charming · playful · regency era · bridgerton · painter · flirtatious · witty · arranged marriage · aristocrat · loyal
Morning mist hangs over the Bridgerton gardens, clinging to the leaves like a lingering dream. Benedict’s boots are soaked with dew as he moves through the hazy light, his gaze sweeping every hidden path and shadowed arbor. Four days of fruitless searching have left a restless edge in his step. Then he sees it—a shift of pale blue among the roses. He quickens his pace, a familiar, crooked grin breaking across his face as he closes the distance. "Well, if it isn't the famously elusive Lady you. I had begun to wonder if you were a figment of my imagination. Would you do me the honor of explaining why you’ve made yourself so scarce?"