Chapter Nine - The Garden Party

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Lady Whistledown's

SOCIETY PAPERS

This author has often thought the heart a most curious of instruments, heeding neither reason nor rank. For what possible explanation might Miss Bridgerton have for entertaining the suit of a mere Baron when she seems to have secured a Duke?

Could the debutante's mind not be the only thing amiss?

Let it be known, dear reader, that if this bizarre behavior protends yet another scandal, then be sure that I shall uncover it, for there is nothing like an excursion into nature to lift the spirits and loosen the tongue.

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"Did you hear?" Cressida asked, walking alongside me on the grass with a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "I hear she may be courting with bumbling Berbrooke. Quite a good match for her. I rather think."

I offer her a small chuckle and roll my eyes, "Cress... I do not think anyone with half a brain would actually be courting with Lord Berbrooke, he is an absolute rat!"

Cressida hums and looks over at Daphne with her well-known sneer.

I glance back at her and send her an apologetic smile before being pulled forwards by Cressida who eagerly points out to me one of her suitors.

"I suppose he does look rather nice..." I murmur, looking the man over with a critical eye.

"Not only that, but he has a sizable portion of land in the countryside and is heir to his father's title..." Cressida playfully swooned as she looked at me, "is that not the perfect man!"

"He does sound like someone from one's dream," I agree, "oh, I must go and see Prudence and Philippa... but I will certainly see you again before the day is done!"

Cressida sighs and rolls her eyes, "I do not know why you even bother to go see them... they are... tasteless."

"Mama likes to gossip with Lady Featherington, and oftentimes she drags me along so I have gotten acquainted with their elder sisters," I explain, "they are... okay."

Cressida sighs once more before shooing me away and sending me a smile, "I shall see you later then!"

"Of course!"

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"Why are you looking so down, Prudence?" I ask, leaning back against the chair that I was provided.

"These fashions, while stunning, are not the most... comfortable, for such a warm day," Prudence says, fanning herself as she glances over at me. "Have you seen Philippa?"

"Last I saw her she was trying to see the butterflies that were flying past," I answer, looking around the tenet and pointing her out to Prudence. "There she is..."

Prudence lets out a very unladylike groan, causing her mother to glare at her from her seat across the tent.

"Prudence!"

"Sorry, mama!"

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"Miss Huntingdon!"

I glance up from my longing gaze at the food-filled table and smile when I see Fredrick making his way over toward our camp, a wide smile on his face.

"I was wondering where you were," he said, breathless as he looked at me with the same wide smile. "I had to leave Simon behind at the Bridgerton camp with Daphne and continued on until I found your camp."

"Yes... mama wanted to be closer to Lady Cower, and papa wanted to talk to his business friends that normally set their camps up closer to this site." I explain.

Frederick smiled and nodded his head in understanding. "Well, would you like to join me on my trek back to the Bridgerton camp... I promised Gregory that I would play whatever game it is that he had set up, with him when I returned."

"Of course."

I turn to talk to Henry for a moment updating him on the new plans of going towards the Bridgerton camp, to which he quickly agrees to chaperone us.

Turning back to Frederick, I smile and begin to walk next to him, Henry following a few feet behind us, walking with an old friend as they shared laughs and stories.

"I didn't think that you would come to such an event," I admit, glancing up at him.

"Well... usually I would not. But I have some unfinished business that I simply needed to attend to," he replies calmly, looking back over at me for a moment before snapping his head in the direction of the Bridgerton tent, which was quickly being confronted with a very bruised and beaten version of who appeared to be-

"Is that Lord Berbrooke?" One debutant whispered not so quietly, "oh my! Look at what happened to his face!"

"He does not look any different than usual," one mama retorted, sneering at the view of the bloodied and bruised man.

"Bridgerton!" Berbrooke bellowed, storming towards the camp with a cat-like grin.

"Come on," Henry quickly pulls the two of us closer to the tent as he stares at Berbrooke's mangled face. "Someone did a number on his face... I wonder who it was, I'd quite like to send them a present of thanks."

"Oh hush," I gently poke him in the side as we move to stand next to Daphne, who was watching Berbrooke with wide, fearful eyes.

"I bring cheerful news, Bridgertons!" Berbrooke says, coming to a stop in front of Lady Bridgerton and Anthony, "I have taken matters into my own hands and sought a special license for my wedding to Miss Bridgerton."

"There is to be no wedding," Daphne said, her face contorting into one of disgust as she looked at the man.

"I told you. The arrangement is canceled," Anthony said simply.

Violet, who now seemed to see the great number of eyes that were on her family quickly offered Berbrooke a kind, but strained smile. "Uh, Lord Berbrooke, you look in a great deal of pain. Shall we continue this in a more private location?"

"I require no further conversation," Berbrooke proclaimed happily, "though perhaps I am finally speaking to the true head of the Bridgerton house. For if it were you," he turned his head to glare at Anthony once more, "I imagine you would have instructed your sister- both your sisters, really- to take better care than to encourage certain attentions while alone with me on the Dark Walk at Vauxhall. Of course, mere hearsay of such scandal would wreak havoc on even the most influential of families. What would someone like, say, Lady Whistledown do with such unseemly information?"

"Please, you got one of your beady little eyes bruised when Daphne punched your disgusting little face after you tried to accost her!" I exclaimed, ensuring to lower my voice so as to not draw any more attention to the situation. "Dare say... how does your back feel after being tackled to the ground Berbrooke? By a girl, no less... whose face you then cut before you then proceeded to throw her to the ground. Now... I do wonder what Lady Whistledown would say about that... after all, you are just a mere Baron... up against a family of Viscount and an Earl-

"and a well-known, and reputable Duke," Frederick added in, his face hardening when he looked at Berbrooke with a sneer that even Cressida would be impressed with.

I grin at Frederick for a moment before looking back at Berbrooke. "...who would the Ton believe then?"

"Yes... is that a threat?" Henry asked, tilting his head slightly as he sized the puny man up, his fists clenched by his sides.

"It is certainly not," Berbrooke assured, a flicker of worry appearing on his face as he glanced from me to Henry. "Because in three days, I am to marry. I have the diamond of the season. I have the very best the Ton has to offer. I have a Bridgerton. And I shall save her, as well as your entire family, from the ruin which you could not protect them."

He slaps the marriage license into Anthony's chest and weakly grins, "I look forward to the union of our great families. Bridgerton... Hastings... Huntingdon."

Anthony quickly reads the license over, looking for anything that could allow him a reason to dispute it. Unsurprisingly, he didn't find anything and threw the paper down on the table.

Frederick looked between Henry and Anthony for a moment before stepping forwards, "is there anything that I can do-"

"Come on," Henry took in a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair as he looked around at the party, which was beginning to go back to their normal activities since Berbrooke had left. "Mama and Papa have surely already heard about what has happened, no doubt they are worried."

"Would you like to join us, Frederick?" I ask, looking up at him with a raised brow.

He does not hesitate with his answer, a soft smile coming across his face as he nods. "I would love nothing more."

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-T