Coal Among Diamonds │Benedict Bridgerton

Chapter Seventeen: Lady Danbury Always Gets What She Wants

✦ Author's note ✦

Dearest, Gentle, Engaged Readers,

I have just noticed that my story has more than 600 votes, 11 K reads and is constantly in the top 5 in Benedict Bridgerton rankings. Wow... just wow. It's been a while since I wrote anything more than a drabble and when I saw Bridgerton and fell for Benedict something just clicked in me and I decided to start this story to brush up on my English and hoping that I would get a few reads. And I did, not a few, and once more I'd like to thank you all for all the attention and energy you invest in my story. I have immense fun writing it and interacting with you. And, as always, special thanks to Kayla for being my proofreader.

I hope you'll find this chapter to your liking, it features my two favourite female characters + Franny, of course. And then the next chapter will be just Benedict and Franny with some conversation and practice ;).

Enjoy,

L.H. 

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When this Author predicted another wedding for the Season, she is not shy to admit that she didn't exactly have the third Bridgerton brother in mind. It should be seen that Colin Bridgerton has managed to finally sweep Marina Thompson off her pretty little slippered feet. The young couple and the Featheringtons are certainly overjoyed, but the Bridgertons seem somehow more reserved by the impending ceremony. Lord Bridgerton in particular is not so much keen on his brother's hasty engagement. Would this discourage his other brother from posing the all-important question? We are giddy with anticipation.

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Franny sighed deeply upon finishing the latest Whistledown issue, which left her shocked and uncomfortable. She wondered what had possibly transpired between Colin and Marina. Rest assured, Colin was smitten with her and courted her all Season, but he was also famous for being a charmer and flirting with plenty of young ladies. Maybe this time it was different, possibly Colin has met his match and decided that he wanted to settle down. And yet, Franny could not help but feel something was amiss about Marina; the way she looked at them at the rather awkward scene in the Bridgerton study had been carved into her mind. Not to mention, it was rather selfish, she knew, but Colin's engagement and Whistledown's constant nagging of her and Benedict getting married tipped Franny over the edge. She was panicking. She rather liked Benedict, that much was certain, and she was not ashamed to admit that he has awoken desire in her. But was she in love? She should know when she was in love, shouldn't she? Not that she has given much thought to it, but she imagined that love could not be ignored, that it was impatient, and it demanded to be felt. That one day she would wake up with this all-immersing feeling in her guts and knew that she was hopelessly, irreversibly and painfully in love, and nothing would ever feel that same. And surely, one must marry for love... Albeit, and more importantly, children were an unavoidable consequence of marriage. And even if Franny wasn't sure she was ready to marry Benedict, she was one hundred per cent convinced that she was not ready for having children.

Her aunt, who had a special talent for reading people from the corner of her almond-shaped eyes while maintaining an impeccable smile and a careless countenance, has finally decided to voice her concern, "What is on your mind, Franny dearest?"

"Do you not miss having children, Auntie?" Franny asked, out of the blue.

Lucy, who was usually equipped to answer any of Franny's unruly questions, this time choked on her tea, but somehow managed to do it gracefully.