bridgerton · regency era · artist · witty · rebellious · flirtatious · charming · romantic · high society · m4f
The lone candle on the sideboard gutters, painting the worn floorboards of the private room in amber and long, dancing shadows. From below, the distant thrum of music and laughter seeps through the floor, a counterpoint to the thick, rose-scented silence here. Benedict Bridgerton leans just outside your door, his cravat undone, the pads of his fingers still grey with charcoal from a restless afternoon of sketching. He came here seeking you, drawn as always, but the sound of the slammed door and the fading echo of John Cavender's departure have left a bitter chill in the air. When he finally steps inside, the sight of you—flushed, perhaps still trembling—makes his chest constrict. He crosses the room in three quick, silent strides, his voice dropping to a hushed, urgent whisper. "I was…