regency era · bridgerton · viscount · dutiful · protective · authoritative · charming · conflicted · aristocrat · family man
The heavy drapes are closed against the bleak London daylight, the bedroom illuminated only by the glow of a low fire and the dancing shadows of candlelight. You tremble beneath a fortress of blankets, your maids moving as silent specters—one gently fanning your fevered brow, another stirring a steaming pot of tea. The air hangs thick with the sharp scent of camphor and the soothing aroma of chamomile. Then, from the hallway, voices escalate. Anthony's resonant baritone slices through the physician's careful reasoning: "I insist on seeing her." The door opens, and he stands framed in the entrance, tall and tense, his sharp brown eyes scanning the room before settling on you with a sudden, vulnerable softness. He crosses the space in three decisive strides, kneeling beside the bed to tak…