Perhaps his efforts at gallantry were unwise. Here in M.ayfair, Benjamin mostly kept his head down and didn't bother interjecting himself into any social circles, but upon seeing the young woman unaccompanied...well...he'd foolishly felt the need to intervene. And judging by the borderline scorn on her face, he had chosen unwisely.

"I appreciate your manners, sir, but think you are mistaken." There was a hint of sarcasm to her words, clipped and pointed.

Her sarcasm, unfortunately, caused a need in Benjamin to unearth some of his own.

"I'm sorry, uh...when you say 'I think you are mistaken,' does that mean you genuinely do not know, or are you being assertive with contradictory verbiage?" He arched a brow, the expression a touch challenging.

Well...so much for manners.

Mercifully, the woman didn't appear too indignant by his misstep, and with a shake of her head, she admonished, "I'm quite capable of walking on my own."

always   is   what   he   wanted   to   say,   sipping   on   his   drink.   there   was   never   a   time   where   his   worries   didn't   threaten   to   overwhelm   him.   the   pressure   of   the   bridgerton   name,   of   finding   a   passion....   but   what   came   out   instead,   more   melancholy   than   the   words   typically   would   be,   was   ❝   worries   are   for   first   sons   with   the   responsibility   of   their   family.   what   mistakes   could   i   make   ?   ❞

@awynter "Get some rest. I'm not going anywhere." &&anne&colin

colin had been riding on his families estate, when he found himself leaving the property and just riding along the country. he loved aubrey hall, he did, but daphne was there was her now 3 children, anthony was married and his wife kate was pregnant with their child, and benedict just got married. he was truly happy for his siblings he was. he loved them, and seeing how happy they were, he could not have wished for anything better.

his mother wanted him to get married next. he didn't know if that was for him. he had enjoy flirting and conversations with debutants, but actual marriage? no he couldn't. they were all interested in surface level things it seemed. interested in his travels, but not specifics. he couldn't fault them, hearing how his sister's talked about what was expected of a women, he suppose they would ask for if they thought they could.

the one decent conversation he had was with anne wynter. she was sweet, kind, funny, and interested. she asked questions, and made colin feel as if he had something worse saying. he hadn't seen her since the gallery opening though, but he thought about her, and how pretty she was.

"I read somewhere once that the ancient Romans referred to Christmas time as Saturnalia. Instead of celebrating the birth of a baby, they celebrated the renewal of life, the rebirth of the year as the new one rolled in." She smiled to herself as she turned over a pinecone in her hands. There were so many of them scattered around, floral infants waiting to spring up into eternal greenery. It felt strange that she could be sitting around so many strong and resilient pine trees while also holding the seed of one in her hand.

"But, whatever we call it, this is a time of hope and new beginnings." Turning to face him, her smile widened. Anne was grateful to be spending the end of the year with someone she cared about. It was far better than sitting in a corner silently or hiding away in her bedroom, listening to the fireplace crackle until the clock struck midnight. Anne held up the pinecone, pinched between three fingers. "I say we make a wish on this and then place it in the earth. When it grows, our wish will come true. And the hope and love that goes into it will grow for future generations to come."

After a moment, she lowered the pinecone and bit the inside of her cheek, suddenly feeling silly for suggesting such a thing. "It could be our tradition. Even if we're not together, we can still make our wishes and be connected, no matter where we are."

@awynter

Sihtric had quickly become fond of the strange young woman who he had literally picked up in a forest a few weeks ago. He was very glad he had persisted that day and made sure she was safe. He would never have forgiven himself. Anne was kind and intelligent, which probably didn't make her suitable for life on the road or as a Dane, but she had not voiced wanting to go yet.

They were feasting in the great hall of Uhtred, all people together, Dane and Christian. Sihtric never minded the others, as long as they didn't want to convert him. He knew Anne did not follow the gods either, but how she spoke about the Romans intrigued him. "How do you know all those things?" He couldn't read himself and a woman who could read was unheard of. "You are mightily clever, Anne." He pronounced it as 'An-ne'.

"oh no, i couldn't." the star, the crown that sits atop the tree— the most important piece, he couldn't take the honor of doing such an important task. "you did so much beautiful work on the rest of the tree, i think that honor should be yours." 

Her face lingered with him, showing up when he closed his eyes at night, more vivid than any dream could be. He’d tried to outrun it, keep himself busy with work that took him far and kept his hands too occupied to dwell on the ache she stirred in him. It hadn’t worked. Nothing did.

And so here he was, standing too close to her in the dim light of a castle corridor, the hour too late for either of them to claim innocence. They should both have been in their rooms, far from temptation. Yet they weren’t, and he—damn him—couldn’t stop himself.

It started as the barest brush of his lips against hers, a chaste and fleeting thing, as though testing the waters. But the moment their mouths met, he knew he was lost. He’d stepped willingly into the fire, and there was no pulling back now. One arm slid around her waist, drawing her flush against him, while his other hand found the back of her neck, tilting her head to deepen the kiss.

He knew the risk. Anyone might stumble upon them, and the consequences—for her especially—would be dire. But in that moment, he didn’t care. He was reckless, aye, maybe even a fool. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to stop. He could only hope, foolishly, that the shadows of this quiet corner would be enough to hide them from prying eyes. For if this was the price of being close to her, it was one he’d gladly pay, come what may.

"Maybe it'll pass soon." She said as she pushed back her now sodden blonde curls. "In the meantime." She turned to face her and held her hand out towards her. "I'm Elayne Trakand. Unfortunately we are to miss the party. Rain seems to force people away from entertainment."

shout-out meme!!

💻 ― excellent writing

@alootus!! i love milla's writing so much. she captures padmé's voice so well. incredible word choice. captures emotion so well. i love. plus, milla is just so sweet!

📚 ― nice threads to read

@0fbabylon's threads!!!! madonna is such an interesting oc. i love reading their threads when they pop up on my dash. obsessed.

🎀 ― all-around kind person

@intothewildsea is so sweet and approachable! love writing with and chatting with arlo. they're so welcoming!! so so so kind as well.

📌 ― a staple on the dash