The Muse // Benedict Bridgerton

Taking the Power Back

A/N: this chapter contains heavy smut & mentions of weight.

Upon returning home, Lucy and Benedict headed straight for their shared bedroom. He opened the door and allowed Lucy to enter first, and he followed her inside. It was the first time that Benedict could see her in proper lighting since he found her in the maze, and Lucy could tell he was about to fly into a fit of fury. She stood in front of her full-length mirror, examining herself for a few seconds. It was also the first time that night that she could see what Bancroft had done to her.

"I'm going to kill him, if Henry hasn't done it already," Benedict spoke in a tone Lucy had never heard him speak in before. He eyed her, focusing on the bruises left by hands around her throat. She had another hand-shaped bruise around her upper arm, where Bancroft had held a firm grip while dragging her through the maze. She sighed and sat down in a chair by the window, Benedict following her.

"I am fine, Benedict. There is no need to worry," she sighed.

"No need to worry? The man attacked you! We need to report him to the authorities immediately," Benedict spoke, his voice low but filled with anger. If it wasn't the middle of the night he would have probably been shouting.

"They won't do anything, and you know that. They will just assume that I went with him willingly and then changed my mind. It will cause more problems than it's worth," Lucy replied softly, trying to reason with him. She did not want any more attention to be thrown her way, she just wanted Bancroft to disappear. She most certainly did not want anyone to find out what had happened earlier on in the night. Therefore, getting the authorities involved was the last thing she planned on doing. Even they were privy to societal gossip, so there was no doubt in her mind that they had heard of her antics. Lucy knew that it meant there would be a high possibility that she would not be believed.

"He still must be held accountable for his behavior, Lucy," Benedict huffed, folding his arms in annoyance.

"And he will, one day. I punched him and knocked him out tonight, Benedict. Surely that had some effect on him?" Lucy responded.

"We will have to wait for word from Henry and then assess any damage. Bancroft is a serious problem, Luce- I thought he would give up whatever game he's playing at once we got married but it only seems to have made him more aggressive," Benedict spoke, taking a seat opposite Lucy. Even though she was in pain, the only thing she could focus on was how beautiful he looked amongst the countless little candles in the room. He kept speaking and Lucy nodded along, not in the mood for words anymore. Once he realized she was not paying attention, he snapped her out of her daze.

"Lucy?" He spoke, looking at her intently.

"Are you alright? Do you need a doctor?" He continued, concerned. Lucy just gave him a faint smile and shook her head no. He cared deeply about her, which was made abundantly clear over the past few weeks. And she knew she cared about him too, with every ounce of her being.

"Then what is it, darling?" He asked and waited patiently for her response. Her heart fluttered at the nickname. She had never felt these feelings for another human being, she knew that for certain. While since the beginning, she could not discern what they were, as the two of them sat there opposite each other that night it all became so painstakingly clear to her.

"I want to say this to you now because I did not before and I should have - I love you. I think I have been in love with you for a while now – I wasn't sure what I was feeling at first but now I know. You are my favorite person and I can't imagine a life without you. And I am not worried about our future or reputations anymore – all I want is for us to have each other."

Benedict seemed to be awestruck, sitting opposite her with his mouth slightly agape. Then, he broke into a smile and grabbed hold of her hands, kissing the backs of each of them, before leaning forward and planting a chaste kiss on her lips. Lucy pulled back first, hastily adding on to what she had said.