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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"Thank you, Lord Lennox. Words cannot express how grateful we are." Benedict grinned, tears clouding his vision. The man smiled warmly and nodded, leaving the room to give the two privacy. Madeleine sobbed happily as she wrapped her arms around Benedict's neck, holding him tightly.
"Our baby is okay." She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. He smiled and nodded, burying his face in her neck.
"You are okay." He whispered back, holding her close to him. She smiled and pulled away, gently wiping his tears with her thumb as he did the same to her.
"We are okay." She kissed him sweetly, a hand on the back of his neck. He grinned against her lips and helped her up, aiding her in changing back into her original gown.
The two immediately returned to the hotel and gathered their things, both eager to return to London and share the good news. They simply could not seem to hold each other tightly enough, both happier than they knew was possible.
"Isabella." Benedict suddenly said, a couple of minutes after the carriage pulled away. Madeleine lifted her head off of his shoulder, looking at him with confused eyes.
"Isabella, if our baby is a girl. After your mother." He repeated, stroking her cheek gently with his thumb. Tears swelled in her eyes as she realized she could not possibly love this man any more than she already did.
"Isabella." She repeated after him, nodding and smiling adoringly at him. Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks as she once again cuddled up in his arms, nuzzling her head into the crook of his neck as he held her. They stayed that way for the majority of the ride, neither one quite able to get enough of each other.
The entire Bridgerton family was absolutely over the moon when the couple shared the news upon their return home, all elated that the baby would be just fine, and that, in just six weeks, they would have a new addition to the family.
Madeleine wiped her tears as she pulled away from Colin's embrace, the entire family having celebrated the news with many hugs. She felt happier than she could fathom as she watched the family rejoice, relishing in the love they all had for one another.
She watched as Penelope, who had happened to be visiting Eloise when they returned, beamed as she hugged Benedict and wished him congratulations. She watched as Eloise impatiently waited to hug him as well, unable to hide her excitement and pretend to be disinterested this time. She smiled softly as she watched the family she loved so dearly, before quietly leaving the drawing room to fetch some tea from the kitchen.
She was filling up the kettle when she heard footsteps approaching, turning to see the eldest Bridgerton brother at the doorway to the kitchen. She set the kettle down on the stove and looked back over at him, smiling warmly. He returned her smile as he slowly walked over.
"Madeleine, I.." He started, seemingly having trouble expressing his thoughts. He sighed and stood in front of her, taking her hands in his. She narrowed her eyebrows slightly, urging him to continue.
"I simply wish to tell you that I am so proud of you, Madeleine. You have been through much more than any human should have to bear and I am glad you and Ben are finally getting what you want." He spoke in a low voice, smiling warmly at her. Madeleine let out a breathy laugh as she felt her eyes once again well up with tears at his words, hugging him tightly.
"I am also glad to consider you a sister. I rather think we are all lucky that you moved in across from us, and that we are all the better for it." He whispered against her hair, holding her tightly.
"Thank you, Anthony. For everything. I am so inconceivably grateful to be a part of this family." She whispered, pulling away after a moment. He smiled and kissed her forehead, helping her prepare the tea to take upstairs. They chatted as they each took a tray, walking toward the stairs. They were nearly there when Penelope rushed down, almost running straight into them as her vision was impaired by the tears in her eyes.
"Pen, are you all right?" Madeleine watched her with concerned eyes, setting down the tray and placing her hands on her shoulders. Anthony watched with alarmed eyes but when Madeleine silently urged him to continue upstairs, he did. Penelope whimpered softly and bit her lip to keep from sobbing and she shook her head weakly. Madeleine sighed sympathetically at the sight of the girl about to burst into tears.
"Oh, darling, come here." She guided her over to a bench in the foyer, sitting with her.
"What is it, Pen? What is troubling you so?" She narrowed her eyebrows, rubbing her back soothingly as the girl cried. She took a shaky breath, attempting to steady herself.
"I am so sorry, Madeleine, I truly do not wish to overshadow this joyous occasion, it is just.. Have you ever loved somebody who you could not have?" Madeleine furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, urging the girl to continue.
"There is this.. man. I have liked him for quite a while but he views me as a friend, and I fear he will never see me as anything more." She bit her lip, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"When he walks into a room, he is all I can see, Madeleine. He is all that I can think about each day and night and yet to him, I am simply a girl and nothing more than that." She weeped softly, wiping her eyes. Madeleine sighed and wrapped her arm around the girl's shoulders.
"This man you speak of, it is Colin, is it not?" She asked, Penelope looking at her in surprise, eyes wide at the question. Madeleine chuckled softly, squeezing her shoulders.
"I see the way you look at him, Pen. I have known you for years and I have never seen you look at anybody the way you look at him. More than that, I see the way he looks at you." Penelope snapped her head up in shock at this, watching Madeleine with confused eyes.
"Men can be quite dense, I am afraid. It is not entirely their fault though. Benedict and I were as close as two people can be for twenty three years before we even realized what we truly were to each other." She gave Penelope a warm smile, gently wiping her tears.
"I had not thought of it that way, you two truly never saw each other as anything more?" Penelope had calmed down a bit now, curiously listening to Madeleine.
"Not in the slightest. If you had told me three years ago that I was to be married to my dear Benny, I would have simply laughed in your face. And he would have done the same. And look at us now, about to have a child together." Madeleine laughed, Penelope giggling at this as well.
"All hope is not lost, Pen. Sometimes they just need a little push in the right direction." Madeleine winked at the younger girl, squeezing her once more before standing.
"Thank you, Madeleine. Your words have truly been a comfort to me." Penelope stood as well, giving the older girl a grateful smile before leaving the house. Madeleine sighed softly as she watched her leave, grabbing the tray of tea and returning to the upstairs drawing room.
Benedict's face lit up when she walked in and he grinned, walking over to her and taking the tray from her to set it down. She giggled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"What?" She smiled up at him, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. He hummed in response, kissing her forehead.
"I just love you so god damn much." He grinned, pulling her into a hug. She giggled and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, hugging him back.
