Chapter Text
[words in italics lifted from page 58 of An Offer from a Gentlemen]
“I have to go,” she blurted out, and then, with no further warning, she hitched up her skirts and ran from the terrace.
“Wait!” she heard him call out, felt the rush of air as his arm swiped forward in a futile attempt to grab her dress and caught the hem of her dress.
He reached into his pocket and quickly takes out a delicate sterling silver lapel pin with a flat golden circular knob encrusted with a BB on it and said, “Take this!” Sophie stood stunned at the gesture for a split second when he bursts out another “TAKE IT!” Sophie snatched the pin from him and ran away into the night.
PRESENT DAY:
It was morning. Sophie twirled the lapel pin between her index and thumb when a heavy knock on her door startled her and she quickly fastened the pin behind her bodice concealing it.
“Come in!” she answered, straightening her dress. Benedict opens the door, dishevelled, eyes droopy and looking like he barely slept, “Shall we?” he said. Sophie nods and grabs her green shell on the table. It was time to leave the cottage.
The air was thin and fresh. Sophie took in deep breathes, savouring the rich luxury of the countryside breeze committing it to memory. Committing everything she could about the time she had with him to her memory.
Now, the situation in Lady Violet Bridgerton’s household was less than ideal – at least according to Violet Bridgerton herself. There had been 3 engagements already announced this week and none of them concerned her Benedict or Eloise. She was in a violent mood for match-making.
“Eloise?” Violet called out as she passed the parlour. Eloise who heard her mother’s call, slammed the book she was reading shut and sunk into the couch, sliding off the chair and shuffling herself underneath it as stealthily as she could (or as stealthily as her corset could allow). She has been avoiding her mother all day.
“Eloise?” Violet called out again as she entered the parlour and looked over to the couch she thought she saw her daughter on. “I swear I saw her sitting her…” Violet mumbled to herself and left the room.
Eloise let out a sigh of relief. She thought she was safe. Then a heavy boot (unaware that she was under the couch) slammed right in front of her lifting clouds of dust from the floor, which she accidentally inhaled. Eloise coughs. The owner of said heavy boot, scrunched down to inspect the wheezing occupant underneath the couch “Aren’t you too old for hide and seek?” Benedict says playfully.
The moment she heard his voice, Eloise pulled herself out from under the furniture and fell into a fit of horrible frustration slapping her brother hard on his arm yelling “WHERE. THE. HELL. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?” a number of times. “SHE’S CRAZY! YOUR MOTHER IS CRAZY!”
“What did she do?” Benedict asked, flinching and trying to avoid being hit.
“WHERE DO I START! She nearly sold me off to Mr. Lionston, Ken-de-rik Lionston” Eloise said with her lips pursued so tightly she nearly snapped Benedict’s head off.
“What’s wrong Kenny? He’s a great chap, we went to Cambridge together,” Benedict replied unassumingly.
“Wonderful, why don’t you marry him,” Eloise responded indignantly.
“Presently, that would be illegal. And I am more of a brunette man myself,” Benedict jests which did not make the situation light but spurred his sister on to fall into another violent fit of slapping him on his arms. “Stop. That. Would. You.” he said catching hold of her hands, then looking her square in the eyes. Eloise relents. She knows when he's being serious. “I can’t believe you left me alone with her,” she said stomping away.
“I can’t believe you’re still not married while I was away,” Benedict said. “WHY YOU – ” Eloise jumps on Benedict and starts hitting him again. Sophie who was watching the interaction from the rooms’ other entrance gave out a soft laugh halting the progression of their silly fight. Eloise turned to see her.
“Who’s that?” she asked as she climbed off her brother.
“Erm…” Benedict mumbled.
“You haven’t found someone, have you? God, please don’t tell me you are abandoning me,” Eloise continued “I cannot be alone in this. The only reason why Mama is (what I think) relatively holding back from insane and worse-r tactics is because you, the old man remains unmarried, if you marry, that is the end of me. I’ll be the oldest single person in this house!” Benedict was trying to interrupt Eloise and explain who Sophie was, but when the opportunity came he used it to state that he is not in fact that old. As if that particular fact took precedence.
“Eloise?! Benedict?” their mother called from the hall. Her grown children grabbed each other by the arm and signalled “SHH!!!” when they heard her coming towards the parlour, the two of them tried to hide underneath the couch, “What is the plan here exactly! It’s not going to fit the both of us!” Eloise exclaims as she tries to go under it and seeing her brother do the same.
“What are you two doing,” Violet asks as she peeps over to see Eloise and Benedict on their knees scrunching under the couch.
“I don’t know what you mean by lopsided, the couch looks fine to me Eloise,” Benedict quickly digressed.
“Why yes, it must be me then, I was dizzy,” Eloise followed.
The comical display of the second eldest Bridgerton and second eldest Bridgerton daughter set Sophie into hysterics. Mother, son and daughter turned to the door where a lovely young woman stood observing the strange familial interaction where no one has managed to be honest with anyone, yet everyone seemed to wear their hearts quite loosely on their sleeves.
“Who is this?” Violet said interested, her eyes beaming. She thought that her son had returned from his adventures to introduce his fiancée. We know this because Violet said out aloud, “My, my Benedict, she is beautiful.”
Benedict's eyes widened in shock. He realised quite instantly his mothers' attachment following her comment and said “Thank you mother but no. This is Sophia Beckett. She would like to work for you.”
“What?” his mother and sister answered, both their eyebrows creasing. “You brought home help?” Eloise said confused.
“She has come into town to look for a job as a lady’s maid,” he continued. Sophie curtsies when Violet turns back to look at her.
“Well, she must have the job then mother, you just called her beautiful,” Eloise stated ironically. Violet clears her throat and straightens her dress, embarrassed that she jumped the gun and asked Sophie if what was said was true and whether she would like to apply for a job as a lady’s maid or governess.
“What are you in need of, my Lady?” Sophie inquires. “To be honest, both. Miss Eloise here, her lady’s maid just left and the two chamber maids we have, have no experience dealing with… anything really. And this is an important season for my Eloise.”
Eloise rolls her eyes. “Then I can be both, my Lady,” Sophie offers. “Both?” Violet says surprised. “That is quite a lot of work Sop-Miss Beckett,” Benedict states.
“Well, you mentioned that your youngest sister hasn’t had a governess in months, she can’t be without her studies, your eldest girl can’t be without her lady’s maid, I can’t be without a job, I think we are all quite in need of each other. Though you are right – it might be too much work. How about I do a trial run? And at the end of it, we could choose, at your discretion my Lady, which jobs I would be better suited for or if I have a job at all. Maybe I might be horrible at both.”
Violet was pleased at the offer and the graciousness of speech. Benedict felt a tinge in his heart, Sophie was fading before him.
“These two have tempers that you might not know how to handle,” Benedict says “Maybe this isn’t a good idea, you can work for me, I don’t have any staff in my household. You can be matron.”
Sophie glares at him. “Wait, wait, we need her Benedict, I can loan you Humphrey and Alice to help you. Your apartment does not need a matron,” his mother interjects.
“Besides, with all due respect, my Lord, I’ve dealt with your temper all week, I trust your sisters to be much less trouble,” Sophie said wryly.
“Yes, they are,” Violet smiled, charmed at the banter. “Now why were you gone for a week?” Violet asks. “He took ill My Lady, violently ill,” Sophie answered.
“You took ill?” his mother placed her hand on his chest concerned “Darling, why didn’t you write?”
“Well I was ill,” Benedict quipped.
“And did you care for him Miss Beckett?” Violet asks.
“Mrs. Crabtree did, actually. I was just there to run errands,” Sophie said.
“No, she’s being all too modest, Miss Beckett nursed me back to health, might've died without her," he says gently, softly as he recalls the nights spent at the cottage.
“Well then, your value is irreplaceable, you are more than welcomed in my home Miss Beckett or may I call you Sophia?” Violet asks.
“Sophie would do, my lady.”
“FANTASTIC!” her ladyship exclaimed “You’re hired!” Benedict flinched at those words. Sophie, who was observing him noticed that.
“Well, I know you just got here Sophie, but would you be able to prepare Miss Eloise for the tonight’s ball?”
“Of course, Ma’am,” Sophie said. Eloise sulked, picked up her book, slumped herself on the couch to read. "Absolute waste of the day," Eloise snorted.
“And since you’re much better, you are going too,” Violet instructs her son and leaves the room immediately. Benedict did not retaliate or have any quip remark to make. He realised in that moment, that it was official. He had introduced Sophie to his mother as a maid, and from that, he couldn’t in his mind figure a way out, to introduce her as something more, as her presence, despite being so correctly placed before him as what she is (below him in stature and name), loomed before him as someone he cannot do without.