never bee the same

[Deleted]

eloise & anthony.

"Anthony?"



Her lower lip wobbled, her eyes red from crying. It felt like she'd done nothing but cry since she saw her father's still body laying out on the grass. Anthony had been quick to usher them all inside, on their mama's say so, but she'd peered around his legs to see what had her so distraught. It seemed papa wasn't coming back, and she still couldn't understand how that was possible. Just that morning he'd been right as rain, sitting with them at breakfast as he always did, talking about his plans for the day, discussing their arrangements for the rest of the summer. How could he be gone, just like that, from a single bee sting? Had they not all been stung by bees before, and didn't it hurt only a little?

At only seven, she simply couldn't fathom what had happened, and as the eldest, she felt that Anthony was the one to turn to. She'd tried, tried and better tried to cling to their mama, to grip her hand for dear life and refuse to let go, but it seemed she was in need of time on her own. That wasn't something Eloise could understand either...the quiet certainly wouldn't make any of this better, it would only make her cry more. 

A little hand reached out to curl around her older brother's hand, something she seldom seemed to do...but if he stayed close, then nothing would happen to him. "Is papa truly not coming back?"

Anthony Bridgerton

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[Anthony Bridgerton]

Tag: @eloisebridgerton

i am a viscount

IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

How had it come to this? One moment he was happily hunting with his father . . . the next, he felt as if his entire world had crumbled before him. His father was dead. Just like that, just from a bee sting . . . the strongest man he knew, was dead. Anthony was not even sure he had fully accepted this fact, but nor did he have time to fully comprehend what this meant. He had been bombarded with business affairs as he was now the Viscount . . . a title that he could not just, simply accept. But before Viscount, he was a brother and a son. Thus, needed to take care of family. Their mother was in no state as she grieved, so Anthony had taken it upon himself to care for his siblings. He needed to be strong, for them. He needed to keep his emotions locked away so that they would not see him destroyed by this, by the death of their father. He needed to be their pillar so that they would get through this. So that they would all get through this.

❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖ 

Looking down at Eloise, Anthony's expression was soft, though ensured there were no tears. He had to lock them away in the vault of his heart . . . never to surface. There was no easy way to answer her question, and euphemisms would not help. To say that he was asleep would only beg the question of when he would wake up. To say he was up above watching them would only beg the question of when would he return. There had to be a finality to the answer so that Eloise could mourn, and eventually . . . move on. Or at least, cope with the pain. For did one truly ever move on from losing a loved one? Especially, one's father. Anthony lowered himself so that he was crouched down in front of Eloise, at her eye level.

❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖  ❖ 

"He is not," Anthony said in a low voice, soft but unwavering. He raised a hand to gently brush the tears from her cheeks. "But he will live on in all of us. We all carry a part of him within us." It was true. He had seen it in each child as they grew. Speaking of Edmund, Anthony knew, would become increasingly harder but for now . . . he knew it was what Eloise needed to hear. "I am sorry Eloise," he said, trying to keep his voice steady as he gently pulled her into his arms to hug her . . . and to let her cry if needed. Anthony had simply watched it happen. He could have done more to stop it, couldn't he have? He was the only one there and . . . this was his fault. Now his siblings and mother would mourn for the greatest man alive and all Anthony could do was fight to keep the family together. Together and strong.

[Deleted]

eloise & anthony.

Part of her had really hoped it was all some horrible dream. Death wasn't something she quite understood yet, and the idea that their father was never coming home simply didn't make any sense! He cared so much about them, and always had – who else could be at all like him? Who else would tell her such fantastical stories, offer her books, show her the bits of nature that nobody else seemed to stop and notice? Papa had been wonderful, and now...well, something was missing. The Bridgerton household, despite being as full of the same amount of people as always, no longer seemed as full of life. It was subdued, quiet, lacking something – lacking so much. 

It would have helped if she could see their mama, make sure she was alright...but that didn't seem like an option. From what she knew, what she'd heard – both from whispering staff, and from the sobs themselves – was that her mother didn't seem to know how to stop crying. Eloise was sad, too, had shed her fair share of tears...but she was worried for her mama, in more ways than one. Crying so much wasn't good, but then...what if she was next? What if something awful happened to her, too?

Sniffling, she stepped closer to her big brother, small arms wrapping around his much larger frame. He, too, didn't seem as happy as he had before – though she hadn't yet realised he'd never be the same again. Perhaps, in a way, none of them would, but his life had changed the most. They'd all lost their papa, but he was the one who would now be the man of the house. "It was a bee?" Eloise found herself asking, tentatively, swallowing down another sob. "But..but...I got stung by a bee last summer! It only hurt for a second. How can papa be gone?"

Anthony Bridgerton

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