The next morning, In order to escape the obnoxious crowd of suitors, the Black Siblings retired to the Bridgerton household for some tea.
Artemis sat talking with Daphne while she practiced the piano. Conversation halted when Eloise returned from walking Penelope home, "How does a lady come to be with child?"
The Black siblings froze in place.
Ares and Aphrodite immediately threw a hand over Apollo's mouth before he could say a word. Artemis tried not to react, instead raising a subtle eyebrow in response.
"Eloise, what a question!" Lady Bridgerton gasped in horror.
"I thought one needed to be married." Eloise continued frantically causing Daphne to turn in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Apparently, it's not even a requirement."
Ares was practically tackling the cackling Apollo who was trying to speak through the hands of his siblings. "Apollo, I swear to the gods, if you taint that girl I will carve out your tongue and make you swallow it." Ares hissed in Illyrian.
"Eloise, that is enough. Daphne, you were playing so lovely. Please, do go on." A flustered Lady Bridgerton managed to say trying to redirect the conversation.
Eloise unceremoniously plopped down in between Colin and Benedict.
"I take it all of you know?" Eloise asked looking between her brothers and then across at the Black siblings.
"Do not look at me," Benedict muttered.
"Have you ever visited a farm, El?" Colin smirked turning to his sister, only to be hit by benedict.
Apollo managed to escape the hold of his siblings long enough to say, "I can show you if you'd like."
Ares punched the back of his head as the two protective Bridgerton brothers glared at Apollo. Artemis decided to step in seeing the brothers discomfort, "Brother could you please refrain from lusting after everything that moves. It is getting rather taxing. Besides, you are making our hosts uncomfortable. Remember the rules of hospitality."
"I hope you are not encouraging improper topics of conversation." Lady Bridgerton hissed.
"Not at all, Mother." Benedict gave a lopsided smile.
Colin smirked as he spoke, "In fact, we were just heading off to... take our sticks out."
"Colin Bridgerton!"
" A round of fencing." The Black burst into thunderous laughter at Colin's teasing.
"Miss? Humboldt is coming." A servant entered, stealing the attention from the giggling royals.
"Humboldt is coming?"
"Humboldt?"
"Why is Humboldt coming?"
"Has someone arrived, Humboldt?"
The Bridgertons bombarded the poor man as he walked through the door, "Callers for Miss Daphne, ma'am."
"And that would be our queue to leave. We shall see you later at the ball tonight." Artemis said following Greta out the back, so as to avoid the army of suitors now surrounding the Bridgerton house.
As they returned to that chateau, a few hours passed when a maid Artemis recognized came from the Bridgerton house holding a letter.
Artemis humbly accepted the letter and thanked the maid who she learned was named Elizabeth.
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Battlefields to Ball-gowns (A Bridgerton Fanfiction)
FanfictionArtemis Black was raised on a battlefield. A weapon forged by her father and a princess by right of conquest. Now in order to establish relations with England, the second eldest daughter of King Mikael Black must marry a man of English nobility. Bu...
