Battlefields to Ball-gowns (A Bridgerton Fanfiction)

Chapter 14

A knock came on the door that night, Artemis was the only sibling home and went down to receive their guest. 

Instead of another suitor, as she feared it would be, she found sweating and frazzled Anthony Bridgerton once again pacing the length of the parlor. 

"Anthony? Are you alright?" 

His head snapped to her at the sound of her angelic voice. His dark eyes softened as he looked at her, recognizing the concern in her perfect features. 

"Y-yes... I just... I needed to see you." 

She glided over to him, with such grace it was as if her feet barely touched the ground. Her callused hand rested on his cheek, turning him to face her completely, "Don't lie to me, Bridgerton. Something has happened."

"I just... Tomorrow, everything is going to change. Everything. So, please, just give me a moment of your time to speak recklessly and thoughtlessly without consequence." Anthony asked, his eyes shining with a thousand emotions.

She nodded and he pulled her by the hand to sit next to him on the couch. 

"I... I have no way to correctly express my feelings about you, Artemis Freyja Black. I have spent the last three hours attempting to concoct the right words to say... I will not say I love you. Because it does not do justice to the feelings in my heart. I fear that there has never been someone so utterly devoted... so illogically infatuated to another before that a word has not yet been invented." Anthony spoke, his voice shaking slightly with nerves while Artemis sat across from him, utterly stunned. 

"You have consumed my every waking thought since the moment I met you. The sound of my name on your lips haunts me. I see your eyes in every object of glittering gold. I can not escape you, and I am too powerless against your charms to desire reprieve... I am a gentleman... my father raised me as such but with each teasing remark thrown at me in that intoxicating voice of yours, with every mischievous smirk, and every moment of unexpected wisdom, I find my control around you hanging by a thread... There is no distraction, no amount of time, no other woman, able to free me from this torment. You are the bane of my existence and the object of all of my desires."

He raised his hand gingerly tucking a stray piece of dark hair behind her ear. 

"Anthony-"

"No... Please... I'm begging you not to say anything. I fear this may be my last chance to tell you, I could not do what must be done without telling you first." Anthony whispered sadly as he stood from the couch. 

She reached for him but he had already gone, disappearing through the door into the night.

After hours of endless thoughts, Artemis was finally able to fall asleep only to be awoken yet again by another knock at her door at an ungodly hour of the morning. With a grunt of indignation, Greta entered the room. 

"The Bridgerton girl is here. It seems urgent. She's still in her nightgown."

That seemed to jolt the princess awake. 

The only way Daphne Bridgerton would be caught dead outside of her house indecent would be life or death. Since she's here it most likely meant Anthony was doing something stupid. 

Forget Artemis, she should have been named Apollo because she saw the future on that one.

She raced down the stairs, carelessly throwing on a robe as she went. As she got to the drawing-room she caught a sense of Deja vu seeing Daphne frantically pace the length of the parlor. 

"What is wrong?" Artemis demanded, foregoing all pleasantries. 

"Anthony is to duel the duke at dawn!" Daphne cried. 

"The alliteration makes that fantastically fucked-up fact, fascinatingly more fun," Artemis said mindlessly, still partially asleep.

"Artemis!" 

"Right, okay... Why is Anthony dueling the duke? I thought his grace left because his business was concluded." Artemis asked rubbing the sleep from her eyes. 

"He was meant to! But then he grew jealous of my time with the prince and followed me into the maze at the ball! And Anthony found us!" Daphne said as if that incredibly vague description of events was meant to explain everything. 

"Okay... Does not explain why Anthony wants to kill him."

"We were alone, Artemis!"

"...Still failing to see-"

"WE KISSED!"

Artemis' eyes blew wide, "YOU AND ANTHONY?!" 

"DON'T BE DISGUSTING! NO, ME AND THE DUKE!"

"Oh...well congratulations?" Artemis said, still wildly confused why that would result in the duke being put to death.

"No Artemis you don't understand both Anthony and Cressida saw me kissing the duke!"

"... Well I mean I get their cock-blocks but-"

"And then the duke refused to marry me even after we were compromised!"

"I still don't get... wait... Oh shit...FUCK! THIS IS ENGLAND!"

"YES!"

"SHIT!"

"I know but you needn't be so vulgar."

"We have to stop them!"

"THAT'S WHY I'M HERE!" 

"Gods I hate English society, fine let's go."

And off they disappeared into the early morning, praying that they were in time to stop the most absurdly ridiculous tradition in English history, a duel for honor.

(A duel doesn't make Daphne unkissed but what ever!)