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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Madeleine woke up the next morning with a small smile on her face, the sun shining through the curtains of their bedroom. She lifted her head from Benedict's bare chest and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before standing with one of the sheets around her. She blushed softly as she remembered the events of the night before, clothing strewn carelessly across the room and floor.
She put her nightdress on, which never ended up being worn, and began to clean up around the room, hanging the clothes they had tossed blindly. A soft groan came from the man in bed and she giggled softly, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him.
"Good morning, dear husband." She smiled, gently brushing her hand through his messy curls. He grinned and rested his hand on her bare thigh.
"Mm, I do not think I will ever get tired of hearing you call me that." He smirked, rubbing his thumb gently against her skin.
"Your mother sent word, Hyacinth has apparently been nagging her incessantly about when they can come to visit. She was wondering if they might come this afternoon." She blushed as his hand slid up her thigh ever so slowly, distracting her from what she was saying.
"And here I was hoping we would spend the day repeating last night." He winked at her, grabbing her waist and pulling her on top of him. She squealed in surprise and laughed, straddling his waist.
"And deny your dear family a visit? Just think of poor Hyacinth. All she wants is to see her older brother whom she loves very much." She gave him a pointed look, resting her palms on his chest. He scowled and pulled her so that she was now laying on top of him, burying his nose in her hair.
"How is it that we have our own place and my family is still interrupting us?" He groaned, kissing her neck, his hands wandering up and down her waist. She hummed and tilted her head slightly, closing her eyes.
"Mmm if you continue to do that, I will never get back to your mother." She moaned softly in delight, running her hand through his hair. He smirked against her neck, not letting up in his ministrations.
"That is exactly my plan." He grinned, leaving a mark he knew she would be angry with him for. She laughed and pushed herself off of him, sitting up again and leaning down to press a quick kiss to his lips.
"We have our whole lives to satisfy your animalistic desires, come on now." She teased, standing and pulling on his hand to get him up. He groaned and stood begrudgingly, giving her a mocking glare.
"Fine. But once they leave, you are all mine, my dear." He smirked, kissing her forehead and walking to the bathroom. She giggled and made the bed before changing her clothes and leaving to tidy up the rest of the house.
-
The couple stood out on the front steps, waiting for the Bridgerton carriage to pull up. Despite his annoyance with their interrupting his plans for his wife, Benedict was quite excited to see his family after nearly a month. He grinned as the carriage pulled up, Hyacinth and Gregory nearly jumping out before it came to a stop.
Benedict grinned and opened his arms as the two ran into them, squeezing them tightly.
"Madeleine! Oh, it has been too long." Daphne exclaimed, running up to the girl in a very un-Daphne like manner and hugging her tightly. Madeleine laughed and hugged her back.
"Oh, it truly has. I missed you, Daph." She smiled, squeezing the girl.
"Well, I hope you missed me too." Eloise smirked, running up behind her sister to join the hug.
"Of course I did, El. I missed you all terribly." Madeleine sighed happily, hugging the two younger girls.
If anything, the Bridgertons were quite the huggers. They stood in front for nearly twenty minutes simply greeting each other. Even Anthony, who hardly was known for showing affection, did not hesitate to hug his younger brother, Colin joining in immediately. Madeleine giggled at the sight of the three men in a group hug, Violet's arm around her shoulder.
"Come on dear, we want to hear everything." Violet gave her a warm smile and Madeleine chuckled, walking inside the house with her.
"Yes, how is it being married? Do you feel like a princess?" Hyacinth babbled, holding Madeleine's hand tightly.
"Do tell me my brother has been treating you as you deserve since you've been married." Anthony's voice was stern but his eyes were playful as he joined the group.
"Oh, trust me, he has." Madeleine laughed, leading them to the living room and giving Benedict a wink. Benedict smirked at her innuendo, none of the others quite catching on to what she was referring to.
"It wounds me that you think I would do otherwise, Brother." Benedict grinned, walking into the kitchen to gather the tray of food the two had put together.
"And how is it living without any maids or cooks? I cannot imagine having to make my own food." Colin groaned dramatically, making everyone laugh.
"Oh, Col, it is wonderful!" Madeleine exclaimed. "I do miss my lady's maids terribly but it is rather freeing to do everything ourselves. We have even started a garden out back to grow our own vegetables."
Madeleine and Benedict spent the next hour filling the family in on their lives and answering the incessant questions of the Bridgerton siblings. They did not mind, though, both ever so happy to be united as a family again.
