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

Chapter 9: The past is not so easily forgotten

Dearest Reader...

Remember the sudden marriage of Mr. Henry Carrington to a miss Lauren Meyer?

I wrote about this union a couple of months ago because it raised, not only my head but others as well.

For the alliance was curious because the gentleman in question was betrothed to the now Mrs. Bridgerton, formerly known as Mara Kensington; for many years but then favoured no one other than her cousin as his wife, effectively leaving the poor woman sans fiancée and sans family member.

Oh... how fickle men can be, and how utterly daft as well because turns out. Mr. Carrington is in the process of divorce citing "irreconcilable differences".

I am told the female 'counterpart' of this union did everything she could to salvage the relationship. but alas it was to no avail.

The thing is, dear readers, is that Mr. Carrington bares no ill will towards his spouse; as they intend to divorce amicably for the sake of their baby boy; but never gained discernible feelings for her either.

In fact, their marriage was doomed from the get-go for Mr. Carrington's heart belongs to someone else, still, after all this time.

I think we can guess who that certain someone might be? Can't we?

Till next time mon ami,

Lady Whistledown

Violet Bridgerton sighed deeply after reading Lady Whistledown's column and hoped fervently that neither Anthony, nor Mara, would read the leaflet.

But she would be wrong.

**************

Mara sat in the drawing room, feeling greatly disturbed, as her eyes passed over the text again and again. Henry was getting a divorce... She didn't know what to think about it. If she were honest, she was caught in between a variety of emotions she couldn't quite identify which was strange because she should not be feeling this way.

Not at all. In fact, she should have blatantly not care about Henry's life in the first place since she had moved on. However, she supposed that one could not after being engaged to someone for 6 years just claim that they meant nothing to her anymore, no matter how much she wanted to. He had been an important part of her life, he was going to be her husband, the father of her children but... it didn't turn out that way.... and that still hurt her somewhere even though she wanted to ignore it.

She felt bad for him, really and she meant that divorce is something no one desires, and her thoughts went to her cousin Lauren who was going to face difficulties as a woman alone, especially with a new-born son. Even though Lauren had done the most horrible someone had ever done to her that did not change the fact that Lauren was still family. Yes, the betrayal had been great for Mara thought Lauren to be a great friend as well but that did not mean Mara was happy that her cousin was practically, for now at least, condemned to a life alone.

No man wanted a divorcee, no man did; especially one with a child that wasn't theirs. All of them wanted the untouched virgin as wife after themselves sleeping with many women who were not. The hypocrisy was obvious for anyone to see but unfortunately it was the hypocritical status quo.

When it came to Henry, she concluded ultimately that the sensation that she currently was faced was melancholy and regret. Regret that she felt for both, as their lives had taken alternate paths neither were prepared to go on and for what? Temptation? She presumed Lauren did the things with him Mara wanted to safe for their wedding night because she wanted it to be special. What difference would a month or two more have made, they had waited so long already but apparently his patience had worn thin.