A Rose By Any Other Name | Anthony Bridgerton

- CHAPTER V -

SUMMER 1813

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     "MY TURN. Whyever did you leave London?"

     For nearly half an hour, Miss Xenakis and Mr. Bridgerton had been inquiring back and forth about each other's lives as they walked to the inn where the gentleman was staying. Mr. Bridgerton had been slightly sobered by the continuing rain as the two walked side by side, though he remained far from full mental capacity.

     "That is the question, it seems." The young man sighed dramatically. "I believe I have read that same sentence from my mother. From my brothers. My friends."

     He did not elaborate and so Miss Xenakis asked, "Do you have many brothers?"

     "You cannot ask that. We are asking one question each, and you've only just asked a question."

     "Well, it is not as though you've answered it."

     The pair walked side by side in silence for a moment of time. Then, without facing the girl, he admitted, "I am going to discover myself. See the world. Not talk to women."

     "I am a woman, Colin."

     He waved his hand in the air as if to brush off the silly thought. "We are new friends. Nothing more. You clearly do not count."

     "Clearly," Rose mocked. The lady became more serious and she stopped walking, suddenly cautious of her company. "Do you mean this in truth? No false pretense. A lie said only to let my guard down?"

     Noticing that her pace beside him had come to a halt, Colin turned to the girl. "Of course not. Whyever would you assume something of the sort?"

     "Do not pretend as though you are not aware of the ways of men. You are one, after all."

     As Miss Xenakis did not move from her place, Mr. Bridgerton's own face became quite serious, a stark contrast from his drunken state. "Miss Xenakis, I may not be able to speak for the whole of my sex, but trust me when I say that I would never trick someone into a relationship under false pretenses."

     Their eyes met and found recognition. They felt a bond form, one that is only found between those that understand each other. With a newfound trust, Rose nodded and continued to walk.

     "What a pair are we," Miss Xenakis laughed. "A gentleman traveling the world not in search of love, and an actress of romance avoiding it at all cost."

     "Avoiding?" Colin raised an eyebrow, confused. "I was of the impression that Mr. Makris was courting you."

     "Leander? Dear god, no! If anything, he is my matchmaker. Always introducing me to new gentleman. The poor things never know how to compose themselves when I turn them away before they can even say their name."

     "Interesting. I cannot help but wonder how I managed to avoid such a fate."

     "You spoke of my work, not of my visage. It was as simple as that. What I do is very important to me."

     The pair was nearing the inn now, its door just in sight up ahead. It was a humble lodging place, not befitting of the son of a viscount, only further proving the good character that the gentleman had already shown. He was kind though quite oblivious, a trait that would not get him far in this town, especially with his rank shown so clearly in his attire and the way he held himself. When not drunk, of course.

     Suddenly, Miss Xenakis became very concerned for the man beside her. He would not last a day on his own. Unfamiliar with the ways of life, the streets, who to trust and who not to trust, he would be burgled or worse in no time at all. Though new, the connection between Rose and the man was strong enough for her to offer something she would never have offered to anyone just a few hours earlier.

     "I have just come up with the most brilliant idea," Rose announced as they stood in front of the door.

     "You sounded quite like my sister as you said that, so I am not sure I believe you. But do tell."

     Rose placed her hand over her heart, feigning insult. Colin shook his head with a smile, ignoring her act. He pulled a folded handkerchief out of his pocket. As he pulled the layers away, he revealed a pastry, one of the same from the party dish he had taken from earlier. He quickly popped the pastry into his mouth, shook the crumbs from the handkerchief in a single flick of his wrist, and held it out towards an astonished Rose. "For your tears."

     Rose shook her head and laughed. "I can sense this will be a fantastic friendship. One that will officially begin tomorrow with my being your guide of Greece!"

     A mix of shock and admiration filled Colin's face, "Rose, I cannot ask you to do that."

     "Nonsense," she chided. "You are not asking. I am insisting. I do not mean to insult your intelligence, but you have no knowledge of the layout or inner workings of this city or any other in Greece. Trust when I say. Trust when I say people will take advantage of that. Meanwhile, I have lived in nearly every city at some point or another. I have at least two month's holiday before the repairs at Ithia are done and we have another run. If it is my honor or your's for that matter that you are worried about, we can have company. I always believe that travel would be better with friends. And I do have friends outside of the theater. We can meet here tomorrow morning. You cannot say no. I will simply keep defending it until you say yes-"

     "No need for that. You make good points. A tour of Greece. One foreigner to another."

     Miss Xenakis reached her hand out to the man. "Shall we shake on it?"

     Colin's hands remained propped on his hips for a moment, as if he was wondering what he was getting himself into. Then, he took her hand and gave a firm shake. A pact of new friendship, wherever it may lead.

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Author's Note

Extraordinarily short chapter to follow up an extraordinarily long chapter. It's really dialogue heavy which I'm not loving, but idk I'm gonna leave it for now and we'll see what happens when I go back and edit everything. It's gonna be a long book so short not very descriptive chapters like this are probably gonna happen every once in a while cause I'm impatient and wanna write the interesting parts 🫣

Anyway, hope you enjoy even though it's not much! Please don't forget to vote and comment <3

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