Chapter Text
“Sharpe, what have you found?” Anthony demanded, pacing around the room.
There was a pause on the other end of the line.
“Philip Crane, owns a plant nursery-”
“I don’t care about that! Find some dirt on him. We need to convince Eloise that he’s not good enough for her.”
Anthony’s brows furrowed as he processed the information Theo had given him. “Children? Are you sure about that?” he asked.
“Yes, sir,” Theo responded. “He lost his ex-wife two years ago and has two children. I’m surprised your sister didn’t mention them to you.
Anthony let out a short laugh, the thought of Eloise handling children amusing him. “She’s obviously lost her mind,” he muttered. “She’s never been one for children, and now she’s involved with a man who has two of them?”
“This is unlike her,” Anthony said, pacing around the room. “Eloise has always been so independent, shouting about finding her purpose. Now, she’s run away to meet a man who has children. It doesn’t make sense. Find out more about him and report back to me immediately. Keep a close eye on them with your men, and if he does anything suspicious, call me right away. I’ll handle him myself.”
“Yes, sir.” Theo replied.
Anthony ended the call and sighed deeply, his mind racing with thoughts. This whole situation with Eloise and this Philip Crane guy didn’t add up. He knew his sister had a tendency to be impulsive, but this decision to run away to be with a widower who had children was unlike anything she had ever done.
He leaned back in his chair and let out a deep sigh, trying to make sense of his sister’s recent behaviour. He knew he needed to get to the bottom of this and protect her if necessary. He wouldn’t let some stranger with children take advantage of his sister.
He gazed down at his watch to see it was fifteen minutes past 8. Penelope should be done with preparing breakfast. Anthony walked out of his office and made his way to the dining room.
He rolled his eyes in frustration, realising that his brothers were up to their usual antics. He quickened his pace and approached the dining room, the moans becoming closer as he drew near. He cursed under his breath at the thought of them bringing a girl home and behaving inappropriately, especially with Penelope present as their maid.
He arrived at the dining room door and burst through it, looking around for his brothers and the offending girl.
Anthony stood at the entrance of the dining room, his eyes wide with horror as he took in the sight before him. There sat Penelope, perched on Benedict’s lap, her legs parted and her skirt riding up her thighs. Benedict’s lips were nuzzling her neck, his hand gripping her thigh possessively. Colin stood in front of them, his arms crossed, watching the scene unfold.
Penelope looked dishevelled, her hair cascading down her shoulders and onto Benedict’s shoulders.
“What the f*ck is going on here?!” Anthony shouted.
“Mr. Bridgerton, forgive me,” Penelope said, her voice trembling as she tried to get out of Benedict’s lap but his grip tightened around her stomach.
Benedict looked up at Anthony and smirked, his grip on Penelope’s thigh tightening. “Oh brother, don’t you know how to knock?” he asked.
Colin chuckled, a smirk on his face as well as he faced Anthony. “Relax, brother. We’re not hurting her. We’re just having some morning entertainment.”
Anthony stalked closer to the table, his anger building. “This is unacceptable,” he said firmly, “Penelope is our maid, and your behaviour is highly inappropriate.”
Benedict chuckled, his fingers tracing small circles on Penelope’s thigh, he placed a kiss on her neck, causing her to gasp softly. “Oh, come on, Anthony. We were just having a bit of fun,” he said, his tone playful.
Colin leans back against the table, a grin playing on his lips. “Penny doesn’t seem to mind,” he teased, eyeing her closely.
Anthony’s face hardened as he looked between his brothers and Penelope. “That doesn’t matter,” he gritted his teeth. “Penelope is not a toy for your amusem*nt.”
Benedict’s hand slid higher up Penelope’s thigh, and she let out a soft gasp. Anthony held every self-control in him not to punch his brother’s face but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, at least not in front of her.
Colin chuckled, watching the scene before him. “Look at her, brother. She’s clearly enjoying it,” he said with a smirk.
Anthony clenched his jaw, his anger mounting. “That doesn’t give you the right to take advantage of her. She is our maid, not one of your playthings.”
Benedict stood up from his chair, a look of murder on his eyes. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before suddenly pushing Penelope roughly towards Anthony. She let out a yelp as she slammed into his chest.
Benedict fixed his gaze on Anthony, his expression firm. “She broke rule number nine,” he said sternly. “No cursing.”
Colin nodded, his expression serious.
“Penelope,” Anthony said as he looked down at her. “Go to your room,” he commanded.
Penelope quickly scurried out of the room, her face flustered and embarrassed.
Anthony charged towards Benedict, his fist clenched tightly. He swung his arm forward and delivered a sharp punch to Benedict’s face, causing him to stumble back and fall into his chair. Colin let out a laugh, but quickly sobered as Anthony turned his attention to him. Anthony grabbed Colin’s shoulder and delivered a hard punch to his stomach, causing him to cough and stagger backward.
Anthony stood in the middle of the room, his face red with anger, “You f*cktards!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. “Did our parents never teach us to be gentlemen? To honour a lady’s virtue?”
“What happened to being proper gentlemen?” Anthony continued. “Have you lost all sense of decency? Are you good for nothing but sleeping around and playing with other women?”
Benedict wiped the blood off his lip, his cheek throbbing from the punch. “f*ck!” he shouted. He looked at his brother with a mix of annoyance and defensiveness. “It’s not a big deal, Anthony. We were just playing around.”
Colin, still clutching his stomach and catching his breath, tried to interject. “Yeah, we didn’t mean any harm-”
“It’s not just harmless fun, you buffoons!” Anthony cut him off. “She is our maid, not one of your whor*s!” he exclaimed, his voice growing louder with each word. “Have you considered how it must feel for her? How you’re treating her like a toy, violating her diligently and disrespecting her as a person?”
Benedict broke out into a wicked laugh, clapping his hands in exaggeration. “Oh, Anthony, you hypocrite,” he said, a smirk on his face. “You’re the one who encouraged us to visit sex clubs when we turned 18. What happened to all that bravado? Oh, right, Sienna left you like one of your toys, didn’t she?”
Anthony clenched his fists as Benedict spoke, his jaw tightening at the mention of Sienna. He lunged forward, grabbing Benedict by the collar and shoving him against the wall. “Don’t you dare mention her name,” he said through gritted teeth.
“Sienna is my past now,” Anthony growled, his eyes narrowing.
Benedict pushed him back forcibly, his own anger rising. “You may be the leader, but you’re my brother first,” he said, the words punctuated by a punch to Anthony’s jaw.
Anthony stumbled backwards, his hand going up to touch his jaw where Benedict had punched him. He glared at his brother, his eyes blazing with anger. “You’re out of line,” he said through clenched teeth. “Sienna has nothing to do with this. We’re talking about how you treated Penelope.”
Anthony, Benedict and Colin turned their heads towards the door seeing Penelope walk in wearing shorts and a jumper instead of the maid outfit, a bag in her hand.
“What?” Anthony asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
Penelope held up her bag, her expression serious. “I quit.”
Benedict opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Colin interrupted.
“Penelope, you can’t just quit,” he protested. “We need you here.”
Penelope looked over at Colin, her eyes narrowing. “You need me? Or you need someone to tease and harass?” she retorted.
Benedict chuckled darkly, his eyes glinting with amusem*nt. “Oh come on, Penny. You can’t deny that you enjoyed it as much as we did.”
“Enough!” Anthony’s voice boomed through the room as he shouted at Benedict.
He turned to Penelope, his expression pleading. “Penelope, I want to apologise on behalf of my brothers for their foolish actions. Please. Please, don’t leave.”
Penelope looked at Anthony’s face, seeing the vulnerability and respect in his eyes. She took a deep breath, and smiled. “Under one condition,” she said firmly. “I have one rule against you three.”
Benedict and Colin raised their eyebrows and smirked, anticipating her condition.
“And what would that be?” Anthony asked.
“No touching me,” she said, her voice steady. “No matter what. No excuses, no exceptions. You can’t lay a single finger on me.”
Benedict and Colin’s smirks faded as they looked at each other, dumbfounded. Anthony raised his eyebrows, his mind whirling with thoughts.
Colin let out a scoff. “Are you serious? Just because of a little harmless fun with you on my lap, we can’t touch you at all?” he said, his tone incredulous.
Benedict rolled his eyes. “Come on, it’s a ridiculous condition. We can’t even accidentally brush past you?”
Penelope’s gaze hardened. “No touching, accidental or otherwise. If you can’t respect my boundaries, then I’m leaving,” she said firmly. “No touching, no flirting, no teasing. Nothing.”
Anthony suddenly chuckled, a sly smile appearing on his face. “I think our little maid just got more interesting,” he said.
“Miss Featherington,” he continued as he leaned closer to her, “while we have set our own rules, my brothers and I have also established punishments for breaking each of these rules. And you broke rule number nine. Do you want to know what your punishment entails?”
Penelope’s eyes widened as Anthony’s demeanour changed, his voice dropping to a whisper as he leaned into her ear. “It involves touching you,” he whispered, and his brothers slowly smiled.
Penelope felt a shiver run down her spine, but she tried to maintain her composure. “What do you mean by ‘touching’?” she asked, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Anthony smiled, his eyes locked onto hers. “Oh, you know exactly what I mean, Miss Featherington. But since you’re playing coy, I’ll give you a little taste.”
He reached out and slowly trailed his fingers down her arm, his touch sending tingles through her body. She tried to pull away, but Anthony’s hand shot out and gripped her wrist, holding her in place.
“Ah-ah, no escaping just yet,” he said, his voice silky and low. “You broke the rules, so you have to accept the consequences.”
Benedict and Colin watched with amused grins on their faces as Anthony continued to toy with Penelope, his touch growing more brazen.
“Are you scared, Miss Featherington?” Anthony asked, his fingers now tracing a pattern along the inside of her wrist. “You look like a little mouse, all trembling and wide-eyed.”
Anthony leaned in closer, his hand still holding her wrist, “You signed a contract and you didn’t hesitate,” he continued. “You’re bound by it, Miss Featherington.”
Anthony smirked as he saw the fear in his eyes. “You have nowhere to go, little mouse,” he said, his voice low and dangerous.
Penelope felt a pang of fear as Anthony’s words sank in. She had signed a contract when she started working for the brothers, desperate to escape her toxic family and he was right, she had nowhere to go. With Anthony, holding on her wrist tightened, she realised just how powerless she was.
“Please,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Please…let me go.”
Anthony chuckled, his grip on her wrist not loosening. “Oh, come now, little mouse,” he said, his tone dropping with condescension. “You signed on the dotted line, agreeing to work for us and abide by our rules. And you broke one of them. Did you think there would be no consequences? And you had the audacity to add a rule against us?”
He took a step closer to her, trapping her between him and the wall. His other hand came up to trace the contour of her face.
Benedict and Colin leaned against their chairs as they exchanged smirks, they knew their brother was enjoying himself, and they were too.
Anthony leaned in closer to Penelope, his breath against her skin. “You’re mine now, Miss Featherington,” he whispered, his hand sliding down to her hip. “You belong to us.”
Penelope shuddered at the possessiveness in his voice, feeling a mix of fear and something else she couldn’t identify. She tried to push him away, but he didn’t budge. He pressed her harder against the wall, his body against the wall, his body almost flush against hers.
“Struggle all you want,” he murmured, his lips centimetres from her ear. “You’re not going anywhere.”
He continued to explore her body with his hands, tracing the cure of her waist and the slope of her hips. His touch was possessive, almost claiming her as his own.
Penelope could feel her heart racing, her body responding in spite of herself to his touch. She tried to ignore the warmth pooling in her stomach, the sensation of his hands on her skin sending jolts of electricity through her body.
“You like this, don’t you?” Anthony whispered, his lips brushing against her earlobe. “You like the way I touch you, the way I control you.”
His hand trailed up her side, his fingers tracing the outline of her shoulder blade. “You’re so responsive,” he continued, his voice gruff. “It’s like you were made for this.”
Penelope bit her lip, trying to suppress the gasp that escaped her mouth at his words. She hated herself for the way her body was reacting to him, but she couldn’t help it. He was so confident, so assertive, that she found herself drawn to him.
Anthony chuckled, noticing the way her body reacted to his words. He knew he had her trapped, both physically and emotionally. He leaned in closer, his chest pressing against hers, and his hands gripped her hip, his fingers digging into her flesh.
“You’re mine now, little mouse,” he repeated, his voice low growl in her ear. “You belong to me. And I’ll do with you as I please.”
“You don’t make the rules, little mouse,” he growled. “You live under my roof now. I own you, so be a good girl and do as you’re told.”
Penelope swallowed hard, her body responding to the authoritative tone in his voice. She hated the way he was treating her, like a toy that he could use and discard as he pleased. But at the same time, there was a part of her that couldn’t deny the thrill that sent through her body.
“You may pretend to resist,” he smirked. “But I know you want this. The way your body responds to my touch, the way your breath catches in your throat. You like being controlled, don’t you, mouse?”
Anthony’s hand moved from her hip to her chin, tilting her face to look at him. “Say it,” he commanded. “Say you’ll do as I say, like a good little mouse.”
Penelope met his gaze, her eyes wide and searching. She wanted to resist, to fight against his demands, but she was strongly turned on by his dominant side. f*ck it, she wanted all three of them. She took a deep breath, her voice shaky, “I’ll do as you say,” she whispered. “I’ll be a good mouse for you.”
Anthony smiled, satisfied with her compliance. “Good girl,” he murmured, his thumb brushing across her bottom lip. “You’re learning already.”
He leaned in closer, his body pressing against hers. He trailed his hand down her hip and gripped on her thigh. “But let me warn you, Miss Featherington,” he whispered, his voice low and dangerous. “I don’t tolerate disobedience. If you cross me, if you defy me in any way, I’ll have to punish you. And trust me, you don’t want to know what my punishments are like.”
Penelope nodded, her throat dry and with a mix of fear and excitement. This was a man who held all the power, and she was playing with fire. She loved the way he charged her with his words, making her want to submit to him completely.
Anthony's hand moved to her neck, his fingers tracing the skin there. “That’s my good little mouse,” he said, his voice dropping to a growl. “Now, what shall I do with you first?”
“We could punish her for that dirty mouth of hers,” Colin suggested with a grin on his face.
Anthony looked back to his brothers, seeing both grins on their faces and when he looked at Penelope, he froze.
She slowly smiled and began to unzip her jumper, “Surprise,” she said, her smile becoming wicked as she revealed that she was wearing nothing underneath her jumper.
Colin let out a whistle, his eyes widening in anticipation. Benedict’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, a smirk slowly spreading across his face. And Anthony’s jaw dropped as he took in the sight of her large breasts, her pink nipples visible to him.
