,wallflower' • BRIDGERTON

chapter 25

"Hope Buckingham: The Natural Muse."

[25]

✑

It was a bit unusual of me to sneak into somewhere uninvited. I'm usually the kind of person to sneak out of somewhere. But still, here I was, walking through the halls of the academy. It looked utterly captivating, the walls were made out of marble and you could see men sketching on their canvas. This academy was alive.

I walked through the halls and I straightened up the red silk robe on my shoulders, which covered the corset I had worn. I spotted a room not too far from where I was so I quickly scurried inside, I suddenly saw a woman with curly brunette hair and a soft green dress sketching onto a canvas. I cleared my throat, which made her turn to look at me.

The way her jaw was structured was strong but her soft green eyes completely made up for it. She looked at me with confusion. "Pardon me, but do you know a man named Benedict Bridgerton?" She asked, her eyes trailed behind me. "Benedict, someone is requesting your presence." She said, making me turn around to see Benedict standing there, satchel in hand.

He smiled softly. "Hope, how on Earth did you get in here?" He asked as he went over towards his set up of a canvas and chair, he sat down his bag and walked up to me. "Well, I wore the appropriate attire for a muse and the men didn't know any better." I said, making him chuckle a little, and shake his head.

"Of course they did." Benedict mumbled.

"Surprisingly this organization was founded by two women, but we are still not yet to enter the classroom. At least, not while we are clothed." The woman behind us said which made me turn to look at her. From what she was sketching she was an incredible artist. Benedict hums before walking around me and towards the woman, they seem to be quite familiar with one another, given how Benedict looks at her.

"So you work as a model as a way of learning from the lectures? Ingenious." He said, quite clearly flirting. But, I thought he was courting my sister. Well, I guess the Duchess was right. Benedict was indeed a rake, capital R rake. I crossed my arms. "Care to take a turn?" The woman offered, I immediately grin. "Oh, what fun that will be." I said, making his eyes land on me.

"You will finally be in the shoes of a muse, and feel how terrifying it is." I said, the woman glanced over at me with furrowed eyebrows. "You have modeled before?" She asks. I nodded my head, thinking about the night I finally felt unburdened of insecurities. "Indeed. It is harder than it looks, Benedict." I warned him. He hummed and turned his nose up, accepting the challenge. He took a deep breath before stepping up onto the platform in the middle of the room before immediately sitting down, resting his forehead on his hand, posing.

"Like so?" He said playfully, causing me to chuckle. I shook my head before uncrossing my arms. "No." I said before I walked up towards the platform and took a step up onto to it. I examined his pose before I tilted my head in thought. I grabbed the hand his forehead was resting upon and I rested it on his knees. Which then gave me access to his broad shoulders, I pushed his body back so he was sitting up completely straight. He moved almost like a porcelain doll.

I adjusted his hands once more before I took my pointer, middle, and thumb finger and softly grabbed his chin and tilted his face up to look at me. His eyes trailed up to look at me.

The way he looked at me caused me to breath in sharply, but I do not why. Something bellowed in my belly which caused me to quickly take my hand off his chin and turn back around. I walked back over to the woman who now sat with a sketchbook in hand. I stood next to her and watched as Benedict strained to keep his posture. He sighed deeply.