Coal Among Diamonds │Benedict Bridgerton

Chapter Five: Meeting Mr. Bridgerton

On the surface the Granvilles were spending their morning in an idyllic mood, all in the drawing room, occupied with pleasant activities. However, an air of frustration surrounded two of them: Franny was still rattled and hurt because of her uncle's mysterious silence, and decided not to even look in his direction; Mr. Granville was still not ready to tell her about Lord Wetherby, and was once again cross with her niece for making the front page of Lady Whistledown's "society" papers. However amusing he found her performance, it did not do any good to be in the centre of attention, not especially in front of this meddlesome rumourmonger.

Mrs. Granville, knowing both of them inside out, of course, was quite aware of the situation, but decided not to interfere. Humming pleasantly and sipping her favourite rosehip tea, she knew that sooner or later they would resolve the matter: whether with a fluffy domestic scene, or with plates flying over her head, for the time was yet to be seen, but with the new Whistledown yet to be published, she was up for either.

"I have heard the most curious rumour," she broke the forced silence, glancing at Mr. Granville who was sketching something on his drawing board, then to Franny immersed in a book, absent-mindedly fiddling with her hair, but none of them met her gaze.

"Please, Lucy dearest, indulge us, no less than an hour has passed without a novel scandal," Mr. Granville murmured in a playful voice, his eyes narrowing in concentration.

"Well, the ton is abuzz for it is rumoured that Nigel Berbrooke had a boy by one of his maids: he refused to provide for them, and sent them away with nothing. What an abominable man, absolutely detestable. Wait till Lady Whistledown hears about it, I assume Lord Berbrooke will abruptly have some serious business to conduct in the countryside.

"Well, I hope his carriage gets robbed on his way. What a horrible man."

"Franny," her uncle reprimanded.

"Why Uncle, not taking responsibility for one's child and the mother of said child, when he has all the means to do so, attests to the most loathsome character." Although she wasn't entirely clear on the details of how children came to be, Franny knew that it was not at all an unusual occurrence that some lords had children by their maids.

"On the bright side, it does mean that the maid and the boy will be compensated. Not to mention that the last obstacle standing in the way of the Duke and Daphne Bridgerton marrying has been removed," Lucy Granville added to lighten the mood.

"Unless something happened to Anthony Bridgerton, and by no means do I wish so, the obstacle with menacing sideburns is still there," Franny remarked with a small smile in the corner of her mouth. As she closed her book and looked up, Mr. Granville seized the opportunity of having momentarily made eye contact and beckoned to her niece. Weighing whether to maintain her resentment or give in to her curiosity, she finally obliged.

"What do you think?" he queried as his niece surveyed his work. Curled up on the sofa, frowning in concentration, deeply pensive with a book in her lap, the charcoal drawing captured Franny in her natural habitat.

"I believe, Uncle, you have done a great disservice to this cherub, for she is neither bare-naked nor chubby, not to mention is not floating in the air. Her wings look all fuzzy too.

"Those are not her wings, but her hair which is in a constant state of fuzziness, and that's not a cherub, you know it well. You are wicked, Frances Granville," he exclaimed leaving his coal-coated fingerprint on her unsuspecting niece's nose. Franny tried to hide how much she loved the picture (and her uncle) with a grimace. Mrs. Granville watched them from the corner of her eyes with a loving smile and came to the conclusion that there will be no flying plates today.

✦

"A caller, for Miss Granville," Everly has announced with a straight face, "A Mr. Bridgerton."