Baby, I'm yours - Benedict Bridgerton

Trip and fall

The next few days fly by, it is probably the most busy few days of my life. It is time that I am presented to the queen, and I am nervous. I see what Penelope meant, when she said that she could feel her heart in her throat. As could I, and it was a truly awful feeling.

We ride in a carriage to the palace, myself, Daphne, Violet and Eloise in the carriage. To my surprise, Fran has been sent away for the summer and so she shall not be here for the season, and so that leaves space for a very excited Hyacinth to join us instead. She claws at the windows, staring out and pointing at every tree or carriage or person we go past with unparalleled giddiness. "Is it far until we get to the palace?"

"It is not too much further." Violet assures her.

Benedict and Colin are riding out front and Anthony is no where to be seen. It is probably that he is with the opera singer that Benedict has mentioned to me before. Violet seems rather unhappy about this, and I do hope that it ends in quite a large and unruly argument where Anthony gets a good telling off. He deserves a good telling off!

The carriage draws to a halt and it is time for us to exit, Daphne leads with Violet climbing out after her, and then Eloise taking precedence over me. I step out, stumbling a little as I am not used to such big gowns and such little carriage steps, and I stumble straight into two strong arms that catch me. I look up, of course it's Benedict, whose hands clutch me just underneath my chest, before pulling me back upright. "Oh." I mutter. "So seeing them was not enough, now you must touch them too?"

"You are suggesting I want to ruin you?" He mutters back at me, a smile on his face as always. He keeps a hand on my waist, so that I am still pressed improperly close to him, but he does not seem to care at all. "And so what if I do?"

"Well, I suppose it does not at all matter to you if you do." I narrow my eyes slightly at him after this comment. "But it matters to me a great deal, and it matters to the ton a great deal, so you shall do well not to walk in on me changing again. Or hold me like this!"

"You do not seem to mind it so much. Your heart is beating rather fast."

I hesitate, my cheeks flushing red as I am unsure how to retort that. "Of course it is." I snap. "I am nervous."

"I make you nervous?" He grins, perpetually trying to wind me up. He has always loved teasing me but it had always been okay by me, because I loved being teased by him. "Oh Matilda, if I make you so nervous, you only need say-"

"Uh!" Violet looks across, her eyes wide and alert as she glances at Benedict's hand sat on my waist and his face only inches from mine. "What is... what is... oh, nevermind! Matilda, you must come here and quickly, we are about to go in." She waves her slightly flustered hand at me to indicate for me to rush over at speed.

I gland up at Benedict, who releases his grip on my waist and I walk to where Violet has asked me to, hitching my dress up at the front so that I do not fall over again. If I was not nervous before, I certainly was now, or perhaps my heart was thumping like mad for the interaction I had just had, like he said... I couldn't let him be right, so it must be the nerves of meeting the queen. But, either way, my hands felt a little numb as I walked into the palace, and I waited for my turn.

"Will Matilda enter with us, mama?" Daphne asks, fixing up her hair last minute.

Violet pauses, nodding as she looks down to me. "Yes. So, Daphne shall be announced, and then you shall be announced, and then they shall insist on announcing me as well, and then we shall enter. The queen shall be sat at the end, you must walk to her and curtsy, nothing more."

"Yes. Of course." I nod to show I understand, and by the time I have checked my mirror and fixed my own hair, I find that I am being hustled to one of the doors and it is soon my time. I watch as Penelope and her sister's enter, giving her a reassuring smile as she walks past me. I wish I could do more, she looks as though she is likely to be sick. The doors close behind them but I hear a gasp and a few giggles, and I hope to god I have not cursed Penelope and she has not actually just been sick.

"Miss Daphne Bridgerton, and Miss Matilda Dawson. Presented by the right honourable, the dowager viscountess Bridgerton." The loud man with the irritating voice announces, and the doors creak open to invite me in.