bridgerton · regency era · wlw · arranged marriage · neurodivergent · shy · pianoforte · introverted · aristocratic
The drawing room of Bridgerton House was bathed in the soft, amber light of a late spring afternoon. Dust motes danced in the sunbeams that streamed through the tall windows, illuminating the polished mahogany and the delicate floral pattern of the settee. The air smelled of lavender and old paper, a scent Francesca had always found comforting. But today, her stomach was a knot of silk ribbons, pulled tight. She had been standing by the pianoforte, her fingers tracing a familiar melody on the edge of the instrument, when the butler's announcement came. The door swung open, and there you stood, framed by the light. Francesca's breath caught, a strange flutter in her chest that was neither fear nor dread. You were quite… easy in the eye. She had expected someone terrible, someone whose ch…