𝐈 𝐆𝐀𝐙𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐌 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐏𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄,
𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐖𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐄𝐋 𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄
𝐄𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐄𝐒 𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍 𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐃
𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐒.
. . .
OUR BETROTHAL WAS NOT
ONE BROUGHT ON BY INTENSE LOVE.
NO, IT WAS ONE BROUGHT ON BY A
SENSE OF DUTY TO THE ONES WE LOVE MOST.
. . .
SYNOPSIS.
LADY ELIZABETH LOUISA BEAUMONT WAS FAR TOO FAMILIAR WITH THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD. From the moment she first bore witness to the clear blue and innocent eyes of her younger sister, Beatrice, Elizabeth couldn't explain what her heart was feeling within. Of course, she was all but two when her first sister blessed the planet, so who would expect otherwise? But the feeling only intensified two years later when Ophelia was born, and again, Elizabeth could not understand her thoughts and feelings. But, when her youngest sister, Frederica, was born, well six-year-old Elizabeth finally understood the feelings of her heart. She loved her sisters, she loved them oh-so-very-much and she wanted nothing more than to protect them from the world's cruelties.
So, as they grew older, Elizabeth was present for her sisters' every need, every sorrow-filled cry, and every crushing nightmare. She cared for them more than their own mother, who while being physically present was absent emotionally. So she tended to her sisters when their mother should've. Yet, Elizabeth did not mind, for her sisters were her world and it seemed a small price to pay for their happiness and wellbeing.
The Beaumont family, one of the most influential and envied families of high society, was once knee-deep in riches. Their wealth was spread across plentiful properties scattered across the English countryside alongside their house in Grosvenor Square. Lord Cecil Beaumont the Earl of Abingdon had provided his four daughters with a privileged upbringing. Their hearts' deepest desires never went unnoticed, for whatever they wished had become a reality. From delicate gowns to necks lined with shimmering jewels, a charismatic and cheeky spaniel to piles of literature, they were spoiled. Then, in the spring of 1809, after the death of dear Uncle Henry, the new gowns and the jewels, and everything else in between, became more and more scarce until it became nothing but wistful memories.
It did not stop there. Elizabeth was quick to notice when they stopped visiting certain properties, such as Kingsman Lodge in Nottingham and their quaint house in Gloucestershire. She noticed when priceless paintings and sculptures vanished from the halls of Blackmore Hall — the Beaumont's ancestral home in Abingdon. Blackmore Hall quickly became the shell of a home when the bustling servants and maids dwindled, and soon only a handful of the staff remained. And Elizabeth surely noticed when it took twice as long for meals to be prepared and served, for no other explanation than the kitchen staff had been cut in half.
She was many things, but oblivious was not one.
While the loss of Beaumont property began in 1809 after the death of her father's dearest brother, the downfall of the Beaumont sisters' dowries occurred in the fall season of 1811, only six months prior to Elizabeth's debut in society. With the loss of their dowries going unknown to the other three sisters, Elizabeth (and their mother, Helena) tasked herself with marrying very well. Which was to be a difficult task in and of itself for she too had lost her dowry in the sea of her father's gambling debts. She knew marrying for love was not an option, she ought to marry for money — for her sisters' futures.
It was a sacrifice. One Elizabeth had been prepared to take from the moment she first bore witness to Beatrice's clear blue and innocent eyes. Even in the suffocating moments as the world crushed her soul and stole her breath, Elizabeth Beaumont would continue to carry the weight without complaint.
Though, little did she know a certain Viscount Anthony Bridgerton — who refused to marry for love — would be the saviour to all of her problems.
Now, in the season of 1813, Lady Elizabeth Beaumont returns to Grosvenor Square a mere two months short of a year into her loveless engagement with Lord Bridgerton.
NO ONE SAID BEING ENGAGED TO A RAKE WOULD BE EASY.
. . .
THE BEAUMONT SISTERS.
rose williams
ELIZABETH BEAUMONT
' I do not ask for your heart
nor do I ask much else, my lord.
I simply demand your respect. '
rosamund pike
BEATRICE BEAUMONT
' Oh, no need to fret, dear Lizzy.
Your fiancé will live to see the light of day,
although he may wish he were dead. '
anne hathaway
OPHELIA BEAUMONT
' If you are as happy as you claim,
sister, then why does your smile
fail to meet your eyes? '
ellie bamber
FREDERICA BEAUMONT
' You cannot see what I can, sister.
I see a world of red and yellow,
yet even in love and happiness,
there ought to be a bit of blue. '
. . .
rose's notes
Y'all I couldn't stop myself from writing another Anthony fic. Btw this is going to be sad and angsty and Elizabeth is too good for the world 😔
DISCLAIMER. i do not own the bridgerton books/tv series. this is purely fanfiction. i only own my original characters and their original plot points.
WARNINGS. contains but is not limited to sexual themes, alcohol use, mentions and descriptions of violence. read at your own discretion.
started: august 10, 2021.
published: february 9, 2022.
completed: