"Hold me close so I can finally... breathe"
Marriage wasn't something Carina Bridgerton looked forward to. And true love was not something she dreamed of. She had declared it very clearly to her family that no marriage shall ever be expected from he...
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Clearly wary and confused with her strange and rather unladylike nature, the young man acted along and let out a large laugh as well. Looking around and not finding the climp anymore, Carina let out a sigh and let her fake smile fall. "Thank you, I shall now take my leave." And as she tried to walk away, she got interrupted by the loud yell her brother had let out while coming her way, "Basset!"
Quickly growing confused about her brother's antics, she decided she shall stay and watch exactly what he was upto now, shouting some strange name like a madman in a room full of gentlemen and ladies. "Basset!" "Bridgerton!" Carina nearly hurt her neck with the force she turned to the rude man from earlier, well that explains the madman behaviour. After all, birds of the same feather flock together.
"Come here, old friend! I heard news of your father." says Anthony as they shake hands. "Deuce take it, you are no longer Basset.", says her brother, clearly teasing. "I shall...", 'Basset' says, clearly unsettled by the topic at hand. "Hastings! The Duke of Hastings, now known for evermore." exclaims the eldest Bridgerton, out of joy.
"The Duke of Hastings, is it?" says Carina, raising an eyebrow at the now familiar man. "Right, Hastings, this is my eldest sister." introduces Anthony. "Your sister?", the look of disbelief and confusion that can be seen on the Duke's face is oddly, rewarding for the Bridgerton girl.
"Carina, Hastings and I know each other from our days at Oxford, days we shall not soon forget." and now, it all makes sense. Of course, Carina knew of the type of man her brother was, especially during his younger years at Oxford. It is only right the people he befriends be of the same nature as him- full of themselves, rude, rakes and eccentrics.
"Yes. As I am well aware of the company you keep, brother, I am certain your days with His Grace were most civilized, indeed." Carina comments, keeping her eyes sharp, and eyeing the Duke in such a manner, she made it clear she did not mean a word of what she said.
"Hastings, we shall need to get together properly. I expect to see you at our club, then." says Anthony, clearly happy at the prospect of reuniting with an old friend. "Indeed. Evening, Bridgerton. Miss Bridgerton." says the Duke, and with a nod, the two siblings were off, with Anthony leading the way to somewhere near the dance floor.
Turning around to catch a last glimpse of the infuriating man before leaving out of sight, Carina found him to already be looking at her with such intensity in his brown eyes, she could not help but lose her mind. Suddenly breathless, she quickly turned back and away from the stupid man.
The stupid man who made her so furious, she could not form a single thought in her mind just then. Only his stupid gaze and his stupid eyes, that looked at her as if she was the root of all evil in the world, yet the glimmer in those eyes told her that all of her evil, and yet he could never form any dislike for her. That stupid, infuriating man and his stupid, lying eyes.
