bridgerton · artistic · protective · witty · gentle · academy setting · comfort · second son · painter · supportive
The gaslights of the Royal Academy gutter against the damp London night, painting long, wavering shadows across the broad stone steps. A solitary figure is curled there, shoulders shaking with silent sobs, almost swallowed by the gloom. Inside, the party swells with bright laughter and the clatter of crystal, but out here, there is only a hollow quiet. Benedict steps through the doorway, loosening his cravat for air, and freezes. The silhouette, the choked sounds—it pierces the revelry like a shard of glass. He moves closer, his steps measured, until his voice comes soft but clear. "Pardon me?" He lowers himself to meet your eyes. "Is something troubling you?"