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Benedict Bridgerton laid in bed on his last day as a bachelor completely unable to fall asleep. It’s not like he had spent the day doing nothing. There were plenty of last minute preparations for the ceremony like making sure the chairs were set up and that the floral arrangements were done to perfection. All of the guests had finally arrived and were safely lodged in their rooms. It was to be a private affair - only family and close friends along with Sophie’s stepsister and her new groom and some servants from the Penwood household but he felt the weight like he was preparing for a royal wedding.
As he tossed and turned, he considered going to see his betrothed. Because of propriety, and his mother’s devotion to it, Sophie was spending her last night as an unmarried woman in a guest bedroom. The very same guest bedroom she had stayed in during her first stay at My Cottage in fact. At least he could take comfort in the fact that she would never spend another night in a mere guest room again. Tomorrow and every night thereafter, she would be sleeping next to him.
The seconds ticked by and he grew even more impatient. After taking a careful listen outside and detecting no activity, he got out of bed, put his robe on, and crept out of his bedroom to the guest wing. He was going to see Sophie - propriety or silly superstition be damned. He decided to forgo knocking and turned the knob, careful to avoid making too much noise lest everyone else in the house hear him. Once the door was open a crack, he pushed it just enough that he could slide in the rest of the way.
To his surprise, Sophie was not in bed yet nor was she at the desk reading or writing correspondence or anything else of the sort. Instead, she was standing over a wooden tub full of water wearing only a robe just about to step in.
She heard him enter and nearly fell over in surprise but he moved forward and reached her just in time to hold her steady.
“Benedict!” she exclaimed in shock. “What are you doing here?”
“Shhh.” He held his finger to his lips, leaving the other arm securely around her waist. “Don’t want anyone to know I’m here.”
“But why-” she began to ask at full volume before realizing her mistake. “But why? It’s late.” This time, it was a proper whisper.
“Can I not see my own wife?”
“We are not married yet,” she said.
A mere technicality, one that would soon be rectified. “We will be married tomorrow. And besides, since when has that mattered?”
That managed to stop her momentarily. It was not like being unmarried had prevented them from spending time together before. Unfortunately, it seemed she had other objections prepared. “Everyone is here,” she said in a low voice. “Someone will see.”
“And do what exactly? Force us down the aisle? We’re nearly there already, my love.”
Sophie swatted at his chest. “You know what I mean.”
He laughed and held her closer. “If it makes you feel any better, everyone else retired to bed ages ago. Long trip from London and all. No one will hear us so long as you remain quiet.”
She was silent for a moment and after glancing at the door and hearing and seeing nothing, she sighed. “You may stay, for now.”
And that was exactly what he wanted to hear. Benedict smiled in satisfaction and released her just long enough to close the door before returning to her side. He looked down at the tub questioningly.
She followed his gaze. “Ah, that. It was really a busy day and I did not have the chance to wash up until now.”
She wasn’t exaggerating. It had been a dreadfully long day, but so long she could not bathe until now? Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. “I could help you with that,” he said, moving closer.
The room might have been dark but Benedict could swear he saw her cheeks flush pink. “That, uh, that will not be necessary. Besides, this one isn’t big enough for you to join me.”
Huh, he hadn’t even thought of that. For once, his thoughts were completely innocent. Then again, his dear betrothed could be quite mischievous when she wanted to. “You wound me. I honestly wanted to help you,” he said, feigning offense.
She looked at him disbelievingly but then sighed and said, “very well then,”
He kissed her cheek as a gesture of appreciation. “Thank you.” He made a mental note to order a larger tub once everything had settled down. These small wooden tubs suited him well enough as a bachelor, but a married man required something more spacious.
Sophie shrugged the robe off and tossed it onto the guest bed before stepping into the tub. Once she was submerged in the water up to her chest, Benedict retrieved the washcloth and soap.
“We aren’t expecting any visitors, are we?” he asked, taking a quick look at the door.
“Oh no, I told Celia that I did not require any help,” she responded. “Besides,” she continued, “the idea of having someone else assist me in washing is still quite… odd.”
Benedict understood what Sophie meant. He and his brothers and sisters had assistance in many things now that he thought about it. From washing, to tying cravats or lacing up stays, there was always someone around to lend a helping hand. It was just the way things were and it was something he had never thought twice about until he had met Sophie. He wetted the cloth and began to rub her shoulders gently. “Someone other than me, of course,” he said.
Even with her back turned, he could see the apples of her cheek rise and he knew he had made her smile. “Except you,” she confirmed.
He took the soap and scrubbed until she was sparkling clean, even more so than usual anyway. Once that was accomplished, he got up to fetch a towel for her to dry off. To his surprise, Sophie made no move to get out of the bath.
“Are you well?” he asked, trying not to let the nerves creep into his voice. Was something wrong?
Sophie looked up at him. “I was just thinking about how it’s finally going to be real,” she said. “We waited to do this properly - for Francesca’s mourning period, for the banns to be read, to get a proper minister. Everything.”
Benedict smiled at that. For all of him, he would have been perfectly happy to get a special license and he had been prepared to take her to Gretna Green the night he had resolved to wed her, but he did not. For Sophie, it was important that everything be done perfectly and so it would be. “At last, we are to be husband and wife,” he said.
Sophie was silent and he began to feel a twinge of fear. “No cold feet?” he asked, trying and failing to maintain some levity.
She looked at him and gave him a knowing smile. “I could never leave you, Benedict. It nearly tore me in two the last time. I couldn’t handle it again. In a way-” she cut off, inching back down into the tub.
He gave her an encouraging look before she started up again. “In a way, I feel like I was born for you. Everything that happened brought us back to each other.”
Benedict was stunned for a second before he reflected on his own life. If he hadn’t been so averse to marriage, he might never have met Sophie at the masquerade as he wouldn’t have been trying to avoid his mother’s watchful, matchmaking eye. If he hadn’t heard a commotion that night at Cavender House, he would not have discovered her under her real identity. There were so many possibilities and forks in the road that perhaps it was a miracle that they had found their ways back to one another. “I feel the same,” he said, with more sincerity than he had even felt before. The inner workings of the universe were a bit beyond him perhaps, but if fate had seen fit to bring him and Sophie together, then who was he to question it?
After helping her out of the tub, he wrapped the towel around her and began to dry her off. He worked to keep all of his touches innocent and once she was dry and the towel folded, he handed her her shift. Sophie dutifully took it and slipped it on over her head, which had the unintended consequence of creating the most adorable fluff in her dark hair. Benedict could not resist the urge to run his hand along the top of her head to smooth it down. Once that was accomplished, he had yet another urge to kiss her lips which had drawn into an equally adorable pout. He leaned in to kiss her and she met him halfway.
“Tomorrow,” she whispered after pulling away. “We should wait until-”
He cut her off with another kiss. “I know, but don’t think I don’t want you now.”
“I know,” she said simply. “But we should retire. Early morning and all.”
Tease. They would have the rest of their lives to tease each other though. “Indeed, I do not want to be kept waiting. We have a schedule to keep and I do not want any delays in making you my wife.”
“If there are any delays, they won’t be coming from me.”
“I do not care who is causing the delay. There will be no hold up tomorrow, even if it’s just us and the minister present.”
“I doubt your family would much appreciate that. They’re all quite looking forward to this.”
“Then they can be arsed to show up on time,” he declared firmly. “We will be husband and wife tomorrow morning.”
“That we will, my love, that we will.”
He leaned in for one last kiss. On a logical level, he knew that he would see her tomorrow and then after that, they would never have to be apart again but it still hurt to leave her alone. “Good night,” he whispered. “See you in the morning,” he quickly added.
She smiled. “See you in the morning,” she echoed.
He turned to leave but stopped. It couldn’t hurt to try. “Do you think it would be possible-”
Sophie cut him off before he could finish. “No, Benedict.” Then she took a step towards him and brought her hand to his cheek. “I will see you in the morning,” she repeated.
He groaned, perhaps somewhat too theatrically. “If you insist,” he said, before leaving her room to return to his own. She was right. He would see her in the morning but the approximately ten hours until they were lawfully wed seemed much too long for his tastes. All good things to those who wait, he told himself as he pulled back his blanket and crawled into his own bed. He looked over at the empty space next to him. Sophie would be there tomorrow. If he closed his eyes, he could almost see it. With that happy thought, he drifted off to sleep, secure in the knowledge that he would wake up in the morning and begin the happiest day of his life.