Thunderbird - B. Bridgerton

22

„What did he write?", Sofia asks Benedict. The second eldest Bridgerton is too confused and too angry to answer. He feels betrayed.
With a sudden motion he starts walking out the room, still carrying the note in his hands.
Sofia tries to follow him, but he's faster.

„Benedict! What did Selim write?"
Benedict doesn't answer. He has arrived in his chamber and already started to dress up - just some pants and a shirt, nothing too complicated. After putting on his boots, he walks to his painting room, ignoring his pregnant wife who follows him, and directly walks towards the painting he has been working on for a weeks now.
„What are you doing?", Sofia asks as he turns the pointing around and starts to rip it. Or at least he wants to, but the painting is already damaged.

„This bastard", Benedict once again mumbles.
„What are you talking about?"
„He took my gun." Of course he did! Benedict has told him everything, every single detail.
Before he can decide what to do, the door to the painting room opens and an very angry Anthony and Colin enter.

„How dare you?"
„A duel?"
„Without telling me?"
„Colin, that's not the point", Anthony remarks.
„Of course it is! You know how much I want that bastard to be dead. Who did you even pick as your secondary, if not one of us? Gregory?"
„Selim"
„The farmer's boy?! You chose him over us?"
Even Anthony seems to be offended.
„Now's not the time to be mad at me", Benedict intervenes, „The farmer's boy took my gun and went to kill Lord Şen alone."
His words are followed by a surprised silence. „Well", Colin slowly says, „that's a good thing, isn't it?"

„Of course it's not! How am I ever going to be sure that that monster is dead without seeing it with my own eyes?"
„The second the farmer's boy comes back alive, we'll know it, right?"
What if he doesn't come back?, Benedict thinks, but after a quick glance at his wife, who's still standing next to them, he decides to not say it out loud.
„We have to go and find them", Anthony agrees.

„You are staying here" The three eldest Bridgerton boys speak in unison, all pointing at Sofia.
„No", she declares firmly.
„Yes", Benedict orders angrily.
„You can't expect me to wait here while you're out and searching for Selim and Karan."
„I won't let a woman with child walk around the city and eventually witness a murder"
„But Benedict-"
„Just do what I am asking you for! At least for once!" Benedict had never really shouted at Sofia before. Not like this at least. Even in his angriest of moments, he had kept his voice low. This time he is not raising his voice out of anger. It's the despair.

And for some reason Sofia understands. She nods slowly and then proceeds to hug her husband, who is too stunned to hug her back at first. It takes him a few seconds to realize what's going on. Then, he puts his arms firmly around his wife, keeping her near and safe.
„Take care of yourself", Sofia whispers, before letting go of him and walking back home. She even forgets to say anything or at least to share a glance with Colin and/ or Anthony.
The second eldest Bridgerton waits until the door shuts behind his wife, until he turns around to face his brothers.
„I hope you have guns with you, mine wad taken by the farmer's boy."

Sofia waits just behind the door for ten minutes - that feel like three centuries - then she proceeds to follow the Bridgerton-Boys. Benedict, Anthony and Colin have in the meantime looked at Karan's - Lord Aras' - house, but of course he had already left. Now that the Bridgertons are walking down the street, Sofia follows them from a safe distance. She knows Selim better than anyone. If there's anyone who could find him and Karan, it's her. There's no way that she could just sit on the couch in her nice home and wait.

From the road they're taking, Sofia  can tell that they're going to the park, which was probably the duel destination Karan and Benedict had agreed on.
Sofia is not really sure, if they're really going to be there. Selim might be an ordinary farmer's boy, but he's not dumb. He knows that Benedict is going to look there for him first. And if he hasn't already killed Karan in this park, there is no way that he's going to be there.
Another thing is that the farmer's boy doesn't know London well. Sofia tries to think about another place he might drag Karan to - and suddenly it hits her.