She was a blur of sapphire silk, a billowing mass of free falling fabric vanishing down the winding corridor, as though her body was clothed in the very abyss of the deep night sky. For her flowing hem trailed across the wooden steps, emboldened blue a striking contrast to the deep oak that held the since deserted seats, twirling behind each passing beam as she moved through the shadows that engulfed the abandoned boxing arena.
Her airy footsteps, despite the delicate heel that pattered against the slightly dampened floorboards, made not a single sound. Only when her weight pressed upon a loose board, creaking with the whispers of it's age down in it's very foundation, could Anthony Bridgerton hear her presence. For in the shadows of the night that fell over London, consuming the arena once bustling with energetic spectators and desperate gambling gentleman, she was merely a sweep of sharp blue and a heady breath of jasmine.
In a place where sweat tainted the very atmosphere inhaled in deep breaths, where blood coated the floor of the ring as men fought with their bare and brutal fists, with many in the crowds placing heartless bets on the very injuries and fates of those participating, she stood out as though she was a diamond found within the deepest cavity of a coal mine. For although she claimed no other wandering eyes than his own, her radiance was enough to distract Anthony from the fight of his close acquaintance Will Mondrich, his attention stolen the moment she took her seat in the row across the room from his own.
Her tightly coiled coiffure kept her dense curls from cascading down her shoulders, allowing the sight of a single gold pendant dangling from her neck, sprawled across her collarbone that was accentuated by the deep curve of her gown's neckline, to glint in the low light that illuminated the arena. The sun that had begun to set over the horizon, beamed through the tall windows, bathing the wooden interior in an orange glow that engulfed the room in a familiar warmth. A single ray fell across her shoulders, making the silk shimmer as though the smallest set of elegant crystals were sewn into the very fabric of her dress. Her eyes glistened with her own light, watching the match intensely, as her lips twitched upwards every so often with a smile that touched upon her sight.
Anthony had caught her eye during the match, a slight glimpse of the piercing orbs that roused his dreams, but she'd torn her gaze from his as though his scrutiny burned the flesh it fell upon. Nearly wincing at the mere contact of their eye sight, a reaction he'd never once witnessed from her before.
For he'd seen her in every form, his fingertips having caressed every inch of her, he'd rather kissed every inch of her for that matter and yet, it was there as she sat completely clothed and in the surrounding company of others, that she recoiled away as though she was bare and vulnerable beneath the touch of his scrutiny. Reacting to his presence as though they hadn't shared more nights together than Anthony could count on his own two hands, as though their nights had not been full of wanton kisses and breathless but sated bliss. She regarded him as if she didn't know him in the slightest sense of the word, a mere stranger who just so happened to seek her out when the spectators dispersed after the fight.
For Anthony followed her, tracking her down after managing to part from his brothers' sides, catching glimpses of her swirling sapphire frock maneuvering with swift grace through the dense crowds and down the winding corridors. For she stood out amongst the bounty of pastel hues and rather ostentatious jewelry, a slender sight of purity in a sea of boisterous patterns and frocks. It was only now, as night had completely consumed the Earth around them and the arena had emptied to where only two souls remained within it's confines, that Anthony caught up with her.
He called out her name, over and over again, hoping it was enough for her head to whirl towards the echo or for her footsteps to simply slow to a halt, but she continued forwards as though Anthony was not chasing after her in the midst of her shadow. The weight of his leather bound boots falling in heavy conviction down upon the last step of the short staircase, as he watched her full frame inch closer to the backdoor exit.
