#Richard Gunningworth

[the-other-art-blog]

Richard Gunningworth: *ignores Sophie for years, barely acknowledges her existence, makes her feel unloved, gets married without considering Sophie, does nothing to defend her against his wife’s abuse, doesn’t take the proper measures to secure her future if he dies*

The Bton fandom: “I think Sophie’s father really loved her. He must have been in love with her mother. Yes! It was forbidden love! Poor baby, he ignored Sophie because it was too painful to see her.”

Violet: *loses the love of her life when she was 8 months pregnant, suffers depression, has a traumatic birth, suffers post-partum depression, recovers and dedicates her life to raise her children and makes sure her children live a HEA*

The Bton Fandom: “what a horrible mother, she should have been there for Anthony. She’s an absent mother! She’s the worst.”

Make it make sense.

If Violet would have died and Edmund would have crumbled, everyone would have made excuses for him. Stop acting as if Anthony raised those children alone. Violet was depressed for a while, but then SHE raised them. And before Edmund died, they were loving and involved parents.

People forget too easily all the damage Richard did to Sophie.

Let's just recap all the shitty things he did in the book.

He abused his power as a wealthy heir to take advantage of a poor maid.

He left said maid alone, even when he knew there was a possibility of getting her pregnant. And yes, we don't know why she left, but if he cared he would have done something.

He let Sophie live with him because he had to. The book is clear in that he is not happy about her arrival and decides to treat her as a ward. Now, yes, this technically gave Sophie many opprtunities, but he only did it to safe his reputation. He made her pay for his mistakes.

He abandoned her in the country while he spent most of the year in London doing who knows what. Sophie grew up completely alone, except the servants. She had no friends ebcause everyone knew she was an illegitimate child.

When he is in the country, he barely spent time with her. Although I believe he asked for reports from the governess and knew she could be an accomplished woman.

He married Araminta without ever considering Sophie. If he cared about Sophie, he would have mentioned her to Araminta before proposing to her. No loving father would have made any decision without making sure that his new wife treated his daughter with respect. In fact, Araminta was treated as a fool here too, cause she deserved to know. As horrible as she was, she deserved to know Sophie existed, and the fact that Richard didn't think it important to tell her shows how privileged and horrible he was.He was a very wealthy earl, he could have had anyone. He was only 36 years old and if Sophie looked like him, he should have been handsome.

When he presented to the whole staff, he totally forgot about Sophie. He wasn't even planning on making a formal presentation!!! That scene breaks my heart cause Sophie beams when he tells her he didn’t see her. Like how despicable you have to be to make her feel like she’s forgetable and more insignificant than a scullery maid. Let’s not pretend that this messed up with Sophie’s self-esteem.

He didn’t take measures to protect Sophie’s dowry. He left her money... and then what? There were no further instructions on what to do with her. Did he plan to arrange a marriage? How could he have trusted Sophie’s only opportunity for a good life to a woman who hated her?!?!?!?! An ambitious woman who only cared about money and status.

He was aware of Araminta’s treatment towards Sophie and he allowed it. As horrible as Araminta was, the only reason why that woman came near Sophie was Richard. And Sophie knew it.

I know the dowry was extremely important to Sophie, and it does prove that he acknowledge her existence and his responsibility. But honestly, it wasn’t enough. Even if he was already thinking about a future for Sophie where he dies, he could have been more specific in the will. Or, he could have left instructions to his lawyer. What if Sophie didn’t find a husband? Could she have gotten access to the money? I do believe he would have searched for a decent man, but I don’t think he planned a HEA for Sophie, merely a man willing to overlook her illegitimacy. I don’t think they would have had contact once Sophie got married.

And frankly, the fact that people tend to brush off his conduct and abuse and just focus on Araminta pisses me off. Men really can get away with everything.

NEGLECT IS ABUSE!!!!!!

Richard made Sophie carry all the weight of his crimes. He went on being an earl in London and being wealthy and influential. Sophie couldn’t have done anything, she was just a child. The servants didn’t have the power to defend her either. And then Benedict came and he tried to do the same. He wanted her to carry with all the shame of being a mistress while he continued with his life. But this time Sophie could say no and forced Benedict to make sacrifices.

[lilasprincesse]

hi I was wondering if I was the only one who wondered if Tilley Arnold might have a connection with Sophie?

I know it's very unlikely that Lady Arnold and Sophie have a connection together because Lady Arnold's character is only there this season to be Benedict's sex friend but a side of me still imagines a connection between her two characters

so I wonder if I was the only one who imagined a link between his two characters?

[tilly-tilly-2827]

Midnight Sanctuaries (Side A)

Reimaging An Offer from a Gentleman#3

Synopsis: Maria Beckett should know better. But there was nothing she could do. She craved love, she craved for warmth. And Richard Gunningworth didn’t know better.

But how Benedict Bridgerton knew better.

But how he was, a bit of a fool.

⚠️Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault/ rape/ suicide.

AO3 post from here

Maria Beckett had forgotten what love was.

Her mother had left her in a nunnery years ago, with a letter promising that she would return with a house and a family to stay. Must have fallen to prostitution, she heard nuns whisper discreetly between prayers and hymns. There was always the uneasiness that the nuns held as they opened packages from her mother, containing two letters; one for Maria and another for the bishop, and also an ample amount of money. The Lord would not accept such inexpiable gold; a nun would shriek once in every while, but Maria knew that that was the money that kept the roof above her head, and for a couple of others as well.

I promise that I will come back, Maria could vaguely remember her mother’s voice inside her head, tightly hugging her as she stroked her brown curls. But after years and years of scrubbing stone-cold floors and sheets with freezing water and rough scourers, she was beginning to forget the warmth of her mother’s arms, her mother’s love. I love you to the depth of my heart, her mother would always conclude her letters that way, but Maria was slowly beginning to lose faith in her words, her letters, the hasted scribbles on a crumpled paper never gave her comfort or warmth.

So she did not know if this was true love, as Richard Gunningworth pounded inside her, and she gripped desperately on his shoulders, trying to hold onto her consciousness, trying to hold onto his heat.

“When will you be back again, my lord ?”

Maria timidly asked, still covered in sheets as Richard quickly pulled back his breeches and buttoned up his shirt.

“July, I suppose.”

“Another tour to the continent?”

“Aren’t you going to miss me?” He gave a little smirk as he lit up a cigarette, taking a seat beside the bed.

“Well….yes.”

Maria could feel herself blushing furiously, and his sharp gaze softened ever so slightly, his fingertips touching the outline of her cheeks.

“It is only you and Sarah who would even think of missing me,”

“But Lady Penwood,”

“Mother’s lifeblood relies on finding a suitable match for me, siring an heir, and protecting the family name.” He puffed smoke out of his breath as he winced at the sound of his voice. He sounded exactly like his grandfather, who was always wheezing about responsibility and duties. Your time will come soon my boy, between coughs and wheezes he would say, before you take over my title, you must become a man…

“…Won’t you stay, my lord?”

His chilling gaze drilled her to the bone, and she felt herself shrinking and shivering. But she couldn’t help herself.

“Both your grandfather and your mother are unwell, my lord. And your sister as well, she cries every night…”

“I’m aware of that,” Richard replied cooly, “It’s grandfather who wants me out of the house, to be cultured and broaden one’s experience, not me.”

Maria said nothing and Richard noticed that his voice had been cold and harsh, just like his mother’s. He should just leave, he thought, regretting that he had even replied to her inquiry. But he found himself unable to move, gazing at the petite little maid who looked back at him with her almond-brown eyes. There was a small bruise on her neckline, the one he buried his teeth in a few days earlier.

He dropped the cigarette on the floor, pressing his leather boots over them.

He should leave, and close the door and leave.

His hands again slipped under the covers, and the corner of his mouth curled as she squirmed under his touch, softly moaning at the touch of his fingers.

He had lain with women, in brothels and clubs, having his fair share with them. But he couldn’t unsee the sense of reluctance, a sense of duty, obligation, a certain kind of coldness that he saw in their eyes.

But with her, it was so different, so miraculously different. He could see in her eyes and her touch that she craved him; she was almost hungry for every attention he gave her. It was neither duty nor obligation she reacted to their intercourses, it was a need, a desperate craving. Richard never felt so fulfilled as she reacted to every flick of his hand, every gaze, every touch. It was almost addictive, the amount of power he had over the young girl.

Ever since his father passed on, he could feel the clutches of his mother and grandfather become tighter and tighter. Not having a spare, they were almost paranoid. Everything was laid before him by the two. Nothing was by his will, every word, every action was an obligation, a duty.

But not her. He wanted her. He carved her.

“On your hands and knees, my love,”

-----------------------------------------------------

“Is he gone?”

“Yes, Annabel.”

“For gods SAKE!” Annabel, her fellow ladies’ maid and roommate burst out from the tiny closet. “This the THIRD TIME THIS WEEK BECKETT! DO YOU THINK I CAN SLEEP EVERY NIGHT IN THIS RACKET GOING ON CRAMMED IN A BLOODY CLOSET?!?”

“Please Annabel, keep your voice down!”

“I’LL BLOODY WELL BE HEARD IF I COULD AT LEAST GET SOME SLEEP…”

“Please, Annabel, it’s four in the morning…”

“GODDAMN THE TIME BECKETT. WHY DO YOU KEEP LETTING HIM TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU?!?! JUST KNOCK ON THE DOOR AND HE THINKS HE CAN FUC”

Maria tried to cover Annabel’s mouth in a desperate attempt, but Annabel brushed away her hands. She had been crammed in a damm box for 4 hours, she deserved to rant just a little more.

“JUST BECAUSE THE DAMM BRAT IS AN ARISTOCRAT HE THINKS HE CAN DO ANYTHING….”

“Annabel, please, we are both going to lose our jobs.”

Annabel stopped abruptly, feeling even more frustrated that her anger was just ever so meaningless. She knew Maria’s statement was true. Taking a deep breath, she reminded herself of her frail father and her bedridden brother out in the country. She also couldn’t dare to leave her job. As much as she wanted to scream and punch the young master in his head, there was nothing they could do.

As sleep-deprived as she was, she knew that her fellow roommate had it harder, looking at the swelling marks around her neck. Annabel silently handed over an ointment from her shelf, which Maria accepted with a weak smile.

“Are you all right, Beckett?”

“……I’m all right.”

“Did he pull out this time?”

“I think so,”

Annabel had the sudden urge to wrap her arms around her roommate’s delicate shoulders, to hold her tight in her arms, to comfort her, to ease her out of the pain. But it was almost daybreak. Both would have to start preparing for the day or both would receive a beating. Annabel and Maria both silently began their morning rituals.

“Why does he have to do it here? Can’t he do it in the grand bedroom of his?” Annabel asked wearily, as she scraped the sheets off her bed, tugging her friend off as well, her face wincing at the smell.

“I suppose he doesn’t want to change his sheets.” Maria sighed, knowing that it was a terrible answer, and surely, Annabel’s frown only became deeper.

“…And you still say that he loves you?”

“…why would he even come here if he didn’t love me?”

Almost as if she were convincing herself, Annabel quietly thought as she heard Maria’s voice quiver ever so slightly. Annabel threw the burned-out cigarette in the bin.

“At least he’s leaving for his tour soon,” Annabel sighed, arranging her hair into a bun. “When did he say he was leaving?”

“Next Monday.” She quietly replied.

Annabel groaned, thinking about the sleepless nights she would have to endure. She’ll ask someone to share their room for a few nights.

“Can’t you just reject him once?”

“I can’t lose this job, Annabel,” Maria answered weakly, barely above a whisper. “……..And he loves me.”

Lord help this poor child, Annabel softy thought.

---------------------------------------------

The relationship between her and Richard Gunningworth started quite abruptly.

It was only a year ago when Maria was employed by Penwood Park. You should thank your lucky stars, the nuns in the nunnery had repeatedly told her, but Maria could tell from their tone that they were just grateful that they could reduce the number of mouths they had to feed. She was already seventeen, and the nuns had decided that she was old enough to take care of herself. The Penwood house was no better than the Asylum; the intimidating building loomed over her, Lady Penwood watching her in disdain as she hurried along the corridors.

But she was grateful, as she braided the young girl’s hair and ironed her silk ribbons, to have landed a job as a ladies’ maid by chance. The young Sarah Gunningworth was a breath of spring air, a beauty, a radiant sun and she did not know that up until that moment, a girl could bring so much happiness to her life.

“I like your hair!” The little girl had chirped at her when Sarah was running out about, cleaning up chamber pots.

“Thank you, Miss. Sarah. I cannot be more pleased, ”

“Can you do the same to mine?”

And just like that she was assigned as Miss Sarah’s ladies’ maid, despite the envious looks from her colleagues.

Maria was arranging Miss Sarah’s braids when she first met Richard Gunningworth.

It was his piercing green eyes that first caught her eye. When his sharp gaze captivated hers in the mirror, Maria almost jerked; her wooden hairbrush dropping to the velvet carpet.

“Brother!”

Miss Sarah jumped up from her chair and ran up to his arms, and Maria softly smiled as the refined young gentleman went down on his knees, taking his petite sister dearly in his arms.

If Maria had seen him on the street, she would have thought of Richard Gunningworth as a cold, distant man. With his icy green eyes, sharp chin, and slicked-back blond hair, he already had an authoritative atmosphere around him, looming and towering over everyone. He was tall, broad, and lean, with a sharp gaze like a hawk.

But now, with his arms wrapped around his sister, she could see his expression soften, breaking into a teasing grin.

He looks handsome when he smiles, Maria secretly thought to herself.

“Oh, I missed you so much!”

“Me too, dear sister,”

He easily picked her up and threw her in circles, and Sarah giggled away happily.

“Do you like my new hair, brother?”

“Huh…I knew there was something refreshing about you.” He grinned, putting one finger on his chin. “It must be your beautiful hair style.”

“Maria did it for me, brother! Don’t I look like a princess? See? See? See?”

Sarah stood on her tiptoes, as her brother softly touched her hair, admiring the intricate ribbons and beads Maria had braided into. As the brother gave her a warm smile, mouthing thank you, Maria could feel herself blushing furiously.

“Is she your new lady’s maid?”

“Yes!” Sarah jumped excitedly, “She is Maria and she is going to be with me until the day I die.”

Richard and Maria both broke out in a chuckle at her firm declaration.

“I’m surprised that you haven’t scared her away.”

“Why would I ever do that dear brother?”

“Because you are terrorizing!!!” Richard reached out to tickle her, and Sarah quickly escaped from his embrace but looked absolutely delighted with his teasing. Maria smiled happily as she watched Sarah sprint away to open the chest her brother had given her, filled with dresses and ribbons, all the gifts from his travels.

“Is this all for me?” She squealed in joy.

“All for you, Princess.”

They were such a cute couple. It was heartwarming to see siblings so close to one another, and she now could see why Miss Sarah had been looking forward to her brother’s visit so passionately. Maria knew how much Sarah craved attention, and her mother and grandfather hardly took notice of her mere presence…

“I hope my dear sister is not causing you any trouble.” He whispered in her ear in a low voice. He sounded deep and seductive, and Maria could feel a shiver run down her spine, she’d never been spoken to in an amorous tone. She timidly fidgeted with her hands, trying to calm herself.

“My, you’re blushing Maria!” Sarah giggled innocently, “I’ve never seen your cheeks so red!”

“What did I tell you about terrorizing ladies’ maids, Sarah?”

“It seems you are the one terrorizing her,” Sarah giggled teasingly, “She already loooooooooooooooves you!”

Maria ran down the servant corridors, and at the same time, she tried to revive her breath. It was such a meaningless endeavor; her heart was beating rapidly from the first moment she first met his eye, and the blush on her cheeks was visible to anyone one mile around her.

I need a glass of water, she vaguely thought.

The next moment, Maria was pinned up to the wall of a broom cupboard, his cold emerald lacing with fire. His nails were biting into her wrist, and she winced as her head hit the tip of the broom. His body loomed over her, as he pressed his hips hotly against hers.

His other hand grabbed the back of her head, forcing her to look into his eyes.

“You like my eyes, don’t you? I like yours too.”

As he pressed his lips against hers, she was surprised at the warmth of his lips, and the warmth of his hands in contrast to the coldness of his eyes. His hands wandered inside her skirt and Maria gasped, the sensation overpowering her. She clung to his arms desperately as he nuzzled her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Drawn to the immense heat she felt against his body, she foolishly melted into him.

---------------------------------------

Annabel had been incredibly supportive from the day that she found out, sneaking peppermint tea under the table, and giving her extra petticoats to hide her baby bump that had started to appear.

“You mustn’t tell anyone,” Annabel had firmly said as she stained her sheets with crushed berries*. “If they find out, you’ll be on the streets in a second.”*

Maria had been writing to Richard, sneaking notes with Sarah’s letters, telling him of the pregnancy. I’m not asking for any money or compensation, she has scribbled in tiny letters. I just need you by my side. I can’t do this alone.

“He’ll take you away if he knows that you have his baby,” Annabel had told her soothingly as Maria grew more desperate day by day.

“Noblemen have by-blows all the time. He’ll have an apartment in London for you to stay in, furnished in the latest style like the magazines you read. And you can raise the baby there with him. No, No, No. He won’t leave you. He’s a terrible, awful man, but he is still a gentleman. He wouldn’t abandon you or the baby. She’ll be brought up just like Miss Sarah. You’ve seen how he adores her. Isn’t it right, Beckett? You’ll be all right. I promise. So please, please, stop crying and give me the knife.”

Maria continued to write to him, waiting for days, for weeks, but there was still no reply. Maria could hear the hope crumbling day by day. Is he truly getting my letters? Is he happy that I’m carrying his child? Will he love her like Miss Sarah? The questions haunted her mind every moment of the day, and not letting her eat or drink.

In the morning of a beautiful spring day, Maria threw up on the breakfast tray, right in front of her ladyship’s eyes. It was the smell of bacon that irked her stomach, and she found herself collapsed on the floor; plates, cups, and eggs scattered around the floor along with the sharp smell of her vomit.

“Good heavens! What’s the matter with you?”

At first, Lady Penwood was surprisingly concerned but she took one hard look at the petite maid whom she employed a year ago, noticing the familiar roundness around her hips.

“You are pregnant,” she simply stated.

Maria could not confirm or deny it, overcome with the dizziness and nausea that flowed through her body.

“YOU ARE PREGNANT.” The second statement was more of a shriek. Maria felt a sharp pain against his cheeks, and the taste of blood made her realize that Lady Penwood had slapped her.

“I CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT I LET A WRENCH LIKE YOURSELF TAKE CARE OF MY DAUGHTER.”

Maria could hear that she was screaming at her, but the sound around her felt all fuzzy and muted.

“DO YOU KNOW WHY I TOOK YOU FROM THE ASYLUM? BECAUSE I WANTED GIRLS WITH INNOCENCE BY MY DAUGHTER’S SIDE, NOT A SELF-SERVING HARLOT LIKE YOURSELF.”

Maria staggered forward on her hands and knees, desperately clinging to the hems of her ladyship nightgown.

“Please, your ladyship…”

“DON’T YOU TOUCH ME, YOU WHORE!”

Screaming frantically, Lady Penwood kicked her in the stomach, looking down at her as if she were a litter on the street. Just as she hitched up her skirts for another blow, Maria instinctively curled herself on the floor, protecting the small bump on her stomach.

“…….I’m carrying your son’s child.”

Maria bearly managed to utter, and just seconds later, she somehow was able to continue.“I am so sorry, My Lady. I’ve never meant to deceive you or Miss Sarah. I am truly grateful for the kindness and charity you have bestowed upon me, my Lady, but Mr. Penwood had granted me his kindness and his love, and this child is…”

“Silence.”

Lady Penwood’s voice did not hold the utter anger and revulsion that dripped in her screams. It was oddly calm, oddly silent. There was shock in her eyes and she saw the color of her face had drained completely.

“She carries the blood of your family…”

“I said silence!”

Her high-pitched cry echoed through the dim hallway. Lady Penwood’s hands were slightly shaking, unable to articulate the next words. Her son and the maid? She could only stare at the girl who looked at her desperately with pleading eyes. Covered in her mess and blood; the girl looked filthy and revolting, her brown curls messy and rumpled with egg yolks and tea.

Lady Penwood averted her gaze. She covered her nose with her pink silk handkerchief beside her table, finally noticing the sharp smell that oozed out of her vomit.

“….Not only did I hire a whore, but a liar as well.”

“Lady Penwood, please, ”

“Not another word.”

Lady Penwood rang the bell by her side, and quickly, the valet came to the room.

“Anything you need, your ladyship…”

His position in the house was all forgotten, Ramsey’s eyes widened in shock as he took a look at the horrific scene. Almost out of reflex, he reached out his hand, passing his handkerchief to wipe off the blood and vomit smeared on the girl’s cheeks, but he was forcefully caught by the collar by Lady Penwood.

“Don’t you even dare, Rumsey,”

Her voice was awfully cold and dark.

“I want this wrench out of the house immediately. If I see anyone, anyone who helped her or even looked at her, tell them that the one is going out on the streets with her as well.”

Lady Penwood saw panic and pain in his eyes that made her shudder. Perhaps the staff knew everything about the affair. Perhaps she had been ignorant about everything, and perhaps it is…

The poor girl was sobbing on the floor, frantically cradling the small curves on her stomach. Lady Penwood could finally see the amount of petticoats she had been wearing under her skirts, the disparity between the thinness of her ankle and the volume of her petticoats was sickening.

“Madam, please, I’m begging you to have mercy on his baby…”

Her small shoulders shaking in sobs, it finally came to Lady Penwood that the young girl was just eight and ten; a petite delicate girl, all alone in the world.

“……Even if it were the child of my son,” Lady Penwoods voice was quiet. “A child with such filthy blood is a disgrace to the family. I must protect the family name, Maria.”

As Maria was half dragged, half carried away from her bedroom by the valet, she stared up at the portrait of her husband, who looked just like her son; piercing green eyes and tall broad shoulders.

This is all for the better, isn’t it?

--------------------------------------

Perhaps I should take a swim in the lake,

Maria mulled over her thoughts as she walked in heavy rain, raindrops drenching her to the bone. The weather suddenly turned south the moment she was kicked out in the streets, leaving her in the rain without an umbrella or a coat. She walked aimlessly on the crooked country road, barely holding to the she had packed in an hour earlier.

“Take this money”, Annabel had squeezed the bundle of money in her hands, “you need it more than I do. Just don’t do anything foolish, all right? You still have your mother’s letters, right? A living kin won’t betray you, I promise. Just don’t do anything foolish, Beckett. Be strong, all right?”

Ramsey had offered to take the carriage to the nearest village, “I can find another job elsewhere Beckett,” Ramsey had told her reassuringly*, “Besides it looks like rain. It can’t be good to walk about in the weather in your condition.”*

“Thank you, Mr. Ramsey, but you have already done so much for me,”

“NO, HE HASN’T”

“OH SHUT UP GIBBONS!”

“NO. YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAM MOUTH RAMSEY, YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING USEFUL EVEN WHEN YOU BLOODY WELL KNEW WHAT THE MASTER WAS DOING IN EVERY CORNER..”

Maria had softly put her arms around Annabel’s neck, even though she knew that her fellow roommate hated hugs, she had to show something, give something.

“Thank you for everything, Annabel.”

“You should bloody well be thankful,” Annabel cursed but Maria heard her nose sniffling. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

Don’t do anything stupid.

Annabel’s voice echoed through her head, but Maria could only think of doing something stupid. She was just so cold, her dress drenched to the bone, she couldn’t stop shivering, and her satchel felt too heavy for her fingers.

Nobody would know if she was gone, she thought. Her mother had stopped replying to her letters years ago, and Richard had slipped off from her world, no words, no letters. Everything she clung on to, the warmth, the love, everything was gone, and she was all alone again.

She laid herself down on the side of the road, not minding the mud and the dirt drenching on her dress. She was surprised at how warm the ground was despite the muddiness and the pouring rain.

She softly closed her eyes, still feeling the rain dropping against her face, imagining her dead body. Perhaps a local farmer would find her there, annoyed to discover some waste he’ll have to handle. Perhaps Richard would find her, on his way home to Penwood Park. Would he cry for her, she wondered, would he cry for the girl he once loved…

Perhaps his love was just a fantasy, an illusion she had made in her mind.

Perhaps he never loved me at all.

Maria was slowly slipping into the abyss.

Suddenly, she felt a small flutter in her stomach.

Maria gave a hollow laugh, even at this moment, her body was trying to survive. She closed her eyes again, trying to lose herself in a slumber, but her stomach fluttered again, like the spring butterflies she chased in the gardens when she was a child. It felt like small bubbles, a nervous twitch, a tumbling motion that she had never experienced.

The baby, it suddenly dawned on her. It’s the baby.

Ever since she found out about her pregnancy, her mind was too wrapped up around how to conceal it, how to reach Richard. She hadn’t had the room or the time to think about the little bundle of life that had been nurturing inside her, and she suddenly realized how selfish she had been, only thinking about the relationship between her and Richard.

There was a baby inside her! A cute small baby who was trying to grow, who was trying to come out to the world, ready to be held in her mother’s arms. Maria smiled as she imagined cradling the baby in her arms, she noticed that she wasn’t all alone in the world. There was a little girl inside her, relying on her to live, to love her.

She slowly stood up from the ground, picking up the satchel she had left on the corner of the street. Fumbling about in the bag, she picked up the letter Annabel had crammed in. London, Mayfair, Soho Square. Reading the address out loud, she firmly grabbed the handle of her bag, repeating the words Annabel had told her. Be strong.

Baby, baby, baby. My sweet sweet baby,

Maria sang to herself as she continued her path. The village was at least two hours away on foot; but neither did she feel fatigue nor despair. She was happy, happier than ever as the rain started to become a downpour, raining buckets, mud dripping from the hems of her dress.

The road getting sloppier and sloppier, making her shoes heavier and heavier, but somehow, her steps felt light and pleasant, knowing that she wasn’t alone. She saw a flash of lightning across the sky, thunder roaring in the distance, but she couldn’t stop grinning, knowing her baby would never be alone, she would never be scared of thunderstorms like she was; Maria was going to hold on to her tight, protect her, love her. And her baby was going to love her back. Maria gently caressed her small bump, her rain-soaked dress perfectly revealing the outline of her roundness.

“Baby, baby, baby. My sweet, sweet, baby….”

-------------------------------------------

Richard Gunningworth languorously blew smoke from his cigarette as he stared at the window. Outside was pouring rain, and raindrops were tapping relentlessly at the window. The evenings at Penwood Park had been so lonesome; he was grateful that there was something to distract the melancholic stillness. The sound of thunder in the distance soothed him, as he took a sip of his drink, sinking into his leather armchair by the fireplace.

It was quite ironic, he thought to himself, that he would be all alone in Penwood Park at this time of the season. Normally his mother would expect him to be in London, perhaps making a match with a young debutant, and his grandfather would expect him to be somewhere nothing but here; in the sleepy countryside in Norfolk.

During his youth, he had wished desperately to stay at Penwood Park, wanting to spend time with his dear sister, giving her gifts and spoiling her with everything he could. Just like his father had done with him when he was just a tiny boy. But now he just wanted to leave, the place haunted by the longing memories of his sister.

With his grandfather passing away in old age two years ago, and his mother following him subsequently, Sarah had entered the monastery, only to fall ill a year later.

Her death had been slow and painful. It was devastating seeing his bundle of joy decaying into skins and bones as months passed by. I love you from the depth of my heart, she whispered to him on her deathbed months ago. But even before she gasped for her last breath, he could only feel emptiness in his heart.

How could she say she loved him when she only gave him misery? How could love be beautiful when it left the one remained in despair and sorrow? He contemplated his thoughts as took another smoke.

He finally noticed that he was alone, all alone in the world when he came back to the Penwood Park to bury his dear sister. Only the servants and the butler came to his arrival, and he did not hear the bubbling laughter from his sister. Not even the snitching remarks from his mother. Only the sound of his footsteps echoed through the halls.

With the title and wealth at hand, with nobody to feel a responsibility towards, perhaps he could pursue what he truly desired.

Isn’t it what he truly wanted?

But after 29 years of strict surveillance, he couldn’t figure out what he truly desired, what he truly craved.

Find a suitable match for me, sire an heir, and protect the family name. Make your father proud.

He chuckled darkly; the voice of his mother still engraved in his mind like a curse. It had been his mother’s last words, those exact words, as she clutched his waist on her last breath, scarring his skin with her nails. There was an uncanniness in the strength of her hand that made him shudder.

Perhaps he should get married. Perhaps he should bear an heir. He noticed it was far easier, to not think, to not feel, and simply follow what he had been destined for.

As he lighted a new cigarette, he contemplated which debutant he would court; one with a good family name, one with good hips to bear a child. Perhaps one with brown curls and almond eyes, one that blushed with a flick of his hand…

“My lord,”

Richard hated his butler’s tone. It was quiet but hesitant, the tone that repressed every emotion, hiding the judgment behind his back.

“What is the matter, Ramsey.”

“There is a visitor at the door, my lord.”

“…Send them away. I’m not in the mood for visitors.”

“I believe she is not a visitor, my lord.”

“Whatever do you mean by her?”

Ramsey could sense the irritation in his master’s tone as he gritted his teeth.

“It’s a little girl, sir. She carried a letter in her coat addressed to your lordship…”

Part two from here

[silverhallow]

Now I'm wondering why Sophie's dad didn't foster her out to a safer family away from Araminta.

He could have done it before he died even.

I think before he died, he was determined to keep her, she was ultimately his responsibility.

He could have given her to another family, he could have easily given her to a tenant or sent her to an orphanage but he assumed responsibility of her.

He didn’t have to make her his ward but by doing so accepted her and gave her the best possible chance at life…

I think it was the way he showed he cared for her and loved her in his own little way.

Had he have grown SICK and then died I think he would have done something more to ensure Sophie was cared for…

But since he literally dropped dead unexpectedly…

He didn’t have a chance to.

I honestly believe he would have had a couple set up to take her should Araminta refuse, he probably expected her to refuse or perhaps she didn’t show as much visible distain for Sophie in front of Richard…

Maybe didn’t like her but he probably never expected her to do what she did…

[bridgertonbabe]

I’ve got more questions about the Hogwarts AU… sorry you’re Gonna be sick of me by the time your done with this 😂

Which of Sophie’s parents was magical?

If it was her mother, did Richard know?

If it was her father did Araminta know??

I bet their household was fun when Posy started experiencing magic for the first time! Sophie already doing it and Araminta hates her for it but now her own daughter too!! It’s rubbing off clearly! She’d be hysterical!!

Sophie's mother was the magical parent and she began a relationship with a muggle after bumping into Richard on her way home from working at St Mungos one evening. They fell hard and fast for one another but it wasn't until Richard began asking if she saw a future together with him that Maria knew she had to reveal her true identity. Richard completely freaked out when she revealed she was a witch and demonstrated her powers and wanted nothing more to do with her.

Maria left heartbroken and also pregnant, which she discovered a couple of months after he had broken up with her. She tried to tell him but he kept to his word of having nothing more to do with her.

It wouldn't be until several years down the line when Richard realised he couldn't get over Maria that he paid a visit to her flat in the hopes of reconciling, only for the door to be answered by a little three year old girl who had Maria's features but his blonde hair and green eyes. He was shocked to discover he had a daughter and was then left bereft to learn that Maria had died from preeclampsia.

Maria's mother was raising Sophie but the woman was old and frail. During his visit when she started coughing, the little girl hopped into the armchair beside her, holding out a tissue for her grandmother to cough into and Richard's stomach turned from the amount of blood that had been collected when Sophie drew the tissue away. Richard couldn't in good conscience leave either Maria's mother or their daughter behind and while he checked Maria's mother into hospital, he brought Sophie home with him.

The elderly woman passed not long after and Richard focused on doting on his young daughter. He hadn't had the chance to ask Maria's mother if Sophie might be magical but there were a couple of incidents that confirmed this for him. One day Sophie had been plucking a few daisies from the garden lawn and harrumphed that she wanted more to pick. Richard had turned his head away for all of a few seconds when he heard his daughter cheer and when he turned back he was astounded that no green of the lawn was visible as Sophie waded through a sea of daisies, gathering them up to her heart's content. Another time Sophie had been peering up at a neighbour's cat sat on top of the shed and Richard had dashed out when his daughter started floating up from the ground and ended up sat next to the cat on the roof.

Richard loved his daughter dearly but he felt bad that she had no maternal figure in her life, which is what led him to making the worst decision of his life. He had thought marrying Araminta, a widowed mother of two girls, would turn all of their lives around; Sophie would have a proper family and Araminta would welcome his daughter with open arms. Instead she was cold and dismissive towards Sophie and despite Richard asking her to include his daughter, Araminta refused. They would get into arguments and during one particular ferocious row, mid-screaming Araminta lost her voice. She began waving madly as she appeared to keep screaming without making a single sound and Richard took one glance towards Sophie, who was sat beside Posy with her hands over her ears, to know that his daughter was responsible for the sudden peace and quiet. Richard never knew how to tell his wife that his daughter possessed magical powers, seeing as she had proved to be the most unreasonable and hostile woman he had ever encountered, and he never got the chance to after dying in a car crash when Sophie was nine years old.

With Richard gone, Araminta's verbal abuse of Sophie escalated into physical abuse. Araminta had begun to notice strange things happening around the house, things that defied logic and muggle understanding, and she was convinced it had something to do with Sophie. Every time something out of the ordinary happened Sophie would receive a smack (though one time after Araminta smacked Sophie, she had stalked away only for a kitchen cupboard to suddenly fling open and smack into her face in retaliation).

As infuriated as she was to learn her stepdaughter was in fact a witch, she at last had confirmation that Sophie was behind all the odd goings-on in the household, and she was at least thankful that Sophie would be spending the best part of the year at her wizarding boarding school. Though apoplectic with Sophie for flying off in a car with her wizard friends, she was glad she would never have to see the girl again or deal with any magic - or so she thought.

Rosamund had been picking on Posy, once again calling her a pig, only for Posy to remind her that she was the one who had nearly turned into a pig. Araminta had run in when she heard screaming and couldn't believe that Rosamund had once again begun turning into a pig. She cursed Sophie's name out, thinking her stepdaughter had wickedly hexed Rosamund even though she was no longer around. Another time when Araminta had been screaming at Posy she again suddenly lost her voice and she became convinced that it was down to Sophie's leftover magic still inhabiting the house. Soon after, they moved to a new house but the strange incidents still continued and it was only resolved when Professor Danbury showed up for a second time to inform Araminta that Posy was also a witch - cue another bout of hysteria from Araminta.

[sea-owl]

Okay here's what I have so far for mythical creatures spouses. For those wondering this will be set in a universe where the Bridgertons are hunters. You may have seen that one shot I did already in this universe found here.

Kate, Shapeshifter:

Kate has probably not seen her real face in years, or at the very least has not let it be seen in public. While both she and Edwina possess this ability Kate is the one who far uses it more. Their changes are always more subtle, just to help along things and to blend in a bit more. If Kate uses the ability to make herself appear a bit older, a bit taller, or a bit more like an image where someone will take her a bit more seriously, all of it's to her advantage as head of the Sharma family then so be it. If it wasn't so well known that the Sharma family had no sons and two daughters she would probably have shifted her body into a man. Taking her father's form at least in the passed has helped, especially when his death was not public knowledge. When they came to England Mary had Kate promise not to change her form too much, or too noticeably. Kate agreed, she saw the reasoning as they are new to the ton don't do too much that could hurt Edwina's chance for marriage. Mary's reasoning was actually trying to get Kate to be herself more. Mary was hoping for Kate to get a shot of her own happiness and possible marriage while in England. But she didn't believe that possible without Kate showing some vulnerability, so she's starting by having Kate show her real or at the very least most subtly changed face.

One day in England Kate went out for a ride. This morning she just so happened to have her real face showing. Kate was tired from the journey and didn't have the energy to shift as she normally would. During the ride another rider appeared wearing black coat. Was he trying to race her? Very well it could be fun. Midway through their race something was off to Kate. Every time she tried to turn a certain direction the rider in the black coat would slow down or speed up just enough to block her path or force her to go in a different direction. This man was trying to lead her away from something. They slowed down enough to talk and taking a closer look at him her muscles tightened. A hunter, shit, and he saw he real face, double shit. Later on, her features shifted to just how she plans to be while in public among the ton she sees the hunter again. This time he's introduced as Viscount Anthony Bridgerton. Triple shit.

Sophie, Selkie:

Sophie's mother, Isabella, was once the bride to the Earl Richard Gunningworth of Penwood, or at least by Selkie law she was. While never legally married under human law, the earl had her pelt, which made her his bride. To the humans, Isabella was no more than a mistress. Day after day, Isabella would look for her pelt while Richard was busy with some task or the other. She always secretly suspected that her pelt would be moved to a different property from the one she was at. One day, by some stroke of luck, Isabella found her pelt and off into the night she went back to her pod. When she returned to her pod, she had discovered her pregnancy to Sophie and sadly passed on after giving birth. For a time, Sophie's grandmother raised her until she became too sick, and with no one left in the pod, there was no choice but to send Sophie to her human father.

Now unlike with her mother Richard didn't keep Sophie's pelt from her, but he did isolate her in the country estate with only the servants. And that is how Sophie lived, ignored but still having her pelt. When the old earl married Araminta and brought her two daughters to Penwood not much changed then either except little Posy who always seemed to prefer Sophie's company over her relatives. It was when the earl died that Sophie no longer had her pelt. Araminta took it, trapping Sophie under her control and forcing her to become a servant.

Things came to head after a costume masquerade. Posy claimed to be going as a mermaid, but the tail, it looked like Sophie's pelt. It wasn't, but to the untrained eye, it could easily pass for it. Sophie, unknown to Araminta, had also gone to the masquerade where she danced with a handsome gentleman. After that night, Sophie gained a new determination to find her pelt and leave. Even if she didn't have a pod to return to, and even if Sophie knew human customs better than selkie's, she was leaving as soon as she found her pelt. Araminta's cruelty of locking Sophie in her closet to polish shoes gave her a chance she needed. Posy revealed the truth of her decision after she came to unlock Sophie out of the closet why she chose that particular costume. In Posy's hands, there was more fabric than there was before. No, wait, it was Sophie's pelt. Posy had found it. Well, guess Sophie did have at least one pod mate.

A few years later, Sophie is ready to fist fight that damn horny hunter for her pelt back. How dare he use it against her so she'll come to London! Posy, who has remade her old costume into a look alike for Sophie's pelt, is bidding time so she can make the switch.

Penelope, Witch:

Penelope was born into a coven of witches from her mother's side. Penelope herself ended up being very talented as a mind witch. Some of her magic includes illusion, telepathy, mind reading, and mental manipulation. She's never sure if her father ever knew or just never paid attention enough to know what his wife and daughters were. For the longest time, they spent their time between Portia's homeland in Ireland and the Featherington country estate. Both homes gave Penelope and her sisters the freedom needed to learn their magic. Every time Lord Featherington went to London, it was usually by himself, Portia refused to go, with the majority of her daughters still learning, too many of those nasty hunters running around London.

It was after Lord Featherington's death that Portia made the decision to move the coven to London, at least during the season. She was still the lady of a barony and with no husband or father it was technically her job to see to it until one of the girls had a son. Per her husband's will whoever has the first grandson shall inherit the estate. It's just her luck though that they somehow moved across street from one of the most prolific and celebrated family of hunters in London.

It's also just Penelope's luck that she accidentally knocked out one of these hunters via a magic blast to the face. Well shit, despite what Felicity argues, Penelope can't leave him in the streets. Not with clear evidence of her magic on him. Besides, maybe Penelope will learn some secrets while she heals him. She does love secrets.

Phillip, Vampire:

Now Phillip isn't an ordinary vampire like his father and brother. Phillip took after his mother, who is a lesser known type of vampire that is similar to fruit bats. So, instead of blood, he drinks the juices of fruit and nectar. It's how he got into botany both with regular and mystical plants. He's tired of traveling every six months okay? He's gonna be self sufficient damn it, and the extra income from trading plants used in potions helps too. His fangs are a bit smaller, but honestly, he doesn't need big ones when one's meal doesn't constantly move. He still has the characteristics and abilities of other vampires such as the pale skin, fangs, hypnosis, inhuman strength, and reflexes. I mean, he still is a vampire.

But due to Phillip not being a more traditional vampire has caused issues in his life. Starting with his father beating him every time he did something his father considered wrong or weak. Constantly saying Phillip wasn't good enough. The constant comparing between him and his brother George had left Phillip with a bit of imposter syndrome when word got back to him that he was now the heir to Romney Hall, something his father said Phillip will ruin.

Phillip finds it so ironic when his heir, George's blood, is also born just like him. Drinking the juices of fruit instead of blood.

Raising the twins is something Phillip is struggling with. While Oliver takes after him, Amanda is more traditional and requires blood to survive. The twins don't realize how they can come across yet either, what would be a harmless prank to a vampire is dangerous to a human. Plus the twins have this awful habit of using their ability to transport through mirrors to randomly pop in places and scaring people. This habit leqding a hunter who the twins just so happened to pop in on.

Michael, Werewolf:

Michael was born from a peace union between the hunters of Kilmartin and the werewolf pack that makes Scotland their home. Some of the hunters agreed with this some didn't. Fearful that despite the peace agreement a hunter might try to hurt her son Helen gave strict instructions to Michael to keep his wolf a secret, not even John could know. So Michael did, creating his Merry Rake persona so no one questions his disappearance every full moon, and make it seem like to the other hunters he would be so unreliable they wouldn't dare push him towards a hunter's lifestyle.

The irony is not lost on Michael when it turns out his mate is a hunter in her own right, and his cousin's fiancé soon to be wife. The moon goddess is laughing at him he just knows it. Now more than ever he's thankful for his Merry Rake persona. With his wolf screaming at him about their mate, and trying to hide said wolf Michael is ready to explode. Thank god he's not the earl on top that too, John better hurry up and have some pups soon so he can kick off the title of heir too. God could you imagine that mess? A werewolf as the earl of Kilmartin?

[sophiebaek]

Richard Gunningworth when I see you….

[gimmiesophiebaek]

The Bachelor

Chapter 2: Pre-Production Chaos

“Araminta, we have a problem!” Agatha rushed over to Araminta’s desk, feeling stressed. “We’re one short!”

“What do you mean? We have the list completed and all the ladies were notified.” Araminta scratched her head as she looked at the list. She made sure each of the ladies were available and ready to be on the show. “We’re four days away from Night One. Did someone drop out because of COVID? Someone died?”

“Worse!” Agatha pointed at the contestant’s name in annoyance. “Seems like her ex boyfriend convinced her to take him back before she was due to leave. Romantic but it leaves us with one contestant short.”

Araminta listened to Agatha’s plight and instantly got an idea. She found the perfect person to subject to humiliation. It’s long overdue, she thought. 

“I will take care of it.” She smirked. “You will get your final contestant by morning!”

Later, Araminta swung open the door to her sleek El Segundo home, a triumphant smile plastered on her face as she stepped inside. The idea she had been perfecting for weeks had finally taken shape, and she couldn't wait to share it.

“Sophie!” she called out, her voice ringing through the spacious house. "Sophie, come here!”

From the kitchen, Sophie appeared, her expression weary. Her hands were still damp from washing dishes, a chore she had just completed after chauffeuring Araminta’s daughters Rosamund and Posy from school to their endless activities, feeding the ever-demanding but charming cats Pusheen, Stormy, and Pip, running errands, and ensuring the bathroom was spotless. And there was still more to do.

“Finally! Sophie, pack your things,” Araminta announced, barely containing her excitement. “We’re heading to Malibu in a couple of days. You’re going to be on The Bachelor!”

“The Bachelor?” Sophie blinked, struggling to process the news. “Araminta, I don’t—”

“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Araminta interrupted, waving a dismissive hand. “I’ve got it all figured out. You’ll just need to be there for the first episode. All you have to do is show up and let him eliminate you. Easy as pie! And I’ll make sure you’re paid handsomely for it.”

“Okay?” Sophie’s brow furrowed in confusion and a touch of resentment. “But why me? I’ve got enough on my plate as it is. The last thing I need is to be on some ridiculous reality show, especially not one about—romance.”

“Because, Sophie,” Araminta’s eyes narrowed slightly, her voice taking on a sharper edge. “I’m the boss. And you’re my employee. What I say goes. Remember, it was my husband and I who took you and your mother in when you came here from China—”

“Korea !” Sophie corrects her with a sigh. “We left Korea before I was born.”

“Same country.” Araminta rolled her eyes before narrowing her eyes at Sophie. “And when she passed from cancer, we took care of you. Richard always had a soft spot for you. When he died, I kept you around out of duty, to continue that care.”

“Care?” Sophie shot back, her voice tight with barely suppressed anger. “You mean like a slave?”

“Pack your things, Sophie.” Araminta’s gaze hardened. “You’ll be ready to leave in two days. That’s final. Now, sweep the foyer. It’s dusty.”

Sophie returned to her room after the curveball that was thrown at her. She dropped onto her full size bed and screamed into her pillow. She is always appreciative of the Gunningworths for giving a job to her mother and a roof over their heads after leaving Korea all those years ago. She looked up and glanced at the room, cramped and filled with second-hand furniture, a far cry from the luxury that surrounded the rest of the house. 

The thought of being paraded on national television as a contestant on The Bachelor filled her with dread. The whole idea felt absurd, like some twisted game Araminta had devised purely for her own amusement. Sophie wasn’t interested in finding love—especially not on a reality show. She had enough to worry about without being thrust into the spotlight.

She sighed at one memory that happened over two years ago. They had to film an episode of The Bachelorette in New Orleans and brought everyone along for a “family vacation”. Being that it was in the middle of Mardi Gras, she snuck out one night with a mask to take in the sights. 

And that’s when she met him. 

The entire time was no more than an hour, but it felt like it was packed into one lifetime. And the brief kiss they shared before she ran off remains in her mind since. 

It was a fleeting memory, she thought. A small hint of romance to remain in her dreams. 

She got up and began folding her few belongings, her mind drifting to her mother. Sophie was several weeks away from being born when they came to America from Seoul. Her mother had worked tirelessly for the Gunningworth family, doing everything from cleaning to cooking, often working late into the night. Despite the grueling hours, she had always found time for Sophie, always reminding her to stay hopeful, that their sacrifices would lead to a better life.

But when her mother passed when Sophie was 14, that hope had faded. Richard was kind to an extent and promised to pay for Sophie’s college education just like he provided funds for her mother’s cancer treatment. Sadly, he died before he could assure her tuition was saved when Sophie was 16. His widow Araminta had stepped in, claiming to continue her mother’s legacy of care, but it never felt like care to Sophie. It felt like an obligation—like ownership. The tasks had piled up, the expectations had grown, and the promised future never materialized.

Dreams of attending Berkeley or Stanford were pushed back by attending a local community college. Even after receiving enough scholarship money to transfer to cover her time at nearby Fullerton since USC and UCLA were “too expensive”, Araminta made sure that she will take Sophie out of school at any time, not allowing Sophie to enjoy her brief time of freedom. 

Dreams of pursuing a career needed to wait. Araminta made sure after graduation, Sophie will have no chance to or have a social life beyond catering to her and her daughters. 

And every time Sophie threatens to leave, Araminta would say she will contact the authorities and ship her back to Korea despite being born in Los Angeles, calling her an “anchor baby who don’t belong” and “Kim Jong Un sends his regards.”

As Sophie packed, she glanced at the small framed photo of her mother on the bedside table. It was one of the few personal items she had kept all these years. 

"What would you do, Mom?" she whispered in Korean, her voice barely audible. But no answer came, just the oppressive silence of the room.

The next morning, Agatha received an email from Araminta with the final list. A smile came from her face, knowing this season promises to be a wild one. 

From: Araminta Gunningworth >ARGunningworth@bachelor.abc.com< To: Agatha Danbury >ADanbury@bachelor.abc.com< Date: September 18, 2024

Subject: Benedict’s muses

We got our official lineup! Who will capture this artist’s heart? 

Contestants

Anne Elliott, 30, Elderly Caregiver, Madison, WI

Annie Hartigan, 24, Grad Student, Gainesville, FL

Becky Sharpe, 24, Miss Texas 2023, Waco, TX

Catherine Morland, 24, Administrative Assistant, Littleton, CO

Cathy Earnshaw, 23, Stylist, Savannah, GA

Charlotte Heywood, 27, Teacher, Norfolk, VA

Conchita Closson, 24, Brand Ambassador, Las Vegas, NV

Cressida Cowper, 25, Influencer, Chicago, IL

Delilah Weston, 23, Ice Girl, Durham, NC

Demelza Carne, 28, Innkeeper, Kennebunkport, ME

Dolores Stowell, 22, Bachelor Superfan, Davenport, IA

Emma Kenworthy, 24, ER Nurse, Houston, TX

Emma Woodhouse, 27, Fashion Consultant, Laguna Beach, CA

Estella Havisham, 28, Psychologist, Dallas, TX

Fanny Price, 26, Librarian, Topeka, KS

Fantine Thibault, 24, Jeweler, Lafayette, LA

Genevieve Delacroix, 31, Wedding Dress Designer, Montreal, Canada

Jane Eyre, 26, Nanny, Ithaca, NY

Jo Ann Robinson, 30, Project Manager, Bronx, NY

Maggie Goring, 22, Harpist, Provo, UT

Marianne Dominguez, 23, Grad Student, Dorval, FL

Mary Bennett, 25, Pianist, Morristown, NJ

Nancy Sikes, 27, Bartender, Cranston, RI

Priya Eaton, 26, Hat Designer, Brampton, Canada

Roanna Wilson, 43, Realitor, Pasadena, CA

Sita Malhotra, 22, Voice Actress, Los Angeles, CA

Sophie Baek, 26, Cat Whisperer, El Segundo, CA

Tess Todd, 23, Gamer, Tuscaloosa, AL

Tessa Rupert, 28, Model, Atlanta, GA

Tilley Arnold, 34, Pilot, Seattle, WA

[apinchofm]

Sophie's Family

Lord Richard Gunningworth, Earl of Penwood - her father

Lady Viola Luckhurst (née Gunningworth), Countess of Hereford

Mademoiselle Adelle Faucher (.deceased)

Her trusty Lady's maid, Claire Smith

Sophie!

[loveseternla]

name:    sophie    marie    beckett    (    gunningworth    unclaimed    ).    monikers:    soph,    fie.    titles:    nil.    age:    twenty    five.    birthdate:    september    eighth.    orientations:    pansexual    &    panromantic.    gender:    woman.    pronouns:    she    +    her.    place    of    birth:    london.    current    location:    mayfair,    england.    faceclaim:    anya    chalotra.    height:    five    foot    four.    hair    colour:    black.    eye    colour:    deep    hazel.    family:    richard    gunningworth    &    maria    beckett,    step    siblings    rosamund    &    posy    reiling.

life    was    made    for    romance    and    laughter    ,    that’s    how    sophie    beckett    saw    it    .    perhaps    it    was    as    such    due    to    the    fact    she    was    born    a    motherless    child    ,    her    mother    in    the    world    moment    after    her    birth    before    she    was    gone.    only    here    long    enough    to    name    her    only    child    ;    sophie.

she    remembers    very    little    of    her    childhood    ,    only    that    she    was    raised    by    a    dying    grandmother    before    being    sent    to    her    father    ,    though    ,    the    word    father    would    never    be    uttered    ,    despite    the    resemblance    to    him    and    his    sister    ,    he    would    only    ever    claim    her    as    a    ward    .    she    was    never    named    of    his    own    blood    .    and    spent    many    of    her    years    raised    by    servants    of    the    penwood    park    estate    while    he    attended    his    own    affairs    in    london.

only    seven    years    pass    without    so    much    as    real    family    but    the    earl    returns    with    a    wife    and    bringing    along    with    them    two    daughters    ,    a    family    that    she    was    so    HOPEFUL    for    and    yet    araminta    wanted    nothing    to    do    with    the    warden    of    her    husband    and    voices    her    wants    of    sending    sophie    away    ,    to    which    richard    never    let    happen    .

forced    away    from    any    type    of    warmth    and    family    ,    sophie    lived    in    the    estate    alongside    and    yet    so    distanced    from    her    family    ,    that    was    until    shortly    after    another    birthday    passes    alone    and    her    father    leaves    stipulations    in    his    will    that    araminta    would    receive    triple    her    yearly    income    if    she    kept    sophie    in    the    household    .

but    the    will    never    stipulated    how    she    would    be    kept    and    soon    enough    the    young    girl    was    a    lady’s    maid    to    three    ,    araminta    ,    rosamund    and    posy    and    unfairly    treated    ,    now    headed    to    the    ton    with    them    as    nothing    even    close    to    family.

[the-other-art-blog]

Finally someone who understands Richard was an asshole who was not even doing the bare minimun to help Sophies and the Bridgerton fandom acting as if Anthony was changing diapers

I know right! It's crazy that I have had discussions with Benophie stans where they keep making excuses for Richard. Like, what?!?! They claimed he could do nothing to protect Sophie's dowry!!! Do they really love Sophie? I'm sick of reading fics where they make him a good man.

It was not even the bare minimum. The bare minimum would have been if she was just a ward, but Sophie was his daughter. He threw money at her, that's it. Even Sophie says it, clothing her, feeding her, and giving her a roof to sleep under is not love. What about all the years of neglect? How could he not have noticed that Sophie had bruises on her hands? How did he not lose it when he saw his daughter was being abused?

I think deep in his mind, he knew he had to take care of her. I don't think he would have been cruel and sold her to a horrible man. But he didn't love her. He was the first person to make her feel like a bastard. He rejected her.

And yes, honestly, let's stop babying Anthony. I'm not saying we shouldn't feel bad for him, he certainly went through trauma. But he's not a martyr. The world was not conspiring against him. His siblings loved him, but sometimes he was a jerk and he deserved to be told so. Hopefully, the later seasons will tell us how the rest of the siblings dealt with Edmund's loss, as well as their own problems.

What makes me so angry about his attitude is that he complained endlessly about his duty, but he was milking that title. He discarded the debutantes for not speaking Greek?! He hates the responsibilities of being a viscount, but he feels superior to everyone thanks to that title. He has duties according to his status. Besides, he still went to Oxford, so someone else helped him manage the estate in the meantime.

[lumincus]

sai bennett. cisfemale. she/her. ― is that SOPHIE BECKETT i saw during this years first ball of the season? the TWENTY FOUR year old is avoiding finding a suiter this social season. They are known to be CHARMING , but also STUBBORN, but focus on the positives when finding their chosen one. ]

i. the stats.

full name: sophie beckett

title: previously ward (daughter) of the Earl of Penwood, currently ladies maid to the daughters of the Bridgerton family and Violet Bridgerton

home country: England

martial status: Single

sexual orientation / romantic orientation: heterosexual / biromantic

birth order: illegitimate daughter of Richard Gunningworth, Earl of Penwood

ii. the head canons.

a year back Sophie met Benedict Bridgerton at a masquerade ball that she attended in secret, dressed in a dress that belonged to her father's family and a silver mask, she enjoyed the night spent without having to worry about who she was, and the trials that life threw at her, meeting Benedict and spending the night dancing and laughing with him, she had to leave quickly and without introducing herself, leaving him behind with a single kiss and then dashing off at midnight to get home before her Stepmother realized she'd been gone. She now works for the Bridgerton family and has never told Benedict that she was the girl at the ball.

She's incredibly loyal and kind, unfailingly unprejudiced because of her upbringing - she was practically raised by the servants in her father's household and works hard just as she was taught to. She doesn't feel entitled to her birthright as her father's daughter, and doesn't mind her simple life working for her place in the world.

iii.  history

Sophie was born the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Gunningworth and a maid. She was raised by her maternal grandmother after her mother died in childbirth, but when her grandmother passed away she was taken in as the Earl's ward despite everyone in the house knowing who she really was based on her features favoring those of the Earl's family.

The Earl was kind to her, despite never fully acknowledging that she was his daughter, and did his best to make sure that she was cared for as his ward. He remarried and his new wife was horrible to Sophie, making her a servant in her father's home when he passed away.

Sophie was able to run away and find work as a servant with another family in town, keeping her head down and hoping to never cross paths with her Stepmother and stepsisters again, she gradually worked her way up to become a ladies maid and was hired to be the ladies maid to the Bridgerton ladies. She's been with the family for a year now and finally feels like she's found the kindness and acceptance that she's always searched for.

[tilly-tilly-2827]

Midnight Sanctuaries (Side B & Side C)

Reimaging An Offer from a Gentleman#3

Synopsis: Maria Beckett should know better. But there was nothing she could do. She craved love, she craved for warmth. And Richard Gunningworth didn’t know better.

But how Benedict Bridgerton knew better.

But how he was, a bit of a fool.

⚠️Trigger Warning: Mentions of sexual assault/ rape/ suicide.

AO3 post from here

Part one from here

“What is it, to woo a woman?”

Benedict Bridgerton spurred on his fifth glass of whiskey, contemplating if he should take the sixth.

“Not a lady, you mean?”

Alice eyed the man suspiciously, wiping the glass with a cloth. She was quite worried, seeing the second son of the Bridgerton family almost drown himself in whiskey. It was true that he had been dwelling in the stalls of the bar for years with a glass in hand, but he seemed to be improving.

“After a refreshing stay in Wilshire, I have gained a new perspective,” explaining to her happily a few days back.

“Well, yes, yes…a lady.” He added hastily.

“You must be at a loss, for a Bridgerton to be suffering in the process of a courtship!” Will laughed wholeheartedly, placing an arm over his shoulder.

“Might I ask who the lucky lady is? Which young debutant has captivated the eyes of a melancholic artist?”

Alice had expected Benedict to burst out in verse, declaring forever love and devotion to a young debutante somewhere in the ton, but his reaction was quite the opposite; instead, he sunk deeper into silence, dipping himself in another glass of wine.

“Isn’t she the one you talked about for years?” Alice asked a little hesitantly, “The women in silver you talked about-”

“What?” Benedict jerked from his intoxication. “No, no, no. Not her. Definitely not her.”

“Then who is she?”

Benedict decided to ignore the question altogether. He knew that he was being selfish, but anger and frustration had been slowly bubbling up in him. As he watched the young John Stirling whisper something teasingly to Francesca as her face flushed crimson pink, as they promenaded in the park arms in arms, giggling away happily about who knows what, Benedict couldn’t help thinking why he couldn’t do the same with Sophie.

He wanted to fill her room with flowers and bouquets.

He wanted to take Sophie to ice cream parlors.

He wanted to ask her for the second Walz at the end of the ball.

All the jealousy, all the longing, all the desire were flaming stronger day by day, and the overwhelming craving was killing him, making him lose his mind. How much he longed to just take her down in the closet or even the hallway, how much he longed to bury himself inside her arms…

“……Why does she keep rejecting me?”

“…So you are being rejected by this mysterious lady of yours? Hence this drinking?”

“How do you know that she’s rejecting me?”

“……You said those words seconds ago, Mr.Bridgerton.”

Benedict softly touched his mouth, regretting that he had let it slip. He knew what others would think of him if they knew he was trying to seduce a maid to be his mistress. He was seen as a respectable gentleman, and he didn’t quite want to lose the reputation he had from his fellow men. Not like Phillip Cavender.

“Well, …I…”

“So she has been rejecting you.”

Alice stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Perhaps, you are not her preference,” Will teasingly added, giving a pat on his shoulder. “No need to pounder, Bridgerton. There will be someone who would appreciate your looks.”

“No, no. No.” He denied quickly, “I am definitely in her preference.”

“How can you be so sure of that, Mr. Bridgeton?” Alice arched her eyebrows.

“Well…”

She said I look like her Prince Charming.

“I just know.”

Alice sighed deeply. Men, she quietly thought. So sure of themselves, not doubting any bit that they could be the reason for rejection. She quietly felt sympathy for the poor girl in question; imagining Benedict Bridgerton trying to wear her down with his charms.

“Have you been sending gifts to this lady of yours?” Will asked nonchalantly. “Perhaps she does not like what you have offered to her…”

Gifts…Gifts!

It suddenly dawned on him that Benedict had never given Sophie Beckett anything, maybe except for an ill-cooked breakfast.

One doesn’t have to be a mistress to be receiving gifts, don’t they?

“Mondrich, you are a great man!”

Already planning out a perfect scheme in his head, Benedict hurriedly slipped down from his chair, quickly grabbed his jacket, and ran to the door. He’ll tip the florist double the amount, he knew how to sneak into Genevieve’s shop at night….

“He’s going to do something awful.”

Alice murmured under her breath as Benedict disappeared from their sight. She wrote down his bills on the piece of paper sighing at the amount. He will have to pay, soon.

“……Why didn’t you stop him then?”

“Because,” Alice replied as she took a glass of whiskey from his hands, drinking it in a swig.“Men can’t realize their mistakes until they truly experience how bad one screwed it up.”

----------------------------------------------

Sophie was exhausted to the bone.

She had been running up and down the house all day long, preparing for the Bridgerton Ball that was coming up next Wednesday. After helping Miss Eloise with the dress in the morning, she also assisted Lady Violet with the penning of the invitation and also helped Hyacinth with her Latin and French. She also secretly mended the tear Miss Eloise had made on her secret escapades, secretly washed the cigarette stain on Eloise’s nightdress, and secretly delivered the letters Eloise had firmly told her; that it is a secret.

She truly adored and admired the Bridgertons.

But she was truly exhausted. Her feet were sore from bustling around London with Eloise’s secret errands in ill-fitting shoes that she had been wearing for years, her hands were cramped from all the writing and the mending she did for the day, and her fingertips were filled with cuts for every time Benedict Bridgeton came into the room.

Sophie wished she could be more calm in front of his presence. Sophie wished Benedict would not look at her so longingly. With his ardent, morning-dew eyes. His warm, sweet, eyes.

Sophie shook her head fervently, trying to erase the fantasy that dwelled in her mind. It was almost midnight, and what she needed was a good night’s rest, not the passionate gaze or the warm arms of one Benedict Bridgerton. Sophie staggered herself up the stairs, wanting to lie on the bed and curl up in her sheets. But before that, she had to mend a hole in her stockings, iron out her apron, wash herself up, and change into her nightgown…

Benedict Bridgerton was the last person she wanted to see in her room that night. He was sitting on the corner of her bed, his face lighting up as he saw her open the door. With the crooked, teasing smile on his face, normally his expression alone would bring her to her knees, but that night Sophie was just goddamn tired. Just so, so, so tired.

“Why are you here, Mr. Bridgerton?”

“You look tired, Sophie.”

“Mr. Bridgerton, why are you here?”

“Can’t I be here?”

“You can not be here,”

“So hostile.” Benedict tutted, pouting his lips ever so slightly. “Aren’t you pleased to see me?”

“No, Mr. Bridgerton.”

“Come on, Sophie, I know…”

“Do you not hear me, Benedict?” Benedict finally noticed how cold and stern her voice was. “I am saying that I do not want you here.”

“Sophie, I just wanted to…”

“Did you not think that some could have seen you?”

“No, I didn’t think-”

“No, you didn’t think,” For the first time in her life, Sophie snapped, letting her anger get the better of her.

“How would the other servants think of me if they saw you in my room? They would think me as a self-serving whore-”

“Sophie, no-”

“And I would be fired from this position and…and…and…it would be very convenient for you, wouldn’t it?”

“Sophie, that’s not what I wanted to-”

Sophie glared at him with her moss-green eyes, and he noticed that Sophie’s eyes were filled with frustration. He staggered back, unable to say anything at all.

“Then what did you want to do?”

“I…I just…”

“Take me down on this bed, mark me as yours?”

It was exactly what he might have been planning to do.

“…And you call yourself a gentleman when you are no better than Phillip Cavenderー”

The next moment, Sophie was pinned up against the door, his hand grabbing her waist strenuously, his other arm slammed above her head, hovering against her by the door.

“You don’t mean that, Sophie”

His voice was dangerously soft, but there was a stroke of pain and fury, and Sophie realized she had gone too far with her anger. How could she ever compare him to Phillip Cavender? Benedict was far more sweet, far more caring, far more…

“I’m here because I love you,”

Sophie felt tears coming up to her eyes.

“…Please don’t say that.”

“I love you, Sophie.”

“You don’t know what you are saying.”

“I mean what I say, Sophie.” Benedict replied angrily, gritting his teeth, “I’m saying that I love you, and I want to take care of you…”

“If you truly loved me, Benedict,” Sophie was falling apart as she broke out in a sob, feeling the tears running down her cheeks. “Why would you ask me to be your mistress?”

But people have mistresses and by-blows all the time, Benedict stupidly found himself thinking despite his fury. What was wrong with having a mistress, if he loved her just the same, if he cared for her just the same?

“You’re hurting me, Benedict, don’t you know…”

“You have never thought how much you hurt ME, Sophie?” Benedict was almost losing his temper, he wanted to scream and roar if he could. Benedict tightened his grip around Sophie’s waist, knowing that his nails were biting into her skin, hurting her, scaring her. The awful side of him was wanting to hurt her, wanting her to feel the pain he had been suffering ever since Sophie had rejected his offer.

“I cannot breathe, Sophie,” Benedict’s words shook with anger. “I cannot breathe, I cannot live without you Sophie, knowing that you feel the same for me.”

He pressed his forehead against her, trying to regain his breath, trying to calm down the immense anger he felt towards her. He let go of his grip and instead placed them on the door, his nails biting the wooden plank.

“I love you, Sophie.”

“Benedict please don’t.”

“I love you.”

“Just…just, don’t, don’t Benedict”

Benedict slowly leaned in, softly nuzzling his nose against hers. Their lips were almost an inch apart, and if Sophie leaned in just an inch, he would have her sweet lips on his in a second.

“Tell me that you love me, Sophie.”

“I can’t.”

“Tell me,”

“Benedict,”

“….That you love me.”

Sophie’s lips were about to reach his, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the sweet sensation to reach his lips.

The next moment, he felt an immense pain slap across his cheeks, tasting the blood in his mouth. He staggered back, perplexed by the power she held.

“…….You’re drunk.”

There was a striking coldness in her eyes he had never seen before. Her hard, cold gaze was enough to sober him up in a second, but it wasn’t enough to deny her words.

“Sophie, Sophie, Sophie.”

Benedict instinctively reached out his arms, wanting to soften her, but Sophie stepped back, clutching to her shoulders as if she were protecting herself from him.

“No, no, don’t you dare touch me, Benedict.”

Benedict finally noticed that he was the stupidest man in the world. Benedict stood foolishly by the door, not knowing what to do or say, as he watched Sophie take another step back, shrinking into the corner of the room.

“I will tolerate, you dwelling on hallways,” Sophie said quietly. “I will endure you stalking me, sneaking and jumping up on me from hidden corridors.”

Benedict was beginning to notice how childish he had been acting as she spoke.

“But I can’t have you in this room, Benedict. This is out of the line.”

“…I apologize, Ms. Beckett.”

His voice was barely above a whisper.

“I’ll …I’m going to leave these here.”

Without even a glance, Benedict left Sophie’s room, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Sophie collapsed to the floor, hardly processing what happened over the last few moments. It was too much, too overwhelming to think with her drained body, but his desperate voice echoed through her mind.

“I love you, Sophie. Tell me that you love me too.”

Sophie staggered to her bed, the very place Benedict Bridgerton had been waiting on a few minutes earlier. He had left her something on the bed, and Sophie finally realized that there was a bouquet and a beautiful small box placed softly on her sheets. It was Lilly of the valleys. Her favorite.

Of course, he would have remembered.

During their stay at My Cottage, Benedict had insisted on her accompanying on his walks. “What if I collapse on my way? I have just recovered from sickness, Ms. Beckett,” Benedict had asked her teasingly. “I would need someone to run to Mr. Crabtree.”

Long walks they took on the country streets of Wiltshire, talking about their favorite authors, plays, and paintings. Benedict would ramble about his siblings and she would laugh, and Sophie remembered how much she loved the countryside; enjoying the wildflowers that bloomed in the side, enjoying the peaceful breeze that surrounded her. As she glanced at his warm smile, she remembered how much she was in love with him.

“You like Lilly of the Valleys?”

Benedict asked as Sophie softly took the blossoms in her hands.

“Yes,” she answered. “We had them around the garden when I was a child. It was my mother’s favorite…”

“Quite suits you,” Benedict had softly said.

“Why so?”

“Do you know what they symbolize, Ms. Beckett?

“I’m afraid I do not know.”

“Return to love, Ms.Beckett,” Benedict whispered, softly kissing her fingertips as he reached for her hand.

With quivering hands, she opened the white box, covered with oriental embroideries. Inside was a beautiful pair of shoes, laced in silk ribbons and white velvet .

Why wouldn’t he know servants can’t afford such things?

Such a foolish, foolish man,

Still feeling the warmth of Benedict Bridgerton against the sheets, Sophie sobbed silently, clutching to the warmth he had left on her bed.

----------------------------------------------------------

“Mrs. Gibbons?”

Annabel sighed as she saw a crack open at the door, seeing a petite figure in the shadows.

“Go back to your nursery, Sophie.”

“But I can’t sleep, Mrs. Gibbons.”

“Go back to your room, Sophie.” Annabel patiently replied, glancing at the clock as it struck midnight. She knew she needed at least four more hours of sleep, before starting another day. “Go back to bed, and close your eyes, and if you count to three hundred…”

“But it’s so cold and dark,”

Annabel rolled her eyes, cursing under her breath. God in heavens where is the governess? It should be her, or at least her father that should be tucking her to bed, not the bloody housekeeper as herself…

But when she looked at her soft almond eyes that loomed too large for her face, she felt a stroke of pain and regret.

“All right, Sophie, come here my dear girl.”

As Annabel pulled back the covers, Sophie climbed desperately onto the bed, clinging to her arms as if she were saving herself from drowning. Annabel noticed how cold her hands and feet were, and her cheeks stained with tears. Poor, poor girl, she thought to herself.

“I can’t stop shivering, Mrs.Gibbsons,”

“You’re all right now, my girl.”

As she put her arms around the poor girl, softly cuddling her against her back, she noticed that she should have done this years ago when she heard her young, petite roommate sobbing under the sheets every night. At that time, she would ignore her desperate sobs, covering her years with her pillow, trying to get some sleep. She wondered how the story would have changed if she had stopped and listened to her deepest vulnerabilities.

“Why can’t you reject him, Maria?”

“Annabel, he loves me. And he is so lonely, ”

“Sophie, are you asleep?”

“……..No.”

“I want you to listen to me very carefully, all right?”

“Yes, Mrs. Gibbsons.”

“You can come here every night, Sophie. If you feel sad or have a bad dream, or you can’t sleep, you’ll come to my side. I’m going to hold you tight, and we’re all going to have a nice peaceful doze. Do you understand that, Sophie?”

“Yes, Mrs. Gibbons.”

“But I don’t want you crawling into anyone else sheets except me. Nor do I want anyone else sneaking into your sheets.”

“Why would I have someone in my sheets, Mrs. Gibbons?”

“I’ll explain to you when you’re older.”

“How old Mrs. Gibbons?”

“Old Enough, Sophie.”

“Old enough for what, Mrs.Gibbons?”

She was quite at a loss for words. Instead, Annabel tightened her arms around him, hoping to warm up the poor child.

“You are going to be a strong smart beautiful lady, Sophie.” Softly stroking her golden locks, she felt a tear dropping down her cheeks. “Your mother would have wanted you to be strong, strong enough to keep yourself warm at night…”

[silverhallow]

I’m not the same anon, but I just wanna say, that I don’t believe Sophie’s father loved her mother. Obviously other people can think what they want, but I don’t think that idea makes sense. If he loved her mother, then why would he be so indifferent to Sophie? This is the daughter he fathered with the woman he supposedly loves, and he can’t even be bothered to check up on her enough to realize Araminta’s daughters are bruising her hands?

People are allowed their own opinions, it's the point of a fandom...

but i'm actually in the camp of Richard loving Sophie's mum but I am actually of the opinion that he didn't check on Sophie out of sheer guilt.

Guilt can do weird things to a person and whilst Sophie does have a look of her father i think she has a lot of her mother in her and that's why he struggles to be around her.

Everytime he looks at her he's reminded that he was a coward and let his father send her away, that he didn't take the chance with her and just let himself be happy. that he went with Duty over honour and his heart and when Sophie's dropped off at his door, he's the Earl and he's in charge and if he ever found her mum again he'd probably have just married her but it's too late.

Having a bastard can do odd things to a man and I think he knows he can't give Sophie the life she deserves as his daughter.

if he didn't care for her, he would have sent her away, he'd have shipped her off to an orphanage and not tried to find a way that she'd be able to have some of the life she'd have gotten as Lady Sophie...

being his ward means he can present her to court, he can when she's older take her to London but it doesn't mean that he doesn't feel shame and heartbreak when he sees her growing up.

He probably doesn't realise what Araminta is doing to Sophie because by the time he realises that he's been trapped into a marriage with a woman who isn't going to give him an heir, he's fucked and stuck.

he's not going to have an heir so it's my opinion that he's spending the time working on his will to ensure that Sophie is cared for, hence her dowry (despite supposedly being his ward) and offering Araminta more money to look after her.

He probably thinks the extra money is a way to ensure that Araminta looks after her and at least gets her to court and married off...

but he clearly doesn't know her well enough to know that she hates her. i'd not be surprised if when they're all dining together, that she's perfectly acceptable and nice to her or at least tolerates her so that she's not thrown out because Richard could have thrown her out and sent her to London to live separately from him and it would ruin her in the eyes of the Ton so she plays the game...

i'm actually of the opinion that if Richard hadn't died, Araminta would have been made to present Sophie to Court and sponsor her seasons but Richard would have made arrangements with a friend or someone he knows for her to marry one of their sons, maybe not a fellow Earl's first born or something but a Viscount or a second so (as she ends up marrying) and Araminta would not have dared say something or do anything against him because he holds the power to her reputation and status in society...

so yeah...

that's my tea.

[bridgertonbabe]

girl… you can’t keep getting away with this!!! *Sigh*FINE I’LL BITE…WHY DID SHE SAY NO

I'm living for the exasperation in response to my general nonsense 🤭

But to answer your question there's two factors in play regarding why Sophie rejected Benedict.

Factor #1: As much as the Bridgerton Brothers are well liked and their genial characters spoken highly of, they do have rakish reputations. They're often photographed leaving clubs with their latest fling, their short-term relationships with models covered in every gossip mag, and just sleeping about in general. It's not too surprising - what guy in a famous band wouldn't reap the benefits of having every single woman they encounter lusting after them? And so in spite of the chemistry between them, despite getting to know Benedict on a far deeper level than anyone else, and regardless of the fact that there's nothing more she'd like better than to accept his offer and go on a date with him; she turns him down. She's fallen in love with the Benedict the rest of the world doesn't really know, the version of himself he hides away, and the emotionally intimate bond they share has captured her in a way nobody else ever has - but she fears what will happen once she gives into her feelings and her desire, convincing herself that as soon as Ben's bedded her he'll lose all interest and thus destroy the illusion of the man she thought she knew and had fallen for. She doesn't want to be just another notch on his bedpost and she can't bear the thought of him treating a hypothetical hook up between them as a casual one time thing when she craved for so much more. And besides, he wouldn't take her seriously as any sort of lover with longevity. He only dated people of his own calibre; models, fashion designers, fellow artists. Never in a million years would he pursue any sort of relationship with someone like her, a nobody who was employed by his band. She was sure he would only want to go out with her and seduce her out of boredom - it would just be a game to him and as soon as she had been under him he probably wouldn't even give her the time of day again. It's this thought process that contributed to her declining the offer of a date from him, refusing to give in to whatever naive hope she possessed that maybe, just maybe, Benedict wanted more than just a fling with her.

Factor #2: Enter shitty stepmother being the world's biggest hypocrite. In this AU Sophie is the result of West End chorus girl Maria Beckett's secret relationship with famous film director Richard Gunningworth. He didn't even know of his daughter's existence until Maria's mother reached out to him when Sophie was seven years old. After losing her daughter to complications during childbirth, Sophie's grandmother had recently been diagnosed with early onset dementia and she wanted her precious granddaughter taken care of before she was no longer capable of doing so. Richard took his daughter in as well as paying for the best care home possible for Maria's mother, and though he was a good father behind closed doors, he kept Sophie's existence a closely guarded secret, not wanting news of his lovechild splashed across newspapers and magazines as gossip fodder. He then made the grave error of marrying Araminta Reiling, a woman who was instantly incensed upon discovering that her new husband had a daughter from a previous fling. She was more than happy to go along with keeping Sophie's existence secret from everyone, though she was determined that as soon as Sophie turned eighteen that she'd leave for university and be out of their lives forever. She constantly shamed Sophie for just about everything though the girl remained resilient and chose to ignore her. It was when Richard decided to encourage his daughter's gift for music, dedicated as she was to her violin, and enroll her in a prestigious music academy that Araminta saw red. Behind Richard's back she guilt-tripped Sophie, saying her father was paying her way into a school she didn't belong in and that nobody would ever take her seriously or respect her for being a nepo baby. This was the only time Sophie took what her stepmother said to heart and actually went to her father to insist the music academy wasn't for her. Despite how disappointed she was to turn down an opportunity she had greatly been looking forward to, Sophie decided not to let it get her down; she'd forge her own way into the music field without her dad's money and influence. It's why she never adopted her father's surname, not wanting the Gunningworth name to open any door she knocked at and choosing to work and practice hard at her violin as much as humanly possible. Sophie worked her arse off and proved herself to be more than just the daughter of a renown and influential person in the industry; she earned every job she had through sheer undeniable talent and discipline, playing in orchestras and going on tour with various companies - and then she landed the gig in the string section for the Bridgerton Brothers global tour. When Benedict asked her out, yes she already had negative-minded doubts of being taken seriously by him, but she was still plagued by Araminta's shaming. Though she had proven herself not be a nepo baby by any design, the thought of being with Benedict, whether as a one night stand or (in her wildest dreams) as a full-blown relationship made her nervous that word would get back to Araminta and her stepmother would claim Sophie was trying to sleep her way into being famous or to warn herself better opportunities through Benedict - she didn't want to be shamed in the same way Araminta had always shamed and spoken ill of her mother. And so, despite Araminta quite obviously latching onto Richard's fame and power to get her in the door of getting acting gigs as well as using his connections to get her darling Rosamund into the fashion modelling industry, Sophie was determined not to become the very person Araminta had always painted her out to be; and she wanted to be better than her stepmother and stepsister, wanting to prove that no relation or association to any man in the industry could be perceived as her trying to use them for her own benefit. So even if she wasn't convinced Benedict's interest in her wasn't remotely serious, she still would have turned him down in order to prove she wasn't anything like her social-climbing stepmother.

[sovreiqns]

name:    sophie    marie    beckett    (    gunningworth    unclaimed    ).    monikers:    soph,    fie.    titles:    nil.    age:    twenty    five.    birthdate:    september    eighth.    orientations:    pansexual    &    panromantic.    gender:    woman.    pronouns:    she    +    her.    place    of    birth:    london.    current    location:    mayfair,    england.    faceclaim:    anya    chalotra.    height:    five    foot    four.    hair    colour:    black.    eye    colour:    deep    hazel.    family:    richard    gunningworth    &    maria    beckett,    step    siblings    rosamund    &    posy    reiling.

life    was    made    for    romance    and    laughter    ,    that’s    how    sophie    beckett    saw    it    .    perhaps    it    was    as    such    due    to    the    fact    she    was    born    a    motherless    child    ,    her    mother    in    the    world    moment    after    her    birth    before    she    was    gone.    only    here    long    enough    to    name    her    only    child    ;    sophie.

she    remembers    very    little    of    her    childhood    ,    only    that    she    was    raised    by    a    dying    grandmother    before    being    sent    to    her    father    ,    though    ,    the    word    father    would    never    be    uttered    ,    despite    the    resemblance    to    him    and    his    sister    ,    he    would    only    ever    claim    her    as    a    ward    .    she    was    never    named    of    his    own    blood    .    and    spent    many    of    her    years    raised    by    servants    of    the    penwood    park    estate    while    he    attended    his    own    affairs    in    london.

only    seven    years    pass    without    so    much    as    real    family    but    the    earl    returns    with    a    wife    and    bringing    along    with    them    two    daughters    ,    a    family    that    she    was    so    HOPEFUL    for    and    yet    araminta    wanted    nothing    to    do    with    the    warden    of    her    husband    and    voices    her    wants    of    sending    sophie    away    ,    to    which    richard    never    let    happen    .

forced    away    from    any    type    of    warmth    and    family    ,    sophie    lived    in    the    estate    alongside    and    yet    so    distanced    from    her    family    ,    that    was    until    shortly    after    another    birthday    passes    alone    and    her    father    leaves    stipulations    in    his    will    that    araminta    would    receive    triple    her    yearly    income    if    she    kept    sophie    in    the    household    .

but    the    will    never    stipulated    how    she    would    be    kept    and    soon    enough    the    young    girl    was    a    lady’s    maid    to    three    ,    araminta    ,    rosamund    and    posy    and    unfairly    treated    ,    now    headed    to    the    ton    with    them    as    nothing    even    close    to    family.