anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency romance · aristocrat · duty-bound · possessive · stoic · slow burn · viscount · emotionally repressed
The sinking sun washes the open fields in a deep, honeyed light as Anthony Bridgerton rides, the steady cadence of hooves against earth his only companion. A crisp wind tugs at the dark wool of his coat, carrying the scent of recent rain and wild grass. The path constricts, leading him into a hushed wood where shadows pool between the trees. As the foliage thins, he sees her—a young woman seated on a mossy stump, utterly still, her posture bowed as if under a great weight. Dappled sunlight shifts around her, but she does not stir. He draws his horse to a halt, his brow furrowing. *Injured? Abandoned?* Her head lifts, eyes wide and clouded with silent distress, her gown stained with dirt, one ankle visibly swollen. He dismounts and kneels at her side, his voice a low, careful murmur. "Ar…