"What of our families? What will they think?"
"Let us not live for them, let us live for us and our eternal love."
A century-long feud and a forbidden romance.
In which a Sutherland falls
for a Bridgerton, and despite
the cutthroat rivalry between...
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THE NIGHT OF THE SUTHERLAND MASQUERADE BALL, AN ELECTRICAL STORM RAGED OUTSIDE. Rain poured down from the heavens, drenching all who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the fury of the night sky. Droplets of rain pounded against the windows with such a great force it sounded as if pebbles were being thrown against the glass. The brutal wind swept across all of London, refusing to show a sliver of mercy. The power of the ruthless gusts caused the window panes to thrash in their place and tore emerald leaves from the lush spring trees. However, the inky black of the night sky, acting as a cloak, swallowed the leaves swirling in the wind, hiding them from sight. No light seeped through the thick and menacing clouds, not a twinkle of a star nor the glow of the moon. When thunder roared from the sky, the power of Zeus himself shook the entire city. The Sutherland house trembled upon its foundation. Yet, the most damning sight of all was when the heavens themselves clawed open for the quickest of seconds, allowing a blinding white flash of electricity to reign over the once black and soulless sky.
Maisie loved electrical storms.
If not for the music of the quartet ringing in their ears and the bustling nature of ladies and gentlemen, the Sutherland ballroom would fall victim to the sounds of windows rattling in their frames elsewhere in the house and the crackle of thunder outside. The turbulent noise, although muffled, continued to vibrate the flooring and oozed through the space between the doors and its frames.
The Sutherland ballroom was a haven amidst the storm's fury. For the attendees were quick to forget about the brutal weather beyond the four pale green walls surrounding them. The candlelight emitted from large crystal chandeliers above their heads cast an orange warmth to dance against the green coating the walls, adding a comforting quality to the uneasy storm. The music, vivacious and beautiful, acted as an escape, allowing all those in its presence to become lost in the chillingly mesmerizing strings of the violin. Despite the muffled sounds of the raging weather, that Friday evening felt anything but out of the ordinary. It felt like any other ball.
Amongst the other members of high society, Maisie resided in the safety of the Sutherland ballroom. She stood near the back wall, the established home to wallflowers at any social event, alongside Moses and Mildred. Maisie was unsure where her other siblings were at the current moment. She was sure her mother and Montague were busy making polite conversation with the guests, and Maude was most likely dancing with a gentleman mother would not approve of. Maxwell, on the other hand, well, Maisie assumed he would have remained near to his twin, Mildred. He was not fond of large events to this scale.
Moses, nursing his drink, glanced around the ballroom with narrowed eyes. The fiery hue washing over the ballroom added a tinge of orange to his caramel locks and brightened the blue of an ocean storm brewing in his irises. His tailcoat, a charcoal grey, fitted his form and the dark colour emphasized the threatening currents thrashing within his eyes. Heavy on his features, a blank expression forced his lips into a sharp line. Even with a mask concealing the vast majority of his face, he appeared absolutely bored.
