I Shall Not Marry for Love...or Shall I?

(11) Becoming Viscountess Bridgerton

The Honeymoon involved many restless nights and many late morning, but once the newly weds left the bedroom, Elizabeths new role as Viscountess was revealing itself. Elizabeth was in charge of keeping Aubrey Hall in order, a task she didn't take lightly.

"But Beth its only-" Anthony paused to look at his pocket watch. "8:00, come back to bed." Anthony whined as Elizabeth had gotten up and pulled on her robe. "Anthony I am the Viscountess. I need to do what Viscountess's do, keep things running smoothly." "Ugh I hate when you're right." Anthony groaned as he turned his face into the pillow. "I often am you know." Elizabeth added as she walked out the door, leaving before she could hear his reply. 

"I love you, Elizabeth." Anthony said under his voice, after she exited the room. He had said it in moments of passion but never in normal conversation and he felt as if he should, it needed to be said.

Elizabeth had meet the staff at Aubrey Hall and quickly became friends with them all. Elizabeth was never one for social classes and titles, she felt that everyone even a low Scullery Maid deserved respect. 

Once Elizabeth had dressed she walked to explore some of the hallways that were never often visited, she loved exploring her new house but it wasn't the house that caught her eye. As she walked over to a small window at the end of the hallway she saw a large structure in the back woods behind the house, past the garden's stone wall. Elizabeth had never seen it before, it must be only visible from that specific window. without a second though Elizabeth had ran to the door and began her adventure. She cut through the garden and out the small gate that only the gardener uses to access the tool shed beyond the stone wall. Elizabeth walked to where she though she saw the structure and in no time she saw it in the distance it was grey and covered in moss, branches and a long rose vine twisting up and around it. she made short work of the distance and she had recognized what it was, it was an old in ground fountain lost it the back trees. Elizabeth had examined the part of the stone work uncovered by the greenery and she noticed it was in good shape with no visible weather damage other than that the top that seemed to be broken off completely, the fallen figures used as the fountains top was a statue of a man and a woman, they seemed young and in love. The pair stood back to back under an umbrella with their hands entangled and faces turned to one another.  Elizabeth found it quite beautiful and at that moment she had decided that this fountain would be her project she would fix it and make it new she wanted this to be a surprise for Anthony. She knew that their match was forced but she truly loved him and this she though this would make a wonderful gift for Anthony's upcoming birthday in three months!

She ran back to the house pulling on an old dress of hers and slipping out the servants entrance and running back to the gate, she made her way to the shed hopping that it would be accessible but sadly the gardener was a smart man and placed a lock and chain on the door. she had to find the gardener who would most likely ask questions but she needed those tools. So once she found Alexander, a young man who took over the job of gardener from his father, she told him about her discovery and idea. He reluctantly agreed and followed her out to the fountain with his tool's. "My Lady you do know who this fountain was made for." asked Alexander. "No I'm afraid I don't. Do you?" replied Elizabeth. "Yes my father had created it years ago, it was for Lady Bridgerton from her late husband, Lord Bridgerton it was going to be a surprise, given to her once Hyacinth was born but, you know, and it never got finished the Bridgerton's don't even know it is here I reckon. "I see, well than this is a long over due to be finished." replied Elizabeth turning to examine the fountain. "Could we finish the cleaning and the repairs by Lord Bridgerton's birthday?" "I believe so Lady Bridgerton." Alexander responded. "Please call me Elizabeth, it will be much faster." She said with a giggle, causing Alexander to chuckle and then nodding in agreement. "Well a start would be to remove the greenery, we should be able to see if there is any further damage underneath." Alexander said as he pulled off a dead branch. "Alright I'll start at this end and will meet in the middle." Elizabeth said as she snuck to the other side.

The fountain project was taken one step at a time the fountain was rid of it greenery and was now shining, but the topper was still detached, it had to be plastered back on using a cement paste but with all the rain they had at Aubrey Hall the cement had no time to fully dry it just kept rebreaking and leaking. The project was drawing dangerously close to Anthonys birthday in which Elizabeth insisted the Bridgerton family come to stay at Aubrey Hall for the occasion much to Anthonys dismay. 

Anthony had noticed Elizabeth disappearances and had started to worry, she would show up dressed in her nice day dresses but she would have dirt on her hands or mud on her shoes and Anthony had figured she had been outside she didn't wish to make love either her excuse was always she was to exhausted, one day he decided to observed her through the window. She had walked to the garden and out the back gate he though she had just enjoyed the walks in the woods, but when he was about to walk back to his study he noticed that the boy gardener also walked out the gate, and then it clicked Anthonys heart had been crushed, his face had been shown a permanent scowl. His wife was fucking his fucking gardener a lad of 17. How could she do this, and on his birthday where she had invited his whole family to stay at Aubrey Hall. I am only turning 32 and yet my wife had become so bored with me she found another man, NO A BOY to suit her need's.      

Elizabeth had made her way to the fountain, grabbing the cement mixture from the shed and adding the water, so Alexander could begin the repair right away. Anthony's birthday was that day and the fountain had to be prepared before the big reveal at dusk. Once Alexander had started Elizabeth walked back to the house wanting to give special attention to her husband before his family arrived it was only that he was nowhere to be found. Elizabeth had looked everywhere in the house before she asked Clark the butler if he had seen him, he said that "Lord Bridgerton left about 20 minutes ago and he didn't confirm where too." Elizabeth nodded thanking Clark and then proceeded to her bedroom, the rest of the Bridgerton's shall be arriving shortly and she needed to change her clothes before they do.