Last Chance: A Bridgerton Tale about Anthony (AU NON-COMPLIANT)

Chapter 2: The tables turn

Writer's note:

I am taking a couple of creative liberties; this is not canon compliant for one. Also, I envisioned Henry Cavill as.. Henry well because I can.

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Mara was working on her stupid embroidery again, which she hated but she needed some much-needed distraction and had one through stacks of literature in the past week, so the option was either embroidery or taking a walk..

She wasn't keen on either if she was entirely honest. Lady Whistledown's leaflet had come out merely three days ago and already people were gossiping, clutching on each other, and pointing towards her, speaking in muffled voices, much to the dismay of her parents. They had kindly suggested that she was to stay in as much as possible.. so.. embroidery it was... She started working on the piece, a boring and generic rose in bloom, but her mind kept drifting off to Mr. Bridgerton and his proposal.

Mara had made her mind up. Her parents disagreed with her, but she was unwilling to change perspective. She knew it was not the best of decisions but for here there was no option. In two days, she would leave for Gloucester to live with her uncle Samuel, his wife Agatha and their swarm of children and act as their governess, aiding in education and childcare at least for the time being. It was not something she was looking forward to because the Miller kids were unruly and bad-mannered so Mara would have her work cut out for her. Yet still there was no other option, she could not possibly go forward with accepting Mr. Bridgerton's offer.

She might be many things, a spinster, plain looking and not the most affluent in comparison to her peers but Mara did have one thing: her pride. While she thought the gesture was kind and Vaillant there was no way she could say yes for several reasons.

The main reason being that they were both in love with someone else. She had done some research about him prior their first visit and had discovered that he was privy to rejecting one of the finest, the most beautiful of debutantes, which she had found peculiar. Here he could pick from the crème de la crème of wanting, stunning women but he refused them, and she wanted to know why.

A little digging though, via her new friend Emma, who knew everything and anything about London's privileged citizens had garnered information about Anthony and a certain opera singer named Sienna Rosso. Apparently they had a secret relationship, for an exceedingly long time and Anthony, at one point, DID intend to marry her BUT she had reminded him of their difference in status and broke things off. Mara also was informed by Emma that Mr. Bridgerton, still visited her performances in secret the odd time she did perform at the theatre.

So that day when the Bridgerton's came to see her Mara already had her mind up about him, had prejudice against him and acted rudely, which she scolded herself for now, since he had come up with the idea of saving her "honour". She even more scolded herself for judging him for being in love with someone else while Mara was still in love with Henry, even after knowing he preferred her cousin, had wed her cousin, and had laid with her cousin.

How foolish of her but she had not forgotten about him, could not and seeing him the other day made things so, so much worse.

She gave up on embroidery after the umpteenth wrong 'stitch" she put on the piece of cloth and instead focused on looking outside. The window she sat near to have a good view on her busy street and for a second she was lost in glancing at people going about their day, the carriages entering and leaving her street.

She was so lost in thoughts Mara did not notice the sound of feet, rapidly coming towards the drawing room and a second later the door flew open.

It was him..