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Three carriages were on the way to the country state for a quick visit.
There hasn't been a lot of time to prepare, as in they only received a letter five days prior with news from Benedict, with a simple note that said “mother, we are delighted to tell you we have welcomed our child. Both Sophie and the baby are healthy and we hope you and the family can come soon”.
So, everything was set fast, shared the news with the rest of the family and eventually decided that not only Violet would make the trip, but she would be accompanied by Eloise, Hyacinth, Francesca, Gregory, as well as Anthony and Colin to meet the newest addition to the family.
When they arrive to My Cottage a familiar face welcome them at the entry, the loyal footman John, who in the past few weeks had come, along Hazel, to help there as they expected soon to receive the baby and much to Sophie’s dismay, Benedict had finally convinced her that just Mrs. Crabtree taking care of the house and needs wasn't enough, especially since she was so far along with child.
Sophie liked to keep on helping around the house, even now after nearly two years of marriage, because she simply couldn’t stand still or do nothing. However, in the last few months, Benedict had tried his best to get her to agree to hire more people; at least a maid and a footman to help around. So, after talking to the couple that was very good friends with Sophie since their working days, he suggested to her that they could “invite” Hazel and John to help around, at least for a few weeks. He had told her how nice it would be for her to have company, especially a friend, who could help her pick clothes for the baby and light the work for Mrs. Crabtree. And it helps that he mentioned having John around would be of great help, for eventually to and fetch a doctor when it was time for the baby to come. All reasons that made Sophie eventually give in, with the condition it was just for a few weeks.
As they enter the home they see Benedict rushing into the room to greet them. All the family members notice that while before they had seen the second son happy, the feelings in his face were definitely something else. The smile he carried was the biggest that they have ever seen, and his eyes, while tired, seem to shine in a brighter way than before.
He rushed into his mother to greet her with a kiss on the cheek and a hug, “we are so glad you could make it”, he said to all of them later, greeting with a hug to each of his siblings, who naturally asked him how Sophie and the baby were .
“Everyone is good and healthy”, he says with that smile that never leaves his face before turning again to Violet, “mother, would you like to meet your grand daughter?”.
Everyone in the room gasps at the news of the new arrival to the family, especially Violet, who already had four grandchildren, that of course she loved with all her heart, yet the four were boys. Daphne had Auggie and Benjamin, Colin had Elliot and Anthony had Edmund, there was yet to be a little Bridgerton girl.
“So, mother?”, he asks again, “i hope everyone can give us a couple of minutes before you can come too, you know your way around here”, he tells his siblings before grabbing Violet’s hand to take her to the room.
“Sophie had wanted to come to meet you all but i was able to convince her to at least stay in the room and not move around that much”, he confesses has the may their way down the halls of the newly renamed Our Cottage.
“Not happy with being in bed all day?”.
“You know her well, as much as her life has changed in the last couple of years, she still struggles with staying still. Really, the day after she had the babe she was up and walking around. Took a lot of work making sure she would stay in bed and properly heal”, he tells her while they reach the door.
Benedict knocks on the door before opening and makes way so his mother may enter. He watches as she makes her way inside and goes straight to the bed, where Sophie is sitting, holding the little girl wrapped in a blanket.
“Oh my dear, she is soo beautiful”, is the first thing she says as she goes to hug Sophie after seeing the baby for the first time.
“She isn't she?”, Sophie answers with a smile that was just as big as Benedict. “Would you like to hold her?”
Violet can only nod, filled with emotions of meeting the newest member of the family. She leans and takes the baby from Sophie’s arms, not even noticing how Benedict was not standing beside her, watching the exchange.
“She is so beautiful. im so happy for the two of you” Violet tells after holding the little baby. “Does she have a name yet?”
“She does” Benedict answers, “mother, this is Violet Sophia Bridgerton”.
She takes a moment to gather herself, especially since she is still holding the small baby in her arms, overcome with the emotion, not only of having a new grandchild, the first one that is a girl.
It is Sophie who ends the silence in the room a minute later, “we hope you know how much we appreciate you, and everything you have always done for us”.
“I am truly honored you have named her after me”.
“Well, it was about time there was another Violet Bridgerton in this world, didn't it not?” Benedict tells with more fun in his voice.
The three of them laugh and shared more moments talking about the baby, how she seems to be already shared her likes and dislikes, especially when it came to not want to leave her parents arms or she starts to cry; how she loves to sleep on either of them chest; how she seems to be very aware of her surrounding despite only be a few days old.
It is after a while they hear a knock on the door, and see how the rest of the Bridgertons burst into the room to finally meet the newest addition to the family. Hyacinth goes right away to see the baby, still in Violet's arms, while Francesca and Eloise go to Sophie to hug her and ask how she is, and Anthony, Colin and Gregory stay closer to the door, observing the small infant being passed on to the youngest Bridgerton’s sisters arms, with everyone happy and smiling at the mention of the baby being a girl.
Benedict goes to his brothers sharing the news of the name they have picked for the child, which of course doesn’t go without a joke.
“Well we have always known you were trying to be mother’s favorite, no need to use your daughter to get into her good side, Benedict” is Colin who jokes, which is accompanied by the laughter of all the ones in the room.
It really is a testament to little Violet’s Bridgerton’s gene that she never makes a fuss about being passed around different arms for the next hour or so. All of his siblings get a chance to carry who is their very first niece.
“She really looks so much like Sophie, brother”, Anthony is the one that comments while holding the small baby. To which Benedict can only nod in agreement, not able to utter a word without the fear of becoming emotional.
Really the best part of having a daughter was exactly getting the wish he had, which was a little girl that looked just like his beloved wife. Part of that was why he worked so hard to talk Sophie into letting the baby have her name as well.
Benedict is even surprised how Eloise, who was still sitting on the bed next to Sophie, receives the baby in her arms, not with disinterest, but actually rather happy and visibly emotional. That image makes him leave his brother's side and go to where his favorite sister, something he would probably not admit to everyone else, is holding her daughter.
“Well it is really nice to have a new woman in the family. I shall teach you all about my favorite books”, he hears his sister speak to the baby, who by now had awoken and was looking at her.
“I'm sure she will love to discuss them with you”, Sophie tells Eloise with a smile, “I bet you reading to her will make her love it since she is small”.
“I will definitely keep that in mind and visit more often then. You have a great library, and we shall read as much as we can so she can grow to be an open minded and intelligent woman”.
Benedict can only smile at the thought of his daughter also growing up with Eloise as a favorite aunt, even if that means that he will probably have to look at her sneaking at night to go for a smoke on the swing set he was planning to install at Out Cottage.
Eventually Violet asks for the baby again, and Eloise stands from the bed to take her. That leaves Benedict and Sophie looking at the image of all the Bridgerton’s gathering around the small baby, making funny faces, or taking turns to walk her around.
It is then that Sophie, who had now leaned her head into Benedict’s shoulder, with much emotion in her voice tells him “she really has all of them loving her already, huh?”.
“Oh yes, she has even won over the hardest Bridgerton to impress, much like her mother did back in the day”.
He knows why Sophie is so emotional, she broke the circle of her history. Herself, and her mother, they didn't have a family running to the country to meet the new arrival. Meanwhile, their daughter had a grandmother, uncles, aunts, all happy and celebrating the birth.
Is that thought that becomes a memory, of a moment, now in a past that seems lifetimes ago, where he had dreaded the thought of a child of them, one born out of the purest love he had ever felt, would not bring this kind of joy to his family. And now, years later, sitting next to the woman he loves, he feels like he is living what Lady Danbury had told him, he did bring the same to everyone in the room.