Hope for the Hopeless

Confusion

Benedict felt confused when his mother told him that Sophie was coming to London and was going to have a season.

He'd been under the impression that Richard nor Charlie wanted her to have a season and didn't want her to marry, or if they did, that they would have just found someone from amongst their friends' sons or their friends but now to hear that she was coming to London... to be presented to the Queen...

It made him feel a little sick.

Sophie was a rare jewel, she was sweet and kind and intelligent and the vultures at Court would eat her alive.

He knew Sophie deserved someone who would treat her like a Queen, who would give her the space to grow and shine and to continue to be the best possible version of herself.

She deserves someone who would treat her like she was the most precious thing in the world and for her to just want to go to London now and find someone... and she'd never even mentioned it to him...

It upset him.

It was early January and he was back in London and it was all he'd been able to think about for the last few weeks. He loved the idea of Sophie coming to London, to be able to see his best friend during the season whilst his mother tried to talk him into marriage, to follow in his brother's footsteps and move into marital bliss...

It would be someone who he would enjoy sharing a dance or two with, someone he could walk with when the family were on promenades and it meant he'd get to see more of his best friend...

But the thought of the men out in society, preying on her... her sweetness and her kind heart would leave her as easy prey...

And after weeks of battling with himself he knew he had to say something, if Sophie wanted a husband so badly, surely Charlie had a friend that he would prepared to set her up with...

He'd arranged to meet his brother, Charlie and Simon at Will's in the afternoon whilst Daphne and Kate were having tea with Mary and Edwina and he was going to use it to bring up Sophie's upcoming debut.

When he arrived he saw Will who waved and bowed "Your brother, the Duke and the Viscount are in the back parlour, your usual?" he asked

"Please Mondrich, thank you" Benedict said before making his way into the room where his brother, Charlie and Simon were lounging in their chairs waiting for Benedict.

"Oh here he is. Late as usual... especially when he was the one who asked us all here..." Anthony teased

"My apologies, my horse broke a shoe so had to be switched on the carriage, Bruton Street is not wonderful for the horses at this time of year" Benedict explained

"Then why ask us when the weather has been treacherous" Charlie asked

"Because I can't hold my tongue any longer, mother told me that Sophie was planning to come to London for a season and surely you can see how bad an idea this is?!" he said, the words rushing out

"How is it a bad idea... Daphne and Eloise have both made their bows. It's the done thing in this society... and she wants a husband, she wants to get married and London is rife with eligible bachelors..."

"Surely you can't think that any of the so-called gentlemen that we socialise with are worthy of your sister?!" Benedict snapped

"That is not for me to decide. That is for Sophie to decide... if she wishes to marry someone then yes I will give my opinion but I learned from your brother... I will not stand in her way, her happiness is all I care about... and besides, it is not for me to agree to the marriage, my father is responsible for that... I merely have to chaperone on her on occasion"

"I think it will be wonderful to have Sophie in London" Simon said "she'll be a breath of fresh air compared to these milksop missus that are around"

"They'll eat her alive!"

"Benedict! I get that she is your best friend but if this is what Sophie wants then who are we to stop that? She's not had offers from anyone up to now and she wants to marry. Uncle Richard has always said it is Sophie's choice who she marries, it is why he's not arranged anything... it's why I've not arranged anything for our sisters... she deserves a chance at meeting someone who deserves her!"

"BUT NONE OF THESE DESERVE HER" he yelled

"Are you jealous?" Simon asked "I mean... you're not wrong but you don't see us acting like this..."

"Jealous... no... no of course not! Sophie's my best friend! I just... don't want to see her hurt" he said as he took his drink from the footman who had come in.

He was too busy taking a drink so missed the glances exchange between Simon, Anthony and Charlie.

"Ben, I understand that you don't want to see my sister hurt and I appreciate that but Sophie's waited and waited for someone to offer for her, she's one and twenty in June, you know what people will say. She's nearly on the shelf, she's nearly a spinster..."

"She's waited for someone...who?" Benedict asked

"It's neither here nor there..."

"Well whoever they are, they're a flapdoodle" he said, taking a drink, once again missing the shared glance between the three men.

"That may well be the case but she can't wait anymore... She wants to marry and whilst I, and we will all, no doubt give her some steer and pointers as to who to avoid and who is acceptable but this is her decision and all you can do is respect that." Charlie said "unless you want to marry her then we can just present to her the Queen and job done..."

Benedict snorted "oh come off it, she's my best friend Charlie... that's all"

Anthony rolled his eyes and Simon bit his lip wanting to tell him what Daphne had told him, what their mother had told her... "You must simply marry the man who feels like your dearest friend." he was sure that Violet would say the same thing to her sons but they could all see that clearly Benedict couldn't see what was right in front of him.

They decided to move on the conversation, there was no point in pushing Benedict, his brain clearly wasn't on the same level. Everyone had known since the two of them were children that they would be destined for one another but clearly he wasn't there yet so to force it could make things worse.

Once Benedict had left for an appointment however, Anthony turned to his friends and sighed "i'm sorry he's such an idiot... I hate that Sophie's finally given up hope..."

"I am not sure if she has... I would hazard a guess that she's holding some hope that perhaps seeing her with suitors... that maybe it will give him the shove... but if not. It can't hurt..."

"Then perhaps there is something we can do..." Simon said "to ensure the suitors..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well we know enough of the gentlemen in society, we have friends who are single... perhaps a gentle shove to ask them to show Lady Gunningworth a little bit of extra attention... get her dance cards full... and you know both Daph and Kate will happily help..." Simon explained

"True, and our mother was on about getting her a full new set of outfits so she looks even more the part"

"I am sure I can persuade my father to increase the budget so she looks like a diamond..." Charlie smirked

"Oh if the Queen chose Sophie as the Diamond of the season then Benedict would be forced to confront his worst nightmares..." Anthony said

"True... also i've got a cousin or two, you may remember him, he's a bit older than us, Lord Gordon, he's the Earl of Norfolk's eldest and I think he said his friend the Earl of Kilmartin was due to come to London... perhaps... they could perhaps be encouraged to come to London, just to show their support and maybe as additional fuel for the fire"

"But won't Sophie know they're your cousins..." Anthony asked

"She will... Benedict won't... if we offer to dance with her, Benedict will just demand one of us give up our slot for him... but if he doesn't know... he won't ask a stranger... so it works in our favour..." Charlie smirked

"You know if we don't pull this off... it could end badly" Simon said

"I am sure my father and Violet will be in on this if we talk to them... we all know those two are meant for one another... Benedict just needs a gentle... or not so gentle shove to see it" Charlie explained

"But if he doesn't..."

"Then once Sophie marries someone who she deems acceptable, I am going to push him off a boat on the way to Italy... and never come back... my uncle's got a son... William, he can inherit the titles..." Charlie chuckled "providing Anthony here has had a son by then... so you no longer have any use for him"

"To be honest with you Charlie... if Benedict doesn't and Sophie ends up married to someone else... I think my mother would do it for you... she's been planning to have Sophie as a daughter in law from the moment little Sophie waltzed in and sat on Benedict's knee and demanded he show her the pictures he was drawing" Anthony laughed "and I've got a good feeling that the baby Kate is carrying is a boy so if God is willing... everything will fall into place"

The three men left, they had their jobs, the conversations to have with their wives and in Anthony's case, his mother as well...

This was going to be a team effort... and possibly a battle but he wanted his sister to be happy, she deserved the world and deserves to have a husband who is going to love and cherish her the way she'd always dreamed.

It was his job as a big brother to ensure that the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with... was going to do just that.