Baby, I'm yours - Benedict Bridgerton

MORE flowers?

The same as she was after the queen spoke with her, Daphne wakes up the next morning as though she is possibly the happiest person in the world. And she is even happier when she looks outside and sees the long queue of suitors waiting to come and visit her. I am quite sure they are not here for me since I spoke to two men last night and one of them was Benedict. I tried hard not to feel disheartened, for I was not the diamond of the first water and I knew I would not be, but having only a single suitor who may or may not come to see me did not make me feel too proud of myself. I wondered if my mother's advice would have been any different to Violet's and whether it would have worked any better for me. It did not matter, I still had the whole season. I shall find someone, I must tell myself that.

"Oh! Look at them all, mother!" Daphne exclaims, clapping her hands lightly and squeaking, spinning around. "There shall not be enough room in the house for all of the flowers that we shall have, is that not wonderful?"

"Yes, my dear." Violet smiles at her, and then to me. "Matilda, I can see Lord Ambrose is here. Is he not one of your suitors?"

"He is the only one, Lady Bridgerton." I release a small sigh but I am relieved he did come. He seems like a kind enough young man, and I suppose I could do much worse. I am glad he came because I should be so embarrassed to be faced with no one whilst they queue around the streets for Daphne. "Still, he seems to have a bouquet of flowers and that shall do enough for me."

We go downstairs, the brothers are all sat at the dining table, apart from Anthony who seems to be pacing up and down. "And whatever are you so wound up about?" I question, standing behind Benedict's chair.

"He is always this wound up, is it any surprise really?" Benedict grins up at me, raising an eyebrow. "I saw Ambrose outside. Am I not the smartest man alive, hm?"

"Far from it, I should say." I lean over and take a slice of toast from his plate, biting into it. Violet looks at me disapprovingly and so I gently place it back down on the plate.

"None of these men are what we are looking for for Daphne." Anthony outbursts, shaking his head and extending his arms upwards, annoyed. "I shall not have my sister courted by eccentrics and gamblers and artists."

"Ooh." Benedict holds his hand to his chest as though wounded by this comment.

"Well, I shall not. She shall marry someone respectable and half of these men do not have the right to step into our home, nevermind have the right to attempt to court my sister! I do not approve and I shall not approve. And as head of this household-"

"As head of this household?" Violet raises both of her eyebrows, offering him a sweet and sickly smile, as though she is a little outraged about what he has just said. He is the head of the household, after they lost their father, but he does not seem as though he knows what is best for the family in any way, shape nor form. But it is just like Anthony to think that he knows what is right for all.

They do not argue any further, instead Violet turns around and begins to welcome people into their home, Daphne taking a comfortable seat. She shall need it to be comfortable for with all the people that are coming to see her, she shall be sat there a very long time. Lord Ambrose of course comes directly to me, holding the flowers out to me, and I take them carefully. "These are for you. I wish I could have devised something more original than flowers."

"That is okay, I do not mind." I look down at them, nodding. "I do not really know where we are supposed to go, my lord. The living room is full of all the men here for Daphne, and I am not sure what other rooms shall be supervised. And I cannot be alone with you, of course."

"Yes, of course. Well, if there is another time-"

"Nonsense!" Benedict suddenly strolls up behind me with a crooked grin, putting an open palm on my shoulder. "I shall be more than happy to sit in the corner of a room and keep an eye on you two. You have to watch this one, she is sneaky." Benedict indicates down to me, with raised eyebrows. Ambrose laughs awkwardly as though he does simply not have any idea how he is supposed to respond to that comment. "Come, we can sit in the study. I shall ask Miss Wilson to fetch some tea and cakes too."