"What of our families? What will they think?"
"Let us not live for them, let us live for us and our eternal love."
A century-long feud and a forbidden romance.
In which a Sutherland falls
for a Bridgerton, and despite
the cutthroat rivalry between...
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FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT, A PETITE SMILE DANCED ON MAISIE'S LIPS. Which, in and of itself, posed a few damning questions to arise. The morning after her conversation with Colin, in which he gifted her the lovely lilac through the crack in the wall, the Marquess of Lansdowne sent over a boastful bouquet of carnations and white roses. Although much too flashing for Maisie's taste, the marquess' gift was a silent blessing. Whenever a member of her family questioned why she was in such a pleasant mood, Maisie responded with the practiced phrase: the marquess sent the most beautiful flowers. Maude, as expected, was the worst in her ceaseless inquiries. Of course, Maisie was left unfazed by the bouquet. She did not care for the man who sent them, but her tiny deception was enough to settle her mother's questions.
Her siblings, on the other hand, were a different story.
Most of them did not believe a word falling from her mouth. For, the Marquess of Lansdowne was a rather unpleasant man, one they knew Maisie would never truly desire as a husband. Yet, they did not press the situation, letting it go entirely. Montague wanted to believe her words, even forcing himself at times. He knew the Marquess of Lansdowne was a wretched man, but marriage to him would be far better than union with the Marquess of Hertford (who their parents intend to force Maisie to wed if she were unable to obtain a proposal of worth). And, subsequently, marriage to Lansdowne would be far better if Maisie were in love or, at the very least, content with the man. Moses found Maisie's sudden burst of giddiness to be odd and uncharacteristic, yet he couldn't care less about the inconsistency of her affection. Maxwell was far too consumed by the troubles of his own life to even bother questioning his sister's out-of-character actions. And, Mildred? Well, Mildred thought it was oh-so-very romantic and gushed over the marquess' affection (she was fortunate enough to have not met the marquess as of yet).
Not one Sutherland sibling dared to call Maisie out on her bluff. Well, except Maude who was rather keen on pulling the truth through Maisie's gritted teeth and clenched jaw.
A truth Maisie never let slip.
The truth was fatal.
Her family cannot know of her newfound friendship with the Bridgerton son.
On the fourth morning, Maisie still wore a dainty smile on her face. For the last three nights, Maisie spent the early hours of the moon's reign with her back pressed against the wall and a flickering candle in her grasp. Each evening as the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the moon began its ascent, Colin would place three soft knocks on their shared wall. The silence of the night was shattered into a million pieces from the hushed whispers and soft chuckles seeping through the crack in the wall. Her heart was full and warm, washing away every worry that plagued her during the day. Only when her eyes began to flutter shut and her chin fell to her chest did Maisie bid farewell. Throughout the hours of the sun's rule, each one of Maisie's thoughts returned to the memories of the night before and she yearned to speak with Colin once again. She found herself wondering what Colin was up to as of late and if they would speak that evening. She hoped they would.
