From Young Man to Viscount: An Anthony Bridgerton Story

16

-Later that night, Y/N's POV-

After I finish getting Isa and Charlie settled for the night, I went back to the room when I saw a piece of parchment folded with a single flower on the desk, in Anthony's handwriting, dated to tonight. I picked up the flower and took in the smell, sweet, it smelled sweet, just like a light pink rose would. After I placed the rose to the side, I unfolded the paper to read.

"Y/N,

Change of plans, if you have decided to meet, I'll be by the tree, waiting to know your answer.

-Anthony

That's it? Nothing else to add? Wow, he really thought leaving a short note and a single rose was enough to notify the change of location.

I scoffed before I folded the parchment back up and flopped my body onto the bed, before feeling the corner of the book I was reading poke me in the back. I reach behind me to pull it out to see the bookmark I had chosen to use to mark my page is showing, Edmund's letter to me, and sighed.

"Edmund, I don't know what to do this time. I've given Anthony chances after chances to make up for what he's done, but the current situation with him courting Edwina to then possibly having to propose to her and maybe marry to get the Queen to back off is the tipping point for me. I know he says he loves me, but he felt like he couldn't tell me or trust me to know about what has gone on, what does that say about our relationship if he isn't showing me he fully trusts me to know certain things?" I say to myself as I'm trying to make a decision about this, "What would I give to have you here advising me on what I should do?"

Then I felt a breeze come about from the open windows and hear a buzzing afterwards, I looked to the windowsill to see one tiny bee just chilling, as if it was supposed to be there for a reason. Edmund. After taking a few more minutes staring at the bee, I let out a breath to then walk over to the wardrobe and grabbed my cloak to head outside, having finally made said decision. I'm going to see what he wants and listen to what he has to say to me.

-The Tree-

As I walked the path that lead to the tree that Anthony and I used to spend time at when we were younger, I think back to the bee and how Isa might've had a point, there is that chance Edmund could've come back as a bee or he sent it as a sign. A few minutes went by and after I'm coming upon the tree, I see lights hanging from the branches as well as petals that matches the single light pink rose that was left on my desk. What is all this? I stop in my tracks in shock at the beauty of what was done, but then I realize in fear, "What if he's asking me to be here to see if I thought this was perfect for his potential proposal to Edwina?"

"Y/N," I hear someone say and I look to see Anthony coming out of hiding to walk up towards me.

"A-Anthony, what is all this?" I ask as he holds out his hand for me to take and guides me to stand under the lights, "Is this? Is this how you're planning on proposing to Edwina?"

"To answer your question, yes, this is how I planned to propose, but not to Edwina," Anthony responds as I look at him in confusion, "I thought-." Before I could say anymore, Anthony stops me by saying, "If you will allow me to explain farther, you will learn." I nodded my head as in a way to say, "Okay, go on."

Anthony sighed before he began with, "Yes, a proposal is part of the plan, but it didn't feel right to propose to Edwina with this one. I had planned this proposal for a long time and was having a tough time figuring out what would be the perfect way to do it, then I remembered what you told me you dreamed of for that day to come. When I went to your room earlier, I found the letter. The one Father wrote to you before he passed."