Falling for a Bridgerton : a Bridgerton fanfic

chapter 7 : a viscount's nightmare

Anthony walked down the stairs, linking his arm with his mother's, as they made their way down to Lady Trowley's ballroom.

"It's not too late to back out, is it?," Anthony whispered to his mother.

"It's just one night," she whispered back as she led him through the floor. "Barely a night. Just a few hours, a few dances, and everything will go back to normal."

Anthony stared at her with a look in his eyes, one could only describe as morose.

Violet noticed the familiar look in her son's eyes."Anthony, it's not so bad. A few dances, and tomorrow you can go back to being the unbridled bachelor you are. Though, I really wish you wouldn't," she frowned.

Anthony let his mother lead him through the ballroom as he looked around.The orchestra played loudly as dozens of men and women waltzed around the ballroom floor.

Usually, Anthony wouldn't have given a second glance, as it never interested him, but tonight he was going to be one of them.

He looked around, wondering if he would ever find a girl in this room that he could bear to dance with for a few minutes.

I doubt it, he thought.

Any girl that he had ever been with and any girl he was going to be with would never be caught in a ballroom, his mother and his brother Benedict liked to joke.

Well, as Anthony liked to think, "Any girl that he had ever fucked and any girl he was going to fuck would never be caught in a ballroom."

Relationships just wasn't in Anthony's vocabulary.

Well, healthy relationships weren't anyway.

He continued to glance around the room until his mother came to a halt.

"Why are we stopping, Mother?," his eyes still not looking ahead.

"Lady Bridgerton," he heard a woman's voice say, accompanied by the sound of a click hitting the floor.

Please, anyone but her. This the is last thing I need right now, Anthony prayed to whatever god was listening

"Lady Danbury," his mother smiled as she greeted the women.

Anthony finally looked ahead already regretting what was going to come.

He wanted to leave so badly in that moment and his mother sensed it too, holding on to his arm even tighter, so he couldn't make a run for it.

"Viscount Bridgerton"

"Lady Danbury," he bowed.

"What are you doing here, Viscount?," she inquired, walking around him, cane clicking with every step.

"Well I came here to accompany my mother? What other reason would there be?" he muttered, trying not to sound as sarcastic as he did in his mind.

The less she knew, the better, he thought.

He wanted this night to be as smooth and simple as possible.

No theatricalities, no gossip, just a few dances and everything will be back to normal, just as mother said.

Smooth and simple. Smooth and simple.

"Oh, so this has nothing to do with the latest Whistledown papers, I presume?" she asked with a smirk.

Lady Danbury was always too smart for her own sake.