It was the Christmas dinner at Bridgerton House. This year, the people present included the former viscountess Bridgerton, Benedict, the happily married couple Colin and Penelope and the two youngest siblings Gregory and Hyacinth. This was a rather small celebration for the prolific Bridgerton family, as some family members were currently staying elsewhere. Eloise was living with her sister Francesca in Scotland, Anthony and Kate were in India, and Daphne was with her husband Simon.
Benedict’s rectum was still a bit sore from the encounter with Remy yesterday, but that couldn’t stop him from enjoying his favourite desserts, avoiding suggestions about meeting eligible young ladies from his mother, and joking about what Hyacinth would do to impress the queen. (Benedict suggested she should tease one of the queen’s dogs with her debutante feather.)
While munching on a pudding, Benedict realised Gregory had shot him a nervous look. It seemed that he wanted to say something, but eventually decided not to. “That was rather strange.” Benedict thought to himself. Previous Christmas dinners, or perhaps most dinners in general, often witnessed incessant quarrelling between Gregory and Hyacinth, but today was a rare occasion that the two siblings did not bother teasing each other.
At 9 o’clock, the dinner came to an end. Colin and Penelope bid farewell to all family members and returned to their own home. Benedict thought about going back to his own house as well, but his mother insisted that he could spend the night here. Seeing that this was the least crowded Christmas dinner for his mother in years as many of his siblings had already flown the nest, Benedict agreed to stay, so at tomorrow’s breakfast, he could join her, Gregory and Hyacinth.
When Benedict climbed the stairs to his former bedroom (which had been repurposed as the guest bedroom), Gregory approached him.
“Could I ask you something?” Gregory looked agitated.
“Brother! How refreshing! I thought you did not want to talk at all tonight. What is bothering you?”
Gregory grabbed Benedict’s arm and tugged him to his bedroom. He closed the door and looked around to ensure that nobody hid in his room and could eavesdrop.
Feeling curious, Benedict asked with a sly smile on his face. “What is it, brother?”
“You have to promise that you will not tell anyone.” Gregory looked quite serious, and even embarrassed.
“Let me guess, you broke some of the expensive gifts from Lady Featherington? Or your tutor has failed you in all the exams?” Benedict carefully analysed his little brother’s face, knowing certainly that the problem had to be something completely different from what he had just speculated.
“I peed.” Gregory said abruptly. Benedict thought he misheard.
“What?”
“I peed myself.” Although Benedict couldn’t see Gregory’s face clearly with the light from just four or five candles, he was pretty certain that his brother’s face was as red as a beetroot.
“It has happened to me several times, since around October.” Gregory explained, his eyes staring down at the floor. “When I woke up, my pants were… wet, and sticky. It was really gross.”
Benedict’s smile just grew wider and wider. He was so amused as Gregory miserably recounted his ordeal.
“Did somebody tell you something about this?” Benedict asked.
“No!” Gregory looked terrified. “I can’t ask anyone. I don’t want to talk to mother about this. But I’m scared. I think the servants knew. Sometimes I heard them laugh, maybe about me.”
At that moment, Benedict realised how irresponsible he was to his youngest brother.
After Colin married Penelope, Gregory became the only son living with his mother, while other brothers had already moved out. Anthony had been off to India, and Benedict couldn’t imagine how Gregory would raise this topic with the viscount. Colin had always been with Penelope, while Benedict was whoring around and spending little time at Bridgerton house.
Poor Gregory, Benedict thought. While Anthony, Benedict and Colin were really close in their age, Gregory was separated from all his brothers by the same factor. The three eldest brothers often fenced together, or argued with each other about serious matters in the world of adults, while Gregory was unintentionally left out because all of them regarded him as a child.
Gregory had grown up so fast. He had become a teenager and was experiencing puberty. He had questions that only a father, or a brother could answer.
“Gregory, would you like to have a bath with me tomorrow? Er, maybe in the afternoon?”
Gregory looked surprised. He thought that either Benedict would laugh hysterically, or make some giggly jokes about him. But his brother sounded caring and understanding.
“Why?”
“Because that would be the best time to answer all your questions, undisturbed. And I can assure you, you were completely fine. I got the same problem when I was your age. So did Anthony, and Colin.”
“You don’t joke, do you?”
“Absolutely not!”
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