I take you home?"

I take one last glance around the ballroom before I nod. "I do not believe anything more entertaining looks as though it shall occur. And I should like to see my husband too. I should like it if you took me home."