Silent Longing | Bridgerton

6

"I am very disappointed in you, Phoebe." Portia Featherington nearly growled at her daughter. "One dance with Colin Bridgerton and you have not been away from my side the rest of the night." Shaking her head in disapproval, she sighed. "I fear my daughters will all be spinsters." The terror in her eyes at that thought tugged at her daughter's heart just the slightest bit.

"Mama, I had a lovely time with Colin. He is a very nice man," she felt Penelope's piercing blue gaze boring a hole through the side of her head. "But I fear it is not a love match. He is just a very good -"

"No love match." Portia scoffed. "At this point, I fear there may be no love matches for any of you. We cannot afford to be so picky." She grabbed Penelope's arm from behind Phoebe and tugged her towards the exit. The younger sister managed to lace her fingers through Phoebe's and together they made their way through the crowd.

No time to find a love match. It was Phoebe's turn to scoff. She was determined to not marry unless she found a love match. She would not be left to a loveless, lifeless, pointless marriage for the rest of her life. Unfortunately for her, the search for love had been fruitless thus far since her debut in society.

There had been a love once, but that is long since over. As hard as she tried to keep her green eyes on the nest of curls on the back of Penelope's head, she could feel the heavy gaze of the Bridgerton man following her. She glanced in Anthony's direction and found his eyes instantly. She felt her breath catch in her throat and she was positive that if she had not been hanging on to her sister's hand she would have surely tripped.

The intense connection lasted a brief moment but it was all Phoebe needed to calm her anger. She gave the briefest of smiles to the Viscount and vanished behind the crowd.

Anthony had not realized he had been holding his breath the entire time Miss Featherington had been ascending the stairs, leaving the ball. Of course he had been watching her ever since they returned but she had simply stood motionless next to her awful mother. The moment she started to move, his body tensed, jaw set, and frown set in. Fear that she was on her own nearly caused him to run to her side. He only showed restraint when he saw she was with her sister.

Then the most wonderful moment of his night occurred: as if reading his mind, she caught his eye. He would have given his title to have never let go of her gaze, however he relished the time he had to look her in the eye. It had been far too long since the two had spent any amount of time together so he would take what he could get.

Then her smile, a gesture he was not prepared for, nearly knocked him off his feet. As quickly as it appeared, she herself vanished. His heart, full moments ago, was left emptier than when he arrived. When Phoebe left, his heart went with her.

He was ripped from his thoughts by a sharp jab to the ribs. The seemingly ever present frown turned to face his younger brother in irritation. "Is everything alright with you, brother? You are surely never going to find a wife with your face constantly downcast." The teasing tone in Benedict's voice was meant to ease his spirits however it irked Anthony all the more.

"I have told you, I will not be taking a wife."

If his brother had been any good at detecting the end of a conversation, this would be that time. But alas, Benedict persisted. "But it is your duty as the -"

"I am well aware of my duties, Benedict." He snarled through clenched teeth. "However, I will not be taking a wife purely out of necessity. If by chance there is a love connection with a lady, my mind might change. As that is currently not nor likely soon to be a possibility, I would take it upon yourself to consider your potential match." With a quick pat on his shoulder and the thinnest smile he could manage, Anthony turned to Colin. "Make sure mother gets home safely."

The youngest Bridgerton brother at the ball raised an eyebrow but was met with the Viscount's coat tails. "Leave him be." Benedict waved his hand aimlessly in the direction of their disappearing brother. "He seems to be in one of his moods again."

Colin was well aware of the reason for his eldest brother's departure but knew it was not his place to divulge that information. Instead, he downed the last of his drink and linked arm with his mother's. "Well, mama, what do you say we get you home?"

Violet Bridgerton was a giggling mess as her sons accompanied her and her eldest daughter home. She was none the wiser that her eldest and heir to the Bridgerton estate was on his way across town to pay a visit to a beautiful opera singer.

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Hello readers!

Apologies for the delay! I will be updating every week, likely on Wednesday's. Thank you all so much for your comments and love for this book! It is one of my favorite pieces that I have written! I would love to read your reactions to the events that take place so please be sure to leave a comment and a like!

I know this chapter was shorter than most but I promise that will not be the case in the future! I can't wait for you all to see what happens next! I'd love to hear any predictions you might have as well!

Thank you all again so much for the wonderful feedback! It really means the world to me!