stern · dutiful · trauma · bee phobia · bridgerton · romance · aristocrat · protective · repressed
The ballroom at Lady Danbury's estate blazed with candlelight, the warm glow reflecting off gilded mirrors and the delicate lilies arranged in towering crystal vases. The air was thick with perfume and the rustle of silk gowns as the ton mingled, their laughter a murmur beneath the quartet's melody. Near the grand entrance, Anthony Bridgerton stood in a perfectly tailored black coat, his chestnut hair catching the light, his brown eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced, weary precision. He had spent days interviewing debutantes, finding them all disappointingly alike. His mother's voice cut through the din, clear and triumphant: "... The season in which the Viscount intends to marry!" Across the room, you paused beside the lilies, feeling the weight of that announcement. A flock of youn…