To Paint With Shadows | Benedict Bridgerton

The Snake Beneath The Reeds

'Lady Cowper, it is wonderful to see you.' Violet greeted, embracing the woman politely.
'Indeed, my dear Cressida has been looking forward to this dinner.' Araminta responded, a pungent falsity to her words.
Violet smiled, her mind most amused by the fact that the scowl on Cressida's face did not seem to match that account.
'Shall we go through?' Lady Danbury spoke from beside them.
The two women nodded, before making their way to the dinning room.
Despite having been with the Bridgertons for several months now, Sophie had never seem the dinning room, done up to this extent: bright candles washed the room in a warm iridescence, the table cloth a pristine ivory, hidden beneath the plates and cutlery that had been placed with such precision.
'It is most extraordinary, is it not?' Penelope spoke, noticing how Sophie seemed to linger in the doorway.
'I do not believe I have ever seen anything like it.' Sophie explained, her voice rich with awe and wonder.
Penelope simply smiled at her comment.
'Do not worry, it does not stay this clean for long.' Kate teased reassuringly, 'There has not been a Bridgerton dinner at which something does not go awry.'
Sophie was most relaxed by Kate's comment; despite having been married to Anthony for a while now, Kate had come from nothing, so she seemed to empathise with the girl's uncertainty.
Kate offered Sophie her arm, so the two of them may enter together: even in the short stretch that they had travelled, it did not take the two women long to begin a most enthralling conversation.
As he found his place at the table, Anthony's eyes scanned for his wife; he could not contain his smile when he caught sight of her almost barreling over in a fit of laughter, but as he looked to her right, it was soon extinguished. Sophie was so dearly adored by his family, in such a short space of time she had made a irreversible impact on them, and even he himself often found himself relishing the warmth that she seemed to emit; so as the guilt reached his stomach, he made the mistake of looking over at Benedict, who was being spoken to by a concerned Colin: he had done this, he had been a cause in his brother's unhappiness. When he spoke to him before the ball, he was overcome by his pride, his arrogance getting the better of him: he had been so blinded by mistakes that he had made in the past, he had not noticed the way his brother smiled when he was in Sophie's presence. This was so much greater than a secret love affair between the two: they were in love with each other.

He did not notice Kate coming to his side, placing her hand gently over his. 'Are you alright?' She asked, worry etched upon her face.
Anthony nodded slowly: 'Quite.' He stated, yet it was clear that Kate did not believe him. 'Let us sit.' He announced.
Upon his instruction everyone found their place at the table: Benedict sighed, as he sat, noticing how he not so subtly been sat beside Cressida. She offered him a smile: it surprised him, he did not think her capable of faking one. As the thought played upon his mind, he soon found himself wishing he could tell it to one person in particular; inevitably, she would scold him for his remark, even if she thought it herself, but he would not have minded, he would have simply enjoyed telling her. Yet, as he looked over to where she sat beside Hyacinth, he remembered that he could not; they had not spoken a word since her return, perhaps she truly did not love him, the way he did her.
'Oh.' Aramita exclaimed, as all eyes turned to her, hers remained fixed on Sophie, 'I did not expect to be dinning with your governess.' A slight sneer freezing her features.
Sophie looked up, wide eyes, she did not know what to say.
'You will have to forgive us, Lady Cowper, we do not often like to do things the way society expects.' Violet joked, hoping to ease the situation, not wanting to offend Sophie nor Araminta.
'Certainly, so.' Araminta mumbled, taking a sip from her glass.
The room was silent for a moment, with every second that passed Sophie seemed to find herself growing even more unsettled; she looked to her left, feeling pair of eyes watching her. From the other side of the table, Benedict's gaze remained focused on her, the two of them sharing a look, as if they were both trying to communicate a reassurance to the other.
'Mister Bridgerton,' Lady Danbury began, 'Are we to see this painting before it is displayed?' She asked rather pointedly, yet everyone was just glad that somebody had filled the void of conversation.
Benedict hesitated for as long as he could, before he forced his eyes away from Sophie's.
'I do not believe so.' He answered, 'Mr Crozier seems to want to preserve the secrecy for as long as he can.'
The simply mention of his name caused Sophie to choke on her food, memories flooding her brain: thankfully, nobody other than Benedict seemed to have heard her.
'Well, Cressida will be most delighted to view your work, Mister Bridgerton, won't you Cressida?' Aramita spoke with the same lack of sincerity, her voice grating.
'Indeed.' Cressida responded simply.
Elouise's eyes followed her with such intensity, her gaze seemed to harbour the heat of a thousand fires.
'Is it not lovely weather we are having now that we are back in London-' Violet began to speak, before she was cut off.
'I say, Miss Taylor, it is a rather uncommon name in London.' Araminta goaded, 'Unless of course, you are the daughter of Helena Taylor.' A smirk played upon her lips, as the inhabitants of the room hung on to her every word.
Sophie could hear her heart racing in her chest. Benedict watched her, wanting so badly to help her, but there was nothing he could do.
'It was most devastating when she died.' Araminta continued, 'A young woman like that finding herself involved in such vulgar activities. Such shame it must bring you.'
Sophies eyes pricked with tears, her head beginning to spin.
'Lady Cowper.' Lady Danbury warned through gritted teeth.
Lady Cowper feigned surprise, looking between the other members at the table.
'Oh,' she gasped, 'I presumed you knew.' She spoke to Violet in particular, ' Surely, you would not have hired her unaware of her lineage... I fear the things she must teach your daughters.'
Her last comment caused Sophie to drop her fork, it landed with a crash as her hands shook uncontrollably.
'That is enough, Lady Cowper!' Anthony roared, standing from his seat, as he threw down his napkin.
Sophie fought every will of her body, to remain upright in her chair; her chest heaving violently.
'Miss Taylor, are you alright?' He asked, his voice softening instantly.
'If I may be excused, My Lord?' She asked, breathlessly.
Anthony swallowed the lump in his throat, offering her a gentle nod.
Sophie stood, all eyes still on her, she stumbled slightly as she stepped away from the table. However, a pair of hands quickly caught her waist; Benedict had left his place with such urgency, no one had noticed his departure. Sophie looked up at him, in this moment simply relieved that he had been the one to catch her.
'I've got you.' He whispered to her, as he helped her to stand up straight.
As Araminta watched the pair, a frown spread across her face; her attempts at making a match between Benedict and his daughter were to prove futile.
Wanting to leave the room as quickly as possible, Sophie gripped Benedict's arm, allowing him to lead her.
Silence fell upon the room: everyone far too abhorred by what they had just witnessed.
Anthony shook his head: 'Lady Cowper, I must ask you to leave.' He said, staring her down.
As Araminta went to defend herself, he quickly spoke again: 'I must apologise, had I realised that the lack of entertainment would be such an issue for you, that you would be left with no choice, but to sit here and mock a member of my family, I would have had Hyacinth play you something on the pianoforte.' His sarcasm sharp and cutting, 'Miss Taylor is a most respectable young woman. She carries more grace in her pinky finger, than you could ever wish to possess... So if anyone is bring shame upon their family, I believe it is you.' Everybody watched Anthony, finding themselves speechless with the directness of his remarks.
Araminta and Cressida stood from the table, their heads hung low, as if they were dogs with their tails between their legs.
'See that they leave promptly.' Anthony spoke quietly to a member of his staff, his words still oozing with disgust.
'Yes, My Lord.' The man nodded, before quickly leaving the room.