It is said that second-born sons have all the fun. This much is certainly true for Benedict Bridgerton, free from the burdens held by his eldest brother, the Viscount. One must wonder, how does the second eldest Bridgerton spend his time?
To the to...
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The pair entered the Bridgerton House and walked toward the drawing room where the family typically gathered in the morning. Benedict removed his arm from her shoulder and took her hand, kissing it before letting go. She followed him into the room and Violet looked up as the two entered.
"Well there you two are! The cook is just getting breakfast ready, are you hungry?" She gave them a warm smile and Benedict shook his head.
"Mother, there is something we need to speak to you and Anthony about." Violet noticed the seriousness in Benedict's tone, which was quite rare, and nodded, standing up.
"Colin, please take your brothers and sisters to the dining room for breakfast." She gave him a stern look to let him know this was not a request and he sighed, nodding. He did not enjoy being left out of serious matters simply because he was the youngest of the three older brothers, but he counted on Benedict filling him in later.
"Come on then, up you go." He gestured to his siblings, corralling them out of the room and closing the door behind him. Anthony had put down his newspaper and was now focused on the two as they sat on one of the settees.
"What is it, dearest? Is everything well?" Violet asked, her voice laced with concern as she sat across from them. It was a rare sight to see Benedict as serious and solemn as he was, so she knew there was something afoot.
"Madeleine's great uncle has come to claim the estate and all of its belongings against her will. Lord William Alaister."
Anthony's eyes widened a bit at this and his eyes darted to the girl. "William Alaister is your uncle? The William Alaister?" He greatly admired the man's business success, but he had a feeling he would feel such admiration toward the man no more. Madeleine nodded, picking at her nails anxiously.
"Yes, and he is a cruel man. We walked in to him removing everything from my mother's room and when we tried to stop him, he threatened to destroy your family's reputation if we got in the way." Anthony's nostrils flared in anger and he stood up, straightening his waistcoat and getting ready to confront her uncle. Violet quickly stood also, grabbing his arm and telling him to wait.
"No, Mother. I do not care who this man is, nobody will threaten my family." He seethed, his voice laced with anger, but she did not let go of him.
"I agree with you entirely, dearest, but we must think about this before storming over in a fit of anger." She raised an eyebrow sternly and he hesitated before he nodded, sighing and sitting back down.
Together, the four began to devise a plan. Violet and Anthony would go straight over and speak to the man. Madeleine was quite shaken from the previous interaction and Benedict refused to leave her. They would tell her uncle that they had no problem bringing this to the royal court if he did not cede. Anthony was confident that this threat would scare him enough to back down. She knew Anthony was not one to back down from his promises, let alone when it concerned his family. As she watched them leave, she felt a bit of hope that this might work.
