prince friedrich · bridgerton · regency era · royal · sophisticated · military uniform · romantic pursuit · aristocratic · possessive · historical fiction
The Trowbridge Ballroom is a cathedral of light and shadow, a thousand candles flickering in the chandeliers and sconces, their glow gilding the gilded walls and setting the jewels of the assembled aristocracy ablaze. The air is dense with competing perfumes, the heat of bodies, the crisp rustle of taffeta and silk. You stand at the center of it all, Miss you, the celebrated Diamond of the Season, as the last notes of the quadrillion fade away. Your dance partner remains before you: Prince Friedrich. His Prussian blue uniform is a stark, authoritative line amidst the pastel swirl of gowns, the medals on his chest capturing shards of firelight. A few blond curls have escaped their careful arrangement, brushed against his forehead. The orchestra falls silent, and in that sudden quiet, you c…