It is said that second-born sons have all the fun. This much is certainly true for Benedict Bridgerton, free from the burdens held by his eldest brother, the Viscount. One must wonder, how does the second eldest Bridgerton spend his time?
To the to...
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Benedict stared blankly at the scandal sheet, reading it over for the third time to make sure he was not simply seeing things in his drunken state.
"Well? Is it true?" Colin asked, not bothering to hide the excitement in his voice. The whole Bridgerton family loved Madeleine and had practically grown up with her. He thought it would be wonderful if the two finally got together.
Benedict tore his eyes away from the sheet and looked up at his brother with a distraught stare. "No, you dimwit. Of course it isn't true." He groaned, bringing his face to his hands. Colin rolled his eyes at his brother's dramatics.
"It would not be so bad, you know. She's a wonderful girl and you two obviously care for each other very much." Colin raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, we care for each other as friends. Nothing more than that. God, I.." Benedict's voice trailed off and he rubbed his temples, nursing an oncoming headache.
"You what?" Colin was rather confused, he couldn't understand why this was such a bad thing. Benedict looked up at his brother and sighed, taking a long pause before he spoke.
"I think I might be in love with her, Colin."
Benedict grimaced as he spoke. He was not sure if it was the alcohol that made him blurt that out, but he couldn't seem to care at this point. He felt as though he was going to hurl.
"I do not know why, or how, but lately.. my mind has been incessantly consumed with thoughts of her. Her smile, her hair, her eyes, her laugh, her. I can't get her out of my head and it is torture, brother." He ran his hand through his hair, slurring his words slightly. Colin laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder.
"This is a good thing, Ben. You mustn't be so stressed about it. We have all known for a while that you two are more than friends and it is rather. painful that it took you this long to see that also."
Benedict scowled at his brother, shaking his head.
"It is no matter. She will never see me in that way and at any rate, she deserves better than me. I do not want to marry, not anytime soon at least. Once I marry, I will be forced to focus on raising a family and handling accounts and I will have no time to focus on my art. That sounds absolutely dreadful."
Colin frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but Benedict shut him up with a wave of his hand. "This conversation is giving me quite the headache, I must go to bed. I trust you will keep this between us?" Colin nodded, sighing at the stubbornness of his brother and watching him leave the room. He did not understand why Benedict couldn't see what was right in front of him. The two would be happy together, they loved each other, and it seemed as though everyone knew that except for them.
The next morning, Benedict woke up with a blistering headache and the events of the night before hit him like a truck. One of the maids knocked on the door, calling to him that Madeleine was downstairs to see him.
