⚘forty⚘

                                    

                                          
Francesca and Lord Kilmartin are having their wedding in the drawing room of Bridgerton house. I smile as Fran and Lord Kilmartin recite their vows.
"I take thee to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part," Lord Kilmartin states.
"I take thee to be my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part," Fran repeats.
"May you now live together in holy matrimony until your dying breath. Amen."
I clap as Fran and Lord Kilmartin kiss. 
I stand with Benedict and his siblings after the ceremony.
"Have I been overly influenced by the minister's treacle speech, or does Lord Anderson seem rather taken by Mother?" El remarks.
"She looks happy. If that is the case, who are we to judge?" Benedict offers.
"He looks like a fine fellow who is very lucky that Anthony has already left town," Colin remarks.
"You should be grateful to Lord Anderson," Fran tells El. "Now that I am wed, Mother's attention may turn to you again unless she is distracted."
Lord Kilmartin clinks a spoon on a glass. "A toast, if I may. To my beautiful wife, I have not the words to express my adoration. A fact for which I am sure you must be grateful, as I know you are loath to be made the center of attention for too long. So, instead, I shall offer a few humble words to your family. Especially your mother. Lady Bridgerton, I see your openness reflected in Benedict, your charm in Colin, your wisdom in Eloise, and a brightness you have instilled in both Gregory and Hyacinth.  In this moment when I feel so much gratitude for my new wife, I feel it in equal measure for the remarkable woman who raised her. I thank you, all of you, from the bottom of my heart."
I smile as Violet wipes tears from the corners of her eyes.
"Ah, forgive me. Tears were the last thing I meant to evoke," Lord Kilmartin states.
Everyone laughs.
"Hyacinth's been crying this entire time," Gregory states.
"One day, you too will have a heart," Hyacinth remarks.
"Mama, will you play a duet with me?" Fran questions.
"Have a duet. Now? I... Well, I am dreadfully out of practice," Violet insists.
"I believe the last time I nearly moved you to tears was when I first started playing," Fran reasons. 
"She's not the only one. I wept in my room from the hideous chord combinations," El remarks.
"Ha ha. Thankfully, Mama did not abandon me. And I shall not abandon you now," Fran states.
"Is that a threat?" Violet remarks.
Fran leads Violet to the pianoforte. They both sit on the stoll and start to play a tune. Neither is playing the same as the other. 
"Bravo!" Lord Kilmartin states.
My cousins' ball is this evening. Benedict and I have arrived early to support them. Everything is beautiful. The conservatory is perfect. My cousins are running around looking at everything.
"Philippa, you caterwaul like a child receiving their first bite of cake," Aunt Featherington remarks. 
"Mama... thank you!" Philippa shouts as she hugs her. 
"What is the meaning of this?" Aunt Featherington questions. 
"Well, it must've been you who paid for all of this," Philippa states.