𝐖𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝|| Benedict Bridgerton

3. The Lake

It was nightfall my mother was drunk while my father was out with his mistress, I was in my nightgown, a thin white thing that was my older sister, Kathryn. Whistledown wrote of her scandalous nature of being locked in closets with men.

While my brother was more dubious and taking women to the lake and pushing them in, he stopped when my father said he would marry Cressida Cowper. He stopped as soon as he was told that.

I opened my door and checked to see if there was anyone awake, no one, so I scurried down the stair and went to the front door, I had stolen a key to our house from my maid weeks ago, so I could always come inside without any fuss.

I opened the door, and went to this cottage called 'My Cottage' it was a literal name to something, but it had a lake close to it, and we only lived 4 minutes away from it, though we did not own it.

It glowed in the dark weirdly enough, but was beautiful in the night, I snuck towards it and walked into the water, making sure my hair wasn't to get wet. I felt alive and free when I heard a branch snap.

"Who's there?" I yelled into the night, I heard another snap, "Come out, I have a weapon." "And what will you say, that you were trespassing on my property?" A young man came walking out, "Who are you?" I asked him, "The better question is who who are you?"

"I asked you first." I said, as if it made a difference, "It's my property." The man said, "I am Felicity Grey, daughter of the Earl of Kent." I heard the man mumble something, "I beg your pardon?" I asked him, "Nothing. I am Benedict Bridgerton, I am the younger brother of the Viscount Bridgerton."

"Nice to meet you my lord." "You don't have to call me that." I smiled, "What should I call you?" "Just Benedict will do fine." I started splashing towards him, "Fine then 'Just Benedict', you may call me Felicity." I said to him.

"May I ask why you are in my lake though, aren't you freezing?" He asked me, "A bit, but I guess I should be going." I said starting to climb out, when I started I felt myself slip back into the water, "For heavens sake." I screamed as my hair was soaking wet.

"My mother is going to kill me!" I yelled, "Do you need help?" He asked me, "If you could." I said, He put his hand out for me to take which I gladly took, he pulled me out of the soaking wet, "If you would like, you can dry up in the cottage." I pondered it.

'No I must go back home before my mother kills me." "I can walk you home if you like."He offered me, I thought about it, "No a gentleman walking a lady in soaking wet clothes will get in Whistledown columns." I told him as I started walking away from him fast, "I'll call on you!" He shouted at me, I lost my breath laughing at those words.