The Muse // Benedict Bridgerton

The Blue Drawing Room

TW: domestic ab*se

The next day Lucy woke up feeling more alive than she ever had in her life. The first person she thought about when she woke up was Benedict, and how she longed to see him once again that day if she could. She thought of the previous day, and how his appearance in the park changed something in her, then how she felt whenever he didn't show up to dinner, and their meeting in the library followed by the minimal contact they shared. Curiosity and perhaps desire overcame her, but she didn't know what desire, in its essence, truly was. Did she long for friendship? Or romance? What does romance itself entail, anyway? Those were the questions she wanted so desperately to be answered. There was a knock on the door, distracting her from the thought of Benedict, and her lady's maid entered the room. Hopping out of bed, she went straight to her dressing table, ready to prepare for the day.

"You're in high spirits today, my Lady," She said.

"Oh, I'm just delighted to be back, Jane" Lucy replied.

"Well, let's get you dressed and ready so that you may make the most of your time here," Jane replied happily.

"Yes, I do not want to waste a single day," Lucy replied.

She was dressed in a light green frock with subtle golden embellishments, making the color in her cheeks pop and her skin glow. Her matching silk gloves slid up her soft arms with ease, and then she finished the outfit off with a bracelet along with a matching golden necklace that her mother had passed on to her. The precious stones in it slid downwards across her skin, like an enchanting waterfall around her neck, much like the necklace she had worn the previous night. That specific style of necklace was the most flattering on her, she had to admit. Once she was ready to face the day, she headed downstairs to join her family for some light breakfast. As she entered the dining room, she noticed that everyone was there except for her father who was nowhere to be seen or heard. She greeted her mother and siblings good morning and slid into her designated seat next to Henry, almost immediately beginning to ravage the plate of fruits in front of her.

"Where is he?" Lucy whispered to her older brother.

"God Knows," he replied in an unamused tone. Lucy craned her neck and looked into her brother's eyes, prodding him to go on.

"He didn't return from the gentleman's club until well into the early hours of the morning," he added, matter of fact.

Lucy could sense that her brother was agitated, and for good reason. In the recent months their father had taken up drinking as a hobby, or perhaps a sport, and he was not exactly the nicest person when he was drunk. Lucy was suddenly transported in her mind back to a night just two months ago when their father returned from one of his many nights out and got into an argument with Henry. They were so loud that they woke Lucy and Eleanor up from their peaceful slumbers. The two sisters decided to venture downstairs quietly to see what all of the commotion was about, and when they peeked through a door that was left half open, they witnessed their father striking Henry right across the face. Blood began pouring from his nose as he cupped it, and then sat on the cold ground in slight shock. Their father simply turned his back and glided his way through the French doors that led to the gardens, making sure to knock over whatever was in his path. Eleanor was at a loss for words, and she heard her sister whisper-shout something into her ear repeatedly, but it took her a moment before she actually heard the words that were being spoken to her.

"Go back to bed, Ellie. It's okay, I will take care of it. Go back to sleep." Lucy said as she embraced her little sister. Eleanor nodded profusely and turned on her heels, swiftly heading back upstairs. Lucy headed towards her brother, who was sitting with his back against a sofa, and kneeled in front of him.