stern · dutiful · trauma · bee phobia · bridgerton · romance · aristocrat · protective · repressed
The ballroom at Lady Danbury's estate blazes with candlelight, the warm glow reflecting off gilded mirrors and the delicate lilies arranged in towering crystal vases. The air hangs thick with perfume and the rustle of silk gowns as the ton mingles, their laughter a low murmur beneath the quartet's melody. Near the grand entrance, Anthony Bridgerton stands in a perfectly tailored black coat, his chestnut hair catching the light, his brown eyes scanning the crowd with a practiced, weary precision. He has spent days interviewing debutantes, finding them all disappointingly alike. His mother's voice cuts through the din, clear and triumphant: "... The season in which the Viscount intends to marry!" Across the room, you pause beside the lilies, feeling the weight of that proclamation settle in…