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"Hello, Mr. The-Last-Brother-Of-Mine-I-Thought-Would-Ever-Marry," Eloise says, linking her arm with Benedict's once she actually catches him alone after his wedding ceremony.
Her brother's eyes immediately crinkle at the corners as he responds, in practically the same tone, "Hello, Ms. Unmarried-Sister-Of-Mine-Who-Isn't-The-Youngest." He pats her hand for good measure, then pauses - as if letting her words finally sink in - before clarifying, "Hold on, you really thought Gregory would marry before me?"
"Not completely unheard of for our younger siblings to overtake us in the marriage aspect of our lives, don't you think?" she points out. "I mean, there was Colin for you, and Francesca for me. Though I suppose it's all moot now since you did marry, whereas I... have not."
Eloise watches Benedict scan the crowd for his new wife, and she swears she saw how his face softened at the exact moment he spots her talking with Kate near the refreshments table. "That is true. Though I would like to put on record that I, in fact, married blissfully."
"Sophie's doing, most likely."
Benedict nods, eyes still on Sophie. "Obviously. You think I could do a blissful marriage on my own?"
Eloise stifles a sigh and pinches Benedict just to get his attention again. "You do realize this new development in your life has put you on a permanent ban from our world-shunners clubhouse, don't you?"
Benedict yelps and rubs the now-tender spot on his side. "Yes. Which..." Here, he turns to fully face her, "...I sincerely hope you could forgive me for? In fact, I would beg and grovel in front of you right now if that could bring me back into your good graces, my fair, fair sister."
She raises her chin and says, "Well. I should hate you, you know, for abandoning me. It is very lonely to be in a club by my lonesome, let me tell you." Pause. "But, I rather like my newest sister too much. And I'm more thankful that you, at least, had the presence of mind to fall in love with a woman who also has a presence of mind. Maybe even more than you do."
"In my defense," Benedict replies, "that last bit is 100% true."
Eloise laughs aloud. "A rather poor defense of your intellect there, brother."
"Which only proves my point, yes?"
She shakes her head. "How you made a woman like Sophie fall in love with you, I haven't the slightest idea."
Recognizing the lighthearted jest for what it was, Benedict just sighs and tells her, "Well, she is an extraordinary woman. One who could overlook all my faults and still love me for me, not for my name or who society deemed me to be or even who I ought to be. She is singularly the most remarkable person I've ever had the pleasure to meet."
"She'd have to be," Eloise agrees after a few moments, squeezing Benedict's arm, "for making a Bridgerton fall for her, too. We lot aren't exactly the most saintly folk, after all."
"Especially you," Benedict teases her, nudging her arm with his.
She chuckles. "Especially me. But more Anthony and Hyacinth, actually."
They both fall into silence, just watching Sophie laugh at something Kate had said.
"You know, it is rather... disconcerting," Eloise admits quietly, "that I now have five siblings who have experienced a love match. Even if said love matches haven't occurred exactly according to society's standards. As if I haven't been feeling enough pressure about looking for a man to marry, now I feel as though I ought to fall in love with him, too!" She hits him on the arm. "All because of you!"
And when she says it like that, it just makes her realize how absurd and impossible it all is!
"Six love matches in our family," Benedict corrects her, "if you include Mother and Father."
Eloise rolls her eyes. "Of course. How could I forget the match that started it all?"
He nudges her arm again. "Are you scared that you will fall in love?" Benedict asks her outright. "Or that you won't?"
And she scoffs, "Me? Scared?"
"Yes," he says. "Because, based on experience, falling in love is scary. And I've no doubt Anthony, Daphne, Colin, and Francesca once felt that way, too."
Eloise glances at him, then looks away just as quickly - as if she isn't particularly interested in the answer. "How did you overcome it, then?"
Benedict playfully tugs at her hair to gain her attention and grins at her. "I realized that living a life without Sophie is a far scarier thought. And that I'd do anything not to make that a reality."
"Including charting a boat to the Americas?" she says.
"Including charting a boat to the Americas. Even if doing so would make me seasick for months. Can you imagine?" And then Benedict mimes gagging to the side.
That gets Eloise to laugh again, hitting him on the arm once just to make him stop. "I'd rather not, thank you!"
And then, at this very moment, she's seized by this most uncontrollably fond feeling for her brother, causing her to say, all while her throat is tight, "Oh, how I would miss seeing you at home, Benedict. It just won't be the same without you in it."
He laughs. "It's not as if I live so very far away from Mayfair." And then he adds, "And you could stay. Here in My-- Our Cottage. For as long as you want."
"And see you and your glove lady in your current state of newlywed bliss?" she asks, already hating the thought even as she's saying it. "I would much rather help Hyacinth grow her ribbon collection. At least she wouldn't be as insufferably happy as you."
"You did it for Francesca," he points out.
"You forget, she and John--" Here, her chest clenches in grief, but she presses on, "--had a castle in Scotland. You, on the other hand, just have this one singularly tiny house to your name."
Benedict's mouth drops open. "How dare you." He gestures at the house behind them and adds, "It is not tiny!"
"But it is no castle, either!"
He opens his mouth again, closes it, and says, "Well, Sophie loves it." As if that was any sort of strong defense.
And well, truthfully, it was.
Here, she links arms with him again. "Of course she does. It is yours, after all. She'd love anything for as long as you're attached to it."
"Including my unsaintly family, unfortunately," Benedict says, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
She pats his arm. "Obviously."
And then, from the corner of her eye, Eloise sees Anthony approaching Kate, Edmund in his arms. And since Kate is talking to Sophie...
Eloise taps Benedict's arm again. "I think this is a good time to rescue Sophie, yes? Before Anthony scares her off." She then points to their brother making his way to his Viscountess.
Benedict scoffs. "You think Anthony could scare her off?"
They look at one another.
Silence.
"On second thought," he says, looking over his shoulder and clearing his throat, "perhaps I should follow your advice and rescue my wife before anything untowardly happens."
Eloise nods seriously. "Perhaps you should."
And then Benedict basically scurries off to do just that.