12. His Rose Without A Thorn

[It's the strangest thing. We barely know one another, and yet whenever I look at her, my initial impulse is to smile.

No one's ever had that effect on me before.]

"Ooooooh, I think I see one over there," holding my youngest sister's hand, I gently led her to this part of the garden. All the Bridgerton siblings were spending Easter morning egg hunting out in the backyard. Hyacinth found the chocolate-shaped egg wrapped in foil, eagerly putting in her basket. Anthony was on the other side of the yard, helping Gregory with his little basket. Meanwhile all our siblings in between were filling their own at rapid speeds.

Gregory spotted a blue egg and turned to me with excitement. "Look, Daph! I found another blue one!" Blue was his favourite colour. "Fantastic job, Gregory," I called back to him. Colin waltzed up to Benedict, proudly displaying his basket for our brother to see. "Look how many I've found. Looks like I win this round too, huh Benny boy?" "There are still eggs to find; the morning isn't over yet, little brother," he declared back. Anthony rolled his eyes. "Come on, you guys. This is supposed to be for the kids. It's not a competition… Although if it was, I'd be winning," he said under his breath. I grinned at him and discreetly pointed behind him. "Anthony," my voice was low, so not to alert the others. He peered over his shoulder curiously, then took Gregory's small hand in his. "Let's go check back here. I bet there's some we missed." There were indeed eggs that no one had found yet over there. Smiling, I returned to Hyacinth to aid in her search before our overly competitive brothers and sisters sniffed them all out.

We were right in the middle of doing so when Anthony checked his watch. "It's eleven o'clock, baby sis," he then hollered my way. "Ok. I'll be back out in a minute; go over there with them," I nodded and lightly pushed my sister to go join our youngest and oldest brother. "Yes, let's go have another look under the oak tree again," Anthony took Hyacinth's hand with his free one. "Don't bother! We've already combed over every square inch of that area," Colin waved his hands at them. Rolling my eyes, I took off to go inside. I entered through the back door to the kitchen. Setting my barren basket down, I proceeded to fill a cup with water; I drank it while watching my siblings through the window. Gregory was complaining how Benedict and Colin had more eggs than the rest of us combined, and Anthony was scolding them and demanding they share their chocolate with everyone else. I had just finished my water and was about to rejoin them outback until someone rang the doorbell.

Curious, I thought to myself while turning around. This was Easter morning; who could be calling now? The doorbell rang a second time and I knew I couldn't ignore it forever. With a sigh, I went to answer it, expecting it to be a neighbour or something. To my shock, I was astonished to open the door only to find a man buried in a sea of flowers on the other side. I blinked bewildered and unsure what to say to such a sight. "Uhhhhhhhh?"

"Bridgerton residence?" The delivery man inquired. After a second of pure stun, my head nodded on its own accord. He seemed satisfied enough with this. "Flora delivery for Miss Eloise Bridgerton, Miss Francesca Bridgerton, Miss Hyacinth Bridgerton, and one Miss Daphne Bridgerton." My lips sputtered. How else was I supposed to react? One of us receiving a flower bouquet, sure; but all four of us? No one'd ever sent us flowers before, let alone me. Before I stepped out of his way, I scanned the bundles over repeatedly. "W-Who sent them?" "Don't know. It's on the card, Miss. May I?" "Uh, y-yeah! Yeah, sure," finally going to the side, the fellow brought all four bouquets in through the hall and into the kitchen. He set them on the table all beside each other. Each bouquet consisted of a different array and type of flower, with the last one being just a single type of flora. The last one he carried in was a set of two dozen roses- all long-stem and red. This one he put straight into my arms.

We wished each other a happy Easter and then he took off. After closing and locking the front door, I just stood there- completely in a daze. So many flowers…. I can't imagine who'd send them all like this. I wonder who…. That's when I remembered there was a card. Tucked inside the wrapping of my roses was small card and envelop. Curious overtook me as I ran over to it, pulling out the card and read it aloud to myself. "To remind you of my lack of interest. Happy Easter, Daphne. Yours truly… Simon," my hand slowly lowered the card from out in front of me. Simon? Wait a minute…. Simon sent all these?! Did he really….?! But why?! My head shot back over at the table, now overflowing with fresh-cut blossoms. My lips parted and I had to remind myself to breathe. He did this for us…. for Easter. And he sent me roses- red roses. My all-time favourite flower… "Did I mention Daphne loves flowers? Roses are her favourite." Eloise, that little…..!

Still, I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. I gazed over each of my sisters' bouquet, then back down to the red roses currently filling up both my arms. This smile etched itself across my lips. Simon, he really didn't have to do this…. My nose leaned in to smell one of the blossoms. Oh god, you can't imagine how good a freshly bloomed rose smells. It's perfection, if any scent can be perfect. This certainly seemed like it to me. I couldn't stop smiling while I went over to turn on the cold-water tap and fetch a vase.

Anthony had just come through the back kitchen door when I was setting my roses in some water. "Well, that is the last time we let those morons join us in our annual Easter egg hunt! They practically found every…." His words pattered off once he saw the kitchen table. His eyes grew in shock and confusion. "What's all this?" "Your dear friend from Oxford, Simon, sent all the girls over a bouquet for Easter," I flashed him a grin. My brother's eyes widened. "He did?" "Mmhmm," my head nodded as I carried the vase back over to the counter. I wanted to be really careful not to drop it- not the first bouquet of roses I'd ever received. The last time I told a man I wanted flowers, Daddy bought me a rose bush. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Anthony approached the table, plucking up a bloom from Francesca's bunch. He inspected it ponderingly. "Wow, that was so nice of him! You four will have to remember to thank him the next time we see the duke," he told me. "I will, big bro," I replied, not taking my eyes off my roses. They were just so beautiful. Anthony watched me momentarily, smiling to himself eventually.

"He really wants our family to like him. He's trying, Daphne." "I know he is. But he doesn't have to. I already like him; I think he'll be very easy to be friends with," I shuffled a few of my flowers. Anthony nodded. "It's always been that way with me. He's always been such a good friend, and I'm just so thankful you two are getting along. I feel like I can trust him around you." "I think you can, big bro. I think you can….." My grin returned, my thumb running alongside a deep red petal. I could also feel Anthony smile from where I was standing. "Your flowers really are beautiful, baby sis." "They are." "Hopefully your future husband can match such a bouquet." "Even if he can't, I have these now. I'll take them in, and remember what it's like…. to receive such lovely roses." "I'm sure this won't be the only delivery of flowers you ever get, Daphne." "Mmmmmm, but it's ok if it is.

I have my small taste of what it's like now."