"What of our families? What will they think?"
"Let us not live for them, let us live for us and our eternal love."
A century-long feud and a forbidden romance.
In which a Sutherland falls
for a Bridgerton, and despite
the cutthroat rivalry between...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
THAT EVENING AS THE SUN DIPPED IN THE SKY AND THE MOON BEGAN ITS ASCENT BEYOND THE HORIZON, Maisie found herself with her back against the wall and the hardwood flooring digging into her tailbone. The large painting of the meadow lay discarded on the floor. It was leaning against the green floral wallpaper at a dangerous slant. No larger than half an inch in width, the crack in the wall was exposed to the world. On the Bridgerton side, Colin sat behind Maisie, his back pushed against the wall. A mere foot of stone lay between them. Despite the fact, and the obvious barrier, Maisie felt his presence with her.
Earlier that evening after returning home from presenting herself to the Queen, Maude retired to her room with haste. She did not exchange words with her siblings nor did she attend dinner. Their mother had made some rather rude comments during the carriage ride home and as a result, Maude said a few cold words. On the other hand, Maisie joined her other siblings — Montague, Moses, Mildred, and Maxwell — in the drawing-room. Moses assisted Mildred with her arithmetic sheet. Although Moses was often withdrawn and aloof, he had a soft spot for his siblings, especially when it came to his youngest sister. Meanwhile, the rest of the siblings indulged themselves in an innocent few rounds of Hazard, a popular dice game.
Now, Maisie sat alone in her room, relishing in Colin's presence. Even though the Queen's thoughts of the sisters were underwhelming, to say the least, Maisie's day wasn't so terrible. She enjoyed her time with her older brothers before they returned to their bachelor lodgings. Now she was with Colin, a newfound and unexpected friend.
Her gaze remained fixated out her bedroom window. The drapes pulled taut to the side, allowing Maisie to watch the setting sun in full. Orange and pink seeped into her room, dancing against the walls. She couldn't help but watch the mesmerizing scene.
"Maisie, you looked rather beautiful today," Colin stated, releasing a shaky breath. "The Queen must be blind."
At the compliment, Maisie's cheeks flushed and her heart leaped in her chest. She was thankful the Bridgerton boy couldn't see her at the current moment. "Thank you, Colin. You are far too kind." Before he could respond, she added with haste, "For a Bridgerton that is!"
Colin laughed. As he did so, Maisie imagined he was smiling. She hoped he was, in fact, smiling even if it was petite. Colin had a contagious grin (as she discovered earlier that day) and quite an enchanting one as well. "I can hardly believe a Sutherland complimented me, even if it is, in essence, backhanded."
She nervously toyed with the simple gold bracelet, twisting it around her wrist. "Would you expect anything else?"
"Not at all," He said, light and humorous. This time around, Maisie knew for sure that Colin was smiling. As she envisioned his grin from earlier that day, she found the corners of her lips tug upwards as well. Colin Bridgerton had an enchanting smile.
