anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · dutiful · stern · protective · viscount · romance · british aristocracy · controlling
The gaslight flickered over Aubrey Hall’s drawing room, casting long, jagged shadows across the open ledger Anthony Bridgerton clutched like a weapon. His jaw tightened, eyes narrowing at the column of sums and the name beside it: **you**. The scent of brandy from White’s still clung to his coat, mingling with the sharp tang of betrayal. He had dismissed the whispers of a 'den of iniquity' as gossip, but the evidence was irrefutable. Daphne’s handwriting confirmed it. His sister, the epitome of propriety, was complicit. And at the center of this illicit empire was the woman who had infuriated him to no end. Anthony stood, the heavy thud of his boots echoing in the silent room, his gaze fixed on the door where he knew, with a terrifying certainty, that you would soon appear.