1. Anthony - Not having a Dad that you'd ever gotten to meet made days like today hard. Even Gregory had photos with their Dad. Hyacinth didn't. She hated fathers day. Everyone else used it to remember their father or celebrate being a father, but Hyacinth had never even met the man. Sometimes she felt like she had no connection to him, other than some of his DNA. So when a classmate had mentioned a party hosted by the seniors Hyacinth had agreed to try and sneak in with a few friends.
She knows at twelve teenage parties probably aren't the place for her, but she isn't going to let that stop her. She needs a distraction. She needs to be out of the house. Mum is so distracted by fathers day coming up that it is easy to convince her to let Hyacinth go out with a friend. Gregory is suspicious but says nothing as she leaves the house unseen by anyone else in a mini skirt and cropped top she has stolen from Daphne's room. He'll keep quiet anyway. She knows he will.
Under the advice of Tessa, her friend who had asked her to come, she has pinched one of Francesca's bras and stuffed it with padding. Together with a full face of makeup and a glamorous hair do she looks much older then she actually is. She has also pinched some vodka from the liquor cabinet she isn't supposed to go near. No one will question her and the cabinet is so full she doubts her family will know that one bottle is missing.
Tessa meets her outside the front door of the house the party is at. She too looks much older than she is. "Ooh vodka." Tessa grins, seeing the bottle in Hyacinth's hand. She knocks on the door and an unfamiliar voice calls open. They enter together.
Hyacinth has grown up at Bridgerton house or number five as they call it. It's a big old house in the heart of Mayfair with endless rooms. This house is tiny. It's packed with people in the hallway, up the stairs, in every single room. Music blasts from one of the rooms, but it is the voices that make it so loud. Hyacinth has limited knowledge of houses other then the ones her family and closest friends live at, but this one is like the one she had seen on a property show Mum had been watching. They had called it semi detached and apparently a semi detached home in London would be very expensive and yet it seems so small, Hyacinth cannot fathom how that could be. She knows Anthony wanted to send her to the same private school the older siblings had gone too and that Mum had said no. Mum wanted her to have a taste of the real world and she guesses this house and this party is the real world.
Tessa grabs her hand and leads her through the hallway to the kitchen to get a drink. She mixes some drinks into a paper cup and offers it to Hyacinth, but Hyacinth is less certain about what she wants so she grabs a cider. She can remember Colin arguing with Anthony that a cider was basically alcohol free. So she assumes it won't contain any alcohol. It tastes like juice, only much more bitter. She doesn't love it, but she wants to impress Tessa so she drinks it.
She is on her second cider and dancing with Tessa in the living room when she hears a thunderous voice. "Hyacinth." It roars. She knows that voice. That voice belongs to Anthony. How did he find her?
She is looking for a place to hide when he storms into the living room, his expression is thunderous as he spots her. She isn't sure what is more embarrassing, the fact that Anthony is drawing everyone's attention to her or the fact that he is wearing the rattiest pair of grey sweat pants he owns (Newton has visibly chewed them) and an old hoodie with her baby face on it that she had gifted him aged eight. He lunges forward and grabs the cider from her hand. "You're leaving now." He shouts. People have their phones out. Hyacinth is mortified. She'll never be able to claw this back. Had he purposefully chosen to make a scene while looking like that? Probably.
She follows Anthony from the room and everyone seems to watch her go. Tessa has vanished and she has never felt more alone. As soon as they get out of the house she explodes. "I hate you." She tells him. "Everyone's going to think I'm a loser and it's all your fault.".
Anthony doesn't respond to that, his face remains stoic. He just points at his Mercedes and tells her to get into the car. She does so. She isn't going to fight this. They drive home in silence and then when they get back to number five he let's her go in first. As soon as the door shuts, he starts shouting. "What on earth were you thinking Hyacinth?" He demands. The famous vain of his is popping already and she steals herself for a lecture. "Sneaking out to a party. Drinking alcohol. You're twelve Hyacinth. Twelve."
Hyacinth isn't having it. "You ruined everything." She yells back. "I just wanted to be anywhere but this stupid house on fathers day. I know you all think less of me because I never met dad." She hasn't noticed that behind her an audience has formed, all her siblings have left the living room where they had been and crowded into the hallway. "Don't even pretend you don't." She adds. "So I wanted to be anywhere but here and Tessa said it would look good for us but you've ruined that. I can never go back to school now. They'll all think I'm a loser. I'll be a loner like Chris who peed his pants on the first day and no one will ever like me again and its all your fault." She screams at him. "I hate you Anthony, I hate you." With that she turns on her heal and rushes up the stairs slamming the door to her bedroom as loudly as she can. Anthony is left in that hallway staring after her.
She doesn't know how long she has been upstairs before there is a knock on her door, but she pretends she can't hear it. The door opens anyway. It isn't Anthony, but Anthony's girlfriend Kate instead. "What are you doing here?" She huffs.
Kate sighs. "Well I volunteered to come check on you Hyacinth, you seemed pretty upset." Hyacinth doesn't have an answer to that. "Can I sit?" Kate gestures to the end of her bed. Hyacinth nods. "You know when I started dating Anthony I found it really scary how much he idealised his Dad." She says. "Because I knew I'd never be able to meet him or get his seel of approval and I worried that Anthony would always wonder whether his Dad would have liked me. I even thought it might make Anthony break up with me." She adds. "But I lost my Dad too and I didn't wish for my dad to approve my relationship with Anthony, I just wished he'd gotten to meet Anthony and see how wonderful he was. When I told Anthony that he said he felt the same. No one thinks any less of you Hyacinth, I think they just wish your Dad had gotten to meet you and see how wonderful you are."
Hyacinth cries and Kate holds her. At some point Anthony must have come in, because when she's cried all the makeup off and she opens her eyes again, he's there stood just inside the doorway. She scrambles to her feet and rushes over to hug him. "I'm sorry." She tells him.
Anthony nods. "I know Hy, I didn't think how hard today would be for you, but I've spoken to the others and we thought that if you wanted to come downstairs we could try our best to answer all your questions about Dad so you can feel like you know him too."
Hyacinth grins. "I'd like that."
Anthony grins. "Come on then, oh and Hyacinth if I ever catch you drinking again." He warns.
2. Benedict - She is thirteen when she meets the first boy she really likes. He's called Robbie and he's in all of her classes. He seems to like her too. She tells Mum he's just a friend and so Mum suggests he come over for dinner. She didn't think he would say yes, but he did. Then a miracle had happened, Mum would be out for the evening at Francesca's piano performance. Its term time so her siblings at university will be there and Anthony, Colin and Daphne had moved out. It will just be her and Gregory and Benedict will be in charge of them. It's perfect she thinks. She can finally get Robbie alone and have her first kiss. Tessa has already had hers and Hyacinth doesn't want to be left behind.
She brings Robbie home and he politely greets Benedict who greets him back with a big smile. Then they go upstairs. "Don't you dare shut that door." He yells after them. Hyacinth wants to huff. Benedict is supposed to be the cool sibling. The one who would sneak them chocolate when Mum and Anthony weren't looking, who let them watch extra telly and even let them watch shows that Mum would have a fit if she knew they'd seen and whenever he was in charge over night he'd let them stay up extra late. Benedict is meant to ask no questions. So much for that.
She keeps the door open, but she still whispers to Robbie as she flirts with him. When Colin, Daphne and Eloise had all brought their first girlfriend and boyfriends home Anthony had stood outside their doors ears pressed to the wall. She had seen him do it. Benedict had always mocked him for it, but now she wouldn't put it past him after all.
If she thought Benedict listening at the door would be a bad thing she finds she is wrong. She would pay for him to be listening at the door. Instead for some insane reason he has decided to pace the hallway banging a pan. Every time she leans towards Robbie the stupid pan clatters and Robbie jumps. She should take it as a sign. If Robbie can't manage a pan bandaging, he's never going to be able to survive brunches or game nights with the Bridgertons. Still she's here for a kiss and until a few minutes ago that was her whole focus.
Despite the fact that her brother clearly hates her, Robbie does eventually lean in for a kiss. Hyacinth kisses back. This is it. The moment she has been waiting for, and then Benedict walks in. "Urg. Haven't we had enough horny teenagers in this house?" He asks, far too casually. Robbie jumps back from her and backs as far away as he can.
"Benedict." Hyacinth hisses. "You're meant to be the cool one."
Benedict shrugs. "I'm proving a point to Anthony."
Hyacinth could kill him. "At my expense?" She demands.
Benedict has the audacity to shrug again. "Yeah." He says shamelessly.
Robbie practically runs out the door after that and Hyacinth spends the rest of the evening wishing she didn't have any siblings.
4. Daphne - Tom is everything to Hyacinth. In fact he's all her brain can think about. She's seventeen and yet she's behaving like a twelve year old. There's just something about him. She's glad Gregory has left school, because otherwise he'd be mocking her endlessly. She is in two of her three subject classes with him. History and physics. He does maths as well and she does chemistry, but considering at A level she only studies three subjects she has a class with him pretty much every day.
It's Monday morning and she's just walking out of history with him. She's exhausted because Daphne has had her babysitting last night. Belinda had vomited everywhere and Daphne's phone had been conveniently switched off. She is almost certain her sister has turned it off on purpose knowing full well her daughter was ill. Thankfully Mum had her phone on and had come to Hyacinth's rescue. Still a screaming vomit covered two year old and a refusing to sleep shouting four year old had taken their toll on her.
"And I just can't believe I didn't know that Henry the seventh was..." Hyacinth is trying to concentrate on what he is saying, but her stomach is flipping. Daphne's stupid kids. Her sister had all but poisoned her. "Hyacinth?" Asks Tom. They're by the lockers now. She hadn't even realised they had moved. "You good."
Hyacinth nods. Then immediately regrets it because before she can stop herself she is vomiting all over Tom. He steps back. She goes beet red. "Erm I'll go find a teacher." Another student says as Hyacinth just stands there wishing the ground would swallow her up. Tom says nothing, his shoes covered in her vomit, his eyes wide with horror. Hyacinth barely manages to stay standing, sweaty, shaking and desperately trying not to vomit again accepts that Tom is likely to never want to see her again.
Later when she has been sent home and collected by the only sibling around (Mum is at a class) who happens to be Anthony (being your own boss has its perks she supposes) she finds herself reliving the moment she puked on her crush again and again. Anthony has insisted on staying with her until Mum is back. Even though she'd be fine on her own. "You alright." Anthony asks entering her room. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, and his face is a mask of concern. "You look pale."
Hyacinth rolls her eyes. "Jeez thanks." She responds. "I'm thinking about how my sister abandoned me with her sick kid and how that kid got me sick and I vomited all over the shoes of the boy I fancy."
Anthony, her serious, sensible, responsible brother laughs. He actually laughs. And despite the fact she'll probably never have a social reputation again and that Tom probably hates her she laughs too. She may never forgive Daphne for doing this to her, but there's something nice about being able to laugh about it with her big brother.
5. Colin - Mum is out and Hyacinth is on summer break from uni, so she has taken the opportunity to smuggle Gareth into the house. She'd met him at university and he just happens to have family in Mayfair as well. They're not quite official, but they're somewhere between friends with benefits and relationship and she has been craving him since she came home a month ago. She needs this.
Gareth is inside her when she hears the voices. She freezes and Gareth notices, stopping mid thrust. "Hy?" He asks.
"Sshh." She tells him, he leans down but doesn't move to pull out. They both need this. A month is too long, they'd barely taken their clothes off before getting into bed.
"This is you fault." She knows Penelope's voice instantly. Her sister in law sounds angry, the type of angry she only ever saves for her husband, so Colin is most likely here too. "You told her that the bunny would protect her from monsters and now she's lost the stupid thing and she's convinced there are monsters everywhere."
Colin huffs. Great. He really is here. "It isn't my fault. You had one job remember the stupid bunny."
Penelope scoffs at that. "I'm juggling two children and hiding a pregnancy from your ridiculously nosy family. I never told my daughter that she'd be safe from monsters because of a stupid bunny." Her sister in law sounds exasperated and if Hyacinth wasn't so worried about being walked in on, she'd be properly listening to Penelope's words.
Their footsteps and voices fade away and Gareth begins to move again. Hyacinth forgets they may still be in the house and let's out a moan and then a scream. She's so distracted by Gareth's fingers on her clit that she doesn't notice the door is opening until its too late. "Hyacinth." Colin screeches. Gareth stills.
"Colin." She chokes out as Gareth goes slack on top of her. She glances to the door to find her brother and sister in law both looking horrified at the scene in front of them.
Colin turns his back to her, Penelope does the same. "This is illegal." Colin says.
Penelope scoffs. "She's nineteen."
Colin sighs, a sigh he saves just for moments like this when he has some kind of point to make. "Alright then it's unethical."
Penelope scoffs again. "How is it unethical?" She demands. "I was nineteen when we first..." She cuts herself off and Hyacinth, who is too afraid to look up, imagines Colin is glowering at her.
"Get dressed and get downstairs both of you or I will call Anthony." Colin snaps, before leaving the room. Hyacinth can hear Penelope scolding Colin as they walk away.
"I can never leave this room again." Sighs Hyacinth. Gareth, who apparently has no shame whatsoever just laughs. "How are you so casual?" She demands.
Gareth finally pulls out of her and sits up shrugging. "Well it's not that big of a deal. I was probably going to meet your family anyway. It wasn't ideal but..."
Hyacinth shakes her head. "Colin is the least dramatic of my brothers. How do you think the others are going to react?" Gareth shrugs again. Well at least he hasn't been scared away.
When they get downstairs Colin is pacing. As soon as they enter he turns to her. "My wife has told me I'm being unreasonable. She's also pointed out that I'm being hypocritical." He adds. Hyacinth blinks at him. "So I'm sorry I screamed at you. But I need to know are you being safe?"
Hyacinth rolls her eyes. "Yes Colin don't worry I'm not going to random people's houses for sex nor am I pulling them off the streets. I'm not going to end up the subject of a murder documentary."
"No Hyacinth I mean safe sex." Colin responds exasperated. "Are you using condoms or birth control I know what it feels like to be a teenager and I know you think you're invincible but..."
"You sound like Anthony." Hyacinth cuts him off. "And yes I know about safe sex, Mum and Daphne had the talk with me." Colin nods looking relieved. Hyacinth would like the ground to swallow her up. "So can we go back up?" She asks.
Colin glares. "Don't push it. You're staying here." He states. "At the very least I'd like to be able to brag that I met the boyfriend first."
"Cock block." She mutters. Why couldn't she be any only child?
5. Eloise - She is wearing an exclusive Genevieve Delacroix dress, designed just for her. For this moment as she graduates. She smiles as her name is called, and walks confidently on to the stage grateful to Gen for making a dress that has a long but practical skirt. She accepts the diploma and holds it up with a smile. "Hyacinth." She hears and turns to see the source of the noise. To her horror her mother and Eloise are holding a large banner with a picture of her from when she was a child. The rest of her family are sat calmly watching on. Why has her mother and sister decided to embarrass her? What has she done to deserve this? She quickly exits the stage.
Her graduation party is two days later at Aubrey Hall. Benedict, Gregory and Daphne have collaborated to organise it. She has heard tidbits about it, for example Benedict wanted to get everyone drunk and Anthony threatened him, Gregory wanted to invite his new fling and Eloise said no and that Daphne had then been brought on board to reign them in. She knew nothing else though. She is in another Genevieve outfit, having a stylist as a close family friend and former girlfriend of a brother has a lot of perks, a silver shirt with a black bow and black trousers. Kate and Anthony have gifted her designer silver heels as a graduation present and Colin and Penelope have given her a silver necklace with a test tube on it to mark her Chemistry degree. She wears them both with pride.
She doesn't expect Gareth to be stood at the door in a suit waiting for her. He hands her flowers with a beam. She laughs, accepting the bunch. Then he leads her through the hall into the garden where a giant gazebo has been put up. "Just a warning, Daphne could only have so much say over the guest list." Hyacinth laughs as he leads her in.
There are cheers as she walks in, blinking at the light coming from a giant disco ball in the center of the gazebo. A bar is secured at one side, where the bar tender, Sasha (another of Benedict's exes - she doesn't know how Sophie is so chill about it) is mixing drinks. Music booms from the speakers around her as she is swarmed by her cheering siblings. She grins and then heads for the bar hand in hand with Gareth. With a drink in her hand she circles the room greeting each guest. Then she returns to the center and her siblings.
They dance together for a while and then Eloise takes the a microphone. "Ladies and Gentlemen," She slurs. Hyacinth suddenly tenses. This cannot possibly good. "Today we're celebrating my baby sister Hyacinth." Beside her Gareth and Benedict are already struggling to contain their laughter, while poor Cressida watches her girlfriend in horror. "I remember when Hyacinth tried to drink wee because she wanted to be like Bear Grylls." Cackles Eloise. Hyacinth goes red. Somebody save her now. "And when we caught her she'd already drunk some and it was so so funny." She states. "Also Hyacinth once tried to fart like her brothers but she pooed her pants instead." Eloise adds. Benedict is doubled over laughing now. Most of her siblings look amused. Anthony, Daphne and Colin however look furiously on at Eloise. "Once she tried to beat us at Pall Mall, by hiding the ball and got stuck up a tree. My brothers had to climb it to get her down and she screamed so loudly a walker called the police." Eloise continues. "Ooh or the time when she dropped her key down a grate and had to climb in and get it. But my favorite Hyacinth moment is one I missed, but Colin told Benedict and I overheard. When Hyacinth was nineteen and she was back from a uni break she thought she had the house and so she..." Colin clocking on to the story, rushes forward and literally snatches the mic from Eloise. The two wrestle for it on stage creating a loud electrical screech.
Anthony frowns. "Benedict why do I feel like that story was going somewhere bad?" He asks over the noise.
Benedict shrugs. "Couldn't possibly say." Is his response.
"Well those were erm stories about Hyacinth..." Colin says as he wins the mic, he looks so awkward she would laugh. If she wasn't currently in absolute hell. "To Hyacinth." He raises his glass.
"But what is the story?" Anthony demands.
Hyacinth wishes above anything else that she were an only child.
7. Gregory - She is twenty five and her and Gareth have been together six years. She knows exactly what's coming. He spoke to Anthony. He's asked for her ring size (she'd caught Kate stealing her only properly fitted ring) and now he's brought her to her favorite restaurant. His intent is clear. He is dressed up and so is she. Its perfect. Until Gregory appears.
"Oh thank God." He says appearing from no where in cargo shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops. He surveys her navy jumpsuit and his suit. "You two are overdressed." He remarks, as he pulls a chair to their table for two. He doesn't ask. He just grabs it and plops down. He ignores Hyacinth's glares. "I'm so glad you're both here, you won't believe what's happened. Lucy is engaged. The love of my life is engaged." He says waving a hand dramatically almost knocking a tray out of the waiters hand as they pass. Hyacinth grits her teeth. She knows she's meant to be being proposed too right now. Apparently Gregory didn't.
Gareth, who has the annoyingly ability to just go with it, gives Gregory's shoulder a sympathetic pat. "You look like you could use a glass of wine." He states.
Gregory nods, accepting Gareth's glass and gulping it down. "She says we can't see each other anymore." Gregory sniffs. "She hates me." He adds.
Gareth refills the glass. So much for splitting the bottle between them. "There there." He says. Why is he being sympathetic? Hyacinth wonders. This isn't his moment. It's meant to be hers. Could she ever have anything for herself?
"No one will ever love me." Gregory whines.
Gareth shakes his head. "That isn't true Gregory." He says.
Gregory gulps the second glass. "I love her so much and it's so unfair." He says, now just taking the bottle from the middle of the table and drinking directly from it.
"Gregory." Hyacinth hisses. "Stop behaving like an animal."
Gregory puts the bottle down and then sticks his tongue out at her. He actually sticks his tongue out at her. She sucks in a breath. "I'm going to the toilet." She states, clambering to her feet and walking away heels clicking on the floor.
When she reaches the bathroom she resists the urge to scream. Instead she takes a deep breath and pulls out her phone. Anthony clearly knows the proposal plans so she calls him. He doesn't answer. Neither does Benedict. So she calls Colin.
"Hyacinth." Colin's voice tells her he's expecting some good news. "Pen it's Hyacinth." He calls.
"Hy." Penelope's voice echoes.
"Gareth is meant to be proposing isn't he?" Hyacinth asks.
Colin stutters, but Penelope answers. "Yes. I take it he hasn't."
Hyacinth groans. "No because Gregory crashed our meal."
"Gregory?" Colin asks in disbelief.
Hyacinth sighs. "Yes and now he's taking up all of Gareth's time with his complaints and drinking all the wine because Lucy broke up with him and while I'm sad for him, I want my proposal." She states.
Colin sighs. "Okay. Send me your location and I'll come get him." He states.
Hyacinth does eventually get her proposal, but it comes weeks later. Gregory will swear he had no idea what he had been interrupting, but Hyacinth isn't so sure.
+1 Francesca (and everyone) - Its three am and Hyacinth has officially been thirty for three hours. She would be celebrating, but she has just had a baby at 10pm the night before and so all she wants to do is sleep. Gareth has been sent home to shower and change and so the person with her is Francesca. Her sister who has offered to move in with them and help with the baby for a few weeks. Hyacinth has jumped at this offer. Her sister who is currently holding her daughter, Ophelia, rocking her gently so Hyacinth can sleep. She is so grateful for her sister as she falls back asleep.
When they get home Francesca says she can stay for three weeks and does all the cooking for them and most of the washing. She also insists on joining in the night feeds giving Hyacinth and Gareth a few extra hours of sleep each night. Francesca is calm and composed and does whatever she can while she is staying and Hyacinth is so glad to have her and her help. She is beyond grateful.
She is grateful two days later when Anthony and Kate show up with clothes for the baby and spend several hours just sitting with them and getting to know her niece.
She is grateful when Francesca has gone back home and she can't remember when she last slept. She says something to Colin while hysterically crying on the phone then there's a knock on her door and Colin and Penelope come over and take the baby offering the new parents some sleep. When she wakes up her daughter has been fed and is sleeping and later she finds labelled tubs of Colin's homemade food and Penelope's bakes in her freezer.
She is grateful when she is constantly arguing with Gareth, in their sleep deprived haze they hit a stage where she wonders if their marriage can survive, and Daphne and Simon come to their rescue giving them a date night so they can relax. It isn't an instant fix, but it makes a world of difference.
She is grateful when Eloise and Cressida use a few contacts to secure Ophelia her nursery place. She won't be starting for at least a year, but they have gotten her into somewhere prestigious (and she gets to one up her siblings who sent their kids to regular nursery).
She is grateful when Benedict comes with her to get Ophelia's first vaccines because Gareth has a meeting and can't make it. Ophelia is chill, Hyacinth cries. Benedict teases her endlessly, but still she is grateful she hasn't had to do it alone. She is also grateful when she can call Sophie, a doctor, with all of her questions every time Ophelia so much as sneezes. Her sister in law is always patient and calm and never judges her questions.
She is grateful when she's going back to work four days a week and Mum offers to have Ophelia two days of the week and every one of her siblings offers to pick Ophelia up from nursery if she is running late the other two days.
She is grateful when Gregory and his now wife Lucy insist on planning Ophelia's christening for her (something she's put off for ages) and all she and Gareth have to do is turn up and smile.
She is grateful when Ophelia is one and they all gather around a cake to take pictures, nieces, nephews, siblings and noise everywhere. Ophelia loves it and so does she. She supposes being an only child isn't so bad.