fourty • unruly circumstances

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•••"from now on

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"from now on... these eyes will not be blinded by the light."
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Grosvenor Square, July 1814

The bond between man and bride is private, sacred. But I must tell you, I have learned that a grave fraud is afoot.

"What is it?" Colin stated, seeing Violet and Nola in the hall. Nola sat on the chair, her gaze never leaving her hands on her lap, and Violet paced the floor, holding a piece of paper in her hands.

Colin walked up to Violet concerned as she handed him the article.

As if the Featheringtons did not have enough to be dealing with, Miss Marina Thompson is with child...

Colin dropped his bag to the floor. Nola could see his heart break through his pained expression, and she wanted nothing more to run up and embrace him, but she knew it was not an appropriate moment.

And she has been from the very first day she arrived in our fair city. Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but I would wager many will think her actions beyond the pale.

Perhaps she thought it was her only option, or perhaps she knows no shame. But I ask you- can the ends ever justify such wretched means?

Anthony ran urgently down the long staircase, seeming to have just been notified about what information was exchanged from Lady Whistledown's spread this week, and seeing his brother in distraught did not bring him any sense of joy- even if he had been right.

Miss Marina Thompson's recent fall from grace continues to echo through every drawing room in town, days after it was revealed her engagement to Colin Bridgerton was nothing more than a sham.

Of course, a lady's disgrace does not merely tarnish her own name. Like the terms of the Thames, it also leaves a horrid smear on anyone nearby.

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Attending the modiste with Eloise had become a fond activity for Nola. Alverie loved to see the fabrics, and hear the accent of Lady Delacroix, the seamstress at the Modiste. "Hold still, ma chérie." Alverie giggled, sitting on the floor at Eloise's feet.

"This scandal could very well tarnish my debut, Mama." Eloise pondered. "Perhaps we should delay my coming out altogether a few years." Nola could be heard laughing hysterically in the parlor, knowing it was not to work.

"Hush, child, all will be well." Violet promised, picking up her granddaughter from Eloise's feet. "Just keep smiling."

his sapphire • anthony bridgertonWhere stories live. Discover now