Dearest Gentle Readers,
A jilted groom. A broken-hearted bride-to-be. A royal wedding in shambles. Sensational? Quite. But true? This author may traffic in chatter and speculation, dear reader, but misinformation? Never. Explanations of why Miss Edwina absconded from the altar may be greater in number than anyone could possibly fathom. But we must not forget, it was Her Majesty the Queen who placed the young miss on that special stage so that she could make her grand exit. Allow this author to hope, for her majesty's sake, as well as both the Sharma's and Bridgertons, that an official explanation emerges swiftly, lest the ton are run away by their tawdry imaging.
Motherhood had taken to Elizabeth tremendously well. For years she had wondered what this moment would feel like, how it would appear, and yet nothing could ever come close to the joy she was experiencing in her first week as a mother. Although she was still on bed rest Benedict had kept his wife and son company in almost every hour beside the ones where he was at the academy, bathing, or attending to his mother. Their hearts had been filled with immense warmth at the arrival of their son and his presence alone tended to swing the somewhat down mood in the Bridgerton home upside down.
"Mother wants us to promenade later this afternoon" Benedict spoke as he swaddled his son in a freshly knit blanket courtesy of his mother. "She thinks it will help our reputation if we make a public appearance" She looked up from her book as he lifted Alexander into his arms
"Would you like me to send for my father to join you? Surly his presence along with my brothers would help" She asked as he began to softly bounce around the room.
"I would never ask your father for such a favor, this is Anthony's problem, he must clean himself of this mess" Elizabeth agreed, she had known Anthony for years and yet she had never seen him look at a woman the same way he looked at Kate. The only reason she wasn't criticizing the Viscount was for the very same fact that her own brother was going through the exact same torment. And for the first time in a long time she had actually grown concerned about her good brother's well-being
"Do you think-" She took a pause as he rested their son into his crib gently "Do you think Anthony is going to be alright?" Benedict stood in silence for a few moments as his brows furrowed and he pondered about her question.
"I think that's a question only he can answer" She nodded and stretched out her hand to welcome him by her side. He greatly accepted the offer as he let out a long sigh and rested his head on her chest. So much had occurred within the past seven days that they had yet to have a quiet moment to themselves. But as Alexander drifted to sleep and the bickering from downstairs softened the couple welcomed the calm. Benedict closed his eyes and listened to the sound of her heart as she began to trail her fingers through his hair.
"Do you think if we stay like this Mother will excuse me from the stroll?" She lightly chuckled at his suggestion. "Unfortunately, I do not think she would appreciate your absence"
"But what if I fall asleep like this?" He swiftly wrapped his arms around her torso and entangled his legs in hers. She let a laugh escape her mouth for a moment before she quieted herself for the baby.
"Benedict!" She hushed as he lifted his head towards her.
"She won't bother me if it means bothering you" He smiled at her cheekily and she rolled her eyes.
"She will be a nervous wreck without you" He groaned and pulled away from her.
"You sure you don't want me to stay?" He asked. She replied with a soft hand on his cheek and a quick kiss on his lips,
"We will see you when you return" He nodded and pushed himself from the bed.
"Wish me luck?" He whispered as he straightened himself up,
"Well, if all else fails we can simply retire to the cottage" He pressed his lips into a thin line and shrugged "Sounds like a plan"
When Elliot Sheppard woke up the morning of Edwina's wedding he was overcome with a wave of grief. He thought the day would be miserable as he would be forced to sit through a ceremony that would officially mark the moment he lost the love of his life. However, after the events of that day, he couldn't help but feel like the happiest man on earth. And because of that, he decided to treat himself to an afternoon stroll with his brother.
"Father invited the Sheffeilds for dinner tonight" Elliot rolled his eyes and clasped his hands behind his back.
"Why must he incessantly torture us with his old wartime stories, if Lizzie were there she would provide us with some respite" Edward chuckled and nudged her brother as they made their way across the broad bridge of Hyde Park, "Unfortunately brother I think pulling her in now would be tedious"
"You think I'd pull her from bed to save us from the Sheffeilds?" Elliot asked as he pulled ran a hand through his hand and pushed back and stranded that had fallen in front of his eyes.
"Honestly, I think I'd do the same" The brother's smiles turned into grins as Edward playfully pushed Edward and a small laughter erupted from their mouths. This had been the first time in a long time that the pair of brothers enjoyed a genuine moment.
"It's good to see you both are in such high spirits" The sudden sound of their great aunt's voice forced the men to lift their heads up swiftly. But it wasn't Lady Danbury that he had noticed first, it was Miss Edwina who was joined by her mother, Lady Sharma, and her sister Miss Kate. A bright blush layered on the tips of his ears as he interlocked eyes with her for a moment.
"Why shouldn't we be? Today is a beautiful day" Edward rebuttled as he pressed down on his jacket and nudged his brother.
"Right, yes, beautiful indeed" Elliot added as he bowed his head lightly in respect of the women but his eyes never broke from Edwina's.
"I trust your father is not with you" Lady Sharma commented "Unfortunately Father has invited the Sheffeilds for dinner" Lady Danbury cringed at her nephew's words.
"Then I do wish you the best" She then turned to the Sharmas and smirked,
"It seems we ladies must say our goodbyes to the boys now lest they survive a dinner with the Sheffeilds"
"Have you survived?" Edward asked,
"I managed" The aged woman answered as he eyes drifted from her youngest great-nephew to her oldest. Elliot had begun to subconsciously smile in Edwina's direction without any thought as to who would see.
"I trust we will see you at Somerset tomorrow Elliot?" The sudden sound of his name forced his head to whip around rather abruptly.
"Y-yes of course, although I assume it will just be myself since Father is taking Edward to parliament and Lizzie is still on bed rest"
"Of course, we would love to offer our congratulations for your sister and your nephew" Edwina finally spoke with a nervous tone as she felt the guilt and pressure of her situation bear down on her.
"Thank you Miss Edwina" He politely responded as Edward fished into his pocket for his watch and checked the time, "Apologies but it does seem to be nearing four and we promised father we'd help prepare for our guests"
"Well then do not let us stop you" Lady Danbury softly chuckled as she patted Edward's shoulder and began to push them away. Not because she was trying to be rude but because she knew the severity of anyone noticing the longing glances between Elliot and Edwina. The Sharmas were already knee-deep in a scandal that one whisper of a connection between the two would only sink the families prospects altogether. The boy were almost shocked at their great aunt's sudden change in tone as she began to push them to the next destination but they knew never to argue with her.
"W-well have a delightful day Ladies!" Edward said as he placed his freshly made tophat upon his head. Edwina nearly blushed as he sent a smile her way "And a wonderful day to you too Elliot"
Rosalind Sheppard used to take her children to Somerset once a month when they were living in the city. Elizabeth had always loved the artwork, but Elliot had seen this place as a chance to be with his mother and to talk to her about something she enjoyed. This place held some of his fondest memories of her, ones that never faded. Today he had chosen to stand before a singular painting, one that had been engraved into his mind since he was a little boy.
It was a painting of a garden, one so filled with flowers that it seemed to look like Eden itself. In the center of the piece was a large fountain with a stone sculpture of the Greek goddess of Demeter who looked down at a pair of children playing in the waters below.
"It's a beautiful painting" Edwina's voice came from his right as he pulled his eyes away from the piece down towards her.
"It's my favorite" Her lips curled up into a smile as he pointed towards the flowers that graced the bottom. "Dafidills are meant for purity whilst the peonies are supposed to represent prosperity" She narrowed her eyes and followed his finger as he began to describe the meaning and intricacies of the piece all the way down to its brush strokes.
"I thought you told me you hated to paint?" He shrugged,
"Because of my impatience, it never was my favorite but I never said I hated it"
"Then what do they represent?" She pointed to the children in the fountain, their backs were both turned to the artist so their faces weren't clear but what you could see was the small duckling that they were admiring.
"It's Lizzie and I" Edwina furrowed her brows for a moment as she looked to Elliot and then looked back at the painting. But not before she finally noticed the small signature at the bottom of the frame.
R.S. Rosalind Sheppard.
"You're mother did this?" Her eyes began to sparkle again as she became fully amazed at the piece and wondered why he had left out that one critical detail.
"It was the last painting she ever made" He extended his hand out and lightly brushed his thumb across the golden plaque that displayed his mother's name. "She was pregnant when she finished it, she thought it would be nice to add a little duckling for her newest child and hoped to replace it one day when Edward was older but she never got a chance to," Edwina noticed the change in his tone as he stepped back to his original spot and continued to stare at the painting. "Father donated it to the Queen's collection a few years after she passed as a way to keep her memory alive but I don't think any of these snobs deserve to view her work"
"Am I included in this so-called group of snobs?" He swiftly shook his head,
"Absolutely not!" He eased her worries by lightly brushing his hand against hers.
"May I ask you a question, Elliot?" She turned to fully face him.
"Of course" He responded as he mimicked her actions and faced her.
"Do you forgive me?" She asked earnestly as she bit down on her bottom lip in fear of his response.
"Forgive? What is there to forgive?" He furrowed his brows and flickered his eyes down to her lips for a moment. "I should have never accepted Lord Bridgeton-"
"That is nothing to forgive" He cut her off "This world is unkind to women such as yourself, they put you on a pedestal to pry and ogle as if you were one of these very paintings. You did what you thought was best and I could never fault you for that" She released a long breath she had no idea that she was holding and began to tear up. She had noticed the pink hue his cheeks had adopted and it seemed as though all the days of guilt she had just gone through vanished. He was still in love with her even after she made the decision to accept Anthony Bridgerton's proposal. And now she felt as though she never deserved Elliot Sheppard.
When they had received the invitation to the Bridgertons ball the Sheppards were shocked to see that the family was to be hosting any event. However, after a quick trip over to the residence Elizabeth had in fact, confirmed that the Bridgertons were to hold a party along with the Sharma to show that the events that had occurred during the canceled wedding were mutual. But when the trio arrived at the ball they were shocked to see that they were the only family besides the Sharmas that had arrived.
"Well, this is unexpected" The Viscountess Bridgerton sadly spoke as she looked at the two groups we stood awkwardly in the foyer.
"It is still early I suppose" Lady Sharma reassured as her girls filed behind her.
"Yes, well I did hear that being late is becoming fashionable" Alexander added as he sent a kind nod to Benedict who was rushing down the stairs to join his family.
"Would you still like us to play, my lady?" The musician asked, "Oh, that will not be necessary" Violet answered as she looked down at her glass of champagne with a saddened glance.
"If there is no need for my presence I shall head upstairs once again to attend to my son," Benedict said as he scratched the back of his neck and began to slowly make his way towards the stairs.
"Wait" Anthony turned to him "Unless you want Lizzie to chew you out I think you should let me go"
"Wait" Anthony repeated in a soft tone, "You shall stay for a dance, one dance" Everyone in the room paused as Anthony turned with outstretched arms "There shall be dancing!" He exclaimed as a smile stretched across his cheeks.
"Dancing? With whom?" Colin asked as his brother walked towards the corner of the room.
"Anthony..." Violet grew concerned with what was to come next,
"Hyacinth!" Anthony shouted towards the balcony as the youngest Bridgerton popped her head over the banister. "Yes, brother?"
"Come down here and do me the honor" The young girl nearly squealed with excitement at the request as she pushed Gregory to much of her sibling's delight.
"If she gets to dance so do I!" He shouted as he followed her down the grand staircase,
"Well then come!" Lady Danbury ordered, "Show us all the lessons on dancing they been teaching you boys at Eton!" She chuckled as everyone began to form a circle with their hands clasped together.
"Play something lively, a country dance perhaps?" Anthony ordered up to the musicians. Within the chaos somehow Elliot emerged interlocking hands with Edwina as on the other side stood his father who seemed to be giddy with excitement just like a schoolboy again.
"I believe the theme you have chosen tonight Mother is harmony. So let us show the ton what that means" As the song played the group began to slowly but surely fill the room with laughter as all the stress of the ton was eliminated and all that remained was family and friends. The Marquess Alexander danced with Lady Danbury and Gregory as Edward found himself with Lady Violet and Lady Sharma. But it was Elliot and Edwina, the pair that seemed to be having the most fun that drew the most joy into the room.
For the first time in his life Elliot felt as if he was truly where he belonged, with Edwina by his side and a grin on her face. They had danced for what seemed like hours, trading partners and switching songs until the music finally crescendoed and everyone took a moment to catch their breath.
"Perhaps a quadrille?" Hyacinth requested as the young girl seemed to be unaffected by the tolling task of dancing in formal attire.
"Or maybe perhaps we could start eating some of that food," Colin said as he began to quickly file to one of the many dishes that were now sitting untouched across the room. It was only Lady Danbury, Lady Bridgerton, and Lord Sheppard who remained still on the dance floor as they took an extra moment to collect themselves.
"Given the tons usual gullibility, I must admit, I am rather surprised they did not give credit to our story. Whatever happened?" Violet spoke with a hefty breath. Lady Danbury placed a hand on her shoulder and noticed a small group of maids collecting the base of the staircase.
"Perhaps we should ask them," The marquess said as he noticed Mrs. Wilson approaching with the latest Lady Whistledown. "Mrs Wilson? Is something wrong?" Violet turned towards her head maid who seemed rather contained as she handed her the parchment.
"It was just delivered ma'am" Violet took the paper and began to read.
"Is that Lady Whistledown? Has she published Mama?" Eloise asked as she approached the adults from the table "Indeed she has, and now we may finally know why we are the only ones here"
Dearest gentle readers,
Should our lives be distilled down to the sum total of our choices, then Miss Eloise Bridgerton has certainly made a very dangerous, perhaps ruinous one. For she's been apparently been associating, unchaperoned, with improper company. Political radicals, in fact. It might be that the miss spent a great deal of time considering her decisions. Or, perhaps they were made in haste. Whatever the case may be, we all must remember. As one makes ones bed, so one must lie in it