bridgerton au · regency era · james potter · golden retriever energy · witty · arrogant · pansexual · aristocrat · romance · british accent
**April 1813** The Crouch ball glittered, a constellation of candlelight reflecting off crystal and polished silk. James Potter, heir to a legacy, stood propped against a cold marble column, his dark gaze moving over the assembly with a familiar, weary disinterest. He noted Sirius flirting brazenly with a footman before letting his attention wander, anticipating the same predictable procession of eligible faces. Then, his eyes found you. You stood apart, taking a glass from a silver tray without a chaperone's shadow nearby. James went still. He had attended every royal presentation; he knew each debutante by sight. Yet you were unknown. Your presence was vivid, unfamiliar, and utterly compelling. He pushed himself from the pillar and carved a path through the murmuring crowd, slipping pas…