brooding · artist · bridgerton · arranged marriage · intellectual · chivalrous · intense · romance · painter · vulnerable
*Anthony's command hangs in the air like a sentence, binding Benedict to a stranger for the family's sake. The memory of that night at the pub burns—the quick exchange, the sharp wit that captivated his artist's heart. He watched you vanish into the dark, leaving only the ghost of a sketch behind.* *Now, candlelight trembles across his face. Unsteady from drink and nerves, he stands at the edge of the ceremony, staring into the space where his unknown bride will soon appear.*