When we were young // Anthony Bridgerton

Chapter 1

Belle had been on the road for about four million years—at least that's what it felt like. It was as if the chofer, Richard, drove the carriage slower than her grandmother (if she drove, of course). And that's saying something. The only daughter of the Viscountess Whitmore sat anxiously on the carriage, looking through the window and admiring the beautiful landscape of the countryside, while her mother, who sat next to her was currently passed out. Nicholas, her older brother, who sat in front of her was reading a book. At least trying to. It was hard to concentrate with his' sister's restlessness, and the sound of her tapping her foot was wearing on his patience.
But he couldn't blame her, after all today's the day Belle has been waiting for the whole year. The Ton's social season finally came to an end, and for the Brunette girl that meant just one thing: summer at her Godparent's house, Aubrey Hall, in Kent.
Oh, how she adored that place. It seemed as if when she got through those big gates, all the fear, all the worries about her debut, all the darkness simply faded away. Even though she has been going there almost every summer since her father passed away, 9 years ago, she felt like every time she had a new experience, learned something new. She always left there different; calmer and with her energies renovated.
But time in the country wasn't just calm and quiet - time in Aubrey hall was also a synonym of fun. It meant Pall Mall matches, trips to the waterfall, hunting with her godfather, riding with Anthony, drawing with Benedict, lots of reading and quality time with her godparents and their children.
All of her best memories, or at least 90% of them, have some connection with the Bridgerton's ancestral home.
- Can you please stop making this sound with your feet? I'm trying to read.

- I'm sorry. I'm just anxious. Can't Richard go any faster?

Although, if she was being entirely honest, she didn't really mind how slow Richard was riding. Belle grew to love that road, that moment. Seeing the little village again, the trees, the cows and sheep grazing in the field...
It was like coming home after being away for a long time. And the summer of 1803 was full of promise and possibility. At least she hoped to, after all It was the last one before her debut - before her life would change forever. She would have to find a husband. And although getting married and forming a family has always been one of her biggest dreams, now that this dream was just around the corner she couldn't help but feel a bit frightened. Will I find someone that I will love as much as I love...
Her thoughts were interrupted by her other brother, William, who teased her and nudged her knee:
- Not thinking about Anthony are you?

- What? No!

Nicholas instantly closed his book, not even bothering to mark the page. Then activating his' "older brother protecting mode" he sternly asked his' sister:
- Anthony? Why the hell would she think about Anthony?

- I wouldn't - the hazel eyed girl said, addressing both of her brothers, feeling her pale skin redden with embarrassment - It's just that for William, I simply can't be friends with no one of the opposite gender without having romantic feelings for them.

- Well, it's not like that...

She didn't gave time for the Whitmore's second born to finish his' sentence, and continued:
- Besides, I'm friends with Benedict and Colin as well. And you never say nothing about my relationship with both of them.

- Oh it's different. Colin is practically a baby and Benedict...well, you've always been remarkably closer to Anthony.

Anthony, Benedict and Colin were three of Belle's godparents's (Violet and Edmund) children (who weren't children anymore). Katerina Whitmore (née Swarovski) and Violet Bridgerton (née Ledger), had known each other since they were twelve, when Katerina moved from Russia - and they turned to be like hand and glove. Inseparable. They debuted together, and they were so close that the Russian woman promised that Violet would be the godmother of her first woman child. And Belle couldn't be happier with this promise, because Lady Bridgerton proved everyday to be a doting and loving godmother, who loved her goddaughter as her own.
She even told her that the day she was born, she felt that someday Belle was going to become her daughter-in-law by marrying one of her children. She said it was fate. The Whitmore girl's mother, Katerina, agreed wholeheartedly that it would be just perfect. After all, Lady Bridgerton's sons grew to be handsome, polite and intelligent gentlemen. Of course, no official arrangements were made about the matters, it was not as if she was promised to any of them. It was just a feeling, a hope that Violet had, that was shared by Katerina. And, although she never admitted, by Belle herself.
As the Whitmore family approached the house, Belle felt a familiar flutter in her chest. They were almost there. She opened the carriage window and let all those sensations in. The air tasted and smelled the same as always, a grassy and floral scent. The wind that made her long brown hair fly and messed it...everything felt the same. As if it had been waiting for her.
And that's why she always counted the the days for summer to begin. For Belle, it was almost like winter and autumn was a preparation for what she was going to live when summer arrived. Although she loved the blossoming of the flowers on spring and how they gave life and color to Mayfair, for her only summer really mattered.
Because, even if she didn't like to admit, that was when the girl was going to see Anthony again. Not that she didn't see him when they were in Mayfair, but it seemed that when they were in Aubrey Hall they were somehow closer. They would see each other every time, everyday. They would ride their horses, play Pall Mall, stroll through the gardens. She loved his' company.
    Anthony was the oldest brother of the Bridgerton clan, and was two years older then Benedict, Violet's second son, born in 1786 (the same year as Belle, only two months younger). And as every member of the Bridgerton family, Anthony was extremely handsome. He was tall (although Benedict had already passed him in height), and had thick dark chestnut hair that tended to fall forward over his brow. He had perfect thick (but not exaggerated) brows and a perfect nose. Although his' face was similar to his' brothers, there was something about the oldest Bridgerton brother that attracted Belle like no other man ever did. Perhaps was his' erect and proud posture, his' jokes, his' beautiful heart. His' love and devotion for his' family. She didn't know.
But as the carriage entered through those gates, the only thing the girl thought was, that this July of 1803 was going to be the best of her life.