The Bridgerton and the Countess ( Collin Bridgeton)

Chapter 20

Jo could feel herself slowly descend into madness as the tea prolonged, every time Lady Berbrooke reached over the cakes and biscuits and shoved them in her tiny mouth Jo's eye began to twitch slightly as Lady Berbrooke chewed very loudly. The only thing that made Jo stay was Daphnes future and Alice ( her future lady in waiting) was downstairs trying to butter up Lady Berbrooke's lady with Rose.

" Nigel is my one and only child, very special boy indeed" Lady Berbrooke said, picking up her 20th pastry in the last five out of thirty agonising minutes that she had sat down " In fact I often say, God did not bless me with another because perfection had already been achieved." Jo's eyes widened while she was taking a sip of her tea, and ( unladylike) almost choked as she laughed ( as that was the most absurd thing she had ever heard)

" Excuse me." Jo said, grabbing a napkin and dapping her mouth trying not to show her obvious smile, and Lady Berbrooke shot daggers in her direction while Daphne also tried to hide her smile.

" Not every lady can be so blessed, I know," Lady Berbrooke said, turning her attention away from Jo and back at Violet. Daphne however, seemed to be in a far off place with emotions running in her eyes, so out of pure reaction Jo grabbed onto her hand and squeezed, all the tension immediately released from Daphnes body until Lady Berbrooke put a stop to that.

" Miss Bridgerton," Lady Berbrooke said, and Daphne turned her head to face her " Allow me to set my eyes upon you," She said with a mouth full of food which made Jo's eye twitch again " Mmm certainly healthy, even if your countenance is a bit drawn."

" It was a terribly late evening." Violet said, trying not to go mother bear on Lady Berbrook.

" All the excitement I suppose, yet you must try harder, dear. My Nigel is quite discerning, he already turned away many more handsome debutants saying, ' Mother, I prize accomplishment over beauty', can you believe it?"

" Well Daphne isn't a animal you can criticise and judge just because your ' precious Nigel' decided to bestow this ' blessed' engagement into her." Jo mumbled, but unfortunately Lady Berbrooke heard.

" Ahh Josephine," Lady Berbrooke said staring her down as she got another cake " My Nigel told me about you."

" Oh what lovely things did he say?" Jo said sarcastically, and Violet shot her a look.

" He actually had interest in you first dear, yes," Lady Berbrook said, and Jo felt her skin crawl " But with the many suitors throwing themselves at your feet, and your personality like a wild horse most certainly put him off." And she shoved the cake in her mouth.

" Well Lady Berbrook I must say I'm glad." Jo said, fouling her arms getting ready to attack.

" And why is that? You should be more than disappointed to miss out on such a perfect man?" Lady Berbrooke said, talking with a full mouth yet again.

" You see Lady Berbrook, after your many years in a unloving marriage I'm sure you've forgotten that women are not to be broken like horses nor breeded like them either, and if I may be frank they are way better than the common man and their deluded prissy lady's as they do not care if I choose to sit side saddle or not."

" Well I never-" Lady Berbrooke said.

" Been told the truth before, yes I sensed that from your shocked demeanour." Jo said, and the whole table fell quiet during the rest of tea, to which Daphne was grateful shown by another squeeze on Jo's hand.

***

" You ate but not one bite at tea my dear!" Lady Berbrook said, collecting her gloves from her lady's maid ready to leave " A young lady must be well fed if she is to bear children, Kippers on rye every morning worked wonders for me when I convinced my Nigel." She said to Daphne, and gave one glare at Jo before hurriedly striding out of the room, lady's maid quickly following behind her.

" What have you found?" Violet said immediately to Rose as Lady Berbrook walked out the room.

" Please tell me it was something good!" Jo said to Alice, and all the lady's maids smiled.

" What is going on?" Daphne said, walking forward,

" Well you could not think I'd ask that woman for tea without a thought for you, could you?" Violet said to Daphne.

" Nor me sitting through such a awful tea!" Jo said, rolling her eyes.

" The help hears everything, as we all know!" Violet said, before she and Jo both turned around to heat the news.

" She has heard a good deal in fact." Alice smiled.

" Lord Berbrooke has a boy by one of his maids that he refused to provide for." Rose said, also smiling over the gossip they had just heard.

" Sent the maid and child away to live off scraps!" Alice said, looking appalled.

" Horrid man!" Mrs Wilson said.

" Horrible enough for us to be rid of him, let us pray." Violet said.

" Well, he-he will only deny it!" Daphne said, starting to bite her finger nails " And who will believe a group of women over a man's word?"

" Perhaps no one," Violet said walking next to Daphne " But they will if Lady Whistledown does, so we shall do what women do," she then turned back around " We shall talk!"

***

" He's goneeeee!" Jo shouted as she ran into Daphnes bedroom " He's gone, He's gone!!" And she began bouncing on Daphnes bed, as Daphne walked out of of walk in closet.

" Lord Berbrooke?" Daphne squealed.

" Yess!" Jo shouted, and the two both began dancing and jumping on her bed before collapsing into a fit a giggles.

" You and mama are absolutely amazing you know!" Daphne smiled, once they had stopped laughing almost completely.

" Don't forget, Alice, Rose, Miss Wilson and Marge, they helped as well!" Jo smiled out of breath.

" Marge? She helped? I thought she was more..." Daphne said trying to find the word.

" Refined? Yeah she normally is, but we haven't talked for so long because of the season she jumped at a chance to be involved with something that included me." Jo smiled.

" You know what?" Daphne said, sitting up abruptly.

" What?" Jo smiled as she supported herself with her elbows.

" How about when everyone is asleep, we sneak downstairs and have a bit of mama's celebratory wine!" Daphne said.

" Miss Bridgerton," Jo said, sitting up fully and placing a hand on her chest " You rebel!"

" I guess you bring it out in me." Daphne smiled, and the two later did take a glass of the wine as they both gushed and giggled over childhood and suitors as they felt as if they had not really talked since this season had started. And Jo began to miss the girls they once were and it dawned on her at this very moment. That she liked that Collin was jealous. And in fact, the talk of childhood grew and grew so did the buried feelings that she had locked away began to resurfaced. And to her horror, those feelings were for Collin Bridgerton. She liked Collin Bridgerton.

Authors note:

Thank you so much for all the support I have been getting on this book, your kind words just fuel me more and more to write and I appreciate and see every one of those comments 🥰

Exiting news if you haven't already heard it, but Bridgerton season 2 is coming out on the 25th March!!!!!

A update on the book is that it wouldn't be following the plot for the books or the up coming seasons of Bridgerton on Netflix. I plan the end the book the way Season one ended. Or I might change my mind in the future but that is unlikely 😊

Other than that keep an eye out for the next chapter as that will be coming out very soon 😏