Chapter Twenty-Six: News Travel Fast

"Benedict, can I ask you something?" Franny pleaded while she was wrapped in the embrace of Benedict and on her way back to London.

"I would say anything, but knowing you, it would be a dangerous promise to make," came the cheeky reply and Benedict heard Franny huff.

She untangled herself from his embrace to face him. Twining her fingers into his, she rested her eyes on her hand, examining the ring on it. There was a curious feeling in her stomach, something unfamiliar, something strange: she had never imagined herself to be married and now it was her reality. Maybe that feeling was excitement for the impending nuptials with a touch of worry.

Benedict lifted her hand to brush an airy kiss on it while his navy blue eyes stared into hers deeply, "What is it, Franny?"

Franny bit her lips nervously before she spoke her mind.

"Could we hold off announcing the news until I have my audience with the Queen?" she blurted out, then the pace of her words quickened, "It is not because I hold any reservation against being your betrothed. No, please do not harbour any doubts about how committed I am. I am in, I am all in. I just... I want to settle this matter so that I can focus on our wedding with all my energy and devotion. It's not –"

Before she could spiral into more doubt, Benedict reached out to cup her face.

"Franny," he said in a kind tone, "It's okay, we can wait. The most important thing, for now, is to impress the Queen with your picture. Then, when it's done and when you are accomplished, we will start planning our wedding. We have the rest of our lives for us, we are in no hurry."

Franny let out a deep breath and melted into Benedict's touch. He always seemed to be able to put her mind at ease.

"Thank you," she put her hand above his gratefully.

"You are only doing a favour to me. At least we will get a break before my mother goes into raptures. And I can assure you, our wedding will definitely be on par with Daphne's. The ton is in for a treat."

Franny gulped nervously, as she was not quite sure she was ready to be in the centre of attention. Or in white...

"Or," Benedict continued, reading the worry on her face, "we could just elope. She would probably disown me, but the most important thing is that we feel comfortable."

Franny nodded hesitantly without a sound.

"However," Benedict purred in a tone that made Franny shiver, his smile growing lopsided, "I am not willing to wait with this."

But just before Benedict could draw his lips to Franny's, the carriage door was torn open. Franny jumped, and Benedict shielded her with his body, ready to face the intruder. To both their relief and utter surprise, they found themselves in front of the fifth Bridgerton in the row.

"What the hell are you doing, Eloise?" Benedict swore, while his eyes rained thunderstorms on his meddlesome little sister.

Eloise's eyes widened in shock. She blinked a few times and gasped as if she was about to say something, but no sound escaped her throat. If he hadn't been so pissed off, Benedict would have found that situation amusing, as seeing his sister being short on words was a rare occurrence.

"I-I," Eloise stuttered, then, after a few rounds of darting her eyes back and forth between Franny and Benedict, she found her voice, "I wanted to ambush the carriage."

"I am terribly sorry Sir, I did not see her there," the driver joined them sheepishly, quite helpless about what to do. Benedict shooed him away, then grabbed his sister and tucked her into the carriage. Causing a scene in front of the Granville House was the last thing he wanted. Her brother would probably skin all of them, but mostly him, alive. Not to mention Lucy Granville, who was quite a formidable force to be reckoned with.

"And why would you do that? And what were you doing in the Granville House?" Benedict pressed on with an impatient, lecturing tone.

Eloise pursed her lips sizing Franny up with a suspicious glance, then proceeded to scan the inside of the carriage. Benedict frowned and turned around to look at Franny, who remained uncharacteristically silent and motionless. She noticed that Eloise clutched at the notebook, her faithful companion, in which she jotted down the clues related to Lady Whistledown. For a while, an invisible tennis match unfolded between the two females, while Benedict, who perceived none of it, was caught up helplessly in the middle.

"What are you hiding in your bag?" Eloise demanded, her eyes darting to the aforementioned accessory.

"Eloise!" Benedict exclaimed, emphasising the beginning of her name, getting fed up with his sister.

"I assure you, certainly not what you think," Franny replied, keeping her cool. She tried really hard not to clutch at the bag.

"Well then, why don't you open it?"

"Eloise Bridgerton!" Benedict's voice grew thunderous and made Franny jump. She has never heard Benedict raise his voice before, and he certainly sounded menacing. His sister, however, was not moved by it, her dark blue eyes, the exact replicas of his brother, remained nervously fixed on Franny's purse. Franny knew that Eloise was seconds away from snatching it away from her and that Benedict would probably jump to stop her, which in the end would result in a disaster and quite possibly a scene. The last thing she wanted was to be in a carriage in the middle of a Bridgerton fight.

"Whatever is going on, Eloise?" Benedict asked, at the last sting of his patience. He has never hit his sister, but if she was to accidentally fall out of the carriage, due to an unfortunate movement, he could not be blamed...

"Your sister thinks I am Lady Whistledown," Franny replied, squarely meeting the gaze of the younger Bridgerton, whose mouth twitched.

Benedict stiffened on his seat, his indignance was replaced by concern. Fortunately, Eloise was so preoccupied with being engaged in a staredown with Franny that she did not notice his brother's change of mood.

"It is you, isn't it!" Eloise yelped, pointing an accusing finger towards Franny's face, "The Papers started just when you debuted. Never before had there been a scandal sheet that used full names, no one had the audacity to do that before. You are infamous for being forthright, speaking your mind and disregarding social convention. As a member of the upper echelon of society, you are invited to all social functions therefore you can gather information first-hand. You are clever, perceptive, opinionated and most importantly uninvolved. I have never seen you dance with anyone, but Lord Wetherby and Benedict, therefore you had plenty of time to spy on others. Moreover, whenever I asked you to help me uncover Whistledown, you were reluctant to help me... is it perhaps because you were afraid that I might discover the truth?"

Eloise's eyes were sparkling with passion and she was speaking with such intensity that if Franny wasn't sitting, she would have been blown away by the energy she emanated. However, before Franny could offer any explanation, the younger girl pressed on.

"I don't know how you uncovered Marina's secret, but I saw you in the kitchen consoling Colin. Perhaps, you felt guilty about ruining his marriage?"

"Or, has it occurred to you, that Franny was just simply being considerate and tactful – two things you are quite unfamiliar with," Benedict chimed in, hoping to reconcile the situation. He knew that lying was not one of Franny's strongest points and that his sister would press on no matter what, so he had to intervene. However, Eloise simply turned a blind eye to him.