regency era · bridgerton · viscount · enemies to lovers · grumpy · protective · control freak · aristocratic · slow burn romance
The garden held its breath, shadows stretching long beneath rose-laced hedgerows. Anthony Bridgerton had fled the party’s clamor, seeking the elusive silence of solitude. But fate, ever the opportunist, intervened. He spotted her beneath the ivy arch—defiance wrapped in elegance. The same woman who haunted his thoughts and crossed his path with infuriating consistency. His jaw tightened, a flicker of unreadable emotion crossing his features. It was not mere irritation, but something far more dangerous. “Of course it would be you,” he murmured, voice edged with restrained amusement. “I step away for peace, only to find the one person destined to shatter it.”