Madeleine sighed contently, gently running her hand along Benedict's bare chest. The sun was beating down on them through the open window, a light breeze flowing through the room. It had been nearly a week since they decided to start trying again and Madeleine's courses were due within another week or so.

"That was.. incredible." He whispered, letting out a breathy chuckle as he kissed the top of her head. She giggled softly and nodded, pressing a soft kiss to his jawline.

He ran his fingers gently up and down her bare arm, a trail of goosebumps following his actions. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, smiling softly at him.

"We are going to be okay." She whispered softly. He was unsure whether she was trying to convince him of that or herself, but he smiled warmly and nodded.

"Yes we will, love. I can do this all day until you are pregnant again." He smirked and she giggled at this, resting her head back down on his chest. He kissed the top of her head, gently stroking her hair.

-

A knock on the door pulled Madeleine out of her reading and she stood from the sofa in the living room, walking toward the door.

"A letter from Viscountess Bridgerton, ma'am." The footman held out the envelope and Madeleine thanked him, handing him some change and closing the door.

"Who was at the door, love?" Benedict walked into the room, wiping his hands with a towel. Madeleine giggled softly at the sight of him in an apron, he had been in the middle of making breakfast for them.

"It's a letter from your mother." She handed it to him, following him into the kitchen as he opened the letter and read it.

"She wants us to join the family at the races this afternoon, how does that sound?" He raised his eyebrows, looking up at her.

Madeleine hesitated, unsure of what she thought of the idea. She knew it would be nice to spend time with them, and she knew Benedict definitely wanted to. But she also knew that going to an event in London meant receiving plenty of questions about children. The ton was quite nosy as it was, and with newlyweds even more so. Everybody would be clamoring to know when the married couple would be expecting a child.

Benedict sensed her hesitance and walked over, taking her hands in his and pulling her closer.

"I promise I will do my very best to deflect any and all questions we receive from those nosy busybodies, I am quite quick with words incase you have not noticed." He winked at her, making her smile.

"I will do all the talking if you would like, you will not have to say anything more than 'hello'." He kissed her cheek, watching her with an inquisitive look and waiting to hear her answer. She smiled up at him, she could tell he really wanted to attend and see his family.

"Of course we should go. It will be rather nice to have a day out." She squeezed his hands and he grinned, kissing her lips quickly.

"We will leave around noon, then." He kissed her forehead and turned back to the stove.

She sat down again with her book, but could not seem to focus on the words. She truly wanted to go to the race to make Benedict happy, but she couldn't help but feel nervous. She knew that everybody in the Bridgerton family would be tiptoeing around them with sympathetic eyes, despite their intentions always being good. And she knew that no matter how hard Benedict tried to deflect any questions, she would inevitably be asked about children.

This anxiety manifested itself during the carriage ride, Benedict immediately noticed her leg bouncing and her hands fidgeting with each other. He placed a gentle hand on her thigh and gave her an encouraging squeeze.

"It will be over before you know it and we will be back at home with each other." He whispered, kissing her temple. This seemed to relax her nerves a bit and she nodded, placing her hand on his as the ride continued.

The carriage pulled up to the stadium and Benedict got out first, offering his hand to help Madeleine. She took his arm and they began to walk toward the crowd, the bundle of nerves in her gut growing larger with each step. It was helpful to have Benedict by her side, she knew she could trust him. There was simply something about him that sent a wave of calm through her body whenever they were together.

"The ones to avoid are certainly the Cowpers and the Featheringtons, they are the major gossips. If we steer clear of them, we may just make it out of here alive." He teased, making her laugh.

"Benedict! Madeleine!" Colin called out from the distance, waving his arm. Benedict grinned as he spotted his family by the refreshments and led Madeleine over.

"Hello everyone." Benedict smiled brightly, greeting them all.

"Oh Madeleine, you look absolutely darling in that hat. It suits you very well." Violet beamed, rushing to hug the girl. Madeleine smiled and hugged her back.

"Thank you, Violet. You do have quite the eye for fashion." She giggled softly, referring to the fact that the hat was given to her by Violet for her last birthday. Anthony kissed the girl's hand in greeting, handed her a glass of lemonade before abruptly rushing off.

"Do not mind him, he is currently attempting to court a Miss Edwina Sharma, and failing miserably might I add." Eloise chuckled, sipping at her own lemonade. Madeleine raised her eyebrows, Benedict mirroring her expression.

"Anthony has finally deemed somebody suitable enough to be his wife?" Benedict asked, not even attempting to hide his surprise.

"Oh yes, apparently this Edwina checks all of his many boxes." Eloise nearly groaned, rolling her eyes. Madeleine laughed at this comment, watching as Anthony climbed over the front row to sit between two women.

"And which of the women is Edwina?" Eloise moved next to her, pointing out the one on the left.

"The other one is the sister, Kate. Apparently she is quite a worthy opponent, and she has been doing all she can to keep Anthony from courting her sister." Eloise smirked, quite enjoying the drama of it all.

"Ah, it seems Anthony has his hands full this season then." Madeleine quipped, watching as the eldest Bridgerton made a face at one of Kate's remarks. She and Benedict shared an amused look as she took his arm again, following the family to their seats.