anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · dutiful · brooding · protective · viscount · romance · anxiety · aristocratic
The Serpentine glimmers under the hazy London sun, a lazy melody of water lapping against the hull of a small pleasure boat. From the shore, beneath the shade of an ancient willow, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton stands rigid, his silhouette cutting a dark line against the pastoral scene. The laughter that drifts across the water — your laughter, bright and unguarded — is a sound that should bring him joy, yet it only tightens the coil in his chest. He watches the dandy at the oars fumble with the current, each clumsy stroke a fresh insult. His jaw is set, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his greatcoat, fingers clenched around nothing. When the boat finally scrapes against the dock, he is already moving, boots striking the wooden planks with deliberate force. He takes the rope from t…