𝐍𝐎 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐋，Benedict Bridgerton【𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐎𝐎𝐍】

⸢𝐈'𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬.
𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐨𝐛𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬.
𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧'𝐭 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮.
𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥.⸥

Ulysses Rivera was not known. Well, a part of her was-River. The rest? Just the yet-to-be-married Viscount's daughter. Because apparently, in the grand and enlightened era of the ton, a woman's entire identity was measured by how close she was to matrimony.

River, however, was a different story. A famous artist, beloved by critics and collectors alike. The kind of artist whose work men raved about in smoky parlours, wine in hand, while nodding sagely at the brilliance of his technique. Yes, his. Because, fun fact: the ton had no idea River was actually a woman. And she had zero intention of enlightening them.

Enter Benedict Bridgerton. A free spirit, a lover of art, a man who looked at a canvas and felt things. Deep, artistic things. Some might say River's artistry was his greatest inspiration. Some might also say he was a little obsessed, but let's not split hairs.

The two met under a full moon-a moment Ulysses would later declare an artist's rendezvous. Sounds poetic, right? Well, it was-in the way that Benedict, in all his free-spirited glory, managed to trip over her gown and nearly face-plant into the dirt. Truly, a night to remember.

｢𝘉𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘯 𝘹 𝘖𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘭𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳.
𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸!｣