Lady Jones // Anthony Bridgerton

The Tansy

Lily froze. The comment came from an elderly woman, with a cane. Lady Danbury. The infamous old Lady Danbury. Who else would dare to say something like that to a Viscount?
"Lady Danbury." Anthony smiled. "It is always a pleasure."
"Lady Jones." He added, as Lily nodded. "I see." The old woman eyed Lily up and down, like she was considering buying her like a piece of furniture. "I am not for sale." Lily joked, and almost immediately wished she had stayed quiet. Anthony chuckled, subtly, as Lady Danbury cocked an eyebrow. "This one's got wit." She smirked, before walking away.
As they rode home, Lily bit her tongue to stop herself from asking. She had already said too much. She allowed herself too much. "I told my family not to come." Anthony sighed. "Your lip is quivering. From holding back." He explained, pointing to Lily's lips. Her plump lower lip was in between her teeth. She lowered her gaze. If only she could roll her eyes. "I thought it was more appropriate. Just the two of us. Later, when we are married, we will promenade with everyone."
Lily nodded, focusing her eyes on the red carpet. Anthony admired how reserved she was. She was exactly what he wished for in a wife. No unnecessary questions, no drama, no stupid gazing like he received from other ladies... That scribbler was right. Lily Anne Jones was a true diamond. She was extraordinary beautiful. Just about 5 inches shorter than him, perfect slim figure, long black hair, olive tan skin, upturned dark green eyes... She was born to be a Viscountess. Smart and witty, she held a conversation. She was certainly different than other women he usually surrounded himself with. Lily attracted, she did not seduce.. And there was something calming about that, something that made him feel at ease. He felt like he could desire her, without loving her. That was all he needed. He wanted to have a good, obedient wife he was sure he would not fall in love with. He was glad she agreed to the deal.
*****
Wedding was prepared in less than three weeks. It was a big celebration, and Lily enjoyed it. Grace did not get to dance with any of Bridgerton brothers, other than Gregory. But she still enjoyed being the maid of honor. Lily enjoyed dancing after a long time. Anthony was a great dancer. She regretted being allowed to dance only four dances. She had never received more compliments. Of course, half of them were probably courtesy because it was her wedding day. Still, it felt good. She regretted not getting one from her groom.
Lily felt her heart in her throat, as Anthony placed his hand on her back, walking her up the stairs. The wedding ended. And it was time for their wedding night. Lily was not sure if Anthony intended to consume the marriage the first night, but it would be reasonable. She felt her hands shake as they approached the end of the hallway. Did she want this? Lily wasn't sure. The man never even gave her a compliment. She felt metallic taste, as she bit into her lip further. Blood. Dammit! She was biting so hard, she bled her lip. "Are you alright?"
"I am sorry, my Lord, I.."
"Are you holding your words back, again?" He took out handkerchief from his pocket. "No, no.. That is pure silk, it will-"
But before she could say anything else, he gently pressed the white fabric to her lower lip. His eyes were darker than ever, in the poorly candlelit hallway. Lily felt her cheeks color red with shame. She should of have stayed collected. She wished she could allow herself tears. But, that would be too embarrassing. Anthony hated how scared she was. She was barely noticeably shaking. He could never force her to sleep with him, the girl was frightened. "Do not worry. We will not spend the night together." He opened the big wooden door, letting Lily in first. She was still holding the handkerchief to her lip, setting it on the big oak dresser near the door. "This is our bedroom. There is a bath, on the left."
"You should spend the night here." Lily sighed, as she sat on the edge of the big wooden bed. Anthony cocked an eyebrow, walking over to her. "Your family expects us to walk out of this room together tomorrow morning." She added, barely audible. Who is this woman?, Anthony thought. "I will make sure to be here before the morning, then."
Lily could not believe what had just happened. The man left her, alone, on their wedding night. And, knowing his reputation, probably went to a brothel. She cursed under her breath. She was relieved he did not expect to sleep with her, but he could of have slept on the same bed. He was doomed to, for the rest of their lives, anyway. She took a look around the room. No sign of any character, whatsoever. As sterile as she expected from him. She changed into her nightgown, before rummaging the drawers in search of anything. He was a blank page. It seemed everything in Anthony's life revolved around his title and the duties it came with. She slipped on her slippers, before making a short trip to where she hoped to find out more- his study.
She opened the top drawer. A handful of adorable, clearly child sketches filled the drawer, most of them signed with wobbly Hyacinth or Gregory. She noticed a few of Eloise's notes too. They were all dated, probably by Anthony, in the corners of white paper. Some were as old as ten years. Lily smiled, surprised a man with reputation of the greatest rake in the Ton, still kept his siblings' drawings and notes. He clearly cared deeply about his family. So, this is where he hides, she thought as she put them all back, before opening the bottom drawer. On top of a bunch of red envelopes, she pulled out a portrait. It was a gorgeous young woman, with red hair and red lips. Fiorella Bianchi. The opera singer. Anthony must of have had a close relationship with her, to have her portrait in his desk. She quickly put it back inside, before searching further. She found her letter. That is too personal. She put it back down before she decided to go back to bed. She realized two things. Anthony cared deeply about his family. And his reputation was true. However, just like in his desk, he probably kept those two sides of him apart, each in its secure department. She wondered whether she would once make it, into any one of those drawers. She was half way down the hallway when she saw him. He staggered, walking towards her. "Ah, my wife." He smirked, as he approached her. Lily swallowed a lump. "Here I am! As promised." He added, struggling to hold balance. Lily placed his arm around her shoulder, supporting his limp body. He was as drunk as fiddler. She helped him get to the bedroom, where she sat him down onto the bed. "You are already proving yourself to be a great wife, Lady Jones."
She rolled her eyes, taking off his boots, one by one. "You are beautiful, Lily."
She noticed his shirt was buttoned wrong, as he probably skipped a button in a hurry. At Fiorella's, probably. She noticed a red lipstick stain on his neck. She needed no further proof. He had spent their wedding night with another woman. As much as she knew their marriage was arranged, Lily still felt incredibly hurt. He not only did not find himself attracted to her, he did not even respect her enough to stay one night in her bed, simply sleeping next to her. She blamed herself for the incident, when she bled her lip. She should of have stayed collected, letting him sleep with her. No man wanted a scared woman, who acted like a wild animal awaiting slaughter.
"Aren't you going to say something?"
She fixed his pillow, as his half-closed eyes followed her every movement. She pretended not to notice it. She remained quiet. What could she possibly say? He was too drunk to comprehend anything, anyway. She threw a blanket over his body, before laying on her side of the bed. What a start to a marriage.
Lily woke up at five, as she did every morning for the last fifteen years. Anthony was still asleep, snoring softly. She liked giving herself time to get ready before stepping out into the day. She did her hair, powdered her face, choose a dress and tidied her side of the bed. Every morning started like that. She was just about to put the last pillow down, when he woke up. "You are already up." He commented, confused. Lily nodded. God, she wished she could roll her eyes. "What time is it?"
"It's half past six." She walked over to the dresser, picking up a bottle of perfume, before she sprayed some on her neck. He got up, groaning as he felt a pulsating headache. "I am going to change, then we can go to the breakfast."
"I will be waiting." Lily nodded. She used the opportunity to strip sheets off the bed. Everyone thinks they had spent the night together. She needed to stain them. With blood. She is a virgin. The maids will surely expect blood stains. Lily paced back and forth, watching the impeccably white sheets on the floor. "What is happening?"
She let out a sigh. How can she explain this to him? Ladies are forbidden to talk about such things. "Everyone thinks we have slept together. And I am a.." She gulped. "Virgin."
He shook his head, resting his hands on his hips. "They will expect blood on the sheets. This can ruin my reputation. As well as yours." She explained, sitting on the bed. Anthony found himself searching for words. Lily rested her head on her palms, with furrowed brows. She thought for a mere second before jumping onto her feet. She grabbed the handkerchief from the dresser. It was covered in dried blood. She used a water pitcher to wet it, before instructing Anthony to spread out the sheet on the floor. He watched in disbelief as she pressed the silk to the cotton, transferring dark red stains. Lily took a step back, admiring her work. "Do you think this is enough?" She whispered, watching the stains she had made. Anthony found himself at loss for words. He realized it happened often around Lily. He did not like that. She shrugged, before crumpling the sheets and throwing them on her side of the bed. "We can go?"
*****