THEYFLOURISHED.

john  felt  as  if  he  was  counting  down  the  moment  to  go  home.  the  highlands  called  him,  not  the  small  estate  his  father  had  kept  in  london.  the  ton  had  never  been  his  place,  never  been  where  he  felt  welcome  or  embraced.  a  duke,  they  claimed,  but  not  good  enough  for  their  social  circles.  now  his  pretty  face  got  him  in  the  door,  his  family’s  wealth  greased  the  wheels,  but  his  accent  threw  it  all  off.  mothers  threw  their  daughters  at  him  for  title  and  wealth,  their  daughters  feared  what  marriage  to  him  would  be.  and  thus  he  found  himself  secluded  away,  now  with  a  red  head  that  he  should  probably  not  be  alone  with.  but  it  was  the  first  time  john  was  enjoying  a  conversation,  he  couldn’t  find  the  propriety  to  leave  just  yet.  “  he  was.  ”  john  says  softly,  reminiscent  of  the  man  who  he  now  walked  in  the  shadow  of.  a  chuckle  falls  from  his  lips,  genuine  and  full  for  a  rare  moment.  “  much  to  my  mother’s  dismay  i  have  yet  to  wed  or  manage  to  find  a  bride.  ”  he  refrains  from  adding  ‘  with  a  brain.  ‘  “  what  sort  of  gentleman  would  i  be  to  deny  a  lady  in  need  of  my  help  ?  ”  and  he  certainly  didn’t  mind  slipping  further  out  of  the  eyes  of  others.

The evening had been slow going , consumed by the ton and their nobility , the noise sending her head pounding. This was further influenced by her distaste for such gatherings , perhaps deep down , such things made her remember what she could not have. She had excelled , gaining her own lifestyle, buying a bakery. Though it may not compare in the eyes of the ton , it was something to her. Though , she was required to work two jobs to make ends meet , which was no life for her. His company was refreshing , no longer did she feel she needed to hide , and in fact , she felt at ease. She guided them down to the cellar , holding a lantern in her hand before placing it on the side. She dusted her hands , gazing to find the empty barrel beneath the bar, then flickering to the new one only a short distance away. Though , she then turned on her heels to face him , features softening at him. " Sorry , I should be more careful than to assume. " she frowned, noting his father's lack of presence. " It is surely a loss that does not compare , I know it well. " She lost her parents many years ago and had been fending for herself ever since. " What is deterring you from settling? " She asked, resting a hand on her hip. " Evenings such a tonight present opportunities , yet you remain with the likes of I. " She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief.

francesca  shouldn’t  be  so  easy,  but  she  was.  “  benedict  bridgerton,  try  it  and  i  shall  assure  mother  you’ve  found  yourself  in  a  love  triangle  and  convince  my  friends  to  play  along.  ”  she  tosses  back,  devious  little  smirk  setting  atop  her  own  lips  to  match  that  of  her  brother.  she  certainly  was  easy  to  rile  up,  but  knew  how  to  fire  right  back.

With such a retort heard from his sister, Benedict gasped, holding a hand over his heart in distaste. "Truly, painful of you sister." He pouted his lips, sighing deeply as he did. "Though they know better than to believe your elaborate stories." He wiggled his brows, moving to sit beside her. "No desire to socialise, hm?"

oliver nodded ❝my father never treated my sisters or my mother that way, and i refuse to do the same. of course i want them to be happy, but it would not do them any good to force it❞ oliver smiled. ❝well thank you for saying that miss, not everyone likes honest conversations. its all about the game of it. i have never been one for games. i would rather be honest, and if someone does not like it, then i know it is not right❞ then oliver shook his head ❝i am sorry, i have not introduced myself, which is rude. i'm oliver fitzwilliams, lord oliver fitzwilliams. still not used to my title❞ he let out an uneasy laugh

She nodded softly , acknowledging his trail of thought, and only wished others considered otherwise. Initially , she had been afraid of who had asked her to dance , but from speaking with him she grew less and less concerned. " i feel the social season is a game in itself , who can excel the highest , impress the queen , it is a game of chess , who will fall first . " she shrugged, sighing deeply as she did. " it is a pleasure , my name is lady maggie howard , i can imagine such a has it's perks , though a lot of expectations. "

"  and  here  i  was  under  the  assumption  the  young  ladies  of  the  ton  weren't  allowed  to  say  no  to  a  dance.  ”  william  speaks  as  he  watches  the  display.  “  or  perhaps,  you  just  smell.  ”  he  says  to  the  other.  liam  can  get  away  with  a  lot,  especially  in  his  own  home.  “  run  along,  let  those  of  us  who  bathed  today  woo  the  pretty  women.  ”

his interruption was much appreciated , her patience growing thin with whom would not allow her space. she took a moment , a gasp leaving her lips as she watched the male disappear in a disgruntled fashion. " brave of you , you do know his father is an earl , don't you ? " in truth , she did not know who he was , but to tease was all too tempting.

"From the look on your face, I assume a drink will calm the nerves." She did often wonder what it was like to partake in such festivities. It was not something she would be blessed with, her upbringing in lower class meant she was subdued to a life of observation. Nevertheless, she watched, observing the life of the ton with fresh eyes. She envied it, in some ways, but understood it was a blessing to have her freedom. "Penny for your thoughts?"

phillip tried to think about what she was saying ❝ah i see,❞ even though he did not ❝so what you are saying, is if two induvials spend that kind of time together, that close, it is safe to assume there is an infatuation there?❞ phillip had never been good at reading people, and he was a little afraid to make his way through london, not knowing certain cues

" not exactly. " she exhaled, following the figures movements across the hall , exhaling hard in thought before turning her attention back to phillip. " such can be deceiving, but the glances , the blush on her cheeks, it is evident." she sighed, turning to look at him with a smile. "fear not, you will know when it happens to you."

if  john  could  manage  to  make  it  through  the  night  without  looking  bored,  that  would  be  a  win  in  his  book.  he  could  hardly  deal  with  rumors  that  he  was  not  enjoying  a  function  the  queen  put  on,  even  if  it  was  nearly  impossible  to  pretend  he  was  happy  here.  john  felt  rather  exhausted  already,  who  knew  finding  a  bride  could  feel  more  like  a  job  than  being  the  head  of  his  clan  ?  “  words  from  my  father.  ”  he  says  with  a  chuckle.  at  least,  it  seemed  like  something  the  man  would  say.  a  snort  slips  from  the  man  before  he  can  stop  it,  amusement  lacing  his  expression.  “  prized  cows  are  more  fun  to  pick  out.  ”  he  admitted,  sipping  at  his  drink.  he  chuckles  a  bit,  shaking  his  head.  “  nothing  to  forgive,  miss.  this  conversation  has  been  far  more  enjoyable  than  most  i’ve  partaken  in  tonight.  ”

she was taking the time to enjoy herself , a novelty which was often not applicable. she was normality busy meeting the needs of the ton , rushed of her feet to meet the demands. she had catered for the event , and yet had been persuaded to run the bar also , feeling somewhat exhausted by the demands. she had been counting down the hours , though she had to admit some envy at not being able to be apart of such things. from a young age , it had been ingrained into her that she was not one of them , and she had never forgotten it. " sounds like a wise man to me. " she chuckled, perching on the stool beside him , flattening her dirty gown with a smile. chin perched upon propped hands , she followed his gaze with brows knitting together. " i can tell your outlook on marriage is far from positive , perhaps you have not met the woman who will sweep you off your feet." she sighed, gnawing down on her bottom lip. " i pity the conversation you have had , if this is a highlight . though , if you really are desperate for a distraction , fancy being the strength i need to reload the beer barrel? at least you will loose the prying eyes. " she smirked, noting the women of the ton and their interest.

Dipping her head slightly, she just gave him a look questioning his motives. "Benedict really, what are you doing? Go back to the dance floor..." she murmured, knowing that the Bridgertons generally were amazing at treating their staff like members of their family, but that didn't stop her from trying to shoo him back to the group he'd left when he caught her staring at him.

"Forgive me, but what sort of gentleman would I be if I did not invite you to the dancefloor?" He smiled, tilting his head. "You'd be doing me a favour." He pouted his lips, hand held out for her to take.

He takes a moment before exhaling, a chuckle leaving his lips. His siblings tendencies to corrupt the tutor was something he was immensely proud of, mostly because he had his way of encouraging them. "Our dear Hyacinth? I cannot imagine she is nothing but well behaved." He spoke, sarcasm clear in his voice. He scoffs , eyes rolling in response to her statement. "We all have favourites mother, even you." He added, tutting to himself in response to her comment.