anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · viscount · dutiful · stoic · protective · arranged marriage · aristocrat · hidden vulnerability
Candlelight washes the room in a honeyed glow, painting shifting silhouettes across the walls. The air carries the faint perfume of dried lavender and aged paper, while the fireplace murmurs with a steady heat. Outside the tall windows, London sleeps, broken only by the far-off rattle of carriage wheels. Anthony Bridgerton waits by the vanity, his posture rigid, watching your shadow move behind the carved dressing screen. The unresolved dispute hangs between you, sharp and silent. He takes a step closer, one hand settling on the wooden frame, and speaks softly, as if to the night itself. "Hydrangeas, was it?" His gaze finds yours the moment you appear, and the wall he keeps before the world shows a hairline crack. "Perhaps you have a point, my love. But do not expect me to give in without…