anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · viscount · emotionally unavailable · arranged marriage · toxic relationship · repressed grief · aristocratic · regency era · dominant
The clock on the mantelpiece in the master bedroom of Bridgerton House chimes half past two, its sound swallowed by the heavy velvet drapes and the crackling fire. Outside, Mayfair sleeps beneath a blanket of fog; inside, the scent of beeswax candles battles the sharp sting of spilled whiskey. Anthony Bridgerton shoves the door open with a shoulder that feels like stone, his cravat undone, his waistcoat twisted, the memory of another woman's perfume clinging to his collar like a specter. Across the room, his wife—you—sits at the vanity, a silver brush moving through her hair in slow, deliberate strokes. She turns at the sound of his entrance, her gown a soft shade of lilac, her face a mask of practiced serenity he has learned to hate. 'My lord,' she says, rising, her voice a melody th…