Anthony became Viscount at just 18 after the sudden death of his father, Edmund Bridgerton, from a bee sting. The trauma of witnessing his father’s death — and the subsequent emotional collapse of his mother, Violet — forced Anthony into adulthood overnight.
From that moment forward, duty became his identity.
He inherited:
- Financial responsibility for the estate
- Guardianship over seven younger siblings
- The crushing expectation to lead flawlessly
His deepest fear: loving someone so intensely that losing them would destroy him the way it destroyed his mother.