Nancy Griffiths, a young & beautiful woman with musical talents, came from a poor working class family from Bloomsbury. Together with her mother, Nancy worked as a maid at the Danbury household while her father was a simple clerk.
Following the pas...
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- BENEDICT -
"You look like you could use a drink." Colin says as he and Anthony sit down in front of me with two glasses of whiskey. "And a cigar." The dear viscount adds.
We have recently become members of Mr. Mondrich's Gentlemen's Club and I come here whenever I need to forget life's problems for even just a little while.
And with the recent events in my life, "whenever" has become every other night.
I quietly take the cigar and light it up. "Care to tell us what is going on?" Colin asks. "You have been wallowing in your own misery for a month now it seems.– Yes, I have been counting."
When Nancy said that the two of us should never tangle our lives with each other anymore, she really meant it. It has been a month since the last time I spoke to her and it is as if we are complete strangers.
Whenever I try to approach her, she occupies herself to the dance floor with a suitor and when there is no one to dance with, she simply walks away. I also called on her at the Danbury household many times, asked Lady Danbury herself to talk to her and I do not recall writing so many letters to a person in the span of a month– ever!
In my latest letter, I asked Nancy to meet me later tonight at Mr. Granville's party and I hope she will come.
"Perhaps it is about Miss Griffiths' engagement."
I almost spit out my drink. Her what?
"Whatever do you mean?" I ask worried.
"Well... according to Lady Whistledown's latest pamphlet, the Marquess of Bathwether has invited Lady Danbury and Miss Griffiths to stay in the countryside for a few days before the Marquess' Dacre ball in a few weeks. They probably will have an engagement to announce by then." Anthony answers quietly.
"Not helping." Colin mutters under his breath.
"You read Whistledown?" I ask confused as Anthony hides his flushed face.
Knowing Nancy, I am certain that there will be no engagement. The Marquess may be one of this season's most eligible bachelors and has a fortune on his name, but even that would not tempt Nancy into marrying him.
Right?
"Excuse me, but I have somewhere else to be." I say as I top off the two glasses Colin provided for me before abandoning my brothers.
•
"Mr. Bridgerton." Madame Delacroix greets as she notices me walk into the room of painters at Granville's party. "I did not expect you to ever come back here again."
"Neither did I." I quietly respond, looking around all the desirable people in the household.
Madame Delacroix takes a puff from her cigarette holder and comes closer. "I am curious. Why are you back?" She then asks, stroking my arm. "We sure used to have a lot of fun in the past, no?"
The friendship I had with Madame Delacroix two seasons of courtship ago was certainly fun and exciting and trust me when I say that she is a woman who could seduce anyone.
I am fairly tempted by her touch, but no matter how many women may throw themselves at me, the feeling does not compare to even only the sight of Nancy Griffiths...
and she is all I think about.
"Excuse me." I say as I walk away from the modiste.
I brush myself past all of the people in the hall and make my way outside the house.
Nancy would never make the foolish mistake of coming back here. Let alone risk getting caught sneaking out by Lady Danbury to meet me at a scandalous party in the middle of the night.
Still there is this part of me that hopes she will.
She will step out of a carriage, hidden under a cloak, looking mysterious and enchanting as ever and with that serious look on her face, will ask me why I wanted to meet up.
"Mr. Bridgerton?"
I turn around only to be faced by a footman with a horse. "Can I help you?" I ask.
The man nods before taking something out of his satchel. "Miss Griffiths asked me to bring this to you."
In his hands, I find my sketchbook which Nancy took the night we first met. I had nearly forgotten she had it in her possessions.
Quietly, I take back my book and thank the footman. "Anything else?" I ask him.
"Nothing else, sir. I'm sorry." He responds before getting back on his horse, off to do his duty as I to decide it is time to go home and call it a night.
•
In my hand, I hold the last thing that could have tangled me to Nancy Griffiths and it is difficult to grasp the thought that the connection is gone now.
I sit down on the edge of my bed and flip through the pages filled with my old sketches and poems.
Hands are still the most annoying little things on the planet to draw and paint. Maybe I can work on it to distract myself from what my brothers said earlier at the Gentlemen's club. About the engagement.
I know Nancy would never agree upon marrying someone this season, but what if she changed her mind? She did say that she would only marry for love. What if she has fallen in love with the marquess? He is young, handsome, has a fortune and I heard he has a heart of gold. Unlike many suitors of the ton.
He would be absolutely perfect for Nancy.
I frown when an envelope falls from my book onto the floor,– addressed to me. I wonder. Could it be from her?
Without letting any seconds pass, I let myself slide down from my bed onto the floor, opening the letter:
Dear Benedict,
I hope this letter finds you well. I apologize for not responding to any of your letters and also for not coming to the Granville party. It is not wise for me to be seen there again. I hope you know that I do not blame you for what occurred between us the night of my first performance. We were both foolish, but the way we left things was not how it was supposed be and I wanted to write to you to properly say goodbye.
I want to thank you for the continuous kindness you have shown me. For making my stay back in London easier to bear and actually pleasant at times. You understand me and make me smile like no one else does and I am forever grateful for your friendship. You deserve all the happiness in the world and I hope you make the decision of pursuing your dreams of becoming an artist. As soon as the season ends, get out of this awfully boring town, see the world and be inspired. You may have the privileges of doing whatever pleases you as the second born, but you only have one life, Benedict. Use it well.
I know you will find your purpose soon.
Forever yours, Nancy
• A/N: Hello! Sorry for waiting so long. I decided to cancel my Netflix for now to cut off expenses because- well- inflation. I used to be inspired to write this story because I used to rewatch Bridgerton constantly, but it's been almost a month since I've watched it so maybe that is the reason it takes so long for me to publish a new chapter, but I promise I will do my best. I am also still editing older chapters for grammar mistakes cause english isn't my first language and I tend to make a lot of errors, but it is nice to see that there are still people adding this story to their lists. Appreciate it so much!
