Bridgerton One Shots

Benedict Bridgerton- I Hate It Here

Princess Cassandra Smithe of Norway, was walking the streets of London surrounded by guards. She wished more than anything to escape them, this country...hell she wished to escape the life she lived now. Her mother and father decided that she must be married by the season's end, so they sent her to live with one of their closest friends in London: Queen Charlotte. Cassandra had no intention of getting married...especially to a man who saw her as a prize to be won or a way to climb the ranks of society. She did not enjoy the balls or soiree's either, they paled compared to the one's she had been attending in the night when she had no supervision. Almost every night since she had heard of them, she had been attending Henry Granville's parties. She was not much of a painter, but she did love to admire art....and to be honest she loved how freeing being there was. She was not a princess there, she was just Cassandra. As she was walking through the streets of London she saw a rather handsome man admiring a mural that was painted of the queen on a nearby building. She had no idea what compelled her but she walked over to him.

"Lovely piece of artwork, is it not?" She said as she stood next to the man

"I do not know if lovely is the word I would use for it," he said never severing his eyes from the mural "look at the Queen's eyes, they look as though they have no soul and do not get me started on the shadowing of this- this waste of paint"

She laughed a bit

"You should send your complaints directly to the palace, maybe they shall hire you to do the next one...so the Queen does not look so...soulless" she smirked

The man let out a laugh and turned to her

"Maybe I should...they are under new management"

Cassandra's eyebrows furrowed inwards

"New management?"

"Have you not heard the news? The Princess of Norway is here for the season, I have been told by many she is much more open minded and fancy free than the Queen. Between you and me, she donated a large sum to the Academy of Royal Arts...no royalty has ever done that"

She smiled widely. She did not even realize her donation made an impact...or that anyone even knew that she did it.

"She sounds...wonderful," she looked at him and studied his face....it looked so familiar yet she could not place a finger on where she knew him from, "I am sorry sir, but I do not believe I caught your name"

"Apologies, I am Benedict Bridgerton and what may I ask is your name?"

"Pri-" she decided in that moment that maybe it was best that he did not know of her identity, "I am Cassandra"

He smiled in a way that she had never seen before. For some reason she could feel it burning into her brain.

"Tis' lovely to meet you Cassandra"

She curtsied

"As it was you Mr.Bridgerton, though I am afraid as the sun sets I am required to return home"

"Allow me to walk you? I could not bare the thought of a pretty lady such as yourself walking alone"

"My fathers workers sadly made the trip alongside of me, and my PaPa would not take nicely to me walking home, alone, with a man he has never met...maybe next time"

She prayed that excuse worked. She did not wish for him to find the truth out quite yet. She wanted to live in the bliss of not being a royal for just a little longer.

"Goodnight Cassandra"

He bowed

She smiled and curtsied