Contrite & Convicted

Capital R. Rake Part II

Capital R. Rake Part II

Ester was taking tea in the morning room with Benedict underneath the sun's morning rays beaming through the glass. Ester was trying to take a sip of her tea whenever she felt like laughing, rolling her eyes or wanting to cry. With Hyacinth currently laying her head in Ester's lap.

Ester's two children were crawling around on the floor. Edmund, the one with shining blonde curly hair was currently munching on Benedict's trousers with an evil grin in his eyes. Benedict was bound to have a soaking wet pant leg and Ester wasn't about to tell him why.

Jacob ,her second twin, had deep brown hair and was the spitting image of Anthony's father. Jacob was currently sitting beside Ester looking around at the images around him. He never made much noise (to some extent that worried Ester) and hardly responded to anything. Jacob would just watch his family with whatever they were getting into with little fuss.

On the other side of the room however, Gregory and Eloise were trying their hardest to dance to the horrible tune Franny was playing. The dance instructor doing his best not to yell at Eloise who was...struggling to say the least.

"Ugh." Violet claimed as Eloise almost stepped on Gregory's feet. Ester snorted into her tea when Benedict chuckled at Gregory making a scrunched face when Eloise stepped on his foot.

"She's not very good is she?" Hyacinth claimed and began to sit up out of Ester's lap. Her tone had humor in it but Eloise did not hear it.

"I can hear you." Almost immediately after Eloise tried to snip back at her little sister, she once more stepped onto Gregory's feet.

"Eloise! My feet!!"

"Are we done, now?" Eloise said, stepping back from her brother and faced her mother. Violet did her best not to show how truly upset she was at Eloise's dancing skills and made a quick reply.

"If you are to catch the Queen's eye after that interruption, you must be perfection." Eloise scoffed and continued to dance.

"I believe the interruption was perfect." She whispered only loud enough for the younger family members to hear her. Benedict placed his newspaper in his lap and faced Ester.

"Shocking that Eloise Bridgerton was not named the season diamond, was it not?" Ester rolled her eyes.

"I was not named the diamond and look at me! Eloise, dancing is rather difficult, yes but you just need to find the right partner. Here, let me play the lead and you dance with me. Gregory is not even the correct height for a real partner."

"Hey!" Gregory said as Ester lightly pushed him out of the way. Jacob moved to follow his mother but Gregory picked him up and placed him in his lap and began bouncing to the beat. Edmund however switched the object his mouth wished to chew and was on Benedict's shoe instead.

"Franny, music." Ester said and when Franny began tickling the ivories once more, Ester slowed herself down so Eloise didn't feel so out of sequence. The dance instructor was not pleased with Ester 'making her own tempo' but with a swish of Ester's hand the old man had left without another word.

Eloise was starting to get some grip on the music and the dance when Anthony barged in, attitude and all.

"Was anyone else aware that dear Colin decided to add Albania, or some such place to his itinerary as he gads about the world?"

Ester and Eloise continued to dance, with severe effort on Eloise's part. Eloise tried to comment on Anthony's remark.

"No, but how happy for him that he can simply decide to do that." Ester stopped dancing and turned to face her husband, who was currently looking at Jacob in Gregory's lap.