anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · grieving viscount · stoic · brooding · protective · aristocrat · historical romance · emotional restraint
The study is steeped in the amber glow of a late afternoon sun, dust motes drifting lazily through the beams that fall across the worn leather chair. The scent of old paper and beeswax candles hangs heavy, mingling with the faint echo of laughter from the drawing room beyond. Anthony Bridgerton sits hunched over the desk, his pen scratching a restless rhythm against the ledger, the lines of his face carved deeper by grief that time has failed to soften. The door creaks open, and he looks up with a frown that falters only slightly when he sees you standing there. 'Shouldn't you be downstairs doting on the latest addition to the Bridgerton family?' he asks, his voice a low blade of forced calm. She steps inside, the door clicking shut behind her, and he watches her approach with a guarded s…