Last Chance: A Bridgerton Tale about Anthony (AU NON-COMPLIANT)

Chapter 9: The past is not so easily forgotten

Yet it would be foolish to think that intimacy, or the lack there of was solely responsible for him to suddenly choose someone else. Mara undoubtedly had her faults as she wasn't the easiest person to be in a relationship with, because of, for one her insecure and demure nature.

He was tall, muscular, with blue eyes, with sharp features, as if Michelangelo had made a life version of one of his statues. He also was quick-witted, intelligent, and able to quickly make friends and win people over with his charming personality.

She... however... always thought she was plain in comparison, was an introvert and felt plain and uninteresting in comparison to him. She often wondered what possibly he could have seen in her and told him he could do much better to which he laughed and called her 'silly'.

He assured her that she was 'enough' for him and that he didn't 'need someone else, that he was happy with her and only her. It was hard to believe that, but Henry could easily win one over, make you believe anything, especially when he flashed her that big smile of his.

Still Mara questioned the relationship for most of the time which annoyed him greatly.

Mara could see that he was getting bored with her constantly wishing validation and even one time rolled her eyes at the umpteenth time she had brought the matter up. It was a condescending of him to do so, and she pointed that out to him, that he could be condescending and he on his turn would say that she could be annoyingly insecure and fickle at times.

She often tried to break up with him when the slightest of arguments or misunderstandings occurred and accused him of not actually loving her in the process. Mara would scream and cry, and yes, she would gladly admit that she was a bit melodramatic, but it never helped when he told her to calm down and 'get over herself'.

Their arguments were mostly about the wedding that he kept postponing and postponing each time. Spring became Summer, Summer Fall and Fall Winter but the status quo remained the same.

Looking back; upon further analysis, it did seem like he was doing this deliberately, but she had no idea of knowing that for he assured her that he intended to make her his wife, that he neither desired nor wished for someone else. or so she thought.

When she had introduced him to Lauren one day, she did not notice the approving gleam in his eyes, nor hers for that matter and that was not the only sign she had missed. In hindsight he could be quite selfish and persistent that he got this way, it was he had strung along their engagement for so long. First, she had to wait for him to finish school. Then she had to wait till he got properly instructed to take over his father's business. Then for him to return from going to America to set up offices of the Carrington firm there, being gone for months in the process.

Before she knew years had gone by and he still was merely his fiancée instead of his wife, after all that time.

It had taken Anthony twenty minutes to decide he was going to make her and a week to do so.

A week...

She smiled at the memory of how that unfortunate meeting outside in the garden had led to her becoming Mrs. Bridgerton, something she liked being more every day. Her thoughts went to Anthony again and this time she positively grinned when she thought about him.

It was weird and confusing since things had progressed so fast between them, yet she had to admit, Mara was smitten with her husband. The last couple of weeks had been lovely as they had spent time together, going to plays and going out to diner, or visiting his (also married) friends. It was all so contradictory because as much as she wanted to purposefully banish Henry from her life, he wriggled his way back in just like he did today.