#gregory ‘no shame’ bridgerton

[melika-elena]

me reading BRIDGERTON books & fanfic

[marchioness-of-shitposting]

The pure chaos and Bridgerton dumbassery of Anthony walking in on Eloise making out with Cressida is just comedic gold waiting to happen like,

Anthony: You will marry her!

Cressida: Yes, well unfortunately I cannot do so.

Anthony: Have you no shame, Miss Cowper? You have defiled my sister! She is ruined!

Cressida: And I would be happy to make right by her. However—

Anthony: No excuses! You will marry her or we will deul at dawn!

Benedict: Is it not ungentlemanly to deul a young lady?

Anthony: …yes well… you will marry her or… or Kate will deul you at dawn!

Kate: I’m not doing that.

Anthony: Babe, please.

Kate: You’re an imbecile.

Anthony: Fine. Colin will duel Miss Cowper.

Colin: Why must I be the ungentlemanly one?

Anthony: Because someone must!

Daphne: Someone must what?

Benedict: Deul Miss Cowper.

Daphne: Whyever would one of you need to deul Miss Cowper?

Anthony: Because I caught her in the act of defiling our sister!

Daphne: Right… well passion can sometimes get the best of us when we are in love. As long as Miss Cowper does the honourable thing and marries Eloise—

Anthony: She is refusing!

Francesca: Why would you refuse? You both seem so in love.

Cressida: I am not refusing! I am merely confused regarding how exactly I am supposed to—

Daphne: Worry not, brother. I will handle this. *cracking her knuckles* You will marry her or come the dawn our pistols meet and you will take your final breath in the presence of my gleeful victory.

Everyone: …

Benedict: Is anyone else suddenly very afraid of Daphne?

Hyacinth: Cressida and Eloise will make the most beautiful children.

Gregory: Do you think if I ask they’ll name one after me?

Meanwhile

John: Should we maybe… intervene?

Simon: Of course not. When it comes to the Bridgertons it is every man or woman for themselves.

Kate: She must learn to stand on her own. She’ll never survive this family otherwise.

Penelope: Survive this family? Do you actually believe they’ll make it to the wedding before realising two women are unable to wed?

Kate: No. But when love is involved the Bridgertons will find a way and love most certainly is. I called this six months ago.

Simon: Agreed. Though if they are to marry someone must first hunt down Eloise.

John: What are you talking about she's right… where the hell did she go?

Penelope: Oh she’s long gone. She snuck out as soon as Anthony brought up marriage.

[shinysobi]

"it was awkward to see colin flirt and behave like a rake" "he gave me the ick" yes ! that is the fucking point!! congratulations! you have the media literacy skills of a fucking monkey because my 4-year old niece could understand it better than you do.

we are supposed to find colin cringey and annoying and get the ick because that is not who he is. he is not anthony, or simon, or even benedict. colin (apart from gregory) is the sweetest of all bridgerton brothers (i'm going by book canon) and his most identifiable character trait is the fact that he values an emotional connection above everything. he runs away to the continent because he wants to feel that emotional connection. he has meaningless sex in brothels because that is the example he has seen growing up, that is the norm. he tries so hard to fit into the norm. he goes out drinking, adopts an entirely new personality, learns flirtations because that is how he thinks he will fit in. he's got armour on, as violet said. he puts everyone's needs above his own, he stops rambling on and boring his family with details of his trip because he knows no one cares. he doesn't talk to anthony or benedict about his heartaches because he knows they still, somewhere in their heart of hearts, view him as the annoying younger brother. he's so devastated by his closest friend not responding to him that he adopts a new personality in the hopes that it might mask the hurt better. he runs after penelope in episode one because he is so attuned to her emotions that he knows she's hurting, and tries to comfort her even when she's spiraling and lashes out. he must have been hurt by her words in the "good night mr bridgerton" scene but he puts it aside to genuinely apologise to her when literally no one else in that family would do that. colin, instead of brooding over his own feelings, goes and corners penelope in her family's garden and apologises to her, disregarding his own hurt at being cruelly dismissed by his close friend.

penelope asking colin to kiss her is not a mark of how "pathetic" she is. she has written and shamed herself in a manner that is almost entirely unsalvageable. she is at her lowest point, and then portia comes in and reminds her of how undesirable she is, and she sinks even lower. she asks colin to kiss her because she sees it as a final act, after which she can quietly wave goodbye to her dreams of ever getting married and leaving her mother's home. colin kisses her because he is also keenly aware of how she's feeling. he knows how hurt she is, he wants to do anything to alleviate that. be it cracking a joke, or kissing her. he is gentle, because he wants it to be something she can dream of when she's by herself. penelope, at this moment, has no hope for herself, and their kiss is an act of letting go for her. no, it's not a pity kiss, no he did not like her after her glow up, he has always loved her. him being struck dumb is a reaction to her physical transformation, nothing more. he does not flirt with her in that ballroom scene, he only approaches her when she's in distress. he's not flirting with her. i can assure you penelope could wear the frumpiest most neon yellow gown of all time and colin would still go "<333 my pen" for her.

colin jumps to catch the balloon's ropes because he sees that penelope is in danger, he does not give a shit about anyone else lmao. he feels temporary relief when he sees eloise run to safety, but the moment he sees penelope in immediate danger, he rushes to take action. afterwards, when he sees that she's being comforted by debling (all my homies hate debling, even if he is aro/ace coded i do NOT claim him) he does not approach her. it would be easy for him to do so, but he does not, because he respects her boundaries. colin bridgerton is the only man in the ton who respects women (the featherington sons-in-laws are too pretty to have a thought) he calls out fife and his friends for treating women like objects and calls them cavalier. the only way he would have been more explicit about his demisexuality was if he tap danced on the club table (entertaining thought, luke newton please)

colin also rapidly takes action, something which no one in the show has done so far. simon would have died instead of accepting his feelings for daphne, daphne would have been content with a loveless marriage forever instead of asking for help. kate would have pushed edwina down the aisle and gone off to india instead of confronting her own feelings, and anthony would have married edwina if she hadn't been brave enough for the three of them to run from the altar and ruin herself. penelope stood on the sidelines for years and loved him quietly because she had no hope of him loving her back. colin, the moment he is assured of his feelings, runs to penelope, almost kisses her in the middle of a ballroom. when he hears that debling is about to propose, he goes to the ball, just to dissuade penelope one more time. he cuts into their dance because he's desperate. when he runs after her carriage, he asks her if she has been proposed to, because he would not have touched her otherwise. he confesses his feelings to her only when he knows that she hasn't gotten engaged to debling, and when she says "but we are friends" he moves away. nothing more. he would have let her go, if she did not return his feelings.

idk whether i should be flattered or offended at people misunderstanding this season because on one hand it is offensive, but on the other hand, it means only smart people get polin. seriously. your minds have been rotted by insta-love and enemies to lovers that you can't even appreciate the innate beauty of friends to lovers. being friends with someone and then holding all those feelings for them. the trepidation of possible rejection. the fulfillment of being loved by the person who knows you the best of them all. the privilege of loving someone whose feelings you know better than your own. love is gentle and kind and yes it is a violent, uprooting force but above all, love does not hurt anyone. it does not hurt you. i could love someone quietly for years and it wouldn't bother me if their feelings were requited or not because my feelings are none of their business and i consider it a privilege to love and be loved by them, even if it is not in the way i would want it to be. polin are privileged in the highest sense. they know each other better than anyone else, they know how to love each other better than anyone else. to think they are rushed or they dont deserve each other is a disservice to both of them. they would be miserable with anyone else.

in other matters, if i see one more person talking smack about luke or nicola behind the safety of their screens i will personally get a bazooka.

[marymary-diva17]

Starting a new

bridgerton family x reader

Life among the ton in London was nit very easy for a young women, as she was making her way thought life. Having a supportive and loving family, had helped make life easier among all the gossip and scandals going around. The Bridgerton family was always there for each other, during all the gossip and scandals. That what you had expected will stay the same forever, having your family by your side.

Y/n " ......" you had gone out of a walk with your maid it a beautiful day, but there was something that gained your attention. There were many members of the ton looking at you and speaking among themselves, this was not unusual to you but it felt a bit more off today.

y/n " good morning lady Weston how are you and your family doing" you had greated one of ladies as she was walking pass, but she looked at you said nothing and soon walked off.

y/n " something is wrong maybe we should be get home" you had looked at your maid and she nodded her head, as the two of you soon headed back to Bridgerton house. You are one of many ladies that had been present to the queen, so you had thought it was about that as you haven't gotten any proposal.

man " shameful for the Bridgerton household" that when it hit you something had happened, you need to get home right away and speak with your family. After some time you soon arrived at home and got inside quickly.

Gregory " sister you are home"

y/n " hello Gregory is everything okay when I left you were in front of house, playing outside with hyacinth along with some other kids"

Hyacinth " we had been until they were called home by their mother or governess, then Anthony had called us home ... we also have some good news as well"

y/n " wow I need to have some words with our dear older brother and mother, I think ...."

Voilet " y/n my dearest there you are I need you to come with me right away"

y/n " yes mother but there seems to be some tension among the ton"

Hyacinth " what tension what has happened now"

Voilet " upstairs that both of you into your room right now I will have the maids, attend to you needs come now y/n" you soon nodded your head and followed your mother into the drawing room.

y/n " Daphne and Simon when did you two get here Gregory and hyacinth didn't tell me"

Daphne " yes sister we had come home for a important family meeting"

y/n " okay but I think I need to bring something to everyone attention, something had happened the ton seem to be gossiping once again"

Antony " oh yes we know dear sister we have heard all the gossip going around, as someone had told us in person"

y/n " what has happened"

Antony " you have brought scandal and shame to the family y/n"

y/n " what brother you most be jesting I have not brought any shame upon our family"

Benedict " are you sure because coming for what we have learned in gossip and reports, you have threatened the family moral values and reputation"

y/n " I will like to know what I'm being accused for my dear brothers"

Colin " you have been reporting been seen flirty with young man of the ton out in the open, with no one watching over and then we are told you took a walk a while along with Mr Tristan along with having tea with him as well"

y/n " well the first one is not the truth I was talking with them, and my maid was not that far away from my view ... and yes I have been meeting with the Viscount as he gained my attention I gained his as well, is that wrong for me to meet with him"

Antony " yes when it bring shame upon on family after all that has happened, can't you not be selfish"

Kate " Antony"

Y/n " this is wrong for me to fall in love"

Antony " yes when it effects us all didn't you think how this will reflect on us all in this room, and our younger siblings .. think about your nephews"

Eloise " well I think there nothing wrong with the match they look like a perfect match"

Antony " that up for you to decide sister of mine I up for myself, Kate, and our mother"

Y/n " Tristan is a good man and I care for me and he does the same for me"

Benedict " sister you are being naive havent you heard the stories about him"

y/n " there have been stoires about all of us in this room brother dearest"

Colin " our relationship haven't caused this much damage, because not that you are only effecting our family name but also Simon and Daphne"

y/n " sister is what Colin speak true"

Daphne " yes rumors have reached our area and the ton there, don't hold back I fear it will effect I and Simon family and household"

Simon " think well about your decisions y/n we all know you are smart young lady"

y/n " mother Kate what do you have to say"

Voilet " we need to think about your sisters and bother future y/n, this scandal along with everything else I have heard about will ruin us"

y/n " what else have your heard"

Colin " you meeting up in this places with these high rank women, who have no husband and speaking about society"

y/n " we are talking that all like all ladies do we talk and brainstorm, what wrong with that"

Eloise " all but aside sister I and pen love what you are doing"

y/n " thank you sister"

Kate " I think it good but we need to put the family first"

Benedict " I was at the club today when I was told this story about leading Earl smith son James on making promised to marry him, and there was you running the chances of other young ladies finding matches"

y/n " they are lies and misunderstandings you all have to understand"

Antony " that only thing we understand is that your have brought to much scandal and ruin to us, that we need to do what best for the family"

y/n " what"

Antony " We are sending you to live countryside the staff there will take care of you you will go there and Francesca will come home ... with your gone for while everything will die down and once that happens you can come home, then be present once again as honorable lady of ton and our family"

y/n " no mom"

Voilet " I'm sorry but it for the best my daughter think about your sisters and brothers"

y/n " I'm always thinking about them mom day and night"

Antony " not when you were seen around breaking all the rules and seen with Tristan, you will leave tomorrow but from here lady danbury has offered you and room to stay"

y/n " I'm being exiled from my own family and home"

Antony " you have done this your self once I have deemed it fair and good time, if the scandal has died down you can come home ... that might be a long time for all the trouble you have done, once you have come home we will see where we can go from there”

Voilet “ all your needs will be meant my dearest when you are there”you look at your siblings for help only Eloise seem to want to save you.

Eloise “ this very harsh Antony she our sister”

Antony “ it needs to be done for the benefit of the family and ton as well”

y/n “ Daphne,Simon, Kate” all there were quite as you came to terms with everything.

y/n “ I will go pack my stuff”

Antony “ it has already been taken care of once it over, you will leave to lady Danbury home”

y/n “ yes viscount bridgerton”

violet “ everything will be fine my dearest mayeh when you are away we can find you a good match”

Colin “ we will be lucky if that happens”

Antony “ enough no more talking about this is over with, I’m made my decision” the meeting was over you had went to your room to see, your stuff getting packed away. Once it was done you saw your stuff getting loaded onto carriages. There were short goodbye as you left at night heading to Danbury household.

lady Danbury “ my dear welcome I’m sorry for what has happened”

y/n “ thank you for hosing me this evening I know this will be bad for you, lady Danbury”

lady Danbury “ my dear I’m mad but at you or Tristian at everyone else, even your own family as well everyone acting all high and might”

y/n “ it seems like that”

lady Danbury “ come inside and have some supper with me, and we will be having anothe guests”you had nodded your head and soon went into the Danbury home. Dinner and had been served and the two ate.

footman " my lady your other guest has arrived"

lady Danbury " good let him in"

footman " you can come inside mister" soon Tristian had stepped into the room.

y/n " Tristan"

Tristan " y/n I'm so sorry about what has happened to you and your family"

y/n " thank you and I'm sorry for you family as well"

Lady Danbury " have some dinner with us young man"

Tristan " thank you" the tiro soon ate dinner and enjoyed a good conversation.

Lady Danbury "I have heard from your uncle Mr Tristan"

y/n " your uncle the one who lives in Scotland"

Tristan " yes he has heard of what has happened I'm kicked out from home as well, he had asked me to come take over his household and learn from him .. he mad at my father and family right now"

y/n " that sound wonderful for you"

Tristan " thank you and I was wondering if you will come he did, say it will be good for me to bring the young women who has been mentioned in stupid scandal"

y/n " Scotland I have been sent countryside"

lady Danbury " go my dear live a wonderful life being away from home and the ton"

y/n " I will love that but how we will travel as unmarried couple"

lady Danbury " then get married in private ceremony here and another on in Scotland, it will be good I will be one of witnesses with many others your uncle will help as well"

Tristan " so y/n bridgeton will you do me the honors and become my wife, I was going to ask you in later time but now seems better a new start for us both"

lady Danbury " if doesn't work out no outside of this house and Tristan uncle will know"

y/n " then yes" a small ceremony had been held as lady Danbury and some her staff, along with Tristan as well who were witness and guests.

lady Danbury " enjoy this new start in life as it will help you both grown, and become the people you wish"

y/n " thank you lady Danbury for this well please take care"

lady Danbury " I will young lady and you both take care as well, I will take care of your families from here"

Tristan " we will come on my dear wife the travel will be long, but it will be good"

y/n " coming my dear husband" The pair soon left as sun was starting to come up, and it was good time to get going so no will see the pair. They rode in the carriage pass all the house of the ton, knowing it will be a long time until they were called back home or shall ever return home. It was time for a new start for you as there will always be love for you family. now it was start of journey for you. As you are hoping your father is watching out for you, as your left the place you once grew up and called home.

[burnthoneydrops]

A Shame Indeed (c.b. x fem!reader)

pairing: colin bridgerton x fem!reader

word count: 1.6k

warnings: use of female descriptors (miss, young lady, etc)

a/n: Part II to this post for colin! also a continuation of this series! i hope you enjoy and a reminder that requests are open! (both in general and for my 200 celebration :)) )

The Bridgerton drawing room is a wonderful net for beautiful sunlight. At least, that is what you gather while sitting there early one morning, a few weeks into your new role as governess. No main member of the family is awake, just the staff that keep the house afloat. It is rather peaceful, and you are grateful for the moments of solitude away from your room where you have piles of old curtain fabric surrounding you. As you finish stitching two panels of a Hyacinth size dress together, there are footsteps traipsing down the carpeted floor, alerting you of someone else’s arrival. You’re quick to your feet, lest it be a Bridgerton and you appear disrespectful. Though you have gained their trust and appreciation, it still feels as though someone might pull you back out of this dream scenario at any second. 

“Ah, good morning Mr. Bridgerton,” you nod, smiling lightly as Colin appears in the doorway. 

“Good morning Miss Y/N. It is rather early is it not? Is Hyacinth even awake yet?” He asks, looking down the hallway before walking closer into the room. 

“Alas, she is not. I figured wasting time while awake rather silly, however, so here I am”.

“With…” he looks behind you, back at the couch, and his eyebrows raise in confusion as his head tilts to the side. 

“Oh, those are curtains that Mrs. Wilson was going to have thrown out. There was a stain on them, apparently, but I have yet to find it”. 

That does not seem to lessen Colin’s confusion. 

“And what exactly are you doing with them?” 

“Hyacinth has been begging to go to the modiste with Lady Bridgerton and Miss Bridgerton, but the focus is on those who need new dresses for the season. So, in the absence of the actual modiste, I figured I could stand in and make her a new dress. It is, however, a surprise so please do not tell her,” you look between him and the curtain, hoping you hadn’t just spoiled your plan. 

Instead of verbally responding, Colin drags his fingers in front of his lips and twists an imaginary key, signalling his sworn secrecy. You laugh quietly, before turning to sit back down with your work. Now that you no longer have to fear the undermining of your surprise, you are free to work on it in the open, or at least in front of Colin. As a member of staff passes, Colin orders tea and scones, muttering something about how if the two of you were going to stay awake you might have some fuel. One thing you have learned throughout your few weeks is Hyacinth and Gregory’s love for mischief is rivalled only by Colin’s love of food. You say nothing, choosing to politely nod in agreement instead as you create the puff sleeves of Hyacinth’s dress. The scones and tea are brought quickly, you assume already prepared. You don’t think it will ever fail to amaze you how on top of everything the people who run Bridgerton house are nor the fact that you are now a part of that. 

“Do you care for cream or jam first?” Colin breaks the silence, almost startling you. 

“Oh, um, do not feel obliged to offer me any Mr. Bridgerton”. 

“Colin, please. We did agree to get to know each other on more adult terms, did we not?” 

“Well, I suppose we did. But that does not remove anything in the series of respect and class differentials Mr. Bridgerton”. 

“Yes, but if I am insisting, and you work for my house, then you must listen to me. Yes?” He looks quite pleased with himself as he pours milk into his teacup. 

“Fine, Colin it is. But if anyone asks, you are to inform them of your wishes immediately. I will not have people thinking I disrespect this house voluntarily,”. 

“Yes ma’am,” he laughs, “now, cream or jam?”  

The conversation carries on easily enough between the two of you, and for a second you forget yourself. You forget that you are inside the previously terrifying Bridgerton home, making clothes out of old curtains and drinking tea with one of your employers. It feels easy, relaxed, and you wish that you could perpetually stay in this moment. The warm sun on your back is the same that makes Colin appear glowing, making his laugh even that more heavenly in appearance. You pause, internally slow blinking and hoping that you’re not physically translating that on your face. You did not just call Colin Bridgerton’s laugh heavenly, did you? You push the thought out of your mind, remembering there is no place for thoughts like that while doing your job. 

That is until Lady Bridgerton makes her way into the drawing room and pauses at the sight before her. You notice her before Colin does, standing at attention immediately, dropping the dress down on the couch beside you. Colin stands cooly, walking over to greet his mother with a soft hug and a light kiss on the cheek. You do not think you’ve seen him do anything with much more force than that since your arrival, and you wonder if he is that gentle with every person he meets. Quickly checking that train of thought and registering it unhelpful at this current moment in time, you look back solely at Lady Bridgerton, apologising for the possibility that you had any part in waking her. 

“Oh no, my dear, it was not you,” she reassures you, choosing not to question why she found her third eldest and her newest hire alone together, but rather allowing Colin to excuse himself with the claim that he is to meet his brothers for a round of fencing. “May I ask why you have some of our old curtains in your possession?” She asks instead, taking Colin’s previously occupied seat on the couch across from you. 

“Oh, Mrs. Wilson said they were to be thrown away and I couldn’t bear the waste of perfectly good fabric, so I fashioned Hyacinth a new dress,” you display the work you had completed during your conversation with the third Bridgerton boy, trying to be prideful but fearing the response all the same. 

“How thoughtful of you,” Lady Bridgerton smiles and you secretly sigh in relief. Though you had never pegged Lady Bridgerton to be cruel or patronising in any way, some of your previous employers had not been as kind, so you always secretly fear the worst. Your letters to your mother would describe as such, the growing anxiety that every well-to-do mama that you serve under will be exactly like the last. As much as you continually remind yourself that the Bridgertons are different, those thoughts do love to linger. 

The afternoon sun brings a welcome break to your lesson with Hyacinth, who immediately insisted on wearing her new dress when presented with it. She looks lovely wandering around the garden, running across benches in the lightly patterned fabric which makes her easier to spot as well. Though that had not been your intention while making the garment, you have to admit it is a welcomed bonus. That child certainly has enough energy for all the ton twice over, so being easily seen is a necessity when she could run off at any moment. She had been dying to show you what she had observed in Gregory’s dance lesson and requested that you acted as the female so she could take Gregory’s spot. You curtsey as low as you can go before placing your hands on her small frame, bending at the knees ever so slightly so her hands can rest at a comfortable position. With no music to accompany you, Hyacinth takes to counting the steps out loud and you have to bite the inside of your cheek to suppress your laughter. One misstep has Hyacinth scolding you, though not entirely in earnest as the situation quickly crumbles into a fit of laughter between you both. The sweet girl sits next to you on the garden pathway, the two of you holding your stomachs as you laugh heartily. 

Colin stands at a window a floor above the gardens, overlooking the entertaining spectacle taking place before him. A persistent smile etches its way onto his face as his hands rest behind his back, grateful that you are down there and otherwise preoccupied so as to not witness his very obvious infatuation. He does not entirely know when his thoughts about you transitioned in such a way, he just hopes it is not as obvious as he feels it must be. Soon, he realises he is not the only person watching, as his mother has joined by his side, glancing down at what has captured her son’s attention so. 

“She has quite the way with the children,” his mother comments, continuing to glance at the two of you rather than addressing her son directly. 

“You chose well,” he agrees, looking quickly at Lady Bridgerton before continuing to smile at the sound of your laugh climbing its way up through the window. 

“A very kind soul indeed,” Lady Bridgerton sighs contently, turning then to look at her son. “With a rather large, loving heart as well. It would be a shame to let that go to waste”. With no further explanation, she turns and walks away, leaving her son in the sunlit spot on the carpet, confused. She did always have a way for reading her childrens’ minds, as well as their hearts, even when they could not conjure up their thoughts themselves. 

What a shame it would be, he agrees mentally. What a shame.

[weirdmorefics]

benedict with a younger sister who he catches at one of the parties he goes to talking to a man who has less than innocent intentions with her and she’s oblivious and just thought it would be a fun place to drink bcs that’s what she’d heard when was out at the park earlier that day

A/N- Sorry for it taking a while I really am starting to believe in the fanfiction curse. I also made up the seedy guy who had unhonorable intentions in this story just an FYI.

Readers Pronouns- She/Her

TW- Sexism

Word Count- 1,653

Summary- Benedict goes to a local gathering of artists and happens to find his darling younger sister enjoying the company of some of Benedict's unsavory friends.

Unhonorable Intentions

I am a rake. I take no shame in this fact. I am allowed to be a free spirit it is my birthright as the second-born son. No obligations no responsibility. I would loathe to be in Anthony's shoes. Though Y/n seems to have made it her mission for me to walk in his shoes tonight. What is she even doing in a place like this? Last I knew she preferred literature over the arts. Yet she hangs on a man's arm as he explains his next work. in progress that he is sure will be his Magnus opus. I glare at them hopefully sister notices my gaze burning into her side so I can continue my night as if nothing happened. However, when I glare at them I realize who the man she is talking to is and now I know there is no way I can continue my night. Unfortunately said man felt my gaze instead of Y/n and smiled and pulled her forcefully along with him.

"Bridgerton! It's grand to see you! We've missed you at the club!" Alexander shakes my hand roughly and I return it with an insincere smile. "Saw you eyeing my new muse, I regret to inform you I don't share." God, I want to gag as I know what he does with his so-called muses. Y/n smiles at being called his muse she does love it when I draw her but this man does not have honorable intentions. He and I have very different definitions of what a muse is. My idea of a muse is someone who inspires you to create, Alexander's idea of a muse is a woman to sleep with and then abandon.

I straighten back to assert my taller posture over the man, "And I regret to inform you your so-called muse is my darling baby sister." I look down at her with demanding eyes, "I do say it is time we get back to Mother. Isn't Y/n?"

She looks taken aback by my tone, "What do you mean? I just got here."

Alexanders' grin increases tenfold, "A Bridgeton! Benedict I had no idea you were hiding such a beauty to yourself! If I was her brother I'd never let her out of the house either." This man is truly revolting the artist community here is unfortunately very small and I have to find a way to remain civil.

Y/n smiles, "So you know Alexander? That's too bad really I was hoping to learn some different art techniques from him to impart to you! I had no idea you knew such a famous artist!"

I grit my teeth, "Famous now Alexander are we?"

This flusters him for a moment but he recovers quickly, "Aren't all artists famous in a different sort of way?"

I want to laugh at such an absurd response… sadly Y/n is far too naive for her own good.

"I agree wholeheartedly! Benedict is the most famous artist in our family! I'm quite jealous of his talent I must admit! It makes sense he would be at such a regal event filled with so much talent. To be truthful I overheard this soiree would have fabulous drinks on this morning's promenade and couldn't resist," she gushes over my talents and breaks my heart for not being more present in my siblings' lives.

Anthony just seemed to have it all handled, Daphne was married off, Eloise could certainly hold her own ground, Francessa was so busy with her studies, and Mother had Gregory and Hycanith under control. Even though Y/n is Eloise's twin she couldn't be any more different she believes the best in everyone and is too quick to forgive in my opinion and Alexander is taking advantage of that and I will not let that stand.

I smile down at Y/n, "Y/n you downplay your own talents no need to associate with a man whose talents consist of preying on women through false pretenses."

Her eyes widen to the size of quarters, "Benedict you can not make such outrageous claims!"

I pretend to not know exactly what she is talking about, "You mean your talents? Your poetry talent is outrageous and that's not a claim it's just a fact."

She blushes at the compliment but for some asinine reason still wants to defend Alexander. Though it seemed her brain could not keep up with the unusual compliment from me and the unflattering words I spoke about Alexander she just stuttered unintelligible anger, shock, and joy all marking her face. Alexander on the other hand was just fuming red.

"First you insult me Bridgerton then you demean poetry as a genre by encouraging a woman to write it." he snarls.

I have never seen Y/n turn so quickly and before anyone in the room knows what's happening a resounding slap is heard over all the chatter and everyone turns to the noise. Alexander's eye is twitching and a red welt in the shape of my sister's hand is forming on his face. He glares at her with murderous eyes but she holds her head high I have never seen her this determined and it makes me wonder what else I missed while she was growing up and I was galavanting around with men like Alexander.

She points an angry finger at him like Mother would when she would scold us, "Gentleman like yourself actually I wouldn't even call men like you gentleman but that's beside the point. Men like you say women are too emotional to do anything but care for the home. Poetry is all about emotion it's supposed to make you feel something like the art you make, or apparently don't make from what I just learned from Benedict's side comment. I would also like to remind you who is in charge of our country or rather what sex they are?"

All eyes are on us and Alexander looks like he might strangle Y/n with his two hands if the vein bulging out of his forehead is any indicator.

"Oh and by the way when I complimented your line work on your latest piece I was lying it was shit but you know how men can be so emotional I didn't want to hurt your feelings," she fake pouted. This is definitely not the young sister I once knew she may still be naive but she has now learned to use her talent with words as a knife.

Alexander's arm shoots to roughly grab her but I am quick to block, "I'm Alexander but we must be going. It was so nice talking to you as always. I would definitely take my dear sister's words under advisement to spend more time working on your line art." I then pull him very closely into my body and if anyone hadn't seen the previous incident they would have thought it was just two chaps hugging. I whisper, "Less time with lines of ladies and coke you might find yourself able to make straight lines. And if I ever hear you laid a hand on my sister I will kill you myself." I roughly release him and he scrambles backwards ungracefully as all eyes on him.

I link arms with Y/n, "Come on we must really be going now."

Once we make it outside away from prying eyes she quickly bursts into sobs, "Gods what have I done! I was just so angry he'd judge me just based on my sex. God, what if Lady Whistledown writes about me!" She starts pacing with her hands on her forehead and this is the Y/n I am all too familiar with, " Oh God what if Mama reads it! What if I ruin the Bridgerton name? Anthony will never forgive me!"

I clap and quickly gain her attention back, "You certainly won't be the first Bridgerton featured in Lady Whistledown and I am certain you will not be the last."

"Not helping!' She shouts back.

"No one will be mad you stood your ground… in fact, I am quite proud of you."

Her eyes study me, "Are you serious? I just slapped your friend in a soiree full of your peers."

"Anthony was more of an acquaintance," I add.

She rolls her eyes, "That is not the point!"

I sigh, "Yes, I am proud. You defended your honor and didn't need my help to do so. Though I am sure any of your brothers would be there in a heartbeat to defend it including me."

She smiles, "You're proud of me."

"I am not saying it again," I state.

she starts to repeat you're proud of me in a sing-songy voice.

"My pride in you is diminishing and my worry is growing. I think I will be around more often seems like Anthony isn't keeping a watchful enough eye on you if he let you go to a seedy event like this."

She tilts her head, "But you were at the event?"

"Exactly I only attend seedy events, though it appears now I must reform. Think of me has your second Anthony," maybe having responsibilities won't be so bad if I get to see Y/n chew out more men like Alexander.

She groans, "I don't want another Anthony how will I ever do anything fun."

"That's the point Y/n," I smile.

She groans, "I hope Lady Whistledown writes you into the story and makes you sound dreadful."

"As long as she writes how daring and smart my younger sister is we will be on good terms," I smile as she groans again at her failed attempt to get under my skin.

"Thank you, I guess," she responds.

I may be late in helping my siblings but at least they all still have some more growing to do and I plan to be there for all of it.

[funemployed-fangirl]

Modern Bridgerton AU

Colin & Penelope

Colin has no interest in getting anywhere near the family business. He takes an extended gap year after high school (he goes to “find himself” on a farming collective in New Zealand…after parting his way through Europe for 6 months). Eventually he does make it to college, after which he fucks back off to wander around the world.

Penelope has always enjoyed writing, but more importantly loves observing people from the side lines. She’s the quiet one in a loud, kind of obnoxious family, so pretending to be invisible comes easily for her. She goes to NYU and gets a degree in Journalism. While there, she starts the Whistledown blog making observations about the New York elite (it started as a class project…then she kept going). It's mostly benign. Sometimes it’s the social stuff (who was at which party wearing what), and sometimes it's in-depth analysis of how someone’s business is doing (data and all). Whistledown basically becomes required reading for New York upper social circles. 

Fun side note: While Colin and Penelope have always known each other (Penelope is best friends with Colin’s younger sister Eloise), they’d never spent any time together (who hangs out with their little sister’s friends?). That is, until they get to college. Because of Colin’s gap years, they end up overlapping at NYU for a couple years, during which time they get pretty close…like, REALLY close. But then Colin graduates and heads off for his adventures and Penelope stays in New York with her ever growing Whistledown blog.

They reconnect when Colin comes back to the city. There’s a drunken hook up in the back of a cab (following a party of some sort), after which they spend the next day together. Since it’s a Sunday, Violet is hosting Sunday Family Dinner, so Colin just texts "I'm bringing Penelope." Everyone's like, cool, great, we love Penelope. They show up holding hands and keep sitting down next to each other with his arm around her waist, holding hands, leaning into each other - full couple mode, no shame. It still takes everyone legitimately half the night for someone to go... is something happening here? 

Patented Bridgerton style everyone-at-once conversation explodes at the table: 

Benedict: Surely Penelope can do much better than Colin. 

Eloise: No way something is happening here. Oh my god are you two dating? No way, you would have told me. Oh my god, are you two actually dating?

Kate: Eloise, are you going to be okay? 

Daphne: They did look awfully cozy at Cressida's birthday party last night. 

Sophie: Did you two hook up after Cressida’s birthday party?! 

Anthony: Did you think none of us would notice that you were suddenly a couple?

Gregory: We’ve all been here for 3 hours and none of us did notice. 

Hyacinth: Except for me, obviously. 

Francesca: Then why didn't you say anything?

Hyacinth: I’VE BEEN SAYING SOMETHING FOR YEARS!

Colin gives them a few minutes to wear themselves out before announcing that yes, they are together. And things escalate quickly after that, with them getting engaged after a couple months. At their engagement party, a drunken Colin makes an impromptu speech where he announces that he’s “just SO PROUD of his fiancé, Penelope! Do you guys know how awesome she is? She runs that gossip blog that everyone’s obsessed with ALL BY HERSELF! How cool is that!” Yeah…no one knew it was Penelope’s blog.

The consequences of her being outed as the author of the blog aren’t dire (it’s not like she’s ever been intentionally malicious or tried to ruin someone). In fact, she starts getting access to hot ticket restaurants and parties, and the society girlies are suddenly nicer to her as they start trying to score spots on the site for their side hustle brands. She gets a buy-out offer (Buzzfeed, Cracked, Wired, whatever) and the site expands. A lot. She continues to run it, and Colin writes travel articles every once-in-a-while (he’s basically a kept man and living his best life in their Upper East Side penthouse).

more (x)

[easybrainrot34]

🖼️Lil Benedict Bridgerton Headcanons Pt 2🖼️

Woohoo part 2 baby!! Part 1 is right here! Some of these are modern!AU some of these are Regency era. As I said before I am truly a ✨slut✨ for this man. Hope y’all enjoy 😊

All r fluff and crack. Bonus Polin Headcanon ❤️

🎨= modern!AU

🎻= Renaissance era

🎨🎻= either

Also mentioned : Colin, Anthony, Kathony, Queer!Eloise, Gregory, and Polin

Ps, my ask and request r open :)

🎨 He went on a gap year before college to travel the world. He went kinda everywhere but he’s not one of those people that’s pretentious and has to talk about it all the time (no shade Colin, he’s more of an excited puppy about where he’s been anyway)

🎨 During cov!d he really honed in on his skills as an artist but also got really into skincare and hair care. Now he does a whole curly hair care routine because even though I can see him keeping his hair on the shorter side, he still likes it to have a little body.

🎨🎻 He would never admit it to Anthony (at least sober) but he wants the love that Kate and Anthony have for each other. He is such a hopeless romantic and I think he wants nothing more in this world than to find someone he feels he truly can’t live without.

🎻 Now we all know Benedict goes to balls more out of family obligation than actually wanting to, but I truly feel like once he’s married, he wants you to throw balls every season. He loves being able to show you off and what better setting them a ball with you as the person of honor. I also feel like he would enjoy throwing balls/parties for his more artistic, not part of the ton friends.

🎨 Now let’s say this is a modern AU where Eloise is a lesbian and our dear Ben is bisexual. I feel like when Eloise came out to him and said “I’m gay” he said, with no hesitation “you too?” I feel like the next day this man would just barge into her place with a gift bag full of Girl in Red, Chappell Roan, and Raneé Rapp albums, a pride flag, and a Carabiner. She would give him the “these are all stereotypes” lecture, but truly she appreciates it.

🎨🎻 I feel like he is very weak willed when it comes to his nieces and nephews. Like he is the favorite uncle, yes it took him bribing the kiddos, and yes he has no shame about it. He would stay firm with them (respecting the majority of set rules) but he will let them get away with small things. It will take him having his own kiddos to understand where everyone is coming from. (trust & believe that the siblings take their revenge)

🎨 He’s weak for a sundress. Weather it’s a cute little flower print, or a simple solid color, he just loves a little flowy sundress. I can’t explain it. It’s just this man’s weakness. (Btw this is what I mean when I say sundress, because apparently the Internet is having a debate about this right now lol)

🎻 Y’all remember when people were painting on each other’s bodies during Covid? Yeah he would do that. I feel like he would very much use u as a canvas during yall’s honeymoon. I feel like it would also end in a little ✨spicy time✨

🎨 While I can really see this man not giving a fck about whether he is fit or not I feel like as he starts to get a little bit older (late 30s early 40s) he would sign up for the gym. I feel like this will be a combination of him wanting to, but also Anthony, Colin, and Gregory would tease him about getting a “dad bod”. He knows though that you love it so he wouldn’t try to get too fit, just enough to be a little toned.

🎨🎻BONUS🎻🎨

He has such a fondness for Pen. This man is in her corner, if her and Colin get into a fight he automatically is taking her side. If he sees Cressida doing some shady sh!t he’s calling her out right then and there. I also feel once Colin and Pen announce their engagement, he would go to her and say “I’m sorry it took him so long to realize what we all knew” AHHH I JUST KNOW HE SHIPS POLIN!!!

[thekatebridgerton]

Today on another episode of stories I'm too sleep deprived to write: past life reincarnation au. But it's just a universe where the Bridgertons fall in love but they never quite get their happy endings

Daphne saw a betrayed Simon chose to willingly get shot by Anthony and leave England in shame rather than marry her.

Anthony married Edwina and lived to know Kate died of a horseback riding accident shortly after the wedding

Benedict was rejected by Sophie, who chose to take the next ship to America instead of accepting his offer to be his mistress

Colin discovering her secret scared Penelope enough she vanished from his life without a trace.

Francesca never saw Michael again after he confessed he loved her.

And Eloise never took a chance on Sir Phillip, once she found out that he had children, she went back home with her brothers and tried to live her spinster life. Reason for which, he simply married another lady soon after his mourning period was over.

Hyacinth fell in love with Gareth, who chose to marry the next heiress he met rather than indulge her in her adventures

And Gregory was too slow and too late to Lucy's wedding. Knowing he was most likely the father of her and Haselby's only child

So, what happens when all your life you live to regret one mistake that cost you the love of your life. Wondering if you could have done anything different, then maybe you could have been happy.

And then a freak accident happens in Aubrey Hall and all the Bridgertons wake up on the morning of Daphne's debut.

Gregory and Hyacinth, rightfully horrified at having to go trough puberty again. Just want to see where young Gareth and Lucy are holed up and bring them to London, so at least growing up for a second time will be less terrible.

While Anthony is plotting exactly how to begin courting Kate Sharma despite knowing his disastrous marriage to Edwina left him jaded and broken in the romance department. And that he never got over Kate's death

Daphne has to tread the thin line between flirting with Simon and spooking him into running from her. Without resorting to a fake engagement

Benedict has the dubious mission of catching Sophie without tarnishing her reputation knowing she's wily enough to slip away from his grasp with whatever method he chooses. Even if he offered marriage, he would still need to take her out of Araminta's grasp and earn her trust. And his lady in silver is stubborn enough to resist him

Colin has to get close to Penelope without letting her find out he knows her secret while at the same time officially courting her like a gentleman and protecting her from the unsavory parts of her work. At the same time that he tries to infiltrate the steadily growing network of connections she built as LW that allowed her to disappear from his life in his first lifetime

Eloise has to live with the knowledge that she is now inlove with a very married man and worry about the moral implications of visiting Marina and befriending Phillip so soon after their marriage. After all, if Eloise intervenes Marina could live, but she'd lose Phillip again

And Francesca has to figure out quick, how to choose between her two great loves. Michael and John. Both of whom she never got over. Before it's time for her debut in society

If one mistake could cost you the love of your life, what mistakes exactly would you be willing to make? Well, the Bridgertons sure are going to find out

[shinyhoundhandseagle]

The Emerald of the Season.

Eloise Bridgerton x Male Character.

AU where Eloise Bridgerton falls in love with someone unexpected.

Word Count: 1,776

Part 1/?

Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/shinyhoundhandseagle/754292327975092224/the-emerald-of-the-season

Relationship: Eloise Bridgerton/Male Character

Warning: None

• • •

The first day of the season started in quite a stressful way. With a beautiful carriage stopping in front of the Buckingham house. Brimsley waited outside with some more service people, all of them excited for the guest to arrive.

“Your Highness”-. Said Brimsley as a man, not older than 18 years old came out of the carriage. Wearing a blue tailcoat with gold buttons, black pants and shoes.

“Hello Brimsley”-. The young smiled at him as he started walking towards him. Right behind him was another man, a servant, that Brimsley recognized reminded him of Reynolds-. “This is Marcel, he doesn’t leave me alone.”

“I was appointed as your chaperone the day you turn 13 your Highness.”

“Where is my aunt?”

“The Queen is waiting for you inside. I’ll have the servants take you stuff to your chambers-.” With a movement of his hand Brimsley had the servants moving quickly to collect everything they had to-. “If you follow me, I’ll take you to the Queen.”

The walk was silent, with Brimsley leading the way as the young man looked around, amused by the castle. Marcel behind his Lord, constantly worrying about his safety and comfort. After some walking they stopped in front of a beautiful door for just one second, enough for both of them to catch their breath and then they went inside.

“Sebastian!”- The Queen looked happy, thrilled even. Her clothes and hair reminiscing of another Era, the Era when King George wasn’t hidden away.

“Aunt!”- He passed Brimsley, forgetting to bow or show any type of manners and just hugged his aunt. He had miss her and her blunt attitude.

“You have grown so much since the last time I saw you.”

“I would hope so! I was just 15 when you did-.” He laugh while his Aunt inspected him-. “It would be kind of embarrassing if I didn’t”.

“Have some tea dear”-. They sat down and while Sebastian decided to have some tea and biscuits the Queen kept inspecting him. He could feel her eyes, watching his every move so he decided to make some conversation.

“The weather seems nic…”

“You know why your father has send you here, correct?”- A sigh escape his lips, he knew exactly why.

“For me to find a wife now that I’ve declined every single woman in Spain?”

“You are the Prince of Spain, the future King and leader of your people. How long did you think you could go without marrying?”

“I knew I had to marry, I just couldn’t find anyone that was bearable enough”.

“Well that’s why you’re here with me, so I can help you find someone worthy of the title you will give them”.

• • •

The Bridgerton house was a mess. Gregory and Hyacinth ran around like the children they were, Anthony, Benedict and Colin were trying to get them ready and under control while Daphne and Violet tried (unsuccessfully) to calm Eloise down. It was her second season on the market and after the disappointment and mess of last year she was more stressed than ever. She couldn’t bring shame to her family anymore.

“Calm down, you will do great”-. Assure Daphne but that felt to deaf ears. Eloise was having a full blown panic attack at this point.

“Eloise calm down, it will be ok!”- Her mother held her face between her hands, trying to make her safer and it sorta worked. Her breathing was still erratic but calmer-. “We must make haste”.

That gained her a smile from Eloise, still remembering what she had screamed at Daphne two seasons ago. She wasn’t comfortable enough to talk yet but decided to give her mother a nod instead. She wasn’t ready but honestly would she ever be fully ready?

The ride to the ball was mostly quiet, Benedict tried to get Eloise to talk but he was unsuccessful. She wanted quiet time and thats what they gave her. With each minute that passed, her heart sank a little bit more and once she saw Lady Danbury’s house her stomach felt like it was turning on itself. She wanted to run, to hide away where no one could find her.

The carriage stopped at the entrance and with a heavy heart she got out of it. Walking in was dreadful and the stares she got didn’t make anything better.

But this was her life and it was time to face it.

• • •

The ball wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be but to be honest the reason it wasn’t bad it’s because no one knew who he was, no one knew his title and that saved him from every mamma throwing their daughters to him.

He walked around everyone, watching closely at every girl in that house. Marcel was right behind him, making sure to watch after his Prince. Sebastian was so concentrated on the dance floor, on moving so quickly and he didn’t realize until his shoulder clashed with someone.

Eloise on the other hand was aware of how quickly she was moving, it was actually on purpose. Lord Fife was right behind her, trying to ask her to dance and that was definitely going to go horribly. She was so concentrated on running away from him that she didn’t see the man in front of her until her chest hit his shoulder.

The clash was harsh, Eloise almost hit the floor and barely kept her balance. Thankfully Sebastian held her by her shoulders, as gentle as he could. Eloise looked up, ready to argue with whoever had bumped into her but before she could articulate any words he spoke.

“Are you hurt?”- He sounded worried and Eloise was frozen. She had never been this close to a man before.

“Ms Bridgerton!”- Lord Fife voice brought her back to reality, he had almost caught up to her.

“What is your name my Lord?”- She asked the blonde man in front who had stopped holding her shoulders a few seconds ago.

“What?”

“Your name… Please he is coming and I don’t want to…”- It was clear on her face what she meant and Sebastian wasn’t dumb. She wanted to play pretend so the guy would leave her alone.

“Would you allow me this dance my Lady?”- He asked politely while extending a hand for her to take. Lord Fife stopped on his tracks, looking at the strange man in front of Eloise. He had never seen him before.

“Of course”-. She whispered thankfully that the Lord had decided to help her out. They walked to the dance floor together, him holding her hand up.

“What’s your name my Lady?”- He asked once the dance had started. He wasn’t planning on spending a whole song without any conversation.

“One, two, one… What?”- Counting her steps was important, the last thing she wanted was to step on the nice gentleman foot after he saved her from Lord Fife.

“Your name? Or would you rather me call you ‘The Lady who runs from her matches’?”

“I’m Eloise Bridgerton”-. She could sense the stares from the people around her. She wasn’t know to interact with suitors and that included dancing with them-. “What if your name my Lord?”

“Just Sebastian Borbón”-. Eloise raised an eyebrow. The surname sounded familiar and the accent confused her. It wasn’t French and it was definitely not English.

“Where are you from? I can’t place the accent”.

“You’re blunt”-. He laughed softly.

“I’m sorry, that question was inappropriate…”

“Don’t apologize, be blunt. I promise you my ego won’t get hurt”-. He didn’t find it amusing, he found it brave. There’s not that many women in this society with the guts to be mouthy and it felt like fresh air-. “And to answer your question, it’s a Spanish accent”.

“I’m use to people telling me to act more like a lady and those kind of questions aren’t ladylike”-. Her eye rolled made him giggle-. “Spain? You seem to be far from home my Lord”.

“Seems like it”.

“If I could ask, why have you come so far?”

“For the same reason you’re in this ball my Lady”.

“Because your mamma decided to bring you against your will?”

“More like my aunt but yes”.

“Why is it that older women like the idea of forcing younger people to marry? We should be able to choose if we want to do it or not”-. Her eyebrows created a frown and she started ranting about liberation and women’s rights. Sebastian didn’t interrupt her, he just looked at her with wonder on his eyes. She really was a entertaining woman-. “I apologize, I’ve been ranting”.

She looked up, waiting for him to be angry and disgusted at her. After all that’s what every man felt once they heard her ‘radical’ opinions but not him. He kept looking at her with a soft smile and softly nodded for her to continue speaking but before she could, the song ended, Colin appeared out of thin air and he took her away from the gentleman.

“Are you ok sister?”- Colin whispered to her as they walked back to the rest of the family where their mother was waiting. Violet had been worried about her daughter since she had disappeared about 15 minutes ago without saying anything.

“I’m fine brother, just exhausted”-. Eloise lied, not wanting to admit to her brother that the mysterious young man had made her nervous.

“Welcome to my humble house!”- Lady Danbury was now in the middle of the dance floor, with a glass in her hand and a smile on her face-. “Each season we rejoice in courting and in the idea of finding love, and this year won’t be that much different. Except for one thing ladies and gentlemen and that is that the Queen’s nephew, the Prince of Spain will be part of our season. He will be looking for a wife and a future Queen”.

Everyone was whispering and staring. The Prince of Spain? Here? Looking for a wife? The mamas were going insane, looking around hoping to get their hands on the Prince. Almost all the Bridgertons were whispering to each other except Eloise because she was just dancing with a Spanish man… Could it be the Prince? No… Or yes?

“Come here dear, show your face”-. Lady Danbury reached her hand to one of the young men closed to her and pulled him to the center so everyone could get a good look of him.

Eloise’s heart stopped for one second as she looked at Sebastian standing next to Lady Danbury. No, he wasn’t just Sebastian. He was the Prince and she felt like an idiot.

[lifesizehysteria]

A Mother's Blessings | A Bridgerton Fic

Part 2: Hyacinth

Fandom: Bridgerton (TV) Rating: Gen Pairing: Violet Bridgerton/Marcus Anderson Characters: Violet Bridgerton, Marcus Anderson, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Kate Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Gregory Bridgerton Summary: A collection of moments through Violet and Marcus’ courtship in which Violet seeks the blessings of her children. AO3 Part 1

Violet fanned her face, still desperate to cool herself from the oppressive summer heat, despite having moved inside. It seemed they had chosen the worst day possible for a family game of pall-mall; the sun was relentless and there was not a breath of wind nor a single cloud in the sky. The shade provided by the covered seating by the lawn offered little relief from the stifling temperatures, so they had sought refuge inside, filling the hallway with their usual raucous joy as they did so, before settling into a quieter cacophony in the drawing room.

“It is a shame Lord Bridgerton was unable to join us,” Marcus said.

“Yes, well…” Violet began, but found herself unable to provide any further excuse as to why her son had, once again, found a reason to avoid Lord Anderson’s company.

“He is quite busy preparing for our departure to India, I am afraid,” Kate supplied without missing a beat, though Violet caught the quick glance her daughter-in-law sent her direction. She offered her own smile in gratitude, patting the perspiration from her brow with the back of her hand.

“It is probably for the best,” Benedict said. “Our brother has a competitive streak unlike any other. He would have died of heat stroke before ending the game early.”

Marcus laughed. “Is that so?”

“It is true. I do not know where he gets it.” Violet shook her head, secretly grateful Anthony had not been there to insist the game continue. While the weather had been the excuse, Violet was sure it was really mercy that ended the game early. When Hyacinth had suggested they play, Marcus had agreed to join on the condition that Violet play, too. Despite her efforts otherwise, she had not been able to resist him or the children’s insistence. With reluctance, she joined the game, only to thoroughly humiliate herself, despite Marcus’ attempt to throw the game in her favor. They were all laughing so hard by the time they called it off, no one could have continued playing anyway.

“Ah, yes,” Marcus said, the richness of his voice sending a shiver down Violet’s spine. “I believe it is a trait shared by all eldest children. You have met my sister.” He flashed her a dazzling grin, his eyebrows arched knowingly.

“Indeed, I have,” she conceded with a laugh, fanning a new wave of heat from her cheeks and averting her gaze from his shining black eyes.

“Well, I think you could beat Anthony, Lord Anderson,” Hyacinth declared.

“Thank you for your vote of confidence, Miss Hyacinth. Though, if he is anywhere near as formidable an opponent as the Viscountess, I would not stand a chance.”

“I assure you, he is not,” Kate said, making everyone laugh. 

“Anthony certainly did meet his match in you, Sister,” Benedict said. 

“As we should all hope to do,” Marcus said, his eyes finding their way to Violet, who bit back a smile while her stomach did a somersault. 

Conversation continued to flow, but Violet grew quiet, watching. Marcus looked completely at ease among her brood, the portion of it that was present, at least. There was a noticeable camaraderie between him, Benedict, and Kate, their playfulness rather enjoyable to witness. And with the younger two, he was attentive and kind, including them in conversation and listening to them with genuine interest. Hyacinth was clearly enamored, and although he was a bit subdued, Gregory was receptive to him as well. 

“Lord Anderson, are you staying for lunch?” Hyacinth asked, pulling Violet back into the moment. 

“Hyacinth!” she chastised, though her daughter did not show an ounce of embarrassment at being so forward. “Please forgive my daughter’s lack of manners.”

Marcus held up a staying hand. “It is quite alright,” he assured her, then turned towards Hyacinth. “Thank you for the invitation. Unfortunately, I have already committed to lunch with my sister, so I cannot join you today. It is my sincerest hope that the offer may be extended for another day.”

Beaming, Hyacinth opened her mouth, but Violet cut her off before she could speak. “I am sure we can arrange something soon.”

“A picnic, perhaps!” Hyacinth jumped in, ignoring the wide-eyed look of warning from her mother. 

“Oh, a picnic would be lovely,” Kate agreed, barely concealing a smirk as Violet’s mouth dropped open.  

Marcus leaned closer to Hyacinth, dropping the volume of his voice to a whisper that was more than audible throughout the room. “I do love a picnic.”

When he grinned at Violet over his shoulder, she was caught between wanting to throw her arms around him and wishing a hole would open up beneath her feet and swallow her alive. If he and her children were already conspiring against her, she was not sure she would stand a chance at winning anything ever again. She stubbornly pursed her lips against a persistent smile and cleared her throat. 

“Well then, I suppose we’ll see what can be arranged. As long as the weather cooperates,” she added, if for no other reason than to feel as though she had not lost complete control. 

“Oh, goodie!” Hyacinth cheered, clapping her hands together as her curls bounced around her shoulders. Behind her, Benedict silently clapped as well, a teasing smirk directed at his mother. She narrowed her eyes at him, which he returned with a wink. He was bordering on impertinence and if she didn’t love him so much, she thought she could have killed him. 

“Until then,” Marcus said, standing up and addressing the room, “I am afraid I must take my leave. Anyone who knows what’s good for them does not make Agatha Danbury wait for her food.”

After a chorus of goodbyes, Violet sat back down on the settee, nestling into the corner. Kate came over from her spot by the window, managing to look as graceful as ever lowering herself onto the settee across from Violet, despite her ever growing belly. At the same time, Benedict wandered off without a word to anyone, leaving Gregory alone at the table. Hyacinth appeared beside her mother, kneeling on the cushion, her large green eyes bright with enthusiasm.

“Mama?” she asked, taking hold of Violet’s forearm in both her hands.

“Yes, dearest?” Violet patted her daughter’s hand, the affection in her voice unwavering despite a hint of weariness sneaking in. 

“When are we going to have our picnic with Lord Anderson?”

Violet let out a little laugh of surprise. “I do not know. I will arrange it and send him an invitation soon.”

Hyacinth beamed at her, turning to sit properly and leaning into her mother’s side. Violet wrapped her arm around her, pulling her in against her. 

“I do hope it is very soon. It will be such fun!”

“You seem to hold a great affection for Lord Anderson,” Kate pointed out. 

“Why shouldn’t I? He is kind and funny. He does not treat Gregory and me like small children who should not be allowed to speak. And most importantly, he makes Mama smile in a way I have never seen before.”

Violet’s eyes grew wide, her face suddenly hot again. 

“Are you going to marry him, Mama?”

Her eyes, widening even further, flew to Hyacinth, finding herself at a loss for words. After sputtering for a moment, she finally managed to ask, “Why ever would you ask such a question?”

Hyacinth straightened and tilted her head to one side. “Is that not the purpose of courting?”

A flutter of panic began to rise up the back of Violet’s throat. “Who told you we are courting?”

“It is quite obvious, Mama.” She looked at her mother, then over at Kate, then back again, doubt causing her face to fall. “You are courting, are you not?”

“I don’t…” Violet huffed, waving one hand in the air as if it would conjure the words she could not find. “To be quite honest, I do not know,” she finally said, her face twisting with unease.

Hyacinth’s brows knitted together. “It seems like you are courting,” she said.

Violet blinked and tipped her head to one side, acquiescing. “Yes, I… I suppose it does.”

“Do you want to be courted?”

Diverting her eyes again, Violet fidgeted with her skirt and offered a tight-lipped smile, wishing for the second time that the Earth could somehow swallow her whole.

“I, uh… I am, not sure,” a strained laugh escaped her throat. Part of her felt that this was not an appropriate subject for her daughter of just twelve, but she also understood that her decisions would ultimately affect Hyacinth’s life as much as they did her own, so she felt obliged to answer. She just wished she had had a bit more time to sort it out privately first. She cleared her throat and blinked hard before making herself meet her daughter’s eyes.

“I enjoy Lord Anderson’s company very much. You are right; he is kind and humorous, and I greatly appreciate how well he seems to get along with all of you. And even more so, there is a… companionship I feel with him that I have not had since your father died. It has been an unexpected joy to feel that again.” A small, unconscious smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

“And yet you have reservations?” Kate inquired gently.

“Yes.”

“What sort of reservations?” Hyacinth asked. 

“Well, dearest,” Violet spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. There were so many layers to her feelings, and not only were they not all appropriate for her young daughter to hear, but she also wanted to avoid becoming too emotional. Hyacinth was rightfully curious, and while Violet wanted to answer her questions, she did not want to burden her with problems that were Violet’s alone to resolve. “The purpose of courting, as you are clearly aware, is to marry. And I had not ever imagined marrying anyone but your father. I am not sure that I want to marry again, even someone with whom I share… affection.” She looked down at her daughter, picking nervously at the lace on the cuff of Hyacinth’s sleeve and took in a deep, slightly shaky breath. “It feels a bit like a betrayal. To him, and to the love that we shared, that I still feel to this day.”

Hyacinth studied her mother’s face, noting the worry lines that appeared between her brows. She wrapped her arm around Violet’s waist and laid her head against her chest, hugging her tightly for a moment while Violet returned the gesture by pulling her in closer. “I do not believe Papa would think it a betrayal,” Hyacinth said, sounding confident. 

Curious and a bit surprised, Violet’s eyebrows lifted. “Why not?”

“Because to think so would be selfish. I may not have known Papa, but I know that everyone says the two of you shared a true love. And if you have taught me anything, it is that love is not selfish.”

Violet felt tears prickle behind her eyes and she blinked them back with great effort. How could a child who had never even met Edmund sound so very much like him? With a lump in her throat, she pressed a kiss into her daughter’s hair and whispered, as much to Edmund as to Hyacinth, “You are right about that, my love.”

[spaceorphan18]

I just have some thoughts and, I just... they're just thoughts with zero intention of being inflammatory or derogatory. (I do respect all the other ships on the show, enjoy Kanthany and am looking forward to Benedict/Sophie, and am slightly annoyed I even have to have a disclaimer, my god fandom, sometimes...)

I think that in one way that Bridgerton, as a show, struggles a little (and I suppose I mean struggle loosely) is that it's chaffing between wanting to be (what is essentially) an anthology show vs a regular TV show where the characters are developed long term.

I think Simon and Daphne's story works within season 1. But like the book(s), it's a self-contained story that isn't intended to go beyond the happily ever after other than a cameo here and there. (I do hope Daphne comes back eventually to cameo, it's a shame she wasn't in season 3.) But their story isn't meant to go anywhere else.

Anthony and Kate is the most awkward story at the moment. Anthony is one of the few well rounded characters in the book, as he's the head of the household and in most of the books. And Anthony and Kate having to run the household feels a little like a missed opportunity to be developed on the show. Now -- I know it's because Jonathan Bailey is becoming hugely successful actor -- and the original premise of the show is supposed to be self-contained stories. But it's a shame, because I think Anthony and Kate have so much potential for good stories to tell, and I have a feeling they won't be.

The thing about Pen and Colin, though, is that they haven't been treated like the anthology format the two previous couples got. Their story has been treated in a more traditional, long-form tv style, in which the characters have grown and developed, and so Season 3 was their spotlight, but we've past that and... I still think they'll be getting a considerable amount of screen time in Season 4. (Obviously, not as much as Season 3 - and I hope people don't get their expectations up too much). But look at how much they both got to do in Season 1 and 2. It's A LOT. And Season 4 will probably be on par with that.

I'm super curious as to where we go from here. Season 4 kind of has its expected trajectory, and I can pretty much guess what we're in for (and am looking forward to it!)

But what happens after? Do Benedict and Sophie now fade into the background completely? What are we doing with Anthony now - which is still rich in possibility? Pen and Colin's story probably will wrap up (in a way) in Season 4 -- where do their individual arcs go, or will the by pushed back?

[And, as an aside that I don't really want to make -- if Nicola wanted to get off the ride, after Season 4 would be a good place to do it. I guess that depends on whether or not she becomes the next Jonathan Bailey -- and as much as I would love that for her as an actress, the Pen fan in me's heart would hurt]

And if you don't have these subplots in future seasons, what do we have? Neither Eloise's book or Francesca's book really have any sideplots (Francesca's especially) -- and yet you have all of these characters. I know they want to develop Gregory and Hyacinth more, but idk idk.

But I guess, back to my original point -- the further we go on, the less the anthology style works because we've started spending A LOT of time with these characters. I think the central romances will, for the most part, be fine, but the subplots and the previous couples and the long standing characters -- what does the show do?

I don't have answers, I'm mostly thinking out loud....

That all said - I really, really hope they get to Gregory and Hyacinth's books -- because I think there's potential for a lot of fun to be had in them. (I personally like them way more than Eloise and Francesca's books, so at least Netflix has one long term fan...)

[curlsandsnakes]

AU POLIN FANFIC

Courting Penelope Featherington

It’s raining the day he comes home.

Dark, moody weather that sets the tone wonderfully for the rather lackluster greeting he gets from his preoccupied siblings and absolutely rung dry mother. With two girls out in society, 1 pair of newly weds, 2 youngsters, and a Benedict, he can’t quite blame his mothers half hearted declarations and wandering eyes. He’s fully aware they’re happy to see him, Hyacinth even cries, but they all have their own dramas going on and have no time to entertain his stories of travel.

It doesn’t matter any, there really is only person he’s desperate to talk too, desperate to thrill with detailed accounts and sketched photographs.

It’s a shame Penelope Featherington wants absolutely nothing to do with him.

Eloise is the only sibling who never responded to a letter he sent. It’s clear she’s fully aware of the horrible things he’d spoken in a drunken haze nearly five months ago , and in true Eloise fashion she has no intention of betraying her best friend. She doesn’t even speak to him until he drops into the chaise beside her.

“Eloise. I missed you.”

Her bored expression never falters.

“Lovely to have you home, colin.” It’s so formal he nearly snorts at his rebellious little sister.

“I understand you are still displeased with me about my error last season.”

That does it.

“Error?! You call what you did an error?” Her body twists towards him and she fixes him with an outraged glare.

“Well yes, it’s was uncalled for and I…”

“Uncalled for?! I’ve never known you to be a fool but I find I do not know you at all. You nearly ruined her , Colin! She was wiped from the marriage market by your comments alone! If even her best friend couldn’t imagine being with her, why would anyone else? You have no idea what you accomplished!” Eloise pants, her face alarmingly red. “And then, when the damage was done you ran off to travel the world leaving Penelope to fix her reputation entirely on her own! And the audacity to write to her.”

Theres pain in his gut, crushing and turning everything in his stomach until he’s left nauseous and weak. What had he done? Was he truly that blind to see how fragile Pen was already? If anyone knew how desperately she wanted a husband, a family, it was him. And he had spoken so callously, degraded the one decent woman in the entirety of the ton.

“But you needn’t worry, penelope is no longer the Insipid wallflower you once knew. She has blossomed quite beautifully, I myself was astonished by her transformation.” Kate calls from her place at the head desk in the drawing room, a knowing sparkle in her eye.

“It’s true! She’s the prettiest one at all of the festivals.” Gregory is fussing with his gift while he speaks but makes sure to keep eye contact with Colin when he continues “and everyone says so.” It feels strangely like a warning from the 12 year old.

“Do we speak of Penelope?” Violet Bridgerton waltzes back into the room “I’ve heard from a reputable source that Lord Debling and Master Anderson both have plans to begin a courtship with our beautiful friend. I’m so intrigued to see who she will choose to marry.”

“Marry?!” His voice carry’s over the deafening crack of thunder “she can’t marry! She would need at-least a season of courting and this one’s nearly over. If they haven’t begun courting her yet, it would be wise to wait until next year to begin!” He feels hot, sweaty, his heart beating so fast it’s bound to give way to his mania any moment now.

“Not in Penelope’s case. This is her third season with no matches, she’s more than welcome to accept whomever she chooses at whatever time.” Violet is perched on Simons lap.

“I quite like Debling. I believe he would make a good addition to the family.” The duke tickles his wife’s ribs.

“As do I. We all get on quite well and since Penelope is essentially a sixth Bridgerton sister it will be nice to have someone we can all tolerate.” Anthony adds.

“She is not marrying Debling!” Colin’s voice is firm and slightly frantic, panic rising up the back of his neck. “She will not marry this season.”

“And who are you to decide what she does brother? Have you not done enough. Your opinion is inconsequential and it would do best for you to keep it to yourself, lest you scare any more suitors off.” Eloise has her hands on her hips and it’s almost intimidating enough for him to stop speaking but God himself could not save Colin Bridgerton now.

“There will be no more suitors and she will not be marrying any of these men!” He barks, firm and unmoving.

“Why do you keep saying that?!” Eloise shouts.

“Because she will marry me!” The words pour out of him in a roar, his chest heaves and his hands ball his neatly pressed pants. “She will marry me when I am done courting her, she deserves the full courting experience. I had intended to come home at the start of the Season so I could do it properly but my boat went down at a shipping port and I didn’t make it out of Greece for weeks.

Violet claps her hands, a watery smile on her lips

“These are your intentions, dear?”

He has never seen his mother so proud, joy shining in her eyes.

“Yes. They have been since I left All those months ago. I regret the words I spoke instantly and I needed to figure out why. It didn’t take me long to realize Penelope is the one I desire, I crave, I need her in every humanly way.” It feels like a weight has been lifted off my chest

… until of course, Eloise speaks.

“We’ll best of luck on that journey, brother. Penelope Featherington absolutely loathes you.” She takes too much pleasure from his pain.

“All will work out as it should.” Violet pats his shoulder gently before walking back out.

He needs to fix this before someone else takes his place.

He needs to court Penelope Featherington, and he needs to court her right now.

[theblackdandelion]

my theories for Bridgerton S3 pt2

might be a bit spoiler-y, so don't read if you want to be 100% in the dark (which is fair, i wish i had that kind of self-control)

my guess on what's gonna happen based on the teaser for pt2 and some photos that were released and then deleted from different ig accounts (about which i know thanks to Sammy Bates's videos):

afer Colin announces the engagment, Eloise and Pen have the arguement where El asks "does he know?" - Pen tells her she's gonna stop, that she will write her last column where she will say goodbey, she'll maybe even use a line from the books - "i cannot make heads or tails from a world where Penelope Featherington will marry a Bridgerton" (i'm paraphrasing). Eloise isn't happy but is willing to accept this for the time being

Queen is gonna be displeased with this - one of her few entertainments is going away? no way! we're gonna hunt her down using the ton and 5 grand!

Cressida gets on the train, El refuses to help her (saw this here, sorry, don't remember the user, but their friend from Ireland is a reporter and saw the whole season an told her what happened, apparently; plus one of the photos in Sammy Bates video is of what Cressida has written as LW), and this fake Whistledown is what gets delivered when Colin is looking scared or whatever around the 0:32 mark in the teaser for pt2 (see attached picture). Also, i think this whole scene is happening during their engagement ball or something similar, but also might be on their wedding, but i hope it's before the wedding

Pen gets angry, because no way is she letting Cressida of all people take her work, and decides to publish one more time. Colin finds out (one photo from Sammy's video is of Colin seein Pen in the printer shop with her blue cloak on), que Carriage Scene 2.0 (i heard there might be another one, but i don't recall whether it was just a someone saying "if only" or if it was someone who said they knew it was gonna happen). They fight, they take time apart, they'll make up. Sometimes during this Colin starts to figue oout "shit, i wanna be a writer", and Pen releases her pamphlet about Cressida not being LW

Cressida figures out Pen is LW and starts to blackmail her. Pen freaks out, Colin tells her to chill, he's got it covered (he loves to save Pen, this is basically another of his wet dreams coming true), he plans to tell everyone so Cressida won't be able to hold it above their heads, he tells Anthony and the rest of the family (at this point i'm just following the book's plot)

Pen has no idea wha Colin has planned, is very stressed, faints, everything ends up well. Her faintin was because she's pregnant (another user pointed out that in regency era stories fainting often meant that that chracter is pregnant and she doen't know yet), she's the one to give birth to a boy (her sisters have daughters), and she's the new Lord Featherington's mama

Bridgertons' reaction to who LW is

i also read somewhere that different people will find out who LW is and there's gonna be an array of reactions to the news. So, here are my guesses at he reactions:

Anthony - shock, just shock. He'll be looking at Colin for 5 minutes and just asking what??! with question marks instead of pupils

Benedict - he's gona laugh his ass of

Colin - anger, betrayal, jelaousy, acceptance, pride

Daphne - no Daphn this season, so no reaction. shame

Francesca - calm surprise

Gregory - he won't care that much, he's not that interested in gossip

Hyacinth - she's gona be over the moon. Her new sister is Lady Fucking Whistledown?! Fuck yeah!!! (she won○t be too happy about having to imitate glue, though. IYKYK)

Violet - she'll try not to lose her cool, and will be mostly perplexed. It's a depth of Penelope she never expected to exist, but at the end of the day, Colin loves her and that's all that matters to Mama Bridgerton

Kate - Kate's gonna be probably happy there's another person with more than half a braincell in this family, and won't be angry (there wasn't that many bad things Pen wrote about the Sharmas)

Also, I very much hope for bi!benedict to happen this season. if it doesn't i'll survive it, but it would just make sense if it did

If you read all the way here, congratulatons. Sorry for the typos and me giving up on upper case somewhere in the middle of this. Have a nice day. Get yourself a coockie, you diserve it.

All of those things are just my theories and nothing more. I don't know anything about the production of this or any other TV show. I am just an obssessed 25yo

[newtonsheffield]

Morning Molly, take good care of that throat please. Faking a little COVID is not the worst thing ever.

I'm afraid I'm in the need of an expansion of the «one of us has to be the viscount» of Newtie attending the meetings, controlling the lands and taking tea with visitora. What a busy agenda

Okay! Let’s do this. Newton being the backbone of Bridgerton House. He’s got a lot to do

His life was so good now. Newton had to admit, he’d been very sceptical when his Kate had dragged him onto that bobbing, water bound, nightmare. But England was nice, for the most part. Sure, the ground was a lot colder on his paws and he wasn’t quite in love with the way the rain sat on his fur and he didn’t look as handsome when he was drenched, but it had it’s moments.

Kate had been sad, for a little while, He hadn’t liked that. He hadn’t liked the way she’d smiled when everyone was looking at her and the moment they turned away her face fell. He had been all she’d had in those moments. He’s curled up beside her on the bed and pressed his nose to his neck while she’d clutched his fur and her shoulders heaved. He had been there for her, hadn’t left her side while she’d slept those days away, so still he had thought she might never wake up. And then came Anthony.

Newton had taken one look at the man and huffed. Ludicrous. He had rolled his eyes and let the growl build in his chest.

Well, you can just keep your paws to yourself. Looking at my Mama like that. Shame.

It had only gotten worse. And then one day, Kate sat with him, her hands running through his fur the way that made his tail wag.

“Anthony asked me to marry him yesterday, little one.”

Well, I’m not living with him, Kate. I’m not.

“I’ll be so happy with him.” There was a smile on her face that made him feel guilty for putting his paw down. “He loves me and I love him. And you’ll like living at Bridgerton House.”

Newton Huffed, I don’t think so.

“And we can go back to the country. We can go to Aubrey Hall.”

It was okay, there. Newton whined.

“And you’ll have the children to play with.”

They might give me sweets I suppose. Newton sighed, I suppose if you’ll be happy then I’ll be happy.

And truly, it was nice to see Kate happy. Even if it was with Anthony. And he liked the plush carpets of Bridgerton House, he liked his bed and he liked Gregory and Hyacinth chasing him around. The only problem was Anthony.

The man was absolutely useless. Truly. Didn’t do a single thing. Not a day goes by that Newton didn’t have to step in and do something for him. Every day started the same.

Newton’s eyes opened slowly, groaning as he stretched. He rolled his eyes as Kate giggled from the bed and made his way downstairs.

Starting the day Late again, Anthony. Newton tutted as he hopped downstairs, following the scents from the kitchens. Ooo Sausages this morning, Perfect. Morning Clara!

“There he is.” Clara Hummed, stopping to scratch between his ears. “Are you hungry?”

I’m starving! Newton yipped, wagging his tail. I’ve got a lot on today.

He polished off his breakfast and sighed as he made his way through the breakfast room, where the family would be waiting for him. I’m here. I’m here, don’t worry.

Newton looked around rolling his eyes when he noticed Anthony was still shirking his responsibilities upstairs with Kate. He waited for someone to fill his bowl for second breakfast, accepting a scratch on the head from Anthony’s Mama and then his brother Benedict.

Your Son is keeping my Mama from her breakfast.

“You’re such a sweet boy aren’t you?” Anthony’s Mama hummed.

I am Violet, Yes. I’ve got a lot on my schedule today, I’m going to bother Katie.

He met Kate on the stairs, she and Anthony giggling as they made their way down and Newton bristled as Kate crouched in front of him.

“There he is.”

Ugh You smell like Anthony. He just has to ruin everything for me.

“Newton, Good morning.”

Newton Huffed as he looked at Anthony. When you’re ready, I’m ready for my walk, one of us to greet the people.

He and Katie and Anthony, unfortunately, took their walk in the park every day and Newton made it his business to greet everyone while Anthony distracted Kate, whispering in her ear and winking at her like an absolute Harlot.

We’re walking Anthony! Please!

They made their way home and Newton made himself comfortable on the sofa next to Hyacinth and Kate while Francesca’s gentlemen came to visit and Anthony lounged around.

He leaned over the sofa, tugging on Hyacinth’s hair with a stupid smile on his face while he nudged Newton.

“Newton, go and bite that man’s breeches.”

Newton sighed while Kate scoffed. “He’s not going to do that, He’s a good boy.”

Do it yourself! Newton harrumphed. I’m trying to have a nap! One of us has been busy today, Anthony!

“Go on, just a little nibble.”

Newton sighed as a knock sounded at the Front door and he leapt down fro the sofa to greet the new guest muttering as he left Lord, I just have to do absolutely everything in this place.

[forasecondtherewedwon]

The Ladies Whistledown - chapter thirteen

Pairing: Eloise x Penelope Rating: T Word Count: 2702

read on tumblr: one | two | three | four | five | six seven | eight | nine | ten | eleven | twelve

It was one of the pleasantest winters Eloise could remember since her father died. With Daphne, Simon, Augie, and the baby (an addition so new it made Kate seem as though she had been theirs forever) coming to stay, even the large Aubrey Hall felt full to bursting, and yet Eloise did not mind it. It was cheering to have everyone together, never mind if that made it difficult to find a quiet place to read, and their elbows all bumped at supper.

Only Francesca appeared to grown genuinely weary of them all, but that was mostly because of their noise; they were Bridgertons, and could not help it. Eloise would stifle her snort at finding her sister reading in the nursery while Daphne's children napped. Fran also bravely took to the outdoors, and Eloise joined her there. They tramped through snow that sparkled like the diamond their mother had already (tactlessly, if you asked Eloise) expressed hopes of Francesca being named next season. The air was lovely and brisk, and the snow that pillowed in the branches of their estate's now-bare woods reminded Eloise of ladies' skirts. It was a different world, through Francesca's eyes—pleasant, for a time. Before the pure silence her sister preferred could bore Eloise, the rest of their siblings would burst from the Hall to fling snow at one another, and Fran would retreat to help Daphne mind her bundled babies.

Kate and Anthony stayed on awhile after Christmas. Anthony called it being "stuck with" them, claiming there were many places he and his wife would rather have been, only the snow had altered their plans. This was a complaint absolutely no one believed—not least of which because Kate herself denied it. Eloise and Benedict took to teasing Anthony about his choice of words whenever possible. When Gregory did a recitation in Latin and Anthony looked so proud he might cry; when their cook prepared a show-stopping roast pheasant that Eloise's brothers themselves had brought down, placing it before Anthony at the table so he could carve into its glistening, golden skin; when Anthony held Daphne's baby and glanced over its head to make soft eye contact with his wife; Benedict and Eloise would cut into all these moments, remarking on what a shame it was that Anthony was stuck here, and what a dreadful time he appeared to be having.

Secretly, Eloise was delighted that marriage thus far appeared to be improving her eldest brother. She had rather feared that he would not be the same after, and that, in a way, they might lose him as they had once lost their father. What a relief that only positive changes had manifested. Naturally, she gave all the credit for this to Kate. Kate was a joy. She played games with relish, she was interested in whatever Eloise was reading, and she clapped loudly in the evenings when Daphne and Francesca performed duets at the pianoforte. Kate was more spontaneous than Francesca, less fussy than Daphne, and more thoughtful than Hyacinth. Perhaps the novelty of her newness helped, but Eloise immediately found her a most excellent sister, different from the others, but with quirks that were a perfect complement to their own. What drew Eloise's admiration most of all was Kate's vibrant personhood—in the sense that marriage had not transformed her into some shadowy extension of her husband. She was quite individual and independent. It made Eloise extraordinarily curious.

"I do not think your brother would recognize me any other way," Kate said with a laugh when Eloise (as always, clumsily) confessed her observations.

"Yes, but, you see, that is also all your success," Eloise insisted. "Anthony has altered his conceptions of marriage because of you. I do not think he could imagine a wife like you until he met you, and then there was you first, and the concept of a wife second."

"I defer to you, Eloise," Kate replied amiably, "who knew your brother before I could make such a study of him."

"You know what a prat he was, at least."

They shared a smile.

"Trust me, that is not all gone, or else how would I recognize him?" Kate joked.

Eloise made a sound of baffled wonderment and leaned back in her chair.

"Even your faults are hardly faults in one another's eyes."

"When you marry, you marry a whole person," Kate said sagely. "Or, at least, you hope to. Anthony and I have always been our complete selves with one another—for the worse at first, but very quickly for the better. A true partner cannot be merely someone's best parts. Not one person you ever truly love will be faultless, nor should you seem faultless to them."

Eloise reflected on this for several minutes while Kate sipped her tea. She was perfectly correct, of course, and her wisdom aligned well with what Eloise's mother had always attempted to impart about marriage and partnership. Coming from Kate, however, the information was easier to credit; where Eloise's memories of her mother and father were all blurred into romantic idyll by time and overwhelming love, Eloise was able to witness Kate and Anthony's courtship and marriage in the present. She knew what a short-tempered, short-sighted turnip her brother could be. If Kate could put up with that—and not only put up with it, but accept and, indeed, cherish it as part of Anthony's larger complexity—her advice was surely worth its weight in gold.

Unbidden, she thought of Penelope. Kate had said her words applied to anyone a person might love, so Eloise knew that must include dear friends. It was entirely usual for Pen to come to her mind. Did not Kate's explanation describe them well? Had not they lately learned so much more of each other, more significant revelations than either might have thought possible after so long a friendship? And they loved one another still, proving Kate's point. Were one of them a man, it struck Eloise all of a sudden, they would really be quite well suited. As far as she could tell, there was not so terribly much (marriage aside) that separated her closeness with Pen from Kate's closeness with Anthony. The main thing was that Eloise was not as free to express her affection for Penelope.

It had never precisely occurred to her that she might want to express her affection in a way she hadn't before, such as by taking walks and trading books and penning editions of Whistledown. But there was the feeling Eloise had had when they had danced together at Lady Danbury's midwinter ball, holding each other by the waist, not just the hands. And there had been that same feeling when they had shared a cigarette in Eloise's bedchamber. What would Kate and Anthony have done in such moments, she wondered now? Their affection was so physical—a hand on a shoulder, a kiss in the garden—and carried off with such ease. What would it have been like, Eloise pondered with a racing heart, if instead of only thinking how her cigarette had looked between Pen's lips, she had plucked it out and put her own lips in its place?

She released a shuddering breath that flung her from her thoughts. Turning the sound into a cough, Eloise grabbed for her teacup and blamed a dry throat. This sere, wintery countryside, did not Kate know? It made one awfully thirsty.

The tea wetted her tongue, but was too hot to cool her thoughts. Eloise tried to tell herself that, for once, she needed to behave properly, to only make appropriate inquiries. Her foot bounced against the floor. Her mother would say she must not ask, she knew that for certain—but then, if her mother had ever provided her with the information she sought, Eloise would not need to ask.

It was the old curiosity, this area of ignorance which so many aspects of her life and work seemed destined to point back to. How had Marina come to be with child? What had to happen for Queen Charlotte to get her precious heir? What on earth was it about her brother that had assisted Kate in overcoming her initial repugnance for him? The thing between kissing and babies, the thing Pen and El’s constructed Lady W knew (according to Benedict) which they did not! Eloise took a quick breath to prepare to ask.

“Marital relations help, I suppose,” she blurted, leaning towards Kate and smiling grimly through her discomfort. “I mean, I don’t really know. My mother forbids the topic outright, and my brothers only make jokes they know I do not understand. Horrid creatures.”

During her babbling, Kate’s face had taken on an expression of surprise. Gradually, amusement was mixed in, to Eloise’s disappointment. She had not expected Kate to join her brothers in laughing at her.

“If your mother has forbidden the topic, then I should not speak of it,” Kate began.

Eloise sank back in her seat with a weary sigh.

“Of course,” Kate hedged with a sly look in her eye, “I have not always obeyed my own mother’s edicts. A young woman must be proper, yes, but in my opinion she must also be informed.”

This was stated with so much assurance that Eloise brightened instantly, rejoicing anew in Anthony’s choice of wife. Eloise’s hands balled into triumphant fists and she scrunched up her mouth to restrain the sort of victorious whoop which was only appropriate during a family-only croquet match. What a Kate! What a sister!

After a quick glance towards the doorway (thankfully empty), Kate asked, “From where are we starting? Tell me anything you know already.”

Eloise did. Kate listened attentively while Eloise shared the almost-nothing she knew and what felt like the very-little she had gleaned and guessed from activities such as reading and overhearing. Not once did Kate’s interested eyes narrow in judgement; there would have been a time when she had known as little as Eloise. Still, Eloise was glad to find her disclosure was met with understanding, not pity.

Eloise did not name a source for all of her guesswork. The truth was that some came from her own experience, and she could never divulge that. She could only say, I believe the kind of attraction that leads to marital relations is meant to feel something like… Or, If one were to spend much of one’s time with someone they cared for, there might be a deepening of existing feelings into feelings which were more…

She could not and did not say, I know the difference between friendship and attraction—though she did. After her revelation about the manner in which her and Penelope’s closeness might develop, Eloise had performed a swift consideration of whether this were how she would feel about any friendship. Perhaps it was all on her side, not about the other person at all. Maybe she was just… wretchedly unmarried. Maybe having a husband would erase this yearning for Penelope and she would no longer feel— No. Entirely ridiculous. Eloise would never believe a husband was the solution to anything. And a husband was definitely not a replacement for a Penelope.

If she had been correct the first time, that she was just feeling her friendships too intensely and confusing that natural affection for the greater intimacy which supposedly existed between husband and wife, well, that did not quite explain everything either. The friendship was far more recent, but she did not feel for Cressida what she felt for Penelope. Although she had been surprised by Cressida, was unexpectedly fond of Cressida, enjoyed enlivening conversation with Cressida, Eloise had never wanted to kiss Cressida. And she did want to kiss Penelope. She wanted to kiss Penelope more and more, the more she thought about it. So, really, she had to not think about it. At least while she spoke to Kate. It was imperative that Eloise devote her full attention to the conversation at hand. This might be her only opportunity to learn.

It proved to be fairly astonishing, the information Kate had to impart. Some of it seemed hardly credible—what went where?—except that Kate imparted each piece of knowledge with hushed urgency. She seemed quite determined to disclose as much as possible, lest they be interrupted. Eloise, in turn, did her best to absorb it all, though she did wish for paper and ink. Although, how mortifying if she were to include any of it in a letter to Penelope and that letter should fall into the wrong hands! Lady Featherington would undoubtedly march straight to Eloise’s mother, feeling rather superior over the Bridgerton girls being ever so improper compared to her own daughters. Even interception by Mrs. Varley would mean Eloise would never again be able to meet the eye of the Featherington housekeeper. The shame would be too great.

But why should she be ashamed!

As Kate spoke, describing bodily functions in blunt detail so there was no chance of Eloise being confused, Eloise wrestled with the competing impulses of shame and inquisitiveness. To be informed, she had always found, was to be powerful. And so, surely, making Eloise feel ashamed to know these things was another way in which her male-run society kept power out of her hands. They made her believe seeking knowledge was wicked, and was not that just the very oldest story in the book! Which book? The Bible, in fact!

Now, Eloise did not intend to rebel against god, but she did feel truly conflicted. Generally, knowledge had not made her feel discomfited in the past. The opposite. It must be that she simply required time to turn over this new information in her mind, to refigure some other assumptions and expectations around it. Kate did not seem ashamed. She was married, obviously, but Eloise thought that condition would not necessarily make it easy to accept that a man would be allowed to put that part of himself inside a woman’s body. Despite Kate’s matter-of-factness, Eloise shuddered with revulsion. This certainly did not seem like the logical endpoint to what she had felt for Penelope—first, because Eloise had never spent time in a man’s company and felt anything remotely like a desire for him to do that, and second, because Penelope could not do that to her. Nor could she do that to Penelope.

Eloise sagged down in her seat. Was that it then? Was there to be no grand act available to them? Were they unfortunates after all, doomed to an average happiness of lifelong friendship and companionship, promenades in the park and flutes of champagne? It did not sound so awful. Still, Eloise was disappointed. It felt a cruel waste that she—for all her aversion to marriage—might have a heart which quickened with desire when she could not act on it.

Tentatively, Eloise asked Kate, “But what if… what if there were not… a husband?”

Kate smiled knowingly. Eloise did not know what Kate knew, but tried to look as if she did. She made the face she did when attending lectures she only partially understood.

“If a woman is overcome by the feelings typically leading to or awakened during marital relations,” Kate said, “but she finds herself alone…”

Kate described what a woman alone might do, how she might relieve the urgency of the physical sensations which possessed her. Eloise had not meant to imply a partnerless scenario, but what Kate had assumed was simpler, she had to admit. Naturally, Kate, who loved and felt these sensations for her husband (internally, Eloise strove like never in her life to separate all of this from Anthony), would not think of two women. No one would. No one did. It was not how their society, nor any other Eloise knew of, worked. Nevertheless, Kate had taught her something of feminine pleasure. Eloise guessed that anything that might be done with oneself might be accomplished just as easily with another woman.

Contemplating this, Eloise sipped distractedly at her tea, until eventually, she raised it to her lips and realized she was attempting to drink from an empty cup.