~~Artiste~~(Benedict Bridgerton)

Epilogue

--1826--

    The afternoon sun shined down on Elizabeth Bridgerton as she quietly sat in the back gardens of her home. It had been her favorite spot since she was a little girl, a place of serene silence that Elizabeth found comforting. She was tucked away on a wooden bench, her eyes heavy and her body exhausted in her current state as she tilted her head back and basked in the calm.

   "There you are" Benedict's voice caused her eyes to snap open. After fourteen years of marriage, he still was the most handsome man she had ever met. Even with whisps of grey within his hair and the faint signs of wrinkles that were on his forehead and cheeks

"Why don't you go inside?" He inquired, now settling beside her and placing a hand on her swollen stomach. 

   "Because your sons are driving me crazy" She pouted slightly as she tried to get comfortable again.

   "You mean our sons?" Elizabeth rolled her eyes, deciding to sit up straight. Benedict placed a supporting hand on his wife's lower back worried about her exhausted state. It is well known that Benedict and Elizabeth were blessed when it came to their children, After their oldest Alexander they were blessed with three more boys. 

   Charles was born in the spring of 1816. His birth had been the easiest as Elizabeth's waters broke in the early morning and he had arrived by afternoon tea. Charles was Benedict's twin in everything but his eyes, which were emerald-like his mother's. As a small child, he was extremely timid and constantly clung to his parent's side. Because of this, he was often the butt of many of his brother's jokes. But as he grew so did his personality as he adopted his mother's temper and quick wit. He had also acquired his parent's love for the arts as he trained under Benedict who had been extremely successful after leaving the Academy. 

   The twins, William and David, were born in 1820. William was born first, he was the bigger of the twins and he always seemed to lead the pair with his loudmouth and sly personality fit for making any and all trouble. He had brunette hair and blue eyes with Benedict's cheeky grin and Elizabeth's rebellious behaviors. David had always reminded Elizabeth of her father, with brown hair and the Sheppard signature brown eyes that made him look like the Marquess since his birth. He was constantly following his brother blindly, doing the dirty work and helping his twin brother with anything. But at the end of the day, both the twins were Mama's boys, always calling for her to sing them goodnight and refusing to close their eyes before she tucked them in. The two were her babies even with how destructive and chaotic they were. But Elizabeth's pregnancy with the twins had put a tremendous toll on her health. It was weeks of sickness on end, constant aches and pains in her body that forced her to be bedridden, and the actual birth that had her on death's door. Benedict swore they would stop. But Hyacinth's wedding brought on a long drunken night and here she was pregnant for the last time at the age of thirty-six.

   "Mother wrote, Eloise had a girl, her name is Georgiana" Benedict handed Elizabeth the letter. She gave him a dark glare before shoving the paper back into his chest.

    "Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now?" She slumped backward again, her eyes like daggers as he laughed,

    "Because I am charming, handsome, and your husband" He gave a nervous grin.

    "Not good enough" Benedict's eyes went wide and he acted hurt "I am the father of your children!" He dramatically spoke.

    "So that means you are the reason I am this way" Her glare never faded, so he opted to ignore it to continue the conversation.