Bridgerton - His One True Love

Chapter Three - The Past Comes Back To Haunt

Anthony noticed his sister glance behind her and curiosity overtook him and he too glanced behind him, out of the corner of his eye however he sees someone just like her, but that be, it's impossible he thought. "Excuse me a moment" he says to his sister once he has returned her to their mama and heads outside towards the gardens, hoping it wasn't just a figment of his imagination or some crude trick of the light, but deep down he knew it was for it was impossible for her to be here.

Praying she had not been caught she takes a seat in the gardens and tries to steady her breathing, she knew it would be a possibility that she would see him at events, she just did not think it would be at her first event back in London. Hearing his voice for the first time once again made her freeze and all the memories of their time spent together came rushing back to her at such force, she could hardly breath.

Hearing footsteps approach Jen only assumed it would be her brother coming to look for her once he had noted her absence and had finished conversing with Lord Bridgerton. "Well brother, that is not quite how I expected tonight to go, perhaps you were correct in saying we should have stayed at home and avoided socialising..." however when she looked up it was not the face of her dear brother she saw but the face of a confused Anthony Bridgerton.

Shocked to say the least that he had found her out here when she believed him to be completely distracted and not notice her exit from the party, she immediately tried to escape his presence and to find her brother.

Angry at the fact she was running away from him he grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving and turned her in his direction,

"I thought you dead! How? Since when? Why didn't you write to me?" he questioned her.

"Write?! I did write. I told you how I felt and why I had to leave but heard nothing in return! Not a single thing Anthony! So no do not tell me I did not write when you yourself did not write" she was angered beyond belief that he could accuse her of such a thing. Wait he assumed her dead, that cannot be, how could he have come to that conclusion?

"Jen, I received no such letter, I wrote to Simon looking for you, but he said he had not heard or seen you whilst on his travels... then after a few months your death had been announced by your late father" he breathed out in one go hoping she believed him that he had not received any letter from her.

Jen now came to the conclusion that her beloved brother had not sent the letter for her and that is why he was happy to continue travelling and was rather unwilling to return to London. 

"No, he can't have... why would he?... I gave him the letter and he said he would send it with haste... but why would he tell you he had not heard from me when he was travelling alongside me?"  

It all came crashing down around her as to why he said he would finish their father's affairs alone and meet her in Clyvedon in a few days. He was simply trying to hide her away and ensure she never saw Anthony and that he never saw her for it would ruin the lies he had told them.Both heartbroken and confused by Simon and what they had just uncovered were now very confused and did not know what to believe.

Simon in his haste to find Jen had been stopped by so many mamas was becoming impatient and desperately wanted to find his sister before it was too late. Rushing outside towards the gardens hoping he would find her and that Bridgerton had not caught up with her and ruined everything he had done to protect her.

Much to his dismay he sees both his beloved sister, whom he swore to protect, and his longest and closest friend arguing with one another in the middle of the gardens. He knew then that they would have started to figure out what had transpired over the last few years and was dreading the backlash he was inevitably going to receive any moment now.