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chikoriita · 3 years

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Single Father Seeking Sane Step-Mama Pt. 1

I started writing this as a prompt fill for @thekatesheffield but then the story got away from me.

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Spring 1824

Phillip wondered what was going through his brain all those weeks ago when he made this utterly horrible decision. He must have lost his mind to do something this drastic.

First, he blamed it on his son Oliver. The last governess fled in the dead of night after his most recent escapades. Phillip would have survived if it was only the empty position. No, it was the blacklisting of Romney Hall from all of the local posting agencies. His children earned quite the reputation for themselves. If he was not their father, he might have admired it.

Phillip still heard the echoing rebuke from the last agency that declined to work with him. “Until you find a lady to rein in those children of yours, no one will work with you.” Never before had he wanted to throttle a woman in his life.

His children caused mayhem, but they were his children. Phillip Crane was not the best father in the world. He preferred his plants to people, and speaking to his children was just as difficult as adults. Still, he was all they had after Marina’s death. Even more, they were all he had left.

Even the lack of governess might not have led him here. That honor went to Amanda, his nine-year-old daughter.

One stormy February evening as he worked alone in the greenhouse, a footman came searching for him. “Miss Amanda is nowhere to be found, sir!”

The terror he felt at Marina’s passing was nothing compared to what he felt at that moment. Without a word, he bolted to the manor house. The staff was whipped into a frenzy, and Oliver, the poor child, simply wept in the foyer.

“I didn’t mean to yell at her Father. She usually yells back!” He cried.

Phillip wanted to comfort his son, but there was no time. They had looked for an hour for the girl, but when they could not find Amanda, they retrieved him.

“Amanda!” He bellowed. “Amanda!” Phillip needed to believe that she was inside. If she was not here, then she would be outside and lost in the rain. His heart constricted at the thought of his daughter in that weather.

He tore through the nursery, the library, and even made his way to his rooms when he saw the faint flicker. Had anyone thought to check Marina’s rooms? They had been closed since her death, but the adjoining door still working.

Phillip’s stomach clenched at the thought of entering the chamber. He had not been inside for close to a year. But if there was a chance Amanda was there, he would take it.

Despite his bravery, his heart almost broke at the sight he found. Amanda was curled up against the headboard, clutching a pillow in her sleep. Her tear-stained cheeks were red and blotchy. He rushed to her side and gently woke her up.

“Mama?” The hoarse croak jolted Phillip. Amanda had not called for her mother in years. “Where’s Mama?”

He could not answer her then, but he was determined to have her answer soon. The events of that evening caused him to take the most drastic of measures: looking for a wife in London during the social season.

To make it worse, with the Cranes’ reputation in Gloucestershire, Amanda and Oliver arrived in London with him. He luckily convinced their temporary nurse to travel with them, though it took a hefty bribe. The girl was terrified of what might happen to her in the city. He opted for a townhouse on Bruton Street. His wife’s cousins, the Featheringtons, lived nearby. If needed, he might call upon Lady Featherington for introductions.

True, it had been close to a decade since he had last seen them. Would they even help him?

Phillip did not have a long list of requirements. He was not looking for a Diamond nor did he want one. He did not need a massive dowry. He was not a catch by debutante standards either. Romney Hall was nothing to sneeze at, for sure, but it was no castle. Sir Phillip was only a baronet and a botanist to boot. With the twins in tow, he had his work cut out for the season.

And so, he rode outside of the traveling carriage to arrive at their townhome. Phillip could hear the arguments bubbling inside the vehicle and prayed for patience. All he needed was to find a nice girl who would enjoy a quiet country life. Someone to be a calming influence for the twins. Someone who would be on his side.

After his first marriage, he deserved that much, did he not?

Eloise Bridgerton peered out of her bedroom window at Number Five to see what the ruckus was all about. Naturally, she had the best view of the street. A traveling coach pulled up to the house next door, and a vaguely familiar man rode astride. He stopped and jumped off the horse.

All she could see was that he was large. Not as tall as Benedict, truthfully; no one was. Still, the man fit his coat well, even though it seemed a few years out of date. Eloise leaned closer to see if there was anything else she could glean. It was while she shamelessly studied the man that he looked up at her.

She jumped back from the window, hoping he did not think her a lunatic. The glimpse of his face struck a memory, but she could not name him. Maybe Mama would know. She hastily pinned up her hair and made her way downstairs.

“Mama!” She called out into the hallway. If not her mother, then at least Hyacinth should be around. Her younger sister was just as nosy as she. She stepped out to see if anyone was around their courtyard. A sharp whine caught her attention.

“Oliver, give it back!” A young girl’s voice could be heard.

“No, you had it the entire ride. It’s my turn!”

“Children,” an exasperated voice pleaded. Eloise figured it was a nurse or a governess. “Let us go inside without incident.”

“But Mary, he doesn’t even want it!” The child stamped her foot. “He’s just being a horrid beast.”

She knew she shouldn’t be spying on the new neighbors. Mama would be appalled to find her eavesdropping. Still, there was something about these children that drew Eloise closer.

A glance from their gate revealed that the gentleman was nowhere to be seen near the squabbling children. Where was their mother? Their disagreement grew louder. Well, then, Eloise thought. She had not learned at the feet of Violet Bridgerton to stand by in this situation.

“Hello!” Three wide pairs of eyes turned to stare at her. The younger children, a boy and a girl, looked as if they were twins. “Are you moving into the house next door?”

“Yes ma’am, we are.” Eloise was right. The girl was most likely was a nurse. A governess would have more restraint. Although considering what she heard and saw, Mary was at her wit’s end.

“My name is-”

A shout interrupted her. “Oliver! Amanda! Where are you?” The voice sounded as if it came from the courtyard next door.

From Mary’s reaction, it must have been the gentleman. “Is that your father?” Eloise asked.

The younger girl, Amanda, nodded. “He’s here to find a wife.”

Eloise stifled a giggle as the nurse hurried to stifle Amanda. “Come children. Your father is looking for us.” Mary tried to guide the children inside, but they were obstinate.

Oliver held his ground firmly. “Father knows where we are. He was riding beside the coach the entire time. It is not as if he could lose us.”

Eloise intervened before poor Mary needed to wrestle the boy into the townhome. She crouched lower to meet Oliver’s eyes. “If you two listen to Mary here, then once you are settled in, you are welcome to tea at our house. Even your father is invited if he wants to come. Simply come over and tell Wickham that Miss Eloise invited you. That is me. Eloise Bridgerton.” She held her hand out for an introduction.

Oliver solemnly shook her proffered hand. “I am Oliver Crane. This is my sister, Amanda.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Oliver. We Bridgertons have tea at half-past three. I hope to see you both soon.” And Eloise, who had her fill of nieces and nephews, spoke the truth. A fact that even she was surprised by, and with a promise of tea, the Crane children left for their own house.

“What took you so long?” Phillip sternly greeted them as they entered the house.

Amanda looked up at his face and smiled shyly. “We were talking to Miss Bridgerton. She invited us over for tea.”

Bridgerton… Why did that name sound so familiar?

He sighed. “Amanda, we cannot accept invitations from people we don’t know.”

“But we met Miss Bridgerton. She lives next door, and she invited us over to tea,” Amanda insisted. “Right, Mary?”

Phillip raised a brow at their nurse, who nodded reluctantly. “What prompted this invitation?”

Mary struggled with the words, but Oliver did not. “She expects us to be there at half three. Miss Eloise even said you could come.” He took Amanda’s hand and tugged her forward. “We have to get ready.”

He held back a smile at Oliver’s insistence. He gestured to a footman to lead the children to their room. “A word, if you may, Mary? Tell me what happened in the five minutes I was apart from the children. I cannot have them antagonizing the neighbors so soon.”

The nurse looked heavenward. She had not been long in this position, else she would have known that prayers did not work on the Crane family.

“Sir Phillip, nothing untoward happened. The children were uncomfortable after the trip, and they squabbled. The young lady introduced herself, and the children, well…” She trailed off.

“Well?”

Mary smiled for the first time since they left Gloucestershire. “They liked her.” With that said, she excused herself to see to the twins.

Phillip stood there in the foyer of 6 Bruton Street wondering what he had missed in those five minutes. Who was this Eloise Bridgerton? Why was she interested in his children? He thought back to the moment of his arrival. Was she the pretty woman in the window?

Pretty lady, he corrected himself. They were still in fashionable Mayfair.

“Perhaps tea would be a good start to our time in London,” he mused to no one at all.

Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters!

#bridgerton #bridgerton fic #eloise bridgerton #phillip crane #bridgertons #thekatesheffield #lightkeykid writes #philoise

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bridgertononmymind · 3 years

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Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Bridgerton Series - Julia Quinn, Bridgerton (TV) Rating: Mature Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Anthony Bridgerton/Kate Sheffield, Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Sophie Beckett/Benedict Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton/Michael Stirling, Eloise Bridgerton/Phillip Crane, Daphne Bridgerton/Simon Basset Characters: Anthony Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton, Daphne Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton, Gregory Bridgerton, Hyacinth Bridgerton, Violet Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington, Kate Sheffield, Sophie Beckett, Edwina Sheffield, Posy, Portia Featherington, Lucy Abernathy (Bridgerton Series), Gareth St. Clair, Siena Rosso, Mary Sheffield, Marina Thompson, Simon Basset, Cressida Cowper Additional Tags: jealous Colin, clueless colin, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Strangers to Lovers, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, each couple has their own taylor swift song, Fluff and Smut, Eventual Smut, Domestic Fluff Series: Part 3 of bridgerton as evermore/folklore. Summary:

I rewind the tape but all it does is pause On the very moment all was lost Sending signals To be double crossed.

Sophie and Benedict were once lovers, now almost strangers, but that is about to change, as Kate and Anthony meet and don't exactly greet, Colin realizes what has been in front of him all along when he risks losing it and Eloise decides to give her heart a chance, and the most fertile family in London live through the intricacies of love.

image by: @thekatesheffield

a new modern au bridgerton fic for y’all <3

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