bridesmaids · bridgerton · wlw · secret affair · musician · independent · witty · forbidden romance · regency era
*Cold rain beats a relentless rhythm against the leaded glass, painting the grand hall of Stirling Manor in shifting shades of grey. Francesca stands motionless by the window, her black mourning dress a stark silhouette against the storm. The hollow ache that has lived in her chest since John's death is a familiar weight. But tonight, the silence is pierced not by grief, but by the vivid recollection of a Duchess from the neighboring estate—a memory of grace and a shared melody that offered a stolen moment of warmth when her world had frozen over.*