It is said that second-born sons have all the fun. This much is certainly true for Benedict Bridgerton, free from the burdens held by his eldest brother, the Viscount. One must wonder, how does the second eldest Bridgerton spend his time?
To the to...
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It had been two days since Benedict had seen Madeleine and he missed her terribly. It seemed that each time he went over to see her, she was out with her uncle, or her uncle had some other excuse for why he could not see her. A knock at his door pulled him from his thoughts and his mother peeked her head in.
"Good morning, Dearest. There is a letter that has come for you. From Madeleine." Benedict's eyes widened and he nearly jumped up from his desk, taking the letter.
"Thank you, Mother." He grinned at her and she smiled back before leaving. Benedict sat back down and carefully tore open the letter.
My dear Benny,
It feels dramatic to say that I miss you after only two days apart but I cannot help it. We have spent nearly every waking hour together for the past couple of weeks and this is quite a change. I fear my uncle has been creating plans specifically with the goal to keep us from seeing each other. Every day it is something, a walk with his friends, a game of pall mall with his business partners, anything to keep me away from the house.
My mind is consumed by thoughts of you. I wish to see you, to hold you, to spend time with you just the two of us. Perhaps we can think of a plan if we put our heads together, what do you think?
Yours always,
Madeleine
Benedict could not keep the smile off of his face as he read the letter, feeling rather giddy. He immediately took out a paper and pencil to write back to her.
My beautiful Madeleine,
If you are dramatic to say that you miss me then I must be absolutely hysterical. I miss your touch, your smile, even the smell of your perfume.
Let us meet in the garden tonight, well after your uncle has gone to sleep. You can find a way to sneak out, can you not? I surely hope so. I will be there at Eleven o'clock, waiting for you.
Adoringly yours,
Benedict
He folded up the letter and sealed it before bringing it downstairs and asking the maid to deliver it. The maid nodded and left the house and Benedict sighed, smiling.
"Brother, you seem to be in good spirits." Colin had just come down the stairs, clapping him on the shoulder. Benedict grinned at him.
"Madeleine has written to me, we are going to meet in the garden tonight. I simply cannot wait to see her."
Colin smiled, it made him happy to see his brother this way. "Ah, so that is the reason for the grin plastered on your face then. That is wonderful, Ben." Benedict chuckled and nodded and the two walked to the dining room where the family was gathered for breakfast.
That night, Benedict tapped his foot against the floor anxiously, watching the clock. It seemed as though the hours dragged on especially long since he had written to Madeleine that morning. It felt like it had been ages when the clock finally struck eleven. He jumped up and grabbed his coat, sneaking out of the back door to the garden. He sat on the bench by the tulips, not taking his eyes off of the Sinclair house. Madeleine's light was off, and he assumed she was going to walk out the door any second.
