In the Gardens ~ Bridgerton

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"Well, you look awful." Josephine smiled tightly at her brother as she took in his features.

"So do you." Josephine teased as she closed the front door behind her.

"It's late, Josie; perhaps we should talk tomorrow." Simon felt an unspoken depression in the room, the two of them looking quite worse for wear.

"I don't think Anthony loves me anymore. I'm a waste, a weight on his shoulders." Josephine whispered as she ran, wrapping her arms around her brother's waist, craving his love and comfort.

"Josie, I don't think that man can stop loving you. From the second he saw you for the first time, it's all he could talk about for years." Simon pushed his troubles to the side as he tried to comfort his sister.

"You're wrong. He fights with me and drinks, and disappears for hours. God, I wouldn't be surprised if he was visiting that whore he was with before." Josie was working herself up, on the brink of a panic attack. "I can't do this. It's my fault we have to keep our relationship a secret, Simon. It's my fault he's sad all the time. I can't bear to see him so sad, Simon! I CAN'T BEAR IT."

Simon was briefly taken aback by his sisters shouting, but his brotherly instincts kicked into gear. "Stop. Josephine, have we not pushed through enough? Our father? Our upbringing? God, every day we suffer challenges, but you cannot keep running away." His stern voice silenced his sisters cries. He held her at arm's length, so she had no choice but to look into his serious expression.

"I can't-" Josephine began.

"You are a Basset, for God sake. Start acting like one." Simon's voice rose rather harshly. Letting go of her arms, he left Josephine with her thoughts.

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Josephine had been locked in her room for days, only wandering out to eat or bathe, not speaking a word to anyone, not even Anna, who tended to her every need. It was safe to say that all of the ton was quite concerned about the woman's whereabouts.

Though concerned with Colin's mourning, the whole Bridgerton family had been worried for their friend; Benedict finally, after three days, decided enough was enough.

"GO AWAY," Josephine spoke begrudgingly through her door.

"Open the door, Jo, or so help me, god, I will kick it down." Benedict pushed again on the firm wooden slab. From the outside, one could imagine how peculiar it appeared for a man to be throwing his whole body against a door that would not budge an inch.

"Please, Ben, just go," Josephine muttered sourly.

"You haven't been outside in three days, Josephine. So I have come to collect you for the Queen's Luncheon. She has requested your presence, and I believe it will do you some good." Benedict rambled, shouting so he made sure Josie could hear. "So I'm sending Anna in; wear that teal dress. It looks lovely." With one last bang on the door and taunt from his mouth, Benedict wandered down to the kitchens hoping to find something to pass the time.

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The weather was lovely, and the palace gardens looked like a dream under the bright sun. Josephine wandered through the tables and flower arrangements as Benedict had wandered off to find his family. Josie was determined to mentally preparing herself to see Anthony, whom she hadn't seen since their fight.

Watching a small yellow butterfly land on a glass jug distracted Josephine slightly as she nearly fell from the impact of a strong male figure.

"Are you blind now?" Josephine smiled at the remark and, without looking up from the jug, responded.

"Shut up, Henry." Earning a chuckle in response.

"Are you alright?" Henry asked, knowing of Josephine's disappearances from the face of the earth. Although only three days, when one of such a sigh status like Josephine, that was a few years as far as the ton was concerned.

"Fine now, thank you, Benedict seemed to pull me out of my holidays." Josephine smiled slightly as the Bridgerton man approached the pair along with Henry's wife, who had been speaking to women just behind.

"Your holiday of wallowing in your self-pity?" Henry whispered into Josephine's ear as the two approached.
Averting his attention to Benedict, Josephine was able to slip from her friend's conversation.

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"Married ladies of the ton, huh?" Josephine whispered teasingly into Daphne's ear after hearing of Lady Danbury's invitation. "How special you are! Perhaps I shall get married so that you have someone to suffer through those soirées with." The pair giggled but swiftly halted as they watched the Featherington ladies arrive.

Suddenly all attention was turned towards the women; an awkward chatter of gossip followed closely as they made their entrance. Josephine felt rather sick as she made eye contact with Penelope before she was stolen away by Eloise.

Josephine felt awful that Penelope had forced such a massive secret on her, and then she now had to keep it as she watched Eloise spend hours trying to figure out who Whistledown was.

Stepping away from Daphne as Lady Featherington approached the family, Josephine finally locked eyes with him. It was much like the first night at the ball where she had been hidden from his view by her brother; as she stepped into view, his heart stopped. But now was not the time for reunion or passion, for everything was about to go horribly wrong.

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Oh hey! Yeah, it's been a while...
Anyways as I've started getting actual school work and commitments naturally, that's when I get the urge to procrastinate and keep writing, so expect many more chapters!

Let me know what you think! <3