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When each of the three eldest Bridgerton brothers came of age, they received a coveted invitation to be a 'special guest' of Queen Charlotte. Once summoned, they are to remain in the Queen's company indefinitely. It was quite rare that more than one male was summoned from a household. However, there were eight Bridgerton siblings, and all were quite winsome and charismatic. Very few men in the realm have received such an invitation. Simon Bassett, the next Duke of Hastings, Michael Stirling, heir to Earl of Kilmartin are a few more.
Some, such as Lady Whistledown, the notorious gossip columnist, referred to this group of special guests at the palace as "Queen Charlotte's Concubines", a name that the Queen found quite fitting, though she would never admit it. Becoming one of the Queen's concubines came with certain stipulations. The men could marry but their loyalties belonged to the Queen first. If she called on one of them, they dropped everything to join her.
Lady Whistledown had often suggested that lewd acts were performed. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, however. The Queen loved her husband very much and remained ever faithful to him, but she was bored. She needed entertainment in a way that he could no longer provide. So, she started to collect these men, these male concubines. Each selected man was selected for a specific reason.
Simon Bassett was chosen because he had an amazingly melodic, soothing voice. It didn't hurt that he had an amazing body and face as well. Her majesty would call upon him on nights when she just wanted to relax. Simon helped her accomplish this by reading stories from a multitude of books to ease her restless mind, while she admired his form. Simon is only allowed to use his most sultry voice while speaking with her.
The Queen chose Viscount Anthony Bridgerton in order to debate with her. Whenever she was frustrated or just wanted to argue with someone, she would call upon him. Her majesty would give him the topic of their battle and they would set off on a lengthy fight with words. She enjoyed how it engaged her mind. No one in her court would ever speak to her in this manner so the engagement made her feel sane. However, Anthony was not allowed to argue with her like that unless she called upon him.
Michael Stirling, known also as the Merry Rake, has a great sense of humor and charm. Even though he doesn't have a sterling reputation, Queen Charlotte find him humorous and entertaining. She enjoys listening to his suggestive jokes and stories, and trading barbs with the handsome man. Michael is required to wear a kilt when he is in service to her majesty, for she enjoys seeing him in all his Scottish glory.
Benedict Bridgerton was an amazing artist and as a lover of beautiful things, Queen Charlotte had to have him in her service. Her majesty was fascinated by the way he could look at something ordinary and make it beautiful on canvas. He was also very easygoing and easy to talk to. She called upon him to paint portraits of her, often without her wigs and sometimes completely in the nude. She had a room full of his paintings of her. Because he was so easy to be around, she enjoyed being in his company. Benedict was only allowed to paint portraits of the Queen while he was in her service.
Colin Bridgerton received his invitation purely because of one reason and one reason only. After already having two of the Bridgerton brothers in her majesty's 'service' there would surely be talk of favoritism by adding the third, yet Queen Charlotte could not resist. The reason she chose him was because he possessed an attractive attribute that caught her eye.
At his brother's almost wedding, held at the palace, Queen Charlotte watched Colin with amusement. He spent most of the day accompanied by Miss Penelope Featherington, a friend of the Bridgerton family, whom the queen could see were very much enamored with each other. The boy had an appetite and was busily tasting every type of food that was offered and was attempting, unsuccessfully, to get Miss Featherington to taste each one as well.
As Queen Charlotte observed Colin eat his way around the gardens, Miss Featherington tripped, dropping her fan to the ground. Being the charming gentleman that he was, Colin did not hesitate to squat down to retrieve it. That's when she made her decision to bring Colin Bridgerton into her service.
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Queen Charlotte sat in her most comfortable chair, the only furniture in the room. Having called on Colin for her evening entertainment, she was surrounded by trays of fresh fruits and pastries.
"Mr. Bridgerton," the Queen said, pointing across the room, "Fetch me that fan, please."
Colin immediately walked to the opposite side of the room and squatted down to retrieve the requested fan. When he brought it to her majesty, she popped a grape into his mouth, which he gratefully ate, having been called on before dinner was served.
She asked him to retrieve another item from the other side of the room, and he sulked off to get it, wondering why she wanted all of these things and why the room was a mess with them. After he turned away to retrieve the item, the queen promptly threw the fan to the other side of the room and watched him as he squatted down, admiring his voluptuous derriere.
With a smirk, she waited for him to come back. She plopped another grape into his mouth and then said, "It seems my fan has slipped from my hand and is now over there. Get it for me will you."
"Your Majesty, I-"
"Hmph," she stops him with a raised hand. "Mr. Bridgerton, you know your rules."
Since Colin's one rule is to not speak in her majesty's presence, he said nothing and retrieved her fan. Queen Charlotte had quickly discovered that they did not share the same taste in humor. If she had to hear one more olive joke from this boy, she'd have him thrown in the dungeon.
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All of the Queen's men were in attendance at the first ball of the season, Lady Danbury's ball. Congregated together, they are sharing a drink and a laugh. Colin is not sure if he'll be dancing tonight. He's rattling on to the others about how strenuous it is to be in service to the Queen. The others are bewildered by this, however, he cannot elaborate. The men are expressly forbidden from sharing what happens when they are with the Queen, but that doesn't stop them from speculating upon which of them is her favorite.
Queen Charlotte overhears their discussion and just smirks to herself. They would be surprised to learn that her actual favorite is none other than… Lady Danbury. While Lady Danbury is not a concubine, she is a true friend to her majesty and is called upon by the Queen more often than any of the men. 'Now, why were her men not dancing?'
"Brimsley!"
