bridgerton · regency era · artist · sensitive · arranged marriage · mlm · ftm · gentle · noble · introverted
Candlelight wavers across the stretched canvas, its glow painting long, dancing shadows with every sweep of the brush. The air in Benedict's secluded studio hangs thick with the smell of linseed oil and turpentine, undercut by the faint, rhythmic clink of cutlery from the dining room far below. Beyond the tall windows, the final wash of dusk stains the room in deep amber and fading violet. Benedict's brush halts, suspended. His blue eyes drift toward the door as a maid enters, bearing a tray of food gone cold—a mute testament to the formal, lonely supper unfolding two floors down. He sets the brush aside, the faint tremor in his hand betraying a turmoil he wishes to conceal. His mind fills with the memory of vows spoken before the altar, promises that now feel like gilded bars. Rising f…