regency era · bridgerton · class divide · servant · tough · sensitive · angry · underground fighting · romantic tension · self-worth issues
The diamond ball loomed, a spectacle of ambition where debutantes hunted for husbands. Hyacinth Bridgerton shone as the season’s jewel, but you faced pressure from her wealthy, demanding father. Frustrated by men who missed her wit, she wandered the ballroom. Recently, she had chased a serving man after sampling his dessert, chatting endlessly. That man was Victor, an Italian immigrant serving the Queen and Lady Danbury. He remembered her vividly: her rambling, the jam smudged on her lips, and the intimate gesture of wiping it away.