𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐇 - 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐨𝐧

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄

SPRING 1814 -
timeline - 2

"stop it flora," anthony ordered, forcing his sisters hands apart when she started picking again.

flora didn't respond, she just huffed out an angered breath. the two siblings walked through the park, arms linked but no sign of closeness between them. anthony scanned the area like a predator hunting for prey, he was seeking any eligible ladies of the ton that he may court. he was also seeking eligible bachelors for flora.

she hated it, she hated this park, she hated the way anthony just kept going on and on about ugly old rich guys, she hated the way this dress fit her, she hated the cloudy sky, she hated her hair, her nails, her mind and the way it messed with her. most of all, she hated her brother.

it was an unrecognizable feeling for the girl, she didn't think that she could ever have felt such a nasty emotion towards who anthony used to be.

flora couldn't remember what her father looked like. she was young when he died and the paintings of him looked far too fake. whenever flora thought of her father, the first person she pictured was always anthony. he was always there, from the day their father died when he held her as she kicked and screamed, asking where her father was, why mother was crying, why he was crying. he was the one who grabbed her and pulled her inside of aubrey hall, who protected her and her siblings from seeing their dying father. as long as flora could remember anthony was always there.

until he wasn't.

now, every waking moment spent in his presence felt like suffocation. she couldn't stand it. whenever he spoke she felt her hands start to tremble in an uncharacteristic rage. her bout of hatred towards her brother never settled, not like anthony thought it would. siblings fight, he told himself, she'll get over it eventually. but months had gone by and she was showing no signs of letting her anger go.

flora sometimes wondered if her brother ever yearned for the bond they used to have. for the closeness the siblings once shared. his cold demeanor towards her and blatant disregard for her feelings suggested he did not. it hurt her, the girl often found herself staying up late at night, cursing herself and him for letting their relationship grow so sour. but even in her own self-hatred, flora stayed stubborn in her disscontempt for her brother.

but, she was raised better than to show it. so she smiled kindly as anthony nodded to members of the ton passing by. she felt herself stop when anthony did, to speak with a pretty woman and her mother, lady carmine and her daughter if she remembered correctly. flora was of the assumption that anthony was thinking of courting the woman. she took that as her cue to start to disassociate from the conversation.

her dark eyes scanned over the park, over the many people scattered around the area. then they stop suddenly. her mind momentarily shattered by what she saw. arlo matthews. he stood down the pavement from them, and he had already seen her.

he was holding his stack of newspapers, and was sporting a rare jacket over his white shirt due to the incoming stormy spring weather. he hair was neat, almost combed back, which flora found odd. in almost all her memories of him, arlo's hair was always left messy. she liked it that way. the look on his face was what really made her heart ache. shock, pure shock, with just the right amount of longing as he looked at her. he was looking at her like he missed her.

air was robbed from her lungs at the sight of him. not in the way it used to. she wasn't taken aback by his beauty, stunned by his very being or so incredibly enamored with arlo that she simply couldn't breath. this time, she was scared. flora thought often of what she would say to arlo when she saw him again. yet, in this moment, not a single thing came to mind. she hated it, feeling powerless over her feelings for him.

she watched as he frantically tried to find another path, to find a way to avoid her. she should've been hurt by this. was there really nothing he wanted to say to her? did she not plague his every waking moment with thoughts of all the things he never said? but, she was glad. it used to be easy to talk to him, but now, flora couldn't even ponder how to communicate with the boy. she would be lying if she said she wasn't glad when he found another destination, rounding the corner and darting behind a field of trees.

she was snapped out of her fixation when her brothers voice sounded, "florence?"

"yes?" she turned to the young girl and her mother facing them, they both stared at her like they had been trying to get her attention, "apologies i'm a bit...tired today."

the lady carmine smiled, "it's okay, darling. i was just telling your brother how lovely it would be for you to meet my son."

"oh" she nodded, "yes that would be lovely."

"he will be sure to call on you once the season starts" she assured her, with a sweet smile.

"i'll be looking forward to it," flora lied.

"ah well, good day," she bid them farewell and the mother and daughter continued on their walk.

anthony waiting until they were out of ear shot from the pair, "i doubt he will ask for your hand this season."

she scowled at him, "thanks" flora said sarcastically.

"i didn't mean-" he groaned, "her son is only a few years older then you, dear sister. he will not be thinking of marriage for years."

"okay" she folded her lips together, pleading silently for this conversation to halt.

"flora..." anthony started.

"oh!" she interrupted, "it's cassandra, may i go join her?"

anthony clenched his jaw, deciding whether or not to allow her. the decision seemed to be out of his hands, though. as cassandra was already waking towards them, and flora unlinked her arm and started to make her way. he watched as his sister hugged her best friend like they had been apart for many months (they had seen eachother days prior).

cassandra cowper and flora bridgerton were an unlikely pair. the two had been close since they were mere toddlers, their families many differences never bringing them apart. it was no secret that the bridgertons were one of the kindest family of the ton, and the cowpers were the most vile. the cowpers never missed an opportunity to try and bring the bridgertons down. especially with cressida and daphne's short lived fued. cassandra seemed to be the family's one redeeming member. she was a sweet, naturally sociable and an exceptionally cheery girl. flora felt that her day was brightened just by her presence. the two told eachother eveything, ignoring society's stigmas and placing full trust in one another.

"so," cassandra started, "i noticed your paper boys here."

flora groaned, "i am aware, it was genuinely frightening."

"you saw him?" flora nodded, "did he see you?"

"he basically ran away" she informed, "i don't blame him, the way everything ended was so..."

"dramatic" cassandra finished.

flora sighed, "i just don't even know what id say, or how to say it."

"but you do want to see him again?" flora stayed silent, even the look on her face unreadable.

"i doubt he would want to see me so..." she trailed off, flora quickly put on a fake smile, "now tell me about your servant lover."

"my mama almost caught us this morning, it was so scary, i thought he would pop a blood vessel," cassandra went on with her story, as the two walked down the park, and flora had to pretend she couldn't feel arlo staring at her the entire time.

a/n
second timeline intro WOOOOOOO

cassandra and flora are my babies like 🫶🫶

what happened with arlo and flora? well ur not gonna find out soon so guess 😘

with love,
sades 💗