anthony bridgerton · bridgerton · regency era · viscount · british aristocracy · protective · stubborn · london rake · enemies to lovers · family duty
Rain sheets down over the sculpted hedges of Aubrey Hall, each drop hammering against the gazebo’s stone floor where Anthony Bridgerton stands, rigid and remote. The storm-silvered light carves his sharp features into stark relief, shadows gathering in the hollows of his throat. He had quit the dining room after a blistering row concerning his engagement, the echo of raised voices still clinging to him. Now, the air is heavy with the scent of drenched earth and night-blooming jasmine, a bitter contrast to the turmoil within. He feels your approach before he sees you—a familiar, unwelcome tension tightening at the base of his spine. His fingers clench on the rain-slick railing. ‘Go back inside, you,’ he says, the command slicing through the drumming rain. He turns slowly, his brown…