Take My Hand [Bridgerton]

[03. Misunderstandings]

To be fair, Anthony and Winnie did not argue when Daphne left them, though it wasn't because they were suddenly friends or even allies. There was no time to bicker when Anthony was dragging Winnie all over the ballroom, introducing her to his friends–peers, he stubbornly reminded her–scattered around in groups.

Anthony was different with his friends, more charismatic, more willing to talk and laugh. It intrigued her and made her wonder if this was the man that most of Mayfair thought of when he came to mind. The Viscount, the official facade he put on in public, was so different outside of his home.

Or maybe it wasn't the Bridgerton House that made him different, but her.

That realization shouldn't have made her heart twinge like it did, but she wasn't surprised. Anthony had hated her for the last four years, ever since that horrible accident with that damn Mallet of Death the summer after her mother's death. In fact, Winnie had rather liked Anthony up until that day; they had a civil relationship and had shared a vulnerable moment of condolences at her mother's funeral, but after that day, she shut down to protect herself, whether it was from Anthony's glares, the thought of navigating her life without her mother, or a newborn baby brother to raise.

In that moment, Winnie had to force herself to move on, to think about the Anthony in front of her, rather than the Anthony of her childhood. This Anthony dragged her around the room, excluding her from conversation, and made snide remarks that made his friends roar with laughter but was rather dull to her taste of humor. Worst of all, he made her dance with three of his friends.

Sir Lawrence and Mr. Geoffry were fine looking gentlemen, but had quirks that made them an immediate no, even if she was seriously looking for a husband. Sir Lawrence was too attached to his mother to the point that she was honestly concerned, and Mr. Geoffry hated dogs, which was a huge dealbreaker for her. If she ever got married, her husband would have to accept Newton into his household as well.

Anthony's third friend was the gentleman she liked the most. Sir Sloane Beckett was very handsome and polite. They spoke about the music and when Winnie accidently stepped on his toe, he was nice enough to remind her of each dance step though he sounded very unsure of what actual steps came next. The conversation generally went well, but she knew he wasn't interested in her. She wasn't sure he was interested in finding a wife at all.

-

On his part, Anthony thought that Winnie presented herself almost too modestly. She refused to talk to the gentlemen he introduced to her. She was polite, of course, and answered when one of his peers asked her questions, but she offered nothing otherwise. It was all rather frustrating until he realized halfway through the introduction to the third group of gentlemen that she literally couldn't hear because of the magnitude of noise from the ball.

His stomached twisted uneasily when he realized the situation, guilty that he hadn't thought of her disability and the fact that he had even gotten irritated over her lack of conversation. Discreetly, he moved so he could take her left arm, closer to her good ear, and started up the introductions again. When she started participating in the conversation, politely entertaining his peers, he ached again.