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For Sophie, there was nothing more perfect in her life than her family. Even after 30 years of marriage she still loved and adored her husband, her sons were fine pillars of the community or in the process of being so, and her daughter, her daughter had become a Duchess through marriage, and she was everything that was beautiful, graceful and a littler terrifying.
Violet had married at 22, just months after her cousin. Benedict had cried the entire day, Sophie had a little cry as well as she watched her husband walk their daughter down the aisle, hell even Violet’s old brother’s had a little tear in their eye, but they would sharp tell you it was just dust…
So, when Violet came to her, 4 months into her marriage and said she thought she might be pregnant, Sophie was overjoyed.
She already had one little grandbaby in the form of Charles and Maggie’s daughter, Lily, who resembled her father so much it was uncanny, she was a happy bouncing baby now at 2. Alex and his wife were also expecting, and William had just gotten engaged.
Life was perfect.
Sophie had been present for more births than she could count, Lily’s she had not been as Edwina, Maggie’s mother had been present, but Sophie had been in the little cottage that Charles and his wife shared not far away. He worked with his Uncle Phillip in some lines of Botany that neither Sophie nor Benedict understood but she had been there to help and keep her son sane.
She had helped Alex’s wife Lady Helen when she had given birth to their first daughter, with Alex had named Marie, as a nod to his mother and her background (and to irritate his father-in-law a little bit as well)
Each birth had gone smoothly, that was until Violet’s.
Her husband Edward had come riding up to My Cottage, on his way back from the village where he had been seeing Hugh, frantic, announcing that the footman had just caught him and told him that Violet’s water’s had broken a full two weeks early.
His home was but a 4-mile ride from My Cottage so he had taken the detour knowing that his wife would want her mother, and probably her father there when she gave birth, so he had changed course, it was less than a 5-minute detour and he knew is mother-in-law to be a proficient rider and his father-in-law to be a protective man. (he had threatened to duel him after all)
Sophie was sitting reading a book and Benedict was painting when the door burst open and the Duke just barged in, Sophie went pale, Benedict spilled his paint as he burst in and explained what happened.
Sophie didn’t even think, she just grabbed her coat, told Benedict to follow in the carriage and was riding on the horse with her son-in-law, racing frantically over the hills to get to Violet.
When Sophie burst through the door, it was the first time she truly appreciated how much her daughter looked like her, right down to the hair and the facial expressions, it was like she had been thrown back 23 years to when she gave birth to her… the paleness of her skin
“MAMA!” she cried, and Sophie ran to her daughter and hugged her and Sophie assessing the situation, knowing the midwife would be following, got her son-in-law to carry Violet to the prepared room and set out getting things ready.
The midwife arrived, along with a doctor, and Benedict literally two minutes behind and he had run and embraced his wife “is she…?”
“She’s fine… but they think the baby is breech… like she was” she said, her entire body was shaking, her own panic, her terror at having nearly died giving birth to Violet came rushing back.
She thought about the pain, the way her entire body was exhausted and how badly she wanted to just give up. How close she had come to letting the entire world slipping away…
It took Benedict several attempts to shake Sophie out of her daze and her fear “Sophie, our princess needs you, she needs you to be strong, like you were that day, she needs your guidance… she is you… she needs you there, only you can help her… I can’t lose you both again” he said to her, pressing a kiss to her temple and Sophie felt her resolve…
She was stronger with Benedict, that had always been the case, they were two halves of a whole and she knew that was the same for Violet and Edward… so grabbing her son-in-law by the wrist she dragged him into the room “you need to help” she told him, and he did…
It might still have been scandalous for a man to be in the birthing room but every Bridgerton had been born with the father in the room, her daughter’s surname may no longer be Bridgerton, but they were Bridgerton’s and Bridgerton’s were bloody strong…
And so, Sophie stayed with her daughter, Edward stayed with his wife, kissing, and wiping her forehead, feeding her broth, and holding her hand as she pushed… and pushed…
It was a long a difficult labour and Benedict was sat outside the room with his daughter’s golden retriever she had named Charlie, to irritate her oldest brother, trying to keep himself sane until he heard it…
The piercing cry of new life… it tore through the air and it healed his anxiety and his heart more than anything else could, that was until his wife appeared 5 minutes later, tired, sweaty, and exhausted “she’s alive, she’s okay… they’re both going to be okay” she said as she collapsed into her husband’s arm, her strength finally giving up as she sobbed into her arms.
There were moments when the doctor had said “Your Grace… you might need…”
And both Edward and Sophie had let out choked “no’s” much like Benedict and Kate had done for her with Violet…
It had been too close… so close. Benedict just held his wife, his own tears falling down his face until his son-in-law appeared at the door “Sir… would you both like to come in and meet your grandson?” the pride and happiness evident in his voice.
Slowly they got to their feet, Sophie had known it was a boy, Benedict had not. This was their first grandson…
Grandson…
Violet was sitting up, propped up in the bed, looking so ethereally like her mother, Benedict was sure he had just been transported back for two out of the four births… smiling, tired and exhausted, but happy with a bundle wrapped in green in her arms…
“Papa… Mama… I’d like you to meet your grandson, Benjamin Edward Taylor, or Ben, as will shall call him”
Benedict swallowed as Sophie let out a little sob.
“We wanted to name him Benedict… but we thought that might get confusing… so Ben will do” Violet said, her eyes gazing at her father.
“I shall let the three of you have a moment and I’ll go pen a letter to Lottie for you darling” he said kissing his wife’s head.
Violet smiled gratefully as her parents approached “he’s beautiful Vivi” Benedict said, his emotion clear in his voice as he kissed his daughter’s head.
“He really is… he looks like you pap pap” she teased her father as Sophie was too busy crying and this just made her cry harder.
Benedict let out a choked sob “I think he looks like you, his hair is lighter than mine”
“Not now it’s not…” Sophie said, through her tears, Benedict’s hair was now lined liberally with silver whispers as he was into his early 60s.
He would have shot his wife an annoyed look, but he was so happy to care “You are going to be a wonderful mother Vivi” he said to her, as he held his grandson in his arms.
“Are you sure?” she asked
“Of course, you are, after all your mother’s daughter and have your mother’s strength” he said.
It would be another 5 years before Violet would give birth to her daughter, who she had wanted to name Sophia, but William had beaten her too it… so she named her daughter Alice… after the other woman who helped raise her, Alice Crabtree.