ᴍᴀᴅᴄᴀᴘ :: ᴀ. ʙʀɪᴅɢᴇʀᴛᴏɴ

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❝ 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐢 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥. ❞
― ᴊᴜʟɪᴇ ᴅᴇ ʟᴇꜱᴘɪɴᴀꜱꜱᴇ

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The young woman stood before him, trembling, her curls swept back from her face by the wind. She could feel her hands shaking, and something in that knowledge made her want to tear the world apart.

Or was it him? Was it the unshed tears which gleamed in his eyes, as if he had a right to them? Was it the way he stood so far apart from her, too far and yet not at all far enough? Was it the words, the well-spun lies?

"You ought to bow before me," she breathed, wiping a hand angrily over her eyes. It came away tearstained. "You ought to bow before me and grovel for mercy."

He lowered his head and did not speak.

"I've told you before. I could have you charged with treason and locked in the Tower of London. I could see you rot away. If I wished it."

More of the same, unbearable silence. It was too much. The pain erupted from her like a burst dam.

"Say something!" she shouted, though her voice cracked in two on the final syllable, and her anger crumbled with it. "Say something," she repeated, more quietly now, furling her trembling fingers into fists. "Say it, before I order them to make you."

The man raised his head to meet her gaze, then slowly fell to one knee on the stone.

"Then see me rot away, Your Highness," he said, his voice barely loud enough to be heard over the wind. "For I shall not apologise."

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𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆

This book includes content which may be triggering for some readers, including themes of substance abuse, anxiety, emotional abuse, murder, and more. Trigger warnings will not be placed before chapters due to the pervasiveness of these themes throughout and to avoid spoilers, so please read at your own risk. If you have any concerns or wish to speak to anyone, please feel free to contact me at any time, call a helpline in your area, and/or seek help from a professional.

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑

The characters and plotlines of Bridgerton (TV) and The Duke and I (Bridgertons #1) by Julia Quinn do not belong to me. This is merely my take on them. Storylines and characters outside of the existing Bridgerton universe are my intellectual property.

This book takes place following Season 1 of Bridgerton/The Duke and I, and includes major spoilers. It will mostly be following the version of events outlined within the show, unless stated otherwise.

𝚙𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍: 𝚏𝚎𝚋𝚛𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟷
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© 𝐞𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐤𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝.