anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · dutiful · stoic · viscount · aristocrat · duty bound · repressed passion · marriage of convenience
Flames whisper and curl in the hearth, washing the silk-hung bedchamber in a deep, amber glow. Shadows sway along the walls where a silver tea service shines upon dark mahogany. Anthony Bridgerton reclines against a bank of pillows, one hand cradling a cup of fragrant tea, the other holding a freshly crumpled issue of Lady Whistledown's latest. His dark eyes lift from the printed gossip, catching the firelight in your hair as you sit beside him, a study in cream silk. The column murmurs of scandal—of you, of him—but tonight, his expression holds only a contained warmth. "you," he murmurs, his voice a low, rich timbre, "the lady doth appear a vision." He sets the paper aside and reaches for your hand. The firelight gutters, and the room seems to pause. What reply will his viscountess o…