#dirtymercy

Colin had a smug expression on his face as he walked into the sitting room that was thankfully empty of all of their houseguests, but contained the one person he wanted to see at the moment. “Brother!” he greeted with a smile as he plopped down in the seat across from Benedict. “Excellent job at finding a spot completely empty of our guests.” A part of him was surprised that their mother has left them to their own devices without trying to matchmake, but he would be on his guard nonetheless. “I would suggest avoiding Anthony for a few hours. He is quite.. cross at the moment” He sniggered, the memory of their older brother having to wade into the lake for the bright pink ball fresh in his mind. 

“You missed an excellent Pall Mall match. Not only did our brother not get to use the Mallet of Death, but Miss Kate Sharma left him with the bright pink ball and sunk it into the lake. It was decided that that action won her the match.” Normally, he was fiercely competitive over the game, but he was too amused to debate the matter. 

SHE  HAD  MET  HIM  THE  PREVIOUS  NIGHT  AT  A  PARTY,                    but  tatia  didn’t  realise  she  could  meet  him  again  at  the  event  she  was  invited  to.  she  walked  around,  grabbing  a  glass  of  (  HOPEFULLY  CHAMPAGNE  )  and  stood  still  in  a  corner.        -                                              she  wanted  to  get  a  clear  sight  of  the  place.  her  eyes  were  focussed  upon  the  room,  but  her  mind  was  slowly  drifing  away,  into  her  memories  of  last  night.  she  didn’t  even  told  him  her  name.  because  she  wanted  to  stay  this  mysterious  stranger.            -                                                  and  well,  she  had  succeeded.  tatia  looked  up  when  one  of  the  ladies  started  talking  to  her,  she  politely  answered  a  few  questions  and  then  excused  herself,  while  already  walking  away.            (  SHE  WAS  NOT  IN  THE  MOOD  FOR  SMALL  TALK.  )        and  while  she  walked  away,  tatia  didn’t  realised  she  walked  right  towards  him.

                everything  smelled  like  flowers.  it  was  as  if  those  blasted  roses  had  wafted  all  the  way  up  to  his  chambers  and  he  could  not  escape  them.  michael  didn’t  need  to  be  told  that  francesca  was  a  catch,  he  had  known  that  from  the  moment  he  had  laid  his  eyes  on  her.  however,  there  was  something  that  tugged  at  the  back  of  his  mind.  a  sort  of  jealousy  he  would  have  to  endure.  to  see  her  with  another  man,  laughing,  talking,  it  made  his  stomach  churn.  he  had  been  able  to  survive  those  feelings  with  john  because  he  had  loved  and  respected  his  cousin.  happy  to  indulge  in  his  reputation  as  the  merry  rake  and  try  to  forget  the  way  francesca  seemed  to  haunt  his  dreams.  even  when  he  had  been  in  india,  his  breath  would  catch  in  his  throat  when  someone  was  all  too  close  to  her.  perhaps  it  was  the  way  they  laughed,  or  a  passing  remark,  or  the  way  they  carried  themselves.  he  was  even  more  aware  of  it  with  her  here,  but  it  was  her  home  too.  

𝙮𝙤𝙪    𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠    𝙞𝙩'𝙨    𝙛𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜    𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩    𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙫𝙚    𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮    𝙣𝙤𝙬    𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙.    now    that    you    are    so    close    to    losing    your    best    friend,    the    person    that    has...    seen    you    as    a    person.    penelope    knows    all    of    you,    not    just    the    good    part    of    yourself,    but    the    worst    parts    of    yourself.    the    ones    hidden    from    everyone    that    is    not    her.    it    is    fitting    to    be    in    love    with    a    woman.    to    have    something    that    you    cannot    have.    colin    is    in    love    with    her,    and    there    is    a    part    of    you    that    is    happy    for    your    friend    that    she    will    not    live    out    her    life    on    a    shelf,    but    this    means    the    death    of    all    of    your    dreams.    the    dreams    of    living    in    the    country    with    her.    together    with    her,    figuring    out    your    own    lives.    without    being    miss    bridgerton    and    miss    featherington.    it    feels    as    if    you’re    drowning.    losing    yourself    to    the    waves    that    come    through    you.    you    can    feel    yourself    moving.    going    to    the    only    brother    that    you    can    trust    with    this    secret.    colin    would...    tell    someone,    and    you    would    have    ended    up    in    the    same    place.    lost.    benedict    is    the    best    choice.    he    will    keep    all    of    your    secrets.    no    matter    how    serious    they    are.    this    is    the    reason    you    go    to    my    cotage.    why    you    end    up    in    his    doorstep,    nearly    in    tears.    it    takes    you    little    to    find    his    office    after    coming    in.    and    you    cannot    help    but    spill    all    of    your    guts    before    he    can    even    breathe.    ❝    i    am    in    love    with    penelope    and    colin    is    going    to    marry    and    then    i’ll    be    alone    for    the    rest    of    my    life,    ❞    it    takes    you    another    breath,    before    you    can    feel    yourself    sigh    shakily,    the    clear    tell    that    you    were    going    to    cry    soon.