#benophie forever!!

[legionnaireslover]

Sophie and BC having fun after the performance of Salt of the Earth!

[thekatebridgerton]

Part of my beef with the ' what if Sophie was a guy' crowd is how little self awareness they have.

I've been reading one foo many of the 'make Sophie a guy' posts lately and it almost always goes like this

' i know how they could make Sophie into a man, all they need is to rewrite the entire story and rewrite the entire character until using a man makes sense'

And I find that a little ironic because absolutely all their posts recognize that Benedict's original story would have to be unrecognizable in order to change Sophie into a man. Its like they almost get the point, but fly way past it.

Just be honest with yourselves, and admit that you'd be willing to throw Benedict's cannon love interest and his cannon love story into the garbage for the sweet satisfaction of Benedict being gay.

I'm all for advocating for gay representation in media but the way some people go about it and demanding the outright rewrite and removal of one beloved character so that another can be written as gay, that just annoys me.

Personally I HC Benedict as Bisexual, but that's all it is a Headcannon, its part of my fanfiction mindspace until proven otherwise. I'm not out there demanding Sophie be deleted to affirm it. And I just wish some of my fellow fans would be better in that aspect

And for today that's the tea

[hyacinthsgareth]

benophie stans how we doin?

[sophiebaek]

The amount of urls I have saved trying to predict Sophie’s new name if they change her surname…

[sea-owl]

I love the scandalous spouses AU!

The Spouses: Aha, our plan has worked! We are now safe from the marriage mart.

The Bridgertons after seeing them do something scandalous: (points) That one! I want that one!

Lmao! The funny thing is as well is that the spouses don't even really care about the marriage mart. They just want to embarrass their families and or make sure society will think twice about messing with them. And because they bring such entertainment to the ton plus having society den mother Lady Danbury on their side hiding them or sending them away isn't a valuable option.

Then, of course, we got the Bridgertons coming in. They haven't been seen in the ton for over a decade since the last lord has passed. All of them prefer to stay in their ancestral home to be closer to their father. They're a nice family, proper, and follow the unwritten societal rules.

They get their first glimpse of the scandalous spouses when they first arrive at Bridgerton House a few days before Lady Danbury'sball. The spouses are all dancing in the square in the rain. That is until someone shouts for them to get inside, and they all run off laughing.

Violet calls on her old friend Lady Danbury for tea not long after that. She's heard rumors about shameless children who run amok around London from her neighbors in Kent when she shared that she and her family were heading to London. Violet is concerned if she should be worried for her children, particularly her daughters.

Lady Danbury let out a laugh, and before she could answer Violet, eight voices were heard shouting "Oh Lady Danbury!"

Those eight voices belong to, at least in Violet’s eyes, eight children all ranging around her own children's ages. Four boys and four girls.

"Your reputation has precieved you," Lady Danbury delightfully told them as they sat down. "The viscountess here has heard of your exploits even all the way in Kent."

"Oh, how wonderful," the eight children cheered. If the rumors about them had reached Kent, that means it has reached other parts of the countryside like Gloucestershire. There would be no where for their families to hide from the rumors. "Perhaps we'll even get the rumors all the way up to Scotland."

Happy with their newfound knowledge, they run off to tell Edwina, Posy, and Felicity.

"They are good kids deep down," Lady Danbury said, picking up her cup. "Unfortunately, life isn't always so simple, and we make choices based on our experiences."

Violet didn't say anything.

When Lady Danbury's ball came up, the six siblings out in society would get first-hand experience with the scandalous spouses.

The spouses were prepared to have some fun. There's nothing like seeing the scandalous faces of London newcomers.

"Be careful," Lady Danbury advised. "The Bridgertons may not have been in London in a while but they are still one of the most prolific families."

"Makes it all the more fun."

The game starts out with Simon calling out to his old friend from his school days. "Bridgerton!"

"Basset!" Anthony laughed.

"Come join us," Simon offered two empty seats beside him and Kate. Daphne who was with Anthony also sat down and they begin playing cards.

Eventually the topic of the scandalous group running around Mayfair pops up

"Oh, that's us," Simon and Kate admit. "The youngest two aren't here, but the others are there, there, there, and there."

In the distance, you could see Sophie distracting Benedict with conversation before showing him his own ring she managed to swipe off his pinky. Penelope swooping by before dragging Colin to the dance floor, her dance card nowhere in sight. Michael and Francesca were already out on the dance floor. He was pointing at different members of the ton while whispering in her ear. Francesca's face flushed. Phillip and Eloise just appeared to be having a normal conversation, but Phillip's cravat was missing.

Violet was not expecting her six children to come up to her an inquire about the scandalous group.

[benedictsvestcollection]

Adventure Is Out There- A Bridgerton family/Benophie modern fic. (Also on AO3)

Summary: Bridgerton Family goes on vacation to Disney World when Hyacinth finally gets her way and of course they bring their mother's much deserving assistant Sophie (who hasn't had a holiday since she was a little girl), along. Who coincidentally, is very much in love with Benedict and vice versa but neither want to admit it. So Kate and Daphne, decide to take things into her own hands.

Chapter One: Ohana Means Family

“Okay everyone.” Anthony called to the family, plus Sophie, in his living room. “We all know why we’re here.” 

“I don’t.” Sophie piped up from being sandwiched between Hyacinth and Benedict. One of whom was plastered against her side and chattering away excitedly about how Sophie was her ‘bestest friend in the whole wide world’. And the other was doing his best to not notice how damn good his mother’s assistant smelled. 

Anthony smirked at Sophie. “You’re here because the family insisted you be included in this.” He answered mysteriously, before explaining. “It’s time to vote for the annual family summer holiday.” 

“What? No! I can’t afford that!” Sophie told the family panicked. 

Simon chuckled at Sophie. “Do you really think we’d make you pay for anything? Sophie, you told Daph and Kate you haven’t had a vacation since you were a little girl. Of course we’re paying and taking you with us.” 

Sophie shot Kate a dirty look, to which she just gave her a smug smirk as she scrolled her phone idly. “What? Like I would want to go on a vacation without my best friend.” She shrugged at her innocently. 

“I-I…” Sophie began.

“Soph, just let it go. We’re not gonna let you win this one.” Ben whispered in her ear teasingly. 

“Yeah, plus Ben would just mope the whole trip if we didn’t take you with us!” Hyacinth piped up and Ben flicked her shoulder gently. “Hey!” She protested with a pout. 

Anthony gave a long suffering sigh. “Can we just do this?” He asked the group, irritated. 

“Yay!” Hyacinth cheered. “I vote for Disney World!” 

Hyacinth had been dying to go for years but she had never won the family vote, but she had her ways this year and was determined to get it. 

Most everyone groaned. 

“Wait! Please? Ben,” She turned to Benedict. “They have that Star Wars land now.” She made the case with him. She knew he loved Star Wars. “You can build your own lightsaber.” She explained excitedly. “And ride the Millenium Falcon! You too Greg!” 

Benedict did love Star Wars, and that was appealing to him. “Hmmm that’s true.” 

“And Daph and Simon. Don’t you want Auggie to meet Mickey and Minnie? He’d love it there!” She told them. 

“Mickey!” Auggie cheered from his grandmother’s lap and Violet chuckled. 

“Dammit, she’s right.” Simon agreed and looked at Daphne with a raised brow and smirked.

“Yes!” Hyacinth bounced in her seat excitedly. “Sophie, you told me you love Disney too, always wanted to go with your dad but he died before he could take you! Your dad would want you to be able to go!” She pleaded with the woman. 

Damn, this girl was good. Sophie thought to herself. “I mean I don’t think I count in this vote.” She stammered. 

“Yes you do.” Anthony told her. “It’s why you were invited.” The whole family agreed with nods.

“Oh I ummm…” Sophie glanced at her boss, Violet. Who gave her a gentle and encouraging smile. “Sure…. Disney sounds like a lot of fun. Plus it’s Florida and warm.” 

Finally! Hyacinth thought, things were going her way! “Please guys we always go on boring family trips like the beach… Can’t we do something fun for once?” She pleaded with the rest of the family. 

Kate turned to her husband. “She has a point, Anthony, we do go to the beach every year. Her and Greg are always stuck doing what the adults want to do.” 

Hyacinth and Gregory grinned and high fived each other.

“I agree.” Violet piped up. “I vote Disney too.” 

“I’m in too.” Colin told them all. 

“So are we!” Eloise and Frannie told the family. 

“Alright, Hyacinth. Looks like you finally got your wish and we’re going to Disney World.” Anthony told his baby sister with a grin. Let’s talk about dates so I can start looking at where to stay and the like.” 

Hyacinth let out a loud screech and Benedict growled at how loud it was. 

For the next hour, they discussed potential dates and Hyacinth and Gregory were lectured that they needed to keep up with their grades before the trip. 

After the family meeting, Benedict took Sophie home because her place was on his way home and Kate had suggested that they carpool there and back together. 

Once she was gone, Kate pulled all the other women in the family together while the guys talked about potentially golfing there at the park. “I want to do something special for Sophie. The fact that she hasn’t had a holiday since she was a child is a crime.” 

“Is it too late to punch Araminta for ruining Sophie’s entire life?” Eloise asked them. 

“Eloise!” Violet chided her outspoken daughter. 

“It doesn’t matter, we’re fixing that now.” Daphne told them. “But I agree. What if we all got her gifts for the trip?” 

“She doesn’t even have any luggage. Benedict told me she just has some really old and shitty duffle bags that are literally being held together with duct tape.” Fran told them. 

“I’ll get her a luggage set then.” Kate told the women. 

“I want to get her some new clothes. Poor thing never spends money on herself and I once caught her repairing her jeans. I think she’s forgotten she can spend money on herself now.” Daphne said sadly. 

“Jesus.” Eloise muttered, heart aching for the woman. “I saw her admiring an expensive, fun Disney backpack, someone had when we went out once. I want to get her one of those to take to the park.” 

“I want to get her something!” Hyacinth insisted. “Oh! Mum, can you help me get her something?” 

“Yes dear, I will help you find something for her.” She promised her youngest daughter. “I’d like to get her a spa day before the trip. She works so hard for me I want to treat her like she deserves.” 

“I think I want to get her some new makeup. My friend has this new line of stuff that doesn’t sweat off. And it’s got SPF protection built in.” Fran grinned. 

“Oh perfect!” Kate told everyone. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three weeks before the family trip, in the group text:

Kate: I need everyone’s t-shirt size and favorite color.

Benedict: What? Why?

Kate: Mind your business, nosy and just tell me you little shit.

Hyacinth: Am I allowed to curse now?

Anthony: Please don’t. I’m sure mother would agree with me as well.

Hyacinth: Fine. You’re no fun Ant. Mum says I’m a kids size medium and my favorite color is hot pink!

Gregory: I want yellow! Mum says I’m a medium too. Why am I the same size as my little sister?

Hyacinth: Not my fault you’re scrawny.   

Ben: Navy blue for me. Men’s large. 

Sophie: Green please! Women’s medium. 

Kate: What kind of green? 

Sophie: Uhhhhh…. Mint green I guess? Is that an option?

Kate: Got it. I’m dark purple and Anthony is black because he’s boring. 

Hyacinth: Yawn. 

Colin: You all are taking all the good colors what the fuck.

Eloise: Maybe you should be faster at choosing then, dumbass. Is teal an option? I want that if it is. Women’s medium!

Colin: Uhhhhh brown I guess. Men’s large as well. 

Hyacinth: And I thought Ant was boring. 

Daphne: I want a pastel purple if it’s an option! Simon will wear grey, and Auggie says orange because it’s the only color he can say as a three year old.

Fran: Red please! Women’s medium! Why can’t we pick the same colors? I thought we were all just picking favorites? 

Kate: I don’t know. Because you all are animals and are turning it into some kind of competition.

Violet: I’ll go with pale blue. Women’s medium please, Kate. 

Kate: Great, thanks guys!

Ben: All that, and she still won’t tell us what it’s for. 

Hyacinth: Ant, what resort are we staying at? You promised to tell me! 

Anthony: I promised to tell you once I learned you passed your classes before holiday. I’m sure mum would say you have homework to finish and tests to study for. 

Violet: That she does. 

Gregory: They caught you! 

Violet: So do you Gregory. Both of you, back to studying. 

Hyacinth: Ughhhhhh.

Ben: Suckers. 

Anthony: Don’t you have work to do? 

Ben: Not all of us are workaholics like you. I’m sure you have a very detailed and useless schedule for the vacation to work on, that absolutely none of us will follow. 

Anthony: Shut your mouth! Kate loves my attention to detail!

Kate: …. No comment. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night before leaving for Disney World, Sophie was in her closet digging out her duffle bag when there was a knock at her door. 

“Sophie, it’s us!” Kate’s voice came through the door. 

Sophie nearly tripped at her voice. “What? Okay I’m coming!” She told her with a huff and wondered who ‘us’ was and why they were at her flat at five in the evening. 

She swung open her door and smiled at Kate, Daphne and Eloise. “What are you guys doing here?” She asked them bewildered when she saw them with bags of clothes and what looked like a luggage set. “What’s all this?” 

“Stuff for your trip of course!” Daphne told her as they barged into her flat. “We’re here to help you pack.” 

“Who’s the luggage for?” She asked, very confused now. 

Kate smirked at her. “It’s yours silly. Eloise, start getting her shit out of the bathroom and pack it in these.” She handed her a set of toiletry bags that were part of the set. “Daph and I will pack her clothes!” 

“You bought me luggage?” Sophie asked, overwhelmed that she had bought her something so nice. 

“Of course I did Soph. You deserve so much.” Kate told her with a hug and smiled at her best friend. 

“Oh I’m so glad I got your sizing right Sophie!” Daphne told her excitedly as she started pulling all the new clothes out of the bags and taking tags off. “Where’s that Star Wars shirt of yours?” She asked her. “Ben will definitely love it if you wear it one day!” 

“You…. Bought me clothes?” She asked her as she watched Kate, folding clothes and packing everything. “Why does it matter if I wear something Ben likes?”

“Sophie,” Daphne told her gently and tilted her head at her. “No offense but you’re terrible at taking care of and treating yourself when you deserve it. Your sneakers are literally falling apart.” Ignoring her question about Benedict, her and Kate were determined to get them together on this trip. 

“I’m just…” She began.

Eloise poked her head out of her bathroom. “It’s just that you’re not used to people giving a shit about you because your step mother is a giant bitch who ruined your life and forced you to be a slave for so long. So now it’s your turn to be treated well so we’re doing it for you!” 

“I-... Yeah you’re right.” She sighed. 

“Just let us do this for you?” Kate pleaded with her. 

“Okay, fine.” She agreed and gave them all a group hug. “Thanks guys.” She sniffled. 

“Of course.” Daphne told her. “Now back to work ladies!”

“Oh my god, Daph. These swimsuits are so sexy and cute!” Kate exclaimed. 

“Hey, where’s that new makeup Fran got you?” Eloise called. “I need to put it in this bag!” 

An hour later, Sophie was all packed and ready to leave the next morning when Ben picked her up to head for Heathrow. They would be taking the Bridgerton company jet for the trip. She stared at the vintage inspired luggage Kate had gotten her, filled with new clothes and such from Daphne, Eloise, Fran and Hyacinth. Violet had insisted she go to a salon and spa and get a new haircut, facial and a mani/pedi for the trip. She had never felt so loved as she did by this family she worked for. 

~~~~~~~~

Ben couldn’t believe he let Kate talk him into picking up Sophie. Not that he minded, at all. He would do anything for her really. But he was mad that he was so head over heels for this woman that he walked up two flights of stairs and got her luggage. Twice. 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She’d asked him, at four in the morning as he caught his breath before getting into his car. They were leaving London early, so they could get to Florida earlier in the day there. “You could have let me fucking help.” 

“I’m fine.” He mumbled affectionately as they got into his car and he drove to the airport. 

“Sure you are.” She teased him as she yawned and tugged on her cardigan over her custom Disney shirt Kate had ordered for everyone and Hyacinth insisted everyone wear for the trip there. She looked so damn cute. 

Thankfully, the trip to the airport was quick with no traffic so early in the morning and they were able to park the car in the hangar with the rest of the family’s cars. 

“Sophie!” Hyacinth screeched and ran to her to tackle her with a hug. 

“Hy.” Ben growled at her loud greeting. “We’re right fucking here.” 

“Hi Hyacinth.” Sophie told her and hugged her back with a grin and a gentle laugh.

“Sorry, I’m just so excited we’re going to Disney!” She told them excitedly and dragged Sophie away, leaving Benedict to deal with both of their suitcases. 

“Need a hand?” Anthony asked his brother with a smirk as he jogged over. 

“God, yes please.” Ben grumbled, ears still ringing from Hyacinth’s screeching. “What time did she wake up?” 

“I don’t know, mum says she doesn’t think she slept at all last night.” Anthony chuckled. “Same with Greg. She said she could hear him making lightsaber noises in his room.” 

“Fucking nerd.” Ben grunted as he grabbed his bags and Anthony took Sophie’s. “Are we the last one’s here?” 

“No, Eloise and Fran aren’t here yet but last Kate heard, they were on their way. Probably ten minutes behind you guys.” 

Ben nodded and locked his car with his keys after making sure he had all his and Sophie’s things out of it. “We’ll take off shortly after they get situated?” 

“Yup. Pilot’s ready, planes got food and drinks on board. Auggie’s sleeping with Daph. Just need to get everyone’s suitcases situated as soon as the girl’s get here.” 

“I need to save Sophie from Hy, she’s pretty tired I think. You know how she gets when she’s overwhelmed.” 

“No I don’t actually, you would know her better since you’re so in love with her.” 

“Wh-? I’m not fucking in love with Sophie!” Ben stopped and dropped his bags next to everyone else's so the pilot and Simon could load them in the cargo of the jet.

“Yes you are. It’s so fucking obvious.” Simon chuckled as he leaned against the jet. 

“Well, it is to everyone but Sophie. But mum says that’s just because Sophie thinks no one could ever love her. Araminta really fucked her up in the head. The bitch.” Anthony muttered. 

Benedict’s fist balled at the mention of Araminta. “Can we not talk about this?” 

“Fine.” Anthony shrugged. “But you should know that Kate put you and Sophie in a room together. It was that, or her with Hyacinth and we didn’t think she’d want to babysit on her first vacation in 20 years.” 

“What?” He growled at Anthony smirking back at him as he bounded up the stairs into the jet behind his older brother. He was fucked now, stuck in a room with the beautiful Sophie for ten days would be pure torture. Her sleeping one bed away from him and trying to restrain himself. 

Thirty minutes later, the plane was taking off and Hyacinth was irritating everyone by singing It’s A Small World on a loop. 

“Put a sock in it!” Gregory groaned from his chair where he was playing Colin in cards. 

“This is going to be a long fucking flight.” Benedict muttered next to Sophie. He was irritated with Hyacinth for taking up so much of Sophie’s attention, who was clearly tired as she kept nodding off against Ben’s shoulder. 

“Hy.” Anthony warned her. “It’s too early for that and some of us need sleep.” He mentioned to Daphne holding Auggie and then Sophie who was also trying to sleep next to Ben. Even Simon was dozing by now.

“Fine.” She huffed and crossed her arms. “What am I supposed to do then?” She asked him.

“Didn’t you bring books to read or something?” Ben suggested quietly. 

“Books? I’m on summer holiday.” 

“People read for fun you know.” He pointed to Kate, curled up with her mystery book and Eloise who was reading some book about the women of Disney World.

“Well I don’t.” She insisted with a frown. 

“Maybe that’s why you didn’t do well in English class.” He teased her with a smirk. 

She glared at her older brother. “Reading is boring.” She huffed at him.

“Why don’t you watch a movie or something?” Benedict suggested and yawned. “You can annoy everyone later when we’re closer to landing.” 

“Ugh, fine.” She told him petulantly. 

“Five pounds says she’s asleep within a half hour.” Benedict whispered in Sophie’s ear, who giggled in response before she finally fell asleep herself. 

Just as predicted, Hyacinth fell asleep within twenty minutes after she’d started watching Alice In Wonderland. Anthony snorted. “I thought she was going to stay awake for a full day.” 

“It would do Greg well to get some sleep too.” Violet spoke up from her seat next to Daphne with an arched brow at her youngest son.

“I’m not a kid mum!” He protested with a roll of his eyes. “I don’t need a nap!”

“You were up all night Gregory.” Violet sighed. “I don’t want to hear you complaining later about how tired you are when we’re going through customs or at dinner tonight.” 

“Well, I’m not taking a nap!” He proclaimed dramatically. 

Fifteen minutes later, Gregory was also asleep. Slumped in his chair and snoring. In fact, most of the family was asleep save for Anthony, Kate & Benedict at one point. 

About two hours from landing, Hyacinth was awake and was entertaining Auggie by singing Disney songs to him. “It’s a world of laughter, a world of tears-” 

“Not that stupid song again!” Gregory groaned as he woke up and glared at his sister and then joined them on the floor.

Hyacinth sniffed her nose at her brother. “Do you know a better song?” She challenged and shoved him from her spot. 

“Uh…. Yeah!” He cleared his throat before singing, “All the birds sing words and the flowers croon, in the tiki tiki tiki room-” He began to sing the second most obnoxious song in the Disney parks.

“I swear to god-” Eloise called from where she was reading in her corner of the plane. “I will take this book and beat you two to death with it!” She threatened them. 

Sophie giggled from behind her book and Benedict grinned at her before realizing something. “So, I think it’s only fair to warn you about something.” 

“About what?” She asked him worriedly. 

“It’s nothing awful, I promise!” He quickly reassured her as he rubbed her arm. “At least, I hope you don’t think it is. I just…. Anthony informed me that Kate put you and I in a room together. Apparently it was either me or Hy and she didn’t want you to have to watch her for a whole week.” He explained with a chuckle. “I hope that’s not going to be too awkward.” 

Sophie blushed at the idea of sharing a room with Ben for ten days. God, but he was so handsome and sweet. And she was so in love with him. “Oh well, that’s okay. We can make that work.” She told him quietly. “We can just shower and change in the bathroom and take turns.” She tried not to think about the idea of Ben coming out of the bathroom wet and shirtless. 

“Okay then.” He nodded at her with a lopsided grin. “I just didn’t want you to be blindsided when we got to the resort is all.” He explained. 

“Well I appreciate it.” She smiled at him.

“We’re about an hour from landing.” Anthony told the family. “Get all your stuff together and into your seats, buckled, so the pilot can descend into Orlando.” He gave Hyacinth and Gregory pointed looks. 

“I reserved rental cars for us. Myself, Anthony, and Benedict offered to drive the rentals to the park from the airport. Let’s split up who’s going in what cars.” Simon told everyone. 

“I’m going with Sophie & Benedict!” Hyacinth called excitedly as she handed Auggie back to Daphne who was going to change him before they landed. 

“Hyacinth, you’re coming with me.” Violet told her daughter. “You, me and Gregory will ride with Anthony and Kate.” She told her youngest, she could tell Sophie was doing her best to be nice to Hyacinth. She knew that her youngest could be overwhelming. 

“Aw man!” She pouted but obeyed her mother and nodded. 

“El and I will ride with Ben and Sophie.” Fran told the group. “Col, why don’t you go with Daph, Simon and Auggie?” She suggested. 

Colin nodded. “Fine with me, right little man?” He high fived his nephew with a grin as he leaned back in his seat. 

After finally landing, they all went through customs with no issues and went to get the rentals and load up. 

“Jesus, I forgot how humid it was here in Florida.” Benedict muttered as he and the girls loaded up their SUV with their bags. 

“We should hit up the pool after we check in.” Eloise agreed as she tossed her cardigan in her oversized tote bag. 

“Oh that sounds like fun!” Sophie seconded as she cranked up the AC all the way and Ben followed Simon and Anthony out of the parking garage and they headed through Orlando to the park. 

“Room updates!” Fran called from her phone. “Ben and Sophie in one. Kate, Anthony & Colin in a two bedroom. El, you and I in another, Mum, Hyacinth and Gregory in a two bedroom. And of course Simon, Daph and Auggie in a one bedroom.” 

“Yeah, Ben told me about it.” She said softly and blushed. 

Fran and Eloise smirked at each other. “Well apparently our room is right next to yours.” Fran told them. “At least the four of us are sane and won’t keep each other up with insanity.” 

Eloise snorted. “We’re just adults who know that sleep makes us all hotter.” She joked. 

“I thought the weather did that.” Sophie quipped with a grin and pulled her hair into a bun atop her head. 

“Hey, at least we all packed shorts, sundresses and tank tops.” Fran reminded them. “You won’t catch me in pants this week.” She grimaced as they made their way through the Orlando traffic. 

An hour later, they were in front of their resort Animal Kingdom Lodge, unloading bags onto carts to be taken to their various rooms.  While Hyacinth was gushing over all the animals. 

“Hyacinth, get over here!” Anthony called with a sigh. “We need to get all our magic bands activated for our rooms and the park tickets.” He told her. They had already done online check-in, but they still needed to get directions to their rooms and such. 

Twenty minutes later Benedict and Sophie were staring at what was a king bed in their room. “I-I thought this was supposed to be a double room.” Sophie stammered nervously, the idea of sharing a bed with Benedict sent her mind reeling and wishing he was with her. 

“That’s what Anthony said.” Benedict told her as he pulled out his phone and called Kate. 

“Hello?” Came Kate’s voice over the speaker. 

“Why is our room a King bed?” Benedict growled at his sister in law, who booked the rooms, as Sophie stepped out onto the patio to look at the animals.

“Oh is it?” She asked innocently as she smirked to herself and unpacked. She knew exactly why it was. “That’s odd.” 

“Cut the bullshit Kate.” Ben groaned. “What the fuck did you do. I don’t think she was too keen on sharing a room with me.” 

“I love you both, but you’re both so…. Dumb sometimes.” She told him. “She’s so fucking in love with you it’s insane, the other day she couldn’t stop talking about exploring Galaxy’s Edge with you. Besides, it’s a king bed, there’s plenty of room if you two want to continue being idiots for the duration of this trip. Besides, I can’t change it anyway, the resort’s all booked.” 

“Fine, I’ll just sleep on the floor.” He grumbled. 

“You are NOT sleeping on the floor!” Sophie’s voice came from behind him. 

“Gotta go, we’ll meet you by the pool later.” He muttered at his sister in law before he hung up. “Soph, I’m sorry, it seems Kate accidentally booked this instead and they’re all booked. So I’ll just sleep on the floor.” 

“Ben.” She blew out a breath nervously. “We’re both adults, and it’s a big bed. We can share. Your back will be fucked up if you sleep on the floor, we’ll already be walking around all day for the trip.” She insisted. She may be in love with him and it would be awkward, but she’d be damned if she was the reason Ben slept on the floor for a week and a half. 

“Well, if you’re sure.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. 

“I’m sure.” She nodded at him as she began to unpack. 

The next ten days would be interesting to say the least.

[the-other-art-blog]

I cannot deal with one more Benophie fan complaining about the lack of Benedict's artistic side in s3.

Aren't you guys supposed to like this character and understand him?

Everyone complains about the show's lack of accountability, continuity, and consequences. But here it is Benedict's artistic plot going through ups and downs for 3 seasons and fans complain!

That was one of my main wishes for s3: NO ART FOR BENEDICT. It had to be this way.

Benedict thought he had entered the Academy by himself, for his talent. He was so happy to have received external validation and Anthony's interference destroyed that. He destroyed his confidence. Of course, he abandoned art. He felt like a fraud.

If Benedict had resumed painting in s3, this scene would have lost meaning and weight:

What would have been the point of this dramatic moment if he would have been fine next season?

In the book, part of Benedict's arc is growing confident in his art. He has been hiding his talent forever (even more than in the show) because he's afraid and Sophie helps him realize he's an artist. The show found a way to show his art since s1, and still follow the book.

This was not the final season, we still have to see HIS season where all of this needs to be resolved. His season is when he needs to regain confidence and share his art with everyone again, thanks to Sophie.

Yes, it was sad to see Benedict holding a newspaper instead of a sketchbook, BUT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR HIS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!!

That brief exchange with Paul said everything the audience needed to know about his art in s3:

Paul asks him if he paints (Paul was being a bit of a jerk here, too judgemental just because Ben is part of the ton, but I get it)

How heartbreaking this was!

He couldn't have said 'yes' even if he talked in past tense because Paul would have asked more. 'Why did you give it up?' And what was he supposed to say: 'My brother paid my way into the Academy'? Of course, he said no. The writers did not forget about s1 and s2, they simply were writing a coherent storyline. Benedict's still not over the betrayal and hurt he felt at the end of s2.

In the meantime, Ben has been filling the hole art left in his heart with work during Anthony's honeymoon. Once that is gone, Ben becomes a jerk (I've talked about this in this post after seeing part 1: x) He's extra grumpy and out-of-character but it makes sense narratively because he's frustrated.

It only gets better when he meets Tilley. She is a temporary solution to his frustration. Once he began his affair with her, he went back to his normal, charming self at balls. This is what he does, what he did for 3 seasons. Sex is like a palliative treatment for whatever turmoil he has inside (see how amazingly appropriate this is for Benophie?)

Moreover, Benedict's sexuality needed to be addressed BEFORE his season. Or would you have preferred to do it while Sophie was there?

Thanks to CVD, who refused to address this matter in s2, Jess had to do it in s3. Honestly, Jess did a lot of fixing this season.

This way Benedict is at peace with that part of himself that had been causing so much anxiety since he met Granville. Not only did Tilley offer a momentary escape valve for his frustration, but she helped him accept a part of his identity AND encouraged him to find love. Honestly, the hate she gets from the Benophie fandom is shameful. She did nothing wrong and only helped and supported Benedict. (Plus Luke Thompson loved those scenes, so 🤷‍♀️)

I shouldn't get so upset about other people's opinions, but honestly. These comments come from people who declare to be stans and queens of the fandom. They also have been in a 2-year tantrum and hate campaign against s3, so not really surprised.

It's so funny because if there's one character that has been written exquisitely, it's Benedict. He's the writers' favorite, 100%. Everything he has done makes total sense and prepares him for Sophie.

[thebluemallet]

EARLY Predictions for Bridgerton Season 4

BENEDICT IS OFFICIALLY CONFIRMED TO BE THE LEAD FOR SEASON 4!

I've had this in my drafts for a couple of weeks. But now that Benophie is officially happening next season, I have some EARLY predictions for the next season. I'll have more predictions when we finally have a clip or a trailer, but for now I'm gonna cast a wide net for what I think will happen in season 4.

1- MASQUERADE!

They really name-dropped that masquerade ball like Tahani Al-Jamil name drops her celebrity friends. And they mentioned it in the promo with Luke T. The masquerade ball is happening! My guess is it'll happen somewhere in the first two episodes of season 4. This will be where Benedict meets his Cinderella/mysterious Lady In Silver/Sophie Beckett.

The code name for season 4 is supposed to be Vauxhall, where we saw Daphne and Simon launch their fake dating plot in season 1. That was a public ball, which means that anybody who could pay the fee could get into it. Perhaps we'll return there for the masquerade ball. Makes much more sense for Sophie to be able to crash that instead of a private ball at the Bridgerton house.

Let's just hope her carriage doesn't turn into a pumpkin before she can make her escape.

2- A Possible Time Jump

In Benedict's book, he meets Sophie at the masquerade, she runs away at midnight, and then he doesn't see her again for another two years. I think a time jump could happen again. Specifically for a few of my upcoming predictions.

Also, it would add to the drama.

Can you imagine the reaction from the fans with the screen fades to black and then some text fades in that reads TWO YEARS LATER?

3- Kate and Anthony Might Not Make An Appearance Next Season

Possibly an unpopular opinion, but I almost dont know why they bothered with having Kate and Anthony in season 3. It seemed like it boiled down to "We're here! We're hot! We're horny! And we're fucking off now! Bye!"

At least when Daphne showed up in Anthony's season she helped drive the plot forward and tried to help guide her brother on the bumpy road to matrimony. Anthony had one half-assed conversation with Colin about his engagement to Penelope. Kate did most of the heavy-lifting when it came to important talks with the family. She did most of the talking to Colin the night before his wedding to Penelope. (Not that it mattered because all of her work was undone the moment Charlotte showed up to the wedding.)

Kate also gets credit for speaking with Eloise to try and smooth things over between her and Colin. And then they left their family for a third time to go all the way to India, a journey that's going to take them six months one way.

But with a time jump, that would give enough time for Anthony and Kate to go to India, have their baby, spend some time there, and then make the long journey back to be present after the time jump with a toddler.

(With how pregnant Kate was looking at the wedding, I would not be surprised if she gave birth at sea. She and Anthony did not think that plan through at all. And why the hell did they leave without attending Francesca's wedding??? And when the Queen was certain that a Bridgerton was behind Lady Whistledown???)

Anthony and Kate being absent would also be a convenient way to keep the Bridgerton House set around for a little while longer.

Anyway, sending Kate and Anthony off to India felt like a way to let Jonny and Simone do other projects for a season instead. Jonny himself is probably gonna be busy with all of the press for the upcoming Wicked movie. So if the announcement comes that they won't be around, I wouldn't be surprised.

4- Last Season for Queen Charlotte Queen Charlotte Lives Forever!

Bridgerton is not known for being 100% historically accurate. And let's face it, even if it were, people would still be complaining about the historical inconsistencies. But one thing Bridgerton is creeping up on is the year 1818. And it's in November of that year that the real-life Queen Charlotte passed away.

Season 4 will, I assume, start in 1816. If they do a one-year time jump, we'll get the rest of the season in 1817 when the main events of Benedict's book take place. If they do a two-year time jump, like they did in the books, then we'll be in 1818 and we'll be in the year we say goodbye to Queen Charlotte.

BUT, the showrunners have pretty much said that they've decided the show exists in an "alternate universe" and they're just going to keep Queen Charlotte around for a while.

The Queen lives. Long live the Queen.

5- Eloise Meets Sir Phillip Crane (?)

While the masquerade references were heavy-handed, the references to Philoise were more subtle. In episode 3x02, Eloise wears a dress that is patterned with the same flower that was gifted to her by Sir Phillip in the books. And in 3x05, when trying to make herself feel better about her betrothal, Cressida tells Eloise that the two of them can "flirt with widowers." The showrunners are slowly setting up the Eloise/Phillip dynamic--they have been since season 1. I think they'll set more things into motion in season 4 and set them up for season 5.

Eloise already expressed to Kate how she felt as if everyone was pairing off and leaving her behind. Benedict's marriage will end up being the tipping point for Eloise.

Phillip would have lived the life of a botanist/academic if it weren't for his brother's tragic passing. Perhaps his academic connections could play a part in Eloise's desire to meet new people and change the world?

If they meet in season 4, it could be the catalyst for them to begin to exchange letters like they did in the books. Which will ultimately set them up for their story in season 5.

Of course, this also means that Marina is going to have to die offscreen at some point 😐

6- Cressida Redemption (?)

One of my major gripes with season 3 was that they gave so much time to the threesome subplot that two other subplots seemed to have no real conclusion or were dropped completely. One of the subplots that didn't get wrapped up as nicely as it could have was Cressida's. We didn't see her reaction to Penelope unmasking herself as Lady Whistledown. She just kind of...left.

There is a long-standing fan theory that Cressida will have a part to play in the Benedict/Sophie story based on a piece of script that named Cressida's mother "Araminta". If this is true, then I think we'll see Cressida in some way next season. And maybe she'll get a happier ending. I never thought at the beginning of the show that I'd want Cressida to end up happy somewhere, but boy season 3 did a great job of making me actually sympathetic to her character.

7- Another Offscreen Wedding

One thing that I know frustrated Kathony fans last season was not seeing an onscreen wedding for Kate and Anthony. I mean, we saw a wedding, and Kate and Anthony were there, but he almost got married to the wrong person. The closest we got was Anthony disassociating so hard that he astral projected himself into an alternate reality.

The only onscreen weddings to canonical spouses we've seen have been the Daphne/Simon, Colin/Penelope, and Francesca/John weddings. But if anybody was hoping to see an onscreen wedding with Benedict in season 4, think again.

I believe that the drama of Benedict and Sophie's story will keep up through all eight episodes of their season. And, like Kate and Anthony's season, we'll flash forward in time at the end of the episode to Benedict and Sophie several months into their marriage. But we won't get to see the actual wedding.

8- Crossdressing Sophie (?)

Admittedly, this is less of a prediction and more wishful thinking on my part. This is the route I would go down if I was writing for the show, anyway.

Show!Benedict now being canonically pansexual has opened up the possibility for him to have an LGBTQ+ partner. But I have a slightly different idea. One plot point of Benedict's book is that Sophie, after running away from her stepmother's house, cuts off all of her hair to sell when she's desperate for money.

I think Show!Sophie could still get her hair cut off like in the book, and then go around disguised as a man for safety/freedom of movement/job opportunities. Then Benedict gets confused when he discovers Sophie in "boy mode" because he hasn't felt this level of attraction to someone since his Lady In Silver.

Maybe we'll get a Victor/Victoria scenario out of it (woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman).

Like I said, this is less of a prediction and more of the route I would go down if I was writing for the show. It probably won't happen this way. But maybe I'll give fanfic writers some plot bunnies.

[girllookingoutwindow]

Since the announcement of the season 4 lead we're now in benophie season right? Because while I love polin and forever will I am really looking forward to moving on and I am really excited to see Benedict and Sophie's story.

Sorry , anon. I will never moving on of Polin. Lmao

They're the reason why I watch the show.

I mean, I love Benedict and I really want to watch his season.

But I'm a polin shipper forever. Pen will always be my fave.

I'm glad that the show has so beautiful characters I like and I cannot wait to see the next season.

[mariailoveyou-guerin]

she so real because I’m sorry but who’s we? I and my homies are staying in POLIN era forever! 😂 good luck to benophie tho y’all stay safe out there I’m good tho!

[eleanor-bradstreet]

Bridgerton Brothers - so sexy it’s scary

A Masterlist of Spooky/Supernatural Bridgerton fics

Men are beasts...

Forever by @queen-of-the-misfit-toys (vampire Benophie)

Enthralled (x Reader) by @fayes-fics (vampire Benedict)

Enthralled (OC) by @fayes-fics (vampire Benedict)

Chiaroscuro by yours truly (vampire Benedict)

Faoladh by @queen-of-the-misfit-toys (werewolf Benedict)

As the world ends...

If The World Was Ending by @thebabblingbrookenook (apocalyptic Benedict)

I'll Be Seeing You by yours truly (zombie Benedict)

All the Time in the World by @colettebronte (apocalyptic Anthony)

Enjoy these sexy, spooky, dark AUs with Benedict and Anthony Bridgerton from my endlessly talented fellow authors. 🖤 Something to sink your teeth into as the days grow darker... Dividers by @firefly-graphics

[legionnaireslover]

My favourites from today!

Both of them can look so effortlessly sexy!

[hopepaigeturner]

Benophie Week 2024: Lake

A little piece from a WIP about Benedict and Sophie learning to cope and heal from their various traumas through their marriage.

*~*~*~*~*

Three months into their marriage, Benedict wakes to find the bed cold and empty beside him. The spidering fingertips return to the base of his spine when he does not find Sophie in the window nr in her dressing room. The skeletal hand crawling further up his spine and across his chest as every room is empty and every member of staff is bewildered. The hand starts to squeeze on his heart as he paces the grounds and is fruitless in his search.

 Finally, he notices shoeprints in the mud leading to the track to the lake.

Benedict stumbles and trips his way through the trees until he burst into the clearing.

And finally, he finds Sophie and the world suspends.

The lake is tinted blue from the dawning sky and perfectly flat. Sophie floats with her nightdress billowing around her and her hair in a halo—utterly motionless.

The world cascades back in and he is running, shouting, crashing through the water barely undressing. The coldness of the lake takes the rest of his breath and makes his eyes blur.

And perhaps that is why he does not register Sophie’s voice until she is in his arms and her hands are cupping his face.

“Ben—”

“Never do that again!”

“Ben—”

“Promise me!” He grasps the back of her head so she must look him in the eye. Her eyes are impossibly wide. “You must promise!”

“I was just clearing my head,” Sophie says softly as her thumb caresses his cheek.

“Why would you do that?” he still cries for his breaths have yet to calm. “Why would you? I thought…I thought…” His breaths stagger around the truth. “I cannot—do not…I cannot lose you, not again,”

Ben…” Sophie's voice is soft and he lifts his head to find questions in her eyes. It takes him a couple more staggering breaths before he can speak once more, because the skeletal hand still grips his heart.

“I have lost you so may times I could not live if I lost you again.”

“I am not leaving, my love,” she whispers, and Benedict clings to the depths in her moss-green eyes. “I never want to leave you nor will I ever leave you. I am yours until death parts us.”

“Until death do us part,” he whispers back and clings onto her even tighter.

It took a while for Benedict to fully calm his breaths even when the pair were enwrapped together in the towel on the shore.

“I did not mean to frighten you,” Sophie whispers, her hand brushing soothingly along the arm that is draped across her chest. “I woke with my head clamouring with noise and I tried the window and the book but nothing settled me—not even my usual wander through the gardens. Then I thought, well, lakes…”

“They were your solace as a child. They were the only place you enjoyed being moorless,” Benedict says, all too clearly remembering that very first lake trip at he beginning fo their twisting story.

“Yes, and the floating did help.”

“I see…”

“I did not wish to worry you and I would have never done this if I knew the distress it would cause." She shifted to drape her legs to the side so she could face him.

Benedict kept running his hands through her hair as he spoke.

“I know you meant no harm and there is noting to apologise for, but you must understand,” he gently detangled a knot, “I have spent my entire life looking for you in some manner or other, and I found you at the masquerade ball, but then I lost you. Then I lost you to Araminta when she put you in jail and if we had not come to you…” he shudders. “I still have nightmares even when I know you lie right next to me.”

“Oh, Ben,” Sophie started rubbing her thumb over his jawbone.

“And then I watched you die.”

Sophie rears back slightly. Benedict uses his fingers to trace over her features as if cataloguing them for a final memory.

“I finally had you with the promise of forever, then three days into our honeymoon you dropped like a stone on the village green. And I couldn’t feel your pulse and you were so lifeless” His fingers tremored. “In that moment I have never felt such dread, it felt as if my entire self, my organs, my heart, my soul had been ripped out of me.”

Sophie’s eyes brimmed with tears at the hoarseness in his voice.

“I am sorry.”

“You do not need to apologise,” Benedict replied with a little more force than necessary. He took a deep breath. “I only need you to understand. You are the love of my life, and you have my half my heart and half my soul, so I cannot lose you.”

Sophie nodded solemly then took his hand and placed it on her heart. Then she put her own hand on his heart.

“I understand you, just as you understand me. And I promise to keep your heart and soul safe.”

Benedict’s eyes brimmed with tears but he blinked them away so he could say,

“And I promise to keep your heart and soul safe.”

They kissed softly, as if to seal the pact, just as the morning sun filtered through the trees.

And after they had blessed the morning with soft moans and the binding of souls and bodies, Sophie whispered,

“So, no more clandestine lake trips?”

“No, no!” Benedict turned her to him. “Ofcourse you can swim whenever you need to. I stand by that first promise to help you process and cope with your thoughts and emotions. I want to hold your hand as you heal from the scars and I want to enable that journey rather than hinder it. But…perphas you could leave a note?”

Sophie grinned and rolled on top of him, the sun outlining her form in gold.

“I think I can manage that.”

And the next time, Benedict finds a note attached to her pillow, his dresser and on the window seat. And many times, he takes his sketchbook and sits by the shore until she can return to him with a clear mind.  In future years he brings the children. And even when the children are gone to their own newly wedded bliss, Benedict sits by the shore of the lake and sketches his wife in her billowing gown and halo of white streaked hair.

In the end that is how they find her; aged 83, grandmother to twelve, mother to four, and wife for over fifty years and a widow with half a heart for ten. Sophie had kept her word--she had never left Benedict.

On that day, her gown billows around her and her white hair is a halo. A final moment of moorless-ness, until she finds her anchor and never needs to float again.

[queen-of-the-misfit-toys]

Come to My Garden

Benophie Week day 3

Warnings: short and sweet but there is character death

Word count: 313

Benophie Week 2024, day 3, word is garden

___________________________________________

“Benedict, come quickly my love, I'm in the garden!”

Benedict opened his weary eyes, blinking at the morning sun streaming through the windows. He looked around for his wife but she was not there.

“Sophie? Sophie, is that you?”

“Yes, silly, who else would it be.” She giggled. “Come to me, Darling. I'm on the swings.”

Benedict jumped out of bed, quickly donning his breeches, shirt, and boots, ran down the stairs and out the French doors to the garden.

“There you are, Darling, come swing with me!”

His heart was beating incredibly fast, almost out of his chest. His Sophie looked so beautiful, sunlight glistening through her waves, a laugh escaping her lips as she swung high into the air.

“I'm coming, Soph. Wait for me!”

“Charlie, come look. Papa is on the swings. Should we go to him? Surely that can't be safe at his age.”

“Let him be, Vivi. You know how he and Mama loved to swing together. He probably feels close to her there. He'll be fine.” Charles put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, reassuring his sister. “Besides, he looks happy. I haven't seen him smile like that in months.”

“I'm so glad you decided to finally come swing with me, Benedict. I've been calling you for ages!”

“Have you really been calling for me, Darling? I didn't hear you ‘til a little while ago. I would've come much sooner had I heard you. I would never ignore you, Sophie.” He said as he grabbed her hand, kissing her knuckles.

“ ‘Tis no matter, my love.” She whispered. “You're here with me now and that's all that matters. Come, let's go lay under the old oak and rest awhile. I'm a bit tired from swinging”

And under the old oak, in the garden, is where his children found Benedict, smiling, gone to spend forever with his love.

[holybatgirlz]

but only far from home | Accidents, 1836 (Part I)

read here on ao3

Words: 6.3

Note: it should be noted this is a part of my benophie babies one-shot collection fic I have on Ao3. This took forever to complete, and I kept going back and forth about putting this idea with this fic collection or putting it as a new work.

----

“Charles, it’s going to be alright.”

“Miles, if you say that one more time I will strike you,” Charles grounded out at his cousin while the carriage they sat in jostled and jerked about on the uneven country road.

But Miles took no offense. He only sighed. “I’m just trying to help.”

The knot of guilt in Charles’ stomach only tightened. 

“I know,” he replied, wincing at how his tone was harsher than he wanted. He tried to take a deep breath, to calm his nerves. Relax. 

How could he relax? When the worst that could happen was about to befall him and his family. Could already have while he was traveling. 

Gritting his teeth. “I just–”

I have to get home. Before it’s too late. 

The words stuttered in his throat, clawing at his vocal cords in an effort to silence him. His breathing hitched, choking him. His throat was swelling up. His heart started racing as he began to panic over all that had been left unsaid. Every little mistake he’d made before leaving for Cambridge. It was all too much.

“Just breathe, alright?” Miles told him gently. “We’ll be there soon.”

Charles took another deep breath. They would. Thank God. 

My Cottage. They were on route back to Wiltshire, as quickly as they could. Charles returned from morning classes to find Mr. Crabtree, the closest person he had to a grandfather, standing outside his lodgings. The older man had a concerned and serious look, which was not normal for the usually jovial groundskeeper, that had put Charles immediately on edge. Something was wrong. Something had happened. 

There was an accident. Your father. They don’t know how bad it is–

He’d come to take him home, it was faster than sending another letter, like the ones sent to London and Scotland. To his Uncle Anthony, who could get Alexander and William from school, and to his grandmother who was visiting his aunt up north. But it would still take them a day or two before they arrived, his grandmother longer. Being at Cambridge, Charles had been the closest to home and Miles, who was in his second to last year at the university, had come with him when he’d found him panicking outside the dorms, Mr. Crabtree desperately trying to keep him from driving the carriage home himself. 

His knee bounced up and down as the carriage continued its path into Wiltshire. A nervous habit he’d picked up from his father that he did whenever he was stressed. The ‘what ifs’ had taken over, controlling every thought he had. What if they were too late? What if he never got to apologize? What if he hadn’t been so stupid before he left? What if he’d just apologized? He couldn’t focus on anything except the guilt chewing on his insides. 

You’re an arrogant ass who thinks he knows what's best for me. I hate you.

What the hell was wrong with him? The last conversation they’d had was an argument. The last thing he’d said to his father was to bugger off out of his life. That he was a grown man now and he didn’t need his father coming to his rescue. Didn’t need his father making decisions for him. 

That he wished he would just die.

And over a girl. He had a vitriol fight with his father over a stupid girl the old man hadn’t approved of. A girl who Charles now knew didn’t even love him. Had never loved him. Had only been using him for her own selfish purposes. Something his father had warned him about, had been trying to warn him about when their fight had started. 

Why had he been so stupid? 

Passing by a field of apple trees, Charles recognized where they were. Realizing that they were close to home only increased his desperation to get there quicker.

He practically flew out of the carriage when it pulled up in front of the door. Miles hadn’t even had the chance to move from his seat. Mr. Crabtree was still climbing down from the driver’s box as Charles barreled into the foyer of his family home, running over the pebbled path and to the front door as fast as he could.

And straight into chaos.

He found the home filled with family members, the Cranes and Woodsons had already arrived due to proximity. His Uncle Hugh and Uncle Philip were down the hall in front of him, whispering to another man Charles recognized as the local physician, Dr. Wilkes. What they were saying, he couldn’t hear over the chatter going on around him. Too many voices were speaking at once. 

Mrs. Crabtree was who he spotted next. He caught her moving around upstairs with one of the maids, carrying white sheet Charles saw had red stains on them as she ordered the servants about. 

He quickly swallowed the bile he felt coming up his throat. Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Don’t panic.

Glancing around the doorways of the rooms, he finally spotted someone from his immediate family. 

Violet, his baby sister, was sitting quietly on the settee in the front parlor, clutching her old, stuffed, rabbit teddy on her lap and sniffling, eyes rimmed red and dried up streaks of tears on her cheeks. Their older cousin Amanda had an arm wrapped around her, rubbing her shoulder and whispering to her, while his fourteen-year-old cousin Sophia clutched her small wrist, trying to assist in comforting his sister even though he could see she was shaking. Georgiana and little Penelope were sitting on the opposite settee, watching in quiet discomfort what was transpiring in front of them, his usually chatty cousins suddenly at a loss for words. And Georgette and John were sitting on the floor, keeping the toddlers Fredrick and Minty distracted. His younger cousins seemed unaware of the chaos going on around them as they quietly played. 

“Charles?” he looked over and saw his Aunt Eloise come towards him. 

“Auntie El,” he replied, quickly being embraced by his aunt in a hug. 

His aunt gave him a tight desperate squeeze. “How are you?”

“I-I’m alright,” Charles answered hastily. “I-Where’s father? What happened?” 

“There was an accident,” Eloise explained, shakily, beginning to tell him more than what Mr. Crabtree had although she seemed to look conflicted. “Your father was tending to one of the oak trees out back when one of the branches collapsed. He must have hit his head on the way down. The physician says his leg was crushed. Violet was with him and–”

“Violet saw it? I…What the hell was he even doing up there?” Charles asked in disbelief.

His question only set something off in Violet, who immediately burst into tears behind him, leaning forward and covering her face with her hands as she began wailing again. Amanda gently shushed her, pulling her closer and rubbing her hand up and down Violet’s arm, whispering to her that she was alright. That everything was alright. And Sophia began rubbing her back, whispering similar words as she tried to help Amanda calm his sister down. 

Eloise put her hand on his arm, gently leading him out of the room. 

“One of the kittens got up there,” she whispered. “Lettie said it had gotten stuck and your father went up to rescue it.”

Charles closed his eyes and took a deep breath, understanding immediately what had happened. Why it had happened. 

Their barn cat, that lived out in the stables and had been nicknamed Beezelbub or Bee by Charles and his brothers (due to the cat's petulance for violence) had gotten pregnant by a local stray and given birth to five little kittens before he’d left for Cambridge. Kittens his sister had immediately fallen in love with and had decided to assist Bee in raising, much to the cat’s begrudging acceptance. Charles knew his sister would have been distressed if something had happened to one of them.

But his father shouldn’t have gone up to handle it, and not without help. If he was right about the tree his aunt was speaking about, the old twisted oak that barely got any leaves during the spring, his father should have never even dared go near it. 

“That tree was old. Uncle Philip said the damn thing was rotted inside,” Charles told her, his nails digging into his palms. “He was supposed to have it cut down-”

“I know. I know,” Eloise gently cut him off. “But there is nothing we can do about it now.” 

“Where’s mother?” he asked, realizing he had yet to spot her in the crowd of relatives. He had to find her. Had to find out if she was alright.

“She’s upstairs with your father,” his aunt answered. 

With that knowledge, Charles immediately moved towards the stairs but Eloise grabbed the sleeve of his jacket, stopping him. 

“Before you go up there, Charles. I want you to know, your father told me what happened between you two. Before you left.” 

He swallowed, tensing, preparing for the judgment. He knew his father and aunt had always had a close relationship, and he expected her to side with her brother, to scold him for arguing with him, disobeying him, for saying what he said.

“It’s not your fault. None of this is,” his aunt said instead, giving his arm a squeeze. “We all say stupid things when we’re upset. No matter how this ends – and I pray this does not end horribly – don’t let yourself be haunted by it, alright?” 

Charles dug his nails deeper into his palms, with enough force he was certain he’d break skin, but it was the only thing stopping him from breakdown right then and there. The words got lost in his throat again. All he could do was nod shakily to his Aunt Eloise, before fleeing upstairs to find his mother. 

But he slowed down the closer he got to his parents room. The door was opened, light shining out into the hallway as Charles crept closer and closer towards it. He needed to check on his mother, but part of him did not want to go into that room. His father was in there as well and Charles couldn’t deny the fear that came over him, of seeing his father, in whatever state he was in.

His mother was the first one he saw, as he stopped in the doorway. Her back was turned to him, and she was sitting next to the bed in a chair leaning forward, her hand clutching one of her father’s and a handkerchief held tightly in the other. She was rubbing her thumb over his knuckles. 

And his father was a sight. Paler than he remembered his mother being after she had Violet, when he snuck into his parents’ room one night to check on her while everyone slept. She’d looked like she was disappearing, fading away from sight. Her skin had taken a gray hue, beads of sweat rolling down as she’d fought off a fever that had almost taken her, while her honey golden curls were dull and flat. Her breaths coming out in short, pained puffs as if her lungs refused to take air. It had terrified Charles as a child, seeing his mother like that. Watching her groan in pain, with death itself hovering over her form. 

But his father somehow looked worse. 

The blankets weren’t covering one of his legs. He saw the exposed leg was wrapped tightly in bandages and pieces of cloth; wooden sticks placed around to keep the limb straight so it could heal properly. More bandages covered his head, a thick folded square of cloth against the area he assumed was where his father struck his head.

He looked halfway into a grave. Unmoving and eyes closed, he might as well have been laying in a coffin. Looking like his mother had all those years ago. The image of her had haunted him at times when he’d been growing and now he could only add this sight to it. 

Charles suddenly felt like he was seven again. A terrified little boy who wanted his mother. 

“Mama?” he asked quietly as he gripped the wood doorframe, trying to keep himself standing.

He didn’t think she’d hear him, his voice had barely been over a whisper, but his mother whipped around almost immediately, spotting him standing in the doorway. She blinked in surprise. 

“Charles, hi,” she said softly, voice tired and horse. She got up quickly, moving slowly towards him. 

He stepped towards her, seeking to give comfort but to also receive it, wrapping his arms around her as she did the same to him, smelling the lavender and vanilla soap his mother always used. The smell of home and comfort, of safety, as his mother clutched him tightly. 

She was almost a foot shorter than him now, Charles had shot up like a beanstalk right before he finished at Westminster, as tall as his father now, and now he could rest his chin on her head, keeping her tucked against him protectively.  

“Are you alright, darling?” she asked as she pulled away, giving him a once over. 

“I’m fine,” he quickly assured her. “How’s father?” 

His mother turned to look at their father, still laying on the bed, unconscious. “The doctor says we won’t know how bad it is until he wakes,” she told him with a disheartened sigh. 

“How are you?” he asked next, noticing the blonde strands that had come loose from her pinned bun and the redness around her eyes. 

“Oh, I’m alright,” she lied, forcing a smile as she patted his arm. “No need to worry about me.” 

She stepped away from him, drifting slowly back to his father’s side and took her seat again, taking his father’s limp hand in hers once more, clutching it tightly. But his father remained undisturbed. His chest continued rising and falling. The only sign Charles had that the man was still alive. 

“Alexander and William should be here soon,” he told her, not knowing what else to say. His mother hummed in understanding back to him, but her eyes never left his father. “Amanda and Sophia are keeping an eye on Lettie right now.” 

She sighed. “Oh, Lettie,” she practically whispered as she moved to stand again. “I need to go speak with your sister. I need to check on her.”

Charles blocked her quickly, gently grasping her arms as he moved her back into the chair. “I’ll take care of that. Do you need anything? Food? Water? I can have Mrs. Crabtree prepare some tea? Do you want me to grab your shawl? You're knitting?” 

His mother moved a hand to grasp his arms, giving it a squeeze. “You’re far too good to me,” she teased lovingly. 

“Because you deserve only the best,” he told her. 

She gave him another sad smile. Her eyes were shining with tears. 

Then she sighed. “Charles, darling, we need to–”

Charles stepped away from her, before he could even tell himself not to. She looked like she wanted to have that conversation with him. The conversation he’d never thought he’d have, but he knew his mother well enough that even in her state she needed to talk about what would come next now. Needed to prepare him – prepare herself – for what might come.

For what she thought was coming. 

But Charles didn’t want to have that conversation. He couldn’t. 

“I’ll be right back,” he told her quickly.

“Charles, wait. We need to–” she started.

“Won’t be a minute,” he lied, before fleeing the room. His heart beating a panicked rhythm into his sternum. 

He’d walked out of this house months ago, days after his blow up with his father, thinking he was a man. Believing himself ready for the world and all it had to offer, that he didn’t need to rely on his parents anymore. Didn’t need their guidance and aid. That he could take care of himself. But his father was right. He was still too green. Too arrogant. Cambridge had already told him that but now–

You think you can run a house? Take care of a family and manage income? You’re a boy. You’re not a man. Never had any hardship thrown at you the way your mother and I have. We both made sure you never would! 

Benedict, please. Stop. Both of you, just stop!

What the fuck would you even know anyway!? You weren’t the heir father, just the second born with nothing to prove and nothing to do. Dropping out of the Royal Academy must have been so easy when you’ve got no expectations hanging over your head! No need to make a name for yourself when your family already did it for you.

Charles!

You think my life wasn’t impacted when my father died? You think things didn’t change for me because I wasn’t first in line like your uncle? That I didn’t have to grow up and cast aside my own dreams and desires for the sake of my family? You have no idea what that was like for me. No idea!

Gripping the banister, Charles took a deep breath, trying to shake the memory.

You’re an arrogant ass who thinks he knows what’s best for me. I hate you.

I hate you.

I hate you.

I hate–

“Charles? Is everything alright?” his Aunt Posy called up, snapping him out of his spiral. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him from where he was at the banister. Her hazel eyes wide with sympathy and concern. 

No. No, he was not alright. 

But he couldn’t break. Not now. Not ever.

It took him a moment to respond, swallowing down his fears before he could shakily answer back. “I’m fine, Aunt Posy. I…I’ll be down in a moment.” 

—

It still took him a few minutes to compose himself before Charles forced himself back downstairs, taking each step one at a time. And the moment he was at the bottom, he was ushered into the kitchen by Mrs. Crabtree, forced to sit at the table and eat some of the stew she’d prepared. The old housekeeper fussed over him, talking about how he needed to keep his strength up and not be running around on an empty stomach. Wouldn’t do anyone any good if he got himself ill. 

But Charles’ stomach was nothing but a tight knot of guilt. His appetite nonexistent as he sat at the table, pushing a spoon around the bowl. He’d been able to swallow a few spoonful’s before the nausea became too much for him to continue eating.  

“Where’s Lettie?” he asked, as he rose from the table.

“She went outside to get some air,” his Aunt Posy told him gently as she helped Mrs. Crabtree with cleaning the dishes.  

Without another word, Charles stepped out of the room and headed out towards the back door. It was open and he could see Violet a short distance away, sitting on one of the two swings their father had tied to the large oak trees close to the house. A matching set to the aged pair at the family home in London, of which one of the ropes had finally snapped and his uncle had yet to replace, leaving just the one hanging there now (much to his father’s and aunt’s annoyance). 

Violet sat quietly, with the tips of her shoes pressing into the grass as she pushed herself sadly back and forth, head hanging forward as clutched the ropes and she stared quietly at the ground in front of her. 

“Hey, cabbage,” he said gently as he stepped closer to the swing. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m alright,” Violet whispered, not looking up at him.

The rotted tree was ahead of them, right at the edge of the property, where it had always been, leading away from the small lake behind their house and to the wooded area that fenced the property. The tree had practically splintered apart from the collapse, as if it had been struck by lightning. The trunk brutally ripped open and exposed. The large branch his father must have been on when it collapsed was still ominously laying where it had landed on the ground. Mocking him.

And all he wanted to go was over and kick the damn thing until it was nothing but splinters, but he knew his sister was more important. 

Even though he didn’t know what to say to her. 

He slowly sat on the available swing. “Alexander and William should hopefully be here in the morning,” he said, absently. “I doubt Uncle Anthony and Aunt Kate will make any stops. They’ll probably try to come here straight away.” 

Violet only hummed back her response, continuing her slow swings back and forth.

“Are you alright, Lettie?” he asked, hesitantly. “You don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to but–”

“Why did you tell Papa you hated him?” Violet snapped at him suddenly. 

Charles froze in surprise. “What?”

The arrow between his sister’s brows deepened as she glowered at him. She was furious at him, but her eyes were red rimmed and beginning to build with water once more. 

“You said you hated him,” she repeated, voice cracking as she spoke. “Before you left. You said you hated him and wanted him dead. Why would you say that to him?” 

You’re a fucking bastard of a father. I wish you would just die. 

Charles was taken aback by his sister’s sudden anger, the furious accusatory tone she shot towards him. He’d thought it had only been him and his parents in the house that day. Violet had been an hour away at Romney Hall with William, since his parents had wanted to approach the subject with him privately.

But Alexander had been home that day, outside sketching where he’d stayed as the argument escalated. And given the row Charles had had with his father had turned into a shouting match, his brother had most likely heard all of it. Meaning his siblings had found in the aftermath, either directly from Alexander or from something as simple as overhearing their parents. 

“I-I-” Charles stuttered, unsure what to say. 

She was on him suddenly. Having left from the swing at his hesitation, Violet jumped up and gave him a harsh shove. She might have been half his size and only twelve, barely moving him, just enough for him to swing a few centimeters, but the force of the shove told him she was furious. 

“Why would you say that?” she shouted in frustration, pushing at him again. Then again. 

“Violet–” he started, reaching to stop her.

This time she whacked him, smacking her open palm against his shoulder. Charles was taken aback by her action, as was Violet, who had never gotten violent towards him before. She seemed surprised momentarily by what she’d done but had also realized it made her feel better. 

So, she whacked him on the shoulder again. 

“Why?” she was crying now. “Why would you be so cruel?”

He grabbed her wrists, and she grew even angrier, fighting against his grip as she yelled at him. But Charles held on, knowing he had to help his sister regardless of how painful her words were. Like little daggers into his already bleeding heart, but she was in just as much pain as he was, and he wouldn’t allow that to stop him from comforting her. 

“Come here,” he told her, dragging her closer. 

“No!” Violet shouted back, still struggling.

But Charles had no difficulty pulling her closer, wrapping his arms around her small frame and holding her close. Violet struggled against him, wriggling aggressively in his grasp, but slowly, very slowly, she began to relax and stop fighting him.

Keeping her tightly held in his grip, hugging her, Charles let her cry into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Lettie.”

“Why would you?” she cried, voice muffled and weak. “I don’t want him to die. I don’t want Papa to die.”

“I know, shh,” he told her, rubbing her back. “I’m sorry, Lettie. I'm sorry.”

She wasn’t fighting him anymore. Instead, clutching his jacket as she stood between his legs, leaning against while he held her tightly. Every cry, every weak, shaky breath, only sent a ripple of agony through him, that he only continued to suppress. 

This was a nightmare. A nightmare he was praying he could just wake from. 

—

There had been the briefest moment of hope that evening, after they’d all gone to sleep, that the nightmare would end. Without tragedy.

He’d woken, Charles’ father, for the briefest of moments. His uncle Phillip had been tending to him while the others slept, remaining by his vigil, when his father had suddenly jolted back to consciousness, confused and delirious, mumbling and moaning as he tried to move from the bed. He had no idea where he was or what had happened and while Phillip had tried to assist him, trying to get him to calm down so he could get Charles’ mother, his father had slipped back into unconsciousness in a matter of seconds.

There was nothing by the next morning. His father was still laying silently in the bed, eyes closed, body unmoving. They’d tried to rouse him but with no success.

And Dr. Wilkes had made it clear if he did not wake soon, to eat and drink, there would not be much any of them could do. 

A dark cloud lingered over My Cottage, the mood somber and cold. No one knew what to say or do. No one spoke. And a literal dark cloud passed over outside too, as it had rained most of the day. Charles had spent most of the morning looking out over the fields behind their home as the rain pelted the windows. He confined himself to the library or his room, trying to stay away from his mother. Trying to avoid having that conversation.

And Lettie no longer seemed to be blaming him. She had yet to apologize for it though. Instead, she’d remained by his side, as if stuck to his hip. Her arms wrapped around him like she’d been glued to him, but Charles didn't mind. They kept each other company, even if they barely said anything. 

His uncle Anthony and aunt Kate arrived with his younger cousins and brothers after lunch. And upon his arrival, his uncle immediately entered his mother’s study, with Philip, without saying a word of greeting to the rest of them. A severe expression on his face as he disappeared into the office. Both began pouring over the ledgers, rental agreements, and accounts, checking over the copy of the will kept in the house. 

Preparing for the worst. 

That evening, Anthony had taken him into the office. His mother was still upstairs, Eloise and Posy had been taking turns checking on her. With Kate now here helping as well, the three rotated from being by his mother’s side to watching the children and back again to his mother. But Hugh was taking his cousins back home, planning to return the next morning, and Amanda had taken her siblings back to Romney Hall, with Phillip planning to follow later that night.

“I know your mother has been keeping you up to date on all these matters,” Anthony told him as they sat in the office. Alexander was present as well, sitting in a chair next to Charles as their uncle stood before them in front of the desk, tense and terrified as he continued. “Frankly, she’s done a better job with handling all of these accounts than I ever had with my own.”

Charles couldn't help the slight smile that formed over the pride he felt towards his mother, but it dropped away quickly with what his uncle said next. 

“There is nothing I can say that will make this easier, but if — and I say if — the worst befalls us in the next few days, I do not believe your mother will be in a position to handle these accounts for some time,” Anthony told him directly, swallowing down his own anxieties and fears as he spoke. “Your father and mother both stipulate in the will that if anything was to happen to them, I would handle My Cottage’s finances for the next few years. Something I’ve discussed with them before. And if something happens to your father I will handle these matters for the time being, with your mother, until you finish at Cambridge.”

Charles nodded. 

Then, his uncle sighed. “Alexander, do you mind stepping out? I need to speak with your brother about something. Privately.”

Alexander nodded, looking rather unsure of it though, but saying nothing as he rose from his chair and left the room. Their uncle waited for him to close the door, taking a few additional seconds before he spoke. 

“I’ve heard you and your father fought recently?” he finally remarked, a stern edge in his tone. His dark eyes bearing down on him. 

Charles sighed. “Yes. We did.”

His uncle hummed. “About a woman?”

“Grace Beauchamp. She’s Baron Beauchamp’s daughter. She and I…” Charles took a deep breath. “We had a short courtship before I left. I…I planned to ask her to marry me, but my parents talked me out of it.”

“Alexander informed me your father did not approve of her,” Anthony commented, and Charles nodded. “He also said some curt words were exchanged between you two before you left.”

A muscle in his jaw tightened as Charles clenched his teeth together. 

You don’t know a damn thing about the world, you immature, little git. 

And you’re a fucking bastard of a father. I wish you would just die. 

“Yes,” he replied, through gritted teeth. 

“And this Miss Beauchamp? I take it she has since moved on? Quite quickly from what I’ve heard,” Anthony returned.

Married to a lord’s son. From what Lettie had told him in the letter she’d sent a month after he’d left for Cambridge. It was when Charles finally realized he’d been played. That she’d been stringing him along as a backup if her courtship with Gordon Hammershine didn’t work out. Not just as a backup, but to make Hammershine jealous too. 

After he’d asked her to wait it out while he'd figure something out. While he got his parents to accept the match. He hadn’t even been gone long before the engagement was announced. The banns had been read and Grace was long gone now. Off on her honeymoon in Bath apparently before she and her new husband moved to London. 

He should have known it would fail. If he’d asked her to marry him the last time he saw her, she would have said no. 

And the signs had been there. The entire time. 

Lettie had been the first to make her concerns known, telling him she thought Grace was cruel and insincere, that she did not like her. Her reasoning for her dislike being that she'd once seen Grace whack one of Farmer Joseph’s dogs after it had excitedly run into her path, but Charles dismissed it as his sister over exaggerating what she’d seen and heard. 

While unsure at first about Charles’ relationship with Grace, Alexander hadn’t kept his feelings to himself after a local picnic they’d attended at the start of the summer, before Grace had left for the social season in London. He wouldn’t tell Charles what had been said, but he’d been upset about remarks Grace had apparently made about their mother to some of her friends. If he hadn’t been so lovestruck, Charles probably would have ended it there and then, but his brother could be a mummy’s boy at times. Fiercely protective of their mother, especially after both he and Charles had been made aware of the truth regarding their maternal grandparents, their true identities. Alexander disliked anyone who did not treat their mother with the respect he believed she deserved, and he could make assumptions too quickly about others because of it. 

But when Charles looked back on it, Grace had made remarks about his mother to him as well. Pointed ones. Ones that had always irked him a way, made him feel like he was constantly defending his mother, no matter how many times Grace said she was only joking or that he’d taken her words out of turn. 

She was once a maid? Well, she must have been incredibly lucky your father noticed her then. 

Charles, I know your mother and father are happy. Your mother’s looks and charm play quite a role in that, I’m sure. 

She’s quite the parvenu. Oh, don’t look at me like that. I meant it as a compliment. It’s quite impressive her jump up in society. Don’t you think?

Even William hadn’t liked her. And if the fourteen-year-old, laid back, devil-may-care William Bridgerton did not like someone, that was a sign something was wrong. 

And Charles was certain Alexander had been the reason his father had gone against the match in the end. But his father had not liked the Beauchamps to begin with.

With four out of five of his relatives being against the match, his mother had done quite a good job at staying neutral for the majority of his courtship with Grace, trying to be supportive and telling him she would stand by him regardless of the decision he made. But after the fight with his father, she’d finally made her true opinion. The night before he left. 

I know you love her, darling, but I do not believe she loves you the way you do her. Nor do I think you are your true self when you’re with her. A relationship built with love also needs honesty and trust, and while change always occurs with time, you should be changing for the better. Not because you have to appease someone.

She’d been the ones to sow the seeds of doubt in him. And Lettie’s letter had been the final nail in the coffin. Not that Grace had done anything to convince him to stay. She never wrote to him and had told him not to write to her lest they be caught. Said she’d wait for him as long as she could (which had been a week from what Lettie’s letter implied).  

Charles had been heartbroken, but also ashamed. He felt like a fool and the realization that he had been wrong, that his father had been right, was tough to swallow. 

“Yes. She did,” Charles admitted, tensely. 

His uncle said nothing, only watched him with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the desk. While his face remained neutral and impassive, Charles knew his uncle was disappointed. 

In him.

“There is no benefit in kicking a man when he’s already down,” his uncle told him. “I will assume you have since realized your errors.”

Charles nodded; jaw clenched tightly. 

“I have,” he replied, keeping his eyes trained down.  

Anthony looked as though he wanted to say something else, but no words came out. There was a sadness in his eyes now as he put his hand on Charles’ shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before telling them he had to go help Phillip with another matter, leaving Charles alone in the room.

It wasn’t for long though. Alexander slipped into the room after his uncle departed, taking a seat next to him. 

“What do we do?” he hesitantly asked after a few moments. Charles looked towards him. “What are we supposed to do if father dies?”

“He’s not going to die,” Charles told him. 

“It’s been two days now, Charlie,” Alexander retorted, his face serious but his eyes revealing his panic. “You just started at Cambridge. I still have two years left at Westminster and William’s got six more. Mother and Lettie shouldn’t be out here on their own if-”

“He’s not. Going. To die,” Charles repeated, harsher this time. 

Alexander watched him, quietly, but Charles couldn’t look him in the eye right now, not without seeing their father’s eyes staring back at him. 

“You don’t know that,” his brother whispered. 

Charles stared up at the wedding portrait hanging behind the desk. The one his father’s friends had done for his parents after they married. Unknown to most, his mother had been pregnant with him at the time, his parents having convinced him quite quickly after their marriage, but the painter had hidden the growing bump. She sat with her hands on her lap in the portrait, wearing a pale sage green gown with daisies pinned in her hair, as their father stood directly behind her, his left hand rested on her shoulder, proudly showing off the wedding band on his ring finger. Both were smiling. Almost twenty years younger than they were now. Happy and content with no idea where their life would go after the painting was done. 

No idea it might end this week. 

God, she was so happy. His mother. After everything she’d endured in her life, she was finally happy. His father too. 

And now she might become a widow.

And his father might lose his life. 

And the rest of them, fatherless. 

Why the fuck had he said all those things to his father? 

He sighed, leaning back in his chair forlornly as he continued staring at the portrait. Defeated by this point. 

“No,” he admitted softly with despair. “No, I don’t.”

[sea-owl]

I just had a cute idea. Soulmate rings that upon the owners 18th birthday, the ring will leave the original owner and magically appear on their soulmate's right hand to be later moved to their left hand by the original owner of the ring. Each of these rings are super expensive due to the unique magic within them and are usually made for a person by their family after surviving their first year of life. The original owner has a connection to the ring, and it will glow when the soulmates meet. The ring will fashion itself to the asethics of its wearer. Those who had the rings would often wear gloves that could be seen through, often made with material like lace.

The Bridgertons have followed this tradition for generations. Each one of the siblings has had a ring commissioned for them and each one had worn it faithfully on their right hands until their 18th birthdays.

Kathony -

Anthony was looking forward to finding the woman whose hand now held his ring. Where it once sat on his right hand was now warm, leading Anthony to believe that whoever she was was definitely not in England. Then tradegy struck with Edmund's death that same year. Anthony no longer cared for his soul ring, instead throwing himself into being the head of the family. He didn't want to find his soulmate any more, he refused to put her in the same position that his mother was in when his father passed. No one comments when Anthony sometimes rubs the skin where his ring used to be nor the henna that sometimes appears. When Anthony's finger started getting colder six months before the 1814 season, he knew it was time to find a wife.

Kate was confused when the soul ring first appeared on her finger, and Mary had to explain it to her what the ring was. The tradition was not as popular in India so Kate had not heard of them before then. Mary did not have a soul ring herself but she did know of the stories and how the original owner was connected to the ring. That gave Kate the idea of doing henna designs around the ring on he finger. Maybe her henna rings would appear on her soulmate.

Benophie -

Benedict first saw his ring again on the night of the masquerade, when the Lady in Silver's glove slipped off her hand while running away from him. The ring had a faint glow that got dimmer the farther away she got from him. Benedict wanted to laugh and curse at the same time. He finds his soulmate and she runs away from him.

Sophie was in disbelief when the soul ring first appeared on her hand. These sort of fairytales don't happen to girls like her. The head maid was quick to hide the ring with a servant's glove. They both knew Araminta would go on a rampage should she ever see that ring. When Sophie left Pennwood she still kept the glove on. Better to keep herself safe.

Polin -

Colin's ring just confuses him. He'll try to follow his connection to it but every time he does he finds himself near Penelope. Penelope who never wears lace gloves, whose mama would absolutely jump at the chance to link her daughter to a family rich enough to afford a soul ring. Penelope never gives any indication that she has a soul ring on either. Sure she'll ask them questions about it when her curiosity arises but everyone does.

Part of the reason Penelope does not say anything about the ring is because of her love for Colin. She's been in love with him forever and she thinks it would be unfair to her soulmate that she's so in love with a different man. The other reason I can see being is that Portia does not put much stock in soul rings. They're more common in Portia's hometown (I'm thinking Ireland, canonically the Featheringtons do have Irish cousins) and she's a firm believer in her daughters finding an advantageous match, not a love match, but one that would secure them a good future. One day thought Penelope needed to do an urgent Whistledown run and could only find a pair of lace gloves. Putting them on Penelope rushed off down to the church. Besides it's not like her soul mate will use their connection via the ring to track her down to Flint St, right?

Saphne -

Both Simon and Daphne have soul rings. While Simon's father scoffed at the idea of the rings he did have a reputation to uphold and had one crafted for Simon for his 1st birthday. Daphne squealed when a second ring appeared on her right hand. In her mind it helped her greatly narrow down on which gentlemen to be on the look out for. Anthony would stare at her second ring from time to time like he knew something about it. When asked he would only shake his head and say her ring just looked familiar.

Simon felt sick when a new ring appeared on his hand. He was not expecting it. For years he has used his connection to his ring to avoid his soulmate, and now she had a connection to him and her ring. His plan was to never marry and this definitely put a wrench in things. Well at least he can hide it.

Philoise -

Eloise never put much stock into the ring. She may have once upon a time before her father died. After it was there, and one day it wasn't. She did use it as an excuse to reject gentlemen once or twice. Her ring though felt very, stationary. Eloise once described it feeling like a tree, she was quick to conclude that her soulmate did not travel very much. When she sent her first letter to Sir Phillip her finger where the ring used to sit tingled. Eloise brushed it off at first but as her correspondence to him continued Eloise felt it more and more. Please let me be right Eloise thought to herself that night she left for Romney Hall, to hopefully the man that was her soulmate.

The ring appeared on Phillip's hand on his wedding day. He was quick to put a glove over it, sending a silent apology to his soul mate. He had to honor his brother and make sure Marina and the children were taken care of. He hopped his soulmate would find happiness.