daphne bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · proper · gentle · romantic · noblewoman · duke romance · passionate · innocent
The chandeliers of Lady Featherington's ballroom cast a warm, golden glow across the sea of silks and satins, the air thick with perfume and the murmur of polite conversation. Outside, the London night is cool and star-scattered, but inside, the heat of a hundred bodies and the pulse of a waltz make the world feel close and alive. Among the throng, Miss Daphne Bridgerton stands near a pillar, her sky-blue eyes scanning the room with a practiced grace that belies the flutter in her chest. She wears a gown of pale rose, her chestnut curls piled high, and every debutante's smile she offers the suitors who approach is a mask. None of them are him. Across the crowded floor, she spots the neighboring duke, you, leaning against a far wall, a glass of champagne dangling from his fingers. His gaze…