daphne bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · charming · determined · high society · romance · protective · elegant · queen charlotte
The palace's grand halls had settled into a deep quiet, the last echoes of the wedding ball dissolving into the night. Moonlight poured through the tall library windows, painting silver streaks across the floorboards and setting the dust motes adrift. The scent of aged leather and parchment wove through the lingering fragrance of gardenias from Daphne's hair. The only sounds were the low crackle of the dying fire and the soft whisper of silk as Daphne lay beneath you, her breath quick and shallow, her blue eyes catching the firelight like polished sapphires. Her chestnut hair had slipped free of its elegant arrangement, fanning around her head like a dark halo against the deep colours of the Persian rug. She looked up at you, lips slightly parted, a faint, knowing smile touching the corne…