Philloise Re-Written

Chapter Thirteen

... and as I'm sure you can imagine, they were all possessed of a most foul temper. Is it my fault I am so superior? I think not. No more, I suppose, than it is their fault they were born men and thus without the barest hint of common sense or innate good manners.

—from Eloise Bridgerton to Penelope Featherington, after trouncing six men (three not related to her) in a shooting match

Later that evening, Eloise found herself swaying gently in her position on a set of swings Benedict had set up in the garden not long after he and Sophie made My Cottage their permanent residence. As she took a long drag from her cigarette, Eloise turned her gaze to the night sky. The stars were clearer here than in the city. It was as if they swirled and sparkled above her, chasing each other with their lustrousness. Some were more brilliant than others but it was together in their multitudinous constellations that they truly shone.

Her mind turned to her family - her brothers and sisters. They are all brilliant and vivid and intense and none more so than when they are all together. Anyone hoping to join them in the sky must shine as brightly or at least be able to withstand their lustre. Phillip had more than held his own against the collective force of the Bridgerton brothers, leaving her feeling quite pleased and more than a little proud.

Eloise refused to entertain the reason why she was so happy that Phillip could square off with each and every one of her brothers and come away unscathed. She tried to convince herself he had proven his worthiness as an employer and a gentleman; unshaking in the face of outside criticism. She did not allow herself to think that perhaps it also showed his aptitude to fit in with a family she hoped he could be a part of one day.

No.

She could not allow herself to think that way.

She was not allowed to keep thinking any particular way as she was, predictably, interrupted from her musings as Benedict sat down on the swing next to her. He silently reached out to her, palm open. Eloise scoffed but put a cigarette and matches in his hand.

They sat in silence for a while as Benedict lit his cigarette and also allowed himself to look upon the stars.

"So", Bendict began, not looking at Eloise as he spoke between draws, "Phillip".

"Don't". Eloise pleaded, her eyes turning to her slippers as they shifted in the grass beneath her.

"Don't what?" Benedict turned to face her, a sly grin appearing on his face that Eloise recognised from many moments in their childhood that had quickly changed from tranquil to chaos in but a blink of an eye.

Eloise lifted her head to face her brother. "I don't know what Sophie has told you, but I assure you—"

Benedict shook his head. His grin remained though it softened a little. "My wife has told me nothing about you and Phillip that our family and I have not already born witness to."

Before Eloise could breathe a sigh of relief, Benedict nudged her slipper with his brogue and continued.

"But she didn't have to, Eloise."

Eloise's stomach dropped. Her fingers started fidgeting on the rope of her swing. She cleared her throat multiple times, hoping she would soon be able to formulate a credible response that would ease Benedict's suspicions.

Benedict covered one of her hands with his own. They held the rope together. She couldn't breathe.

"You need not fret. I shall not betray your true feelings towards Sir Crane to our brother." Eloise did not need his clarification to know the brother he referred to was Anthony. Once again, she felt a flash of rage that her eldest brother had such a stranglehold on her fate, even if he is kinder than most in offering to hold her wages in a trust of her own. "I simply wished to discuss something with you. About your... relationship with the baronet."