[1] The Princess Royal | B. Bridgerton

Chapter 15

I Love You

On the way back from the fight, the Duke of Hastings chose to ride with the Princess in her carriage, while Martin took care of his horse. The two sat in front of each other in silence, until Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke.

"Daphne doesn't want to marry my cousin," she said, and the Duke looked at her with a frown. "I can see it in her eyes a quite clearly."

"Let's not speak of her," he leaned forwards and sighed. "Char, what happened between you and Benedict Bridgerton?"

And that is when Charlotte explained everything that happened, excluding her conversation with Daphne. She tried to keep it together, but a few silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Simon sighed and motioned her to scoot over in her seat. He took a seat next to her, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. She grabbed his arms and leaned on his shoulder as he held her closer.

"Tears are words the heart cannot say," he whispered and she lightly shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"It is not your fault, at all," she sighed. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with Daphne."

"I'm sorry of that too," he sighed.

"Are you really leaving England?" She asked and moved her head to look at him.

"I am," he nodded. "It is for the best."

"I never took you for a quitter," she said, and he looked at her with a glare. "What? I just said what everyone else is thinking."

"You don't understand—"

"We have known each other for years, Simon. Of all people, you cannot tell me I do not understand," she stated, and released herself from the Duke's hold. "Your father was a despicable man who didn't deserve to have you as his son. You are special, and he didn't see it. You worked your hardest to please him, but he was blinded by his own pride, demands and God knows what else... But you are not like him! After all our years of friendship, that is what I want you to realize. You are not your father!"

"I know that! I am not my father, you speak the truth," he nodded, and Charlotte could hear the distress in his voice. "But I refuse to get any more attached to her. She deserves everything I cannot give her."

The last thing the two wanted was to be apart from each other, and that their last conversation was a discussion. So, the topic of Simon and Daphne died there.

But the Duke refused to leave the carriage without addressing the other elephant in the room.

"Benedict Bridgerton, is it?" He asked, and Charlotte sighed. "The two of you certainly make a captivating match. What made you choose him?"

"I didn't choose him... My heart did," she looked down at her lap. "Today was the first time I saw him since last week... And my heart just keeps beating his name over, and over, and I... I don't know what to do."

"From what I could see this afternoon was that... You're both hurting," Simon placed one of his hands over hers. "You need to talk about what happened, even if it means you locking him in a dungeon just for him to listen to you."

"I will not," she chuckled softly at his words, but sighed. "I don't want to force him to do anything he doesn't want to do."

Simon only stared at her. She was too good of a person. Perhaps too good. He's known girls trying to kick the door down just to be listened, and to beg for comfort... But Charlotte was not one of them. After enjoying the silence for a while, the carriage came to a stop in front of the gentlemen's club.