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mischievouslittlecreature · 8 days ago

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Part 29: Back From Under the Ground

Summary: Lucy gets to know Duke a little better and Diana demands a specific type of payment in exchange for her help with Tommy’s housing project.

Word Count: 5,201

Warnings: Smut, threesome, polyamory, violence, seizures, infidelity, and past sexual assault.

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Chapter 15: The Tunnel

Lucy sat beside Tommy at the table in Charlie’s yard, toying with her lighter as they waited.

It was not long before Charlie arrived, escorting Duke, his head down and scowling at the ground. Lucy frowned when Charlie informed them that he caught Duke trying to steal a car and that he’d stolen a stack of cash from the betting shop. Lucy raised an eyebrow as the kid temperamentally tossed the wad of bills onto the table in front of them.

She couldn’t quite hide her smile as she watched Tommy deal with his son. He kicked her lightly under the table when she snickered at Duke’s announcement that he needed a wagon and a horse to travel all the hills of England.

She lit a cigarette and stuffed her lighter back into her pocket while the boys continued to talk. At the mention of the watch that Zelda had stolen from Tommy–and how she used to wear it over her heart–she shifted uncomfortably. Duke said that they buried it with her.

Tommy may not have loved Zelda, but it seemed that she may have loved him.

Lucy wondered if Esme was right when she said that Zelda would have liked her. Fuck, she hoped so.

Duke had been warm to her so far, but the worry that he would hate her returned at the mention of his mother. She was not sure how much he had really caught on yet about her relationship with Tommy. And if he did, what he thought about it.

He hadn’t liked work in the betting shop, but at his mention that he liked it there in the yard, she and Tommy shared a look. Yes. This could work.

“Horses are better than people,” Duke commented, and Lucy laughed, pulling herself to her feet.

Fuck me, he’s just like his father.

At Tommy’s suggestion that he work in the yard, Duke had but one condition: that he remain completely unknown.

Lucy moved around the table to warm her hands at the fire they had burning while Tommy explained the future that he had in mind for Duke.

“My business has two sides. Light and dark. I’ll need someone for each.”

“And I’m dark, am I?”

“Dark doesn’t always mean bad,” Lucy commented to him from over her shoulder.

Tommy finished with Duke, and ordered Charlie and Curly to fill the January with petrol. Lucy remained by the fire while he walked off to check on the boat they would be taking to meet Diana. Duke shuffled over to stand beside her.

“I think you’ll like it here,” she commented. “Charlie will take care of you. He took care of me when I first came to Small Heath.”

Duke cleared his throat. She turned to find him eyeing her curiously.

“My father said you’re his partner in everything,” he started slowly.

“That’s right.”

“But you’re not his wife.”

Lucy felt her smile drop. “Does that bother you?”

“No.” She relaxed, relieved. “It was that dark haired woman at the pub, right?”

“That’s right. Lizzie.”

“She doesn’t like me.”

Lucy sighed. “Well, I suppose that’s something you and I have in common.” Shifting from foot to foot, she looked into his eyes squarely. It was odd, to have one of Tommy’s children actually be taller than her for once. “Listen. Duke, you’re already an adult. I’ve no intention of trying to be your mother. You can always come to me with whatever it is that you might need, but just know that I’m not trying to replace her.”

He gave her a small, shy, grateful smile. “I know.” His gaze drifted out, to follow Tommy where he was walking across the yard to help load things onto the boat. “How long have you and my father…?”

“About fifteen years.”

He nodded slowly, processing the number. “You seem happy together.”

“We are. Does that bother you?”

He shook his head. “No. It doesn’t.” His head cocked. “You remind me of my mum, a little bit.”

That surprised her. “Really? In what way?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re kind. Understanding. Mischievous.”

She laughed softly at that last part. “Esme says that she would have liked me.”

Duke regarded her for a moment. “Yeah,” he nodded. “I think she was probably right.”

“Maybe sometime, if you’d like, you can tell me more about her.”

“I’d like that.”

She gave him a light squeeze on the shoulder. The boat was almost ready. She would have to go soon. “Listen. Did you meet Isiah at the betting shop?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve been training him to take over the spy network I’ve built over the years after I’m gone. I think it would be good for you to speak to him. Learn how it works. He might have some valuable things to tell you.”

“Alright.”

Tommy was beckoning to her from the boat. “I have to go. Try not to give Charlie too much of a hard time, eh?”

Duke shot her an impish look. “I’ll make no promises in regards to that, Lucy.”

She laughed, dropped her cigarette into the fire, and said her goodbyes, shoving her hands into her pockets and heading to join Tommy. He held out a hand for her to take hold of for balance when she stepped aboard the boat.

“What were you and Duke talking about?” he asked, the boat beginning to set off down the canal.

“He was asking about you and me.” She sat down on a barrel. “He said I remind him a little of Zelda.”

Tommy raised an eyebrow, head cocking slightly. “Hm. Yeah, I suppose I could see that.”

She shrugged. “I think he likes me.”

“Of course he does. Why wouldn’t he? You’re wonderful, and you’ve been nothing but nice to him.” He stripped off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, starting to tend to the boat. Lucy eyed him up, biting her lip at the sight of him.

“How are you feeling?” she asked, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. “Physically, I mean?”

“Alright, I suppose.”

“No bouts of weakness or hallucinations? Headaches?”

“Not really.”

She frowned, looking out over the water. “You haven’t had any seizures in a while.”

Tommy just grunted in response, adjusting the course of the boat as they came to a bend in the canal.

Something still didn’t feel entirely right to her about the whole diagnosis. But the second set of scans and x-rays he’d gotten from the doctor Holford recommended he go to for a second opinion had come back with the same diagnosis. And she couldn’t really argue against that. Even though she wanted to.

The wind kissed pleasantly at her cheeks. It was a surprisingly nice day out. No rain, and even a little sunshine smiling down upon them.

Shame that they were about to do something that was likely to make them both so sick to their stomachs that they wouldn’t be able to enjoy it.

Tommy came to sit down beside her, leaning forward. Lucy eyed him. He seemed absentminded and detached all day. Just going through the motions. Only half there when she attempted conversation, his responses short and clipped.

“You’re sure you’re okay?”

He sighed, features tired and worn down. “I don’t want to do this,” he whispered.

Lucy rested a hand on the back of his head. “We could try to figure something else out…”

“There’s no time.” He gave a slow shake of his head. “I’ll be fine.”

She wasn’t sure that she entirely believed him, but she knew better than to try to argue against Tommy once he’d made up his mind about something.

“It only ever has to be this once. And I’ll be with you the whole time.”

He took hold of her hand, squeezing it tightly.

“Focus on all the good that will come out of this. It’s one bad thing, to accomplish a whole lot of good.” A tiny smile tugged at her lips. “And it’ll probably really piss Mosley off.”

That got a tiny half chuckle out of him. But it quickly died away. “How do you think they’ll remember me?”

“Who?”

He shrugged. “History.” He straightened out his back from where he was sitting half hunched over, eyes flicking up to gaze at the city passing by up above. “I’d always hoped, at the end of everything, that I’d be remembered for doing some good in the world.”

“You will be.” At his unconvinced sigh, she cupped his cheek with one hand, turning his face towards her. “Hey, you will. All those orphanages. This housing project. Your political policies have done so much to help the working class. And someday, maybe Churchill or someone else will tell the world how you helped in slowing down and undermining the fascists so they did not take complete control over England.” She pressed her forehead to his, smiling bittersweetly. “You’ll probably do a lot better in the history books than I will.”

“What do you mean?”

She adjusted her positioning next to him, their sides brushing. “History will remember me as nothing but your mistress. Both your wives will get whole chapters dedicated to them in biographies written about you, I’d wager. About how they loved and supported and were forever devoted to you. How, despite any problems, you loved them. I’ll just be known as the woman you used to fuck sometimes on the side, and who picked up your dry cleaning for you.”

“You haven’t been the one to pick up my dry cleaning in years. Frances or one of the maids does that.”

She elbowed him fondly. “You know what I mean. You’ve seen how they write about the mistresses of notable men in history. At best, they’re just a footnote. At worst, the evil harlot who tempted a husband away from his loving wife.”

Tommy touched her face, turning it to look at him. His brows were pulled in. She realized that this was likely something that hadn’t entirely occurred to him before.

“But there are plenty of people who know the truth…”

“Which no doubt will fade in time. Lizzie will live far longer than either of us. It’ll give her plenty of years to shape the narrative around what I was to you. It’s alright,” she leaned her face into his hand. “I don’t really care all that much. I’ll be dead. So it won’t affect me anyway.”

He frowned, expression sad. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re far more than a footnote. And you’re definitely not a harlot.”

She smiled, allowing herself a moment to lean into his body and rest her hand on his chest. In the dimness of the canals, where very few could see them.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” She looked out in the direction they were headed. “Now let’s go deal with Diana.”

∗ ∗ ∗

She eyed Diana warily from the deck of the January while puffing on a cigarette, imagining what it would feel like to drown the blonde bitch in the canal.

The mental image was quite tempting.

Diana was obviously bored with Tommy’s talk of his housing project. It was clear she didn’t give a single fuck about working people. But that didn’t matter. In a way, it was good she didn’t care. Had she felt more strongly on the subject, she may have tried to oppose them on it. This way, she would give Tommy what he wanted so long as she got something for herself out of it.

Diana stalked around the boat to announce that she’d booked a suite in a hotel a mile away, hand held out primly for Tommy to help her aboard. He then came to sit next to Lucy, their thighs touching.

The physical contact was necessary to keep them both stabilized. The silent reminder of I’m right here with you.

Diana sat down on the other side of Tommy, talking about trust. Absolute trust. Lucy had to stifle a snort, returning to her fantasies of plunging Diana’s pretty blonde head into the dirty water of the canal so that she didn’t have to listen to much of what she had to say.

“Come,” Diana announced, standing, leading the way to her chauffeur. Tommy reached down, and grabbed tightly onto Lucy’s hand. She squeezed at his fingers hard, feeling his anxiety and disgust towards himself zinging across their bond.

I’m here, she pushed the thought to him. I’m right here.

She felt the anxiety ebb, but only a little.

Don’t leave me alone with her, he said to her silently. Together they stood, stepping off the boat and heading towards Diana’s car. Lucy’s legs felt funny on land after so long on the boat.

I won’t. Not even for a second. I promise.

He squeezed her hand, refusing to let go. Diana turned to face them, waiting by the car. Her eyes focused on their joined hands, a flicker of annoyance crossing her face. But she made no comment on it.

Together, they climbed into the backseat of the car, hands still locked together.

∗ ∗ ∗

In the hotel room, they moved performatively. On the surface, it was not all that different from the other times they’d had threesomes for business reasons.

Lucy made a point to stick close to Tommy. She suspected that Diana probably interpreted it as a possessive gesture of some kind. But that was only half the reason.

She was worried if he didn’t have her touch and presence to hold onto, he would come undone at the edges and fall apart completely.

She couldn’t entirely blame him. Every time that Diana touched her, it made her skin crawl. It was a battle against all her instincts not to recoil at the stench of her perfume. Or to gag when she kissed her.

All the times they’d done this…of all the people that they’d fucked, they had never gone to bed with someone who was so completely and undeniably their enemy.

It was like fucking a predator. A lion or a venomous snake. Something that could rip your throat out or kill you in an instant, and you both know it. All base, primal instincts were screaming for her to run as far away as she could before Diana killed and devoured her.

This was a woman who would gladly send both them and their entire family to be slaughtered.

“No,” Tommy growled when Diana tried to shove him down onto the bed to mount him. “Lucy first.”

For a moment, her jaw had tightened with that same annoyance Lucy saw when she noticed them holding hands by the canal, but then it was gone. Replaced instead by that usual simpering expression that Lucy was beginning to think Diana was putting on to try to be seductive.

She let Diana pull her to the bed, thankful when Tommy climbed on top of her before Diana got the chance to. He entered her quickly, with one deep thrust that sheathed him entirely. Then he froze, noticing that while she was plenty wet from his and Diana’s earlier kisses and caresses, she was not nearly as relaxed as she usually was. Leaving her to wince at the slight burn on that first stretch of him. His eyes widened, guilt and worry quickly filling them, moving hastily to pull out.

Don’t, she told him silently, grabbing at his hips to keep him in place. I’m alright.

But he just frowned, reaching down to rub her clit. She sighed, head falling back, legs opening a little wider to him.

“What are you doing?” Diana demanded, climbing into the bed next to them.

“She’s small,” Tommy grunted. “I have to be careful not to hurt her.”

Diana’s lips pursed with impatience, and Tommy reached out to take hold of her hand, guiding it down to between her own legs.

“Touch yourself,” he ordered, purposefully dropping his voice an octave lower than normal. “Watch me fuck my lover, and touch yourself.”

Diana’s lashes fluttered, relaxing back against the pillows and doing as he said.

Tommy returned his gaze back to Lucy, looking over her anxiously for any signs of pain or discomfort. She shuddered, his cock still buried deeply in her and his thumb continuing to rub at her clit.

“I’m okay,” she whispered when she pulled him down for a kiss. He kissed her back, tongue stroking over hers. And then he pushed himself up enough on his hands that he could take stock of her face. Slowly, he gave her a tiny, experimental thrust.

Lucy’s head fell back, a soft moan leaving her lips, and he grew more bold, feeling her open up more around him. With each thrust, he steadily increased the pace and force, until he was fucking her hard enough to make the bedframe creak, groaning and pressing his forehead to her shoulder. Lucy’s eyes rolled in her head, short nails digging into his back.

“Don’t come,” she warned, when she felt his cock twitch in her. They would still need to tend to Diana after this. Nodding, a deep grunt sounded from low in his chest, and he pressed a little harder onto her clit with his thumb. With a soft moan, she came, his lips pressing all along the column of her throat.

Tommy slowed to a stop, brushing some hair out of her face, expression reluctant. They both knew what would happen next after he pulled away from her.

Lucy cradled the back of his head, guiding his mouth to hers for a kiss. The pads of her fingers squeezed at his shoulders.

“I’m here,” she whispered against his lips in Romani. She took care to speak softly, but used the language just in case Diana happened to hear them. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Alright, my turn, now,” Diana announced, her patience wearing thin. Tommy pulled his cock from the safety of Lucy’s cunt with a small, wet sound. Sitting up, Lucy scooted over to make room for Diana, ready to help.

She wasn’t going to let Tommy do this all on his own. And she certainly wasn’t allowing Diana the satisfaction of having Tommy almost all to herself.

He pressed Diana to the bed, pushing into her in one quick thrust. Diana gasped delightedly, and it began.

The three of them rolled around together on the bed, the purple blankets getting tangled around their legs. Diana pushed Tommy onto his back, head thrown back, bouncing on his cock.

It was wild and animalistic. Rougher than Lucy was used to seeing Tommy being.

She could see in his eyes that he was not really there. He was in some faraway place in his head. Where he wasn’t fucking a woman who represented just about every thing and everyone he had ever worked against.

Lucy used her hands on both of them. Playing with Diana’s breasts, pinching and rolling her nipples between her fingers. Pulling on her hair perhaps a tad sharper than necessary. Sliding her hand down to rub her clit and feel at Tommy’s cock pistoning in and out of her. Stroking her hand delicately down Tommy’s back. Turning his face to crash her mouth onto his. Kissing his neck. His shoulders. Interlacing their fingers together and squeezing hard.

Diana came with a sharp gasp and a soft, “oh my god.” Almost immediately, Tommy rolled her over to again lay on her back, hips bucking a few more times, his face hovering near her neck. Lucy heard him grunt and gasp as he finished, pace slowing down until he was still.

It was sharp and sudden, how quickly it ended. Especially in contrast to how quickly it all happened.

Before he could get away from her, Diana grabbed Tommy by either side of the face, explaining how that was just the English aristocracy's way of shaking hands. She kissed him, and Tommy climbed off of her to lay down in the bed between her and Lucy.

He laid there for only a moment, then sat up, running his fingers through his hair. Lucy reached for him, rubbing her hand up and down his back soothingly.

“This was lovely,” she told Diana, clearing her throat. “But we need to be getting back before it gets dark. Mr. Nelson is coming to stay with us tonight.”

“Yes, yes, of course. I have to be somewhere myself, actually.” Diana slipped out of the bed, striding naked and shameless towards the washroom. “Feel free to let yourselves out.”

“Let’s go.” Lucy nudged Tommy gently. Together, they slipped out of the bed and began the hunt for their clothes. They dressed in silence, and Lucy found herself wishing that Diana hadn’t established a monopoly over the bathroom. She would have liked to have scrubbed her touch off of her skin before they left.

The walk back to the January was just as quiet. Lucy kept trying to think of something to say to fill the silence. But she couldn’t come up with anything.

They stepped aboard, and Tommy hesitated at the top of the stairs that led to below the deck.

“Tommy?”

He didn’t respond, instead slipping down into the darkness below. Lucy glanced around. The light from the sun had disappeared since they arrived on the boat earlier. Now it was all grey and hazy again, the moment in time that existed between day and night.

She slipped below after Tommy, squinting for him in the dark.

“Tommy?” she called again, hand searching for him.

“Luce,” he choked out, suddenly right in front of her, reaching for her hand. She caught onto him tightly.

“What?”

“I think…I think another seizure is coming on.”

That was all the warning that she got, before he became a dead weight in her arms. She managed to catch him against her chest before he could fall, lowering him gently to the floor.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, even as she felt it all come crashing down on her at once; what they’d just done. How unforgivable it probably was, despite the good it would do in securing the housing program. She wrapped her arms around Tommy, holding him through the uncontrollable spasms that wracked his body. “I’ve got you.”

Sitting there, in the dark, she felt her mind begin to turn against her. Memories, old ones, started to turn up. She squeezed her eyes shut against them. As if that would somehow help to banish them.

No. No. I want to be rid of you. It’s been over fifteen years. Why am I not rid of you?

You’ll never be rid of me, remember, Lucy? Matthew Sutton’s voice whispered back to her. I am a part of you forever.

The small, cramped, dark and narrow space around her slowly changed. Until she was not sitting in Tommy’s family’s old narrowboat, but in the middle of an alley. The alley. The one she died in.

She shook her head, blinking hard, waiting for her eyesight to adjust. Her hands clutched at Tommy’s jerking body harder, using it to try to ground her back in the present.

He told her that the visions he had during these attacks were all of being back in the tunnels. Fighting for his life in the cold and the dark. She wished terribly that she could have followed him there; that she could have helped him in some way.

But instead, all she could do was hold him, and hope that whatever demons he was fighting in his head would eventually let him go.

∗ ∗ ∗

When he came to, he was lying with his head in Lucy’s lap.

She must have managed to get a lantern lit or something, because there was a dim, flickering light illuminating the below deck of the January. They were sitting on the floor, her arms around him.

He blinked a few times, trying to get over the disorientation. There was a sniffle from above him, and when he looked up it was to find that Lucy was crying quietly over him, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, cheeks swollen and blotchy with red.

“Love?” he reached up a hand to touch her cheek, trying to smooth the tears away with his thumb. But more quickly replaced them. “Hey,” he sat up carefully, leaning against the wall for support. He opened his arms to her and she all but collapsed into them, crying harshly onto his shirt, her shoulders shaking. “It’s okay. I’m alright, love.” Well, as alright as he could be considering he had a tumor in his head. But he didn’t think it would be too helpful to bring that up right about now. “Sweetheart?” he asked, rubbing her back up and down gently.

“‘M okay,” she mumbled into his waistcoat.

“Are you sure?”

She lifted her head, wiping at her eyes. “Yeah. Sorry. I…you were out for a long time and I got scared you wouldn’t wake up. And then it was dark and cramped in here and it reminded me of–” she cut herself off sharply, shivering. Tommy tightened his grip on her, pulling her back into his chest.

Perhaps it had not been a good idea to take her with him to see Diana. He meant it, when he said that he no longer would fuck anyone else without Lucy being present, but maybe, just this once, they should have considered it. For her own wellbeing.

The encounter with Diana might have reminded her too much of things from her past.

“I’m here. We’re both okay. You’re safe.”

“Are you sure you’re alright? It probably wasn’t as long as it felt, but you were definitely out longer than the other times you’ve had attacks…”

“Yeah. I feel fine now.” It was actually true. Outside of some brief disorientation at first, and the general guilt and melancholy that always sat in his chest like a rock, he felt alright.

“Did you see the tunnel again?”

“Yeah.”

She shifted in his arms, so that she was sitting in his lap, hugging his neck. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

Her forehead leaned into his. He closed his eyes at the familiar, comforting contact.

“Sometimes I wish that I’d been there with you.”

His eyes snapped open, horror freezing his veins. “What? No, no, no, darling…” The idea of Lucy trapped down there in the tunnels was almost too much for him to bear. His stomach churned and heaved at the idea.

“I just…I don’t know. I wish that I could have been there for you.”

He felt himself soften and relax. He supposed it was like how he felt regarding her and the alley. That constant question of what if…? Maybe things could have been different for her, had he been there. He could have tried to help her.

“I know, baby,” he brushed his nose against hers. “Let’s go up on deck, eh? I think we’ll both feel better up there in the fresh air.”

“Yeah.”

They set sail back to Charlie’s yard, sitting with his back propped up against a barrel, Lucy tucked into his arms. By the time they finally got back to Arrow House, it was getting dark.

He paused on the steps of the main staircase, just underneath Grace’s portrait, Lucy’s hand still in his. She sat down with him wordlessly when he dropped down onto the steps. He lit them each a cigarette, wrapping his arm around her.

“You know I don’t really believe in an afterlife or anything like that,” she sniffled softly. “But…on the off chance that there is something after all of this…”

He smoothed a hand through her hair. “I’ll find you. Don’t worry.”

She put her arms around his shoulders, hugging him ferociously. He turned his eyes up towards the ceiling.

God, he hoped that there was something after this. Even if they were just spirits wandering the earth, that would be enough for him.

Might actually be fun to go haunt people with her. They could go to Mosley’s house and knock all the shit off his walls.

“I wanted to take a shower before getting dressed for tonight,” Lucy spoke up, drawing him from his thoughts.

The idea of bathing was incredibly tempting. He needed to get the memory of Diana’s hands off of him.

“We should go do that now, then.”

They stood and climbed the remainder of the stairs, walking down the hall to the room that they shared. Trouble was laying on the bed when they came in, lifting her head with a meow of greeting. Tommy gave her a scratch under the chin.

Poor girl. He’d need to find somewhere for her to go after they left. She hated Lizzie, so she couldn’t stay here. But Charlie Strong or Ada might be willing to take her.

He undressed with mindless movements, heading into the washroom and twisting the knobs for the shower, making sure it was plenty hot before stepping in.

If he managed to burn off bits of the skin that Diana had touched, he’d be happy.

Lucy joined him a moment later, stepping silently in behind him and under the spray. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, cheek coming to rest between his shoulder blades, her bare breasts pressing into his back. He let his hands fall to rest on top of hers where they crossed over his stomach.

Wordlessly, she picked up the soap, and started to wash his back for him. When she was done, she pressed on his shoulder in silent request, and once he turned to face her, she set to work on his front.

He watched her while she worked, full lips pressed into a firm line of concentration. Her brows furrowed a little, dark red hair plastered to her forehead from the spray of the shower, wide brown eyes flickering over him. She was easily the shortest of all the women he had been with, the top of her head just barely coming to his chin. And she was one of the curvier too.

Had they not been in such somber moods, he would have tried for a quickie with her then and there.

Once she was done washing him, he took the soap from her, and returned the favor. She rested her head on him, huffing out a small laugh when he perhaps spent more time lathering at her breasts than was strictly necessary.

When they were done, he shut the water off, and they toweled off. Lucy was being clingier than normal–had been actually ever since he first told her of his diagnosis. Not that he was complaining. If he had it his way, she’d have been latched onto him like a koala for every hour of every day.

“Tired?” he asked, when she leaned her head against him with a sigh.

“Yeah.”

“You could sit this out, if you wanted. Lizzie will be there to help me with dinner.”

“No, it’s alright. It’s supposed to just be him, anyway, yes?”

“Yeah.”

She raised her head. “I can manage.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure.”

“Right,” he reached for her hand. “Let’s go get dressed, then.”

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#peaky blinders #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #lucy winters #lucy winters x tommy shelby #lily writes #love me where i'm most ruined

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infinitelytheheartexpands · 5 months ago

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alright antony and cleopatra let’s get it

part ONE! (which is just until wherever the intermission break is)

-choreographed prologue??? 👀

-TECHNO PROLOGUE!!! low key this is such a vibe

-“my boss is a manwhore”

-just let them have bed wrestling fights!

-ANTONY BYRNE??? DUKE VINCENTIO ANTONY BYRNE??? yaaaaaaaaaay

-i love them both already

-seriously they are such an amazing vibe

-the way he covers his face with a pillow when she teases him for blushing omg

-they are just so utterly besotted and it’s making me so happy

-ooh boy we have another soothsayer

-this has the same energy as the carmen card trio

-wait i feel like this actor playing one of the ladies in waiting was in troilus and cressida (edit: yes! it’s amber james! aka cressida and now charmian!)

-cleopatra fully just said “i’m out i’m not talking to him right now” lol

-well that just happened (fulvia is dead!)

-somebody give antony a hug pls

-enobarbus what are you doing

-“I CAN’T DO THE HONEYMOON PHASE ANYMORE”

-she is just so. utterly. brilliant. and. so. MUCH. and i love it

-“eternity was in our lips and eyes”

-oh wait this is the scene from this play they did at [area shakespeare company’s] founder’s retirement party

-their energy is so much and i love it

-“Sir, you and I must part, but that’s not it/Sir, you and I have loved, but there’s not it…”

-soundtrack continues to pop off

-octavius: insecure about masculinity

-octavius wants to cancel antony and lepidus isn’t so sure

-YAAAAAAAY PIRATES OF PLOT CONVENIENCE! (okay maybe just plot spice but whatever)

-okay we fully just skipped a scene i guess (from the few lines i skimmed it looks like “cleopatra and her girls do edibles”)

-okay so pompey is collaborating with Pirates Of Plot Spice TM?

-“okay so how do we get the boys to start fightingggggg”

-okay we’re jumping back to cleopatra and her girls doing edibles

-love the music and love the mardian dude

-“where’s my serpent of old Nile?…now i feed myself with most delicious poison” so uh. about that.

-‘you’re not mark antony’ lolol

-not sad or merry but a secret third thing

-‘charmian that was LAST play’

-the boys are fightingggggggg

-‘i didn’t say i wouldn’t, i just didn’t do it’ mood

-“That truth should be silent I had almost forgot.” OOOOOOOOH

-oh this is definitely a great idea /s

-oh hey it’s the barge speech!

-he’s just a boy who cain’t say no!

-“Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale/Her infinite variety.”

-sleepover at agrippa’s!

-LUCY PHELPS OCTAVIA??? (so the duke and isabella did get married in an alternate universe then)

-“i will definitely, 100%, not cheat on you” yeah it’s act two i’m not putting it past you

-no one ever listens to the soothsayer

-FUCKIN CALLED IT

-“Give me some music—music, moody food/Of us that trade in love.” 🤝 “if music be the food of love, play on”

-y’know, iras is so Not Even In This Play

-she is a QUEEN

-“But sirrah, mark, we use/To say the dead are well.” ross over in scotland, about to tell macduff his family is dead: *shuffles uncomfortably*

-i love their banter

-“you did NOT just say octavia was better at banging than me”

-oh she’s straight up beating him up

-“PLEASE DON’T SHOOT THE MESSENGER”

-she is Going Through It

-pompey: *gives very emotional speech*

octavius: …take your time

lmao

-BOAT PARTY

-so enobarbus and menas are besties anyway? i thought they were on opposite sides (which obvs does not prevent bestie relationships but yeah)

-enobarbus knows what’s up

-BOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAT PAAAAAAAARTY

-yeah lepidus words are hard

-menas has a Plan

-octavius: buddy i am Not Getting Drunk Tonight

-PLAY THIS IN THE CLUB

-Many Complicated Emotions Between These Two,

-antony, fully intending to ditch octavia at first opportunity: well this is awkward

-messenger: i can’t fucking believe i still have to work this customer service job even after getting beat up

-scoping out the competition

-uh oh. there are Political Problems

-GO OFF OCTAVIA (also this is just like blanche in king john)

-“The Jove of power make me, most weak, most weak, your reconciler. Wars ’twixt you twain would be As if the world should cleave, and that slain men should solder up the rift.”

-oh octavius is Big Mad

-“YOUR HUSBAND IS CHEATING ON YOU OCTAVIA” “NO I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO STOP FUCKING FIGHTING”

-ooh did octavia just take her ring off 👀

and that’s intermission! this is GREAT and i would continue watching but it is also late and i am tired so…rest tomorrow!

#antony and cleopatra #this is such a vibe i’m having a blast #completing the canon #theatre #theater #plays #shakespeare #william shakespeare #why didn’t y’all tell me this play is FUN

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sea-owl · 2 years ago

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In the isekai Portia au, where the Spouses remember but the Bridgertons, it's implied that Kate had a bad relationship with her family at the end and that's what pushed her to become a villainess. Her father couldn't look at her because she was a reminder of the wife he lost, her stepmother was kind but focused on little Edwina and everyone around her compared her constantly to her perfect sister. It'll drive anyone mad, and It's understandable Kate developed some resentment.

What if Kate, when she reincarnates, instead of staying with her family anyway, she decides to leave before things get bad? She doesn't want to repeat her actions, but can't stand another lifetime of feeling left aside and sacrificing herself for her family's happiness. She arranges everything for Edwina to find a good match and guarantees them both a cosy life, and starts to look for ways to move out. Then it comes to her ears that some Baroness Featherington is looking for a governess for her young children and Kate takes the opportunity. She makes sure Mary and Edwina are settled, and once everything is done, she packs her stuff and leaves.

Her new life in the Featherington residence is better than she expected. Lady Portia is a very busy woman but has still taken under her wing children that aren't even hers and raises them along with her daughters. She can't always be with them, so that's what Kate is for. Teach them, guide them, look after them. She meets Duke Simon, a regular visitor of the Featheringtons, and they become best friends. Things are going well for her.

Until Portia tells her that they'll be housing the Sharma family for a while because the daughter is about to announce her engagement and Mary needs assistance. And if the situation wasn't awkward enough for Kate, when she meets her sister's bethroted it's even worse. It's no other than Viscount Bridgerton, the man that started all her problems in the past life and caused her death

Drama ensues

I like this, let me tweak it a little bit to fit a little better with the rest of the au. @lyramundana since spouses remembering was your addition to the au I think you might want to see this.

Kate was young when she left India, only 18. Governesses were not usually hired that young but she had some hope. Lady Featherington, who was a long distance associate of her father's, had a reputation of taking in those who needed it among her staff and some rumored even her wards. There was only enough money for one of them, and Kate refused to let the past repeat itself so she chose to take herself out of the picture. Even if things were good now she knows they won't last.

Kate tried not to wrinkle her nose at the tea, English tea was never as good as the tea back home.

"You are a bit young for the position," Lady Featherington said, her eyes looking over Kate's qualifications.

"But I am well qualified-" Kate started.

"Of that I have no doubt," Lady Featherington said, her voice gentle. Then the conversation took a turn. "Tell me Ms. Sharma, if you were to start a business what would be your trade?"

Kate glanced down at the tea again. "Tea, I can't stand the way English prepare their tea." She blushed realizing she just insulted the offered drink from her potential employer.

Lady Featherington laughed. "I see. Very well Ms. Sharma you will be instructing my youngest two, Lucy and Felicity, on writing, reading, and arithmetic, but when Simon comes to instruct the older ones on business you shall join them. He will help you on getting started with your tea business. I will help with funding and eventually we will make you a woman of independent means."

Kate didn't know what to say and was not sure of what just happened. "Lady Featherington I-"

"I like to make good investments Ms. Sharma," Lady Featherington said. "Like the others I believe you will be a good one too."

What Kate doesn't know is that Portia also has knowledge of the before, and she truly did believe Kate could do it. Like her other little villains she deserved a second chance as well. She also knew Kate's pride and with her being older than the others when she got them wouldn't accept help without putting in some sort of work. So a compromise.

The next day Portia introduced her to the rest, and Kate is quickly welcomed. They honestly treat her more as an equal or an an older sister than a member of their staff. With time she basically becomes another ward without the official papers. Especially when she joins them for Simon's lessons. Kate is astounded that Simon is actually a duke. They quickly become best friends.

Over the next few years Kate begins her tea business. Experimenting and mixing new teas for different pallets. She is prouder the more her business grows. She is happy, especially since Portia avoids London like the plague so she had no worries of running into the god awful Bridgerton.

Over time Kate learns the others were like her, villains in a past life to different members of the Bridgertons who got a second chance and was not willing to mess that up. They were also thankful Portia avoids London as they rather not have London seasons themselves.

Then one year on the verge of one London season Portia announces that they will be spending it in London and that those old enough will be entering society. "Kate, Prudence, Philippa, Sophie, Phillip, and Michael that all means you. You all need to learn to navigate business around London."

A collective groan is heard around the table. None of them want to go. There is so much of a higher chance of running into the Bridgertons if they go, they don't want that kind of trouble for themselves! But they're also not gonna disobey Portia like that.

"I also have a friend who will be arriving tomorrow. She and her daughter will be staying with us during the season. I will be assisting her with some business deals here in England before her daughter debuts."

What Portia doesn't say is that the friend is Lady Mary Sharma, who has been friends with Portia before she married her husband and she has been in contact with since Kate showed up on her doorstep. Mary had written to her frantic that her oldest daughter had left for England on her own. Portia had reassured her and sent updates to Mary about Kate. Now that Portia is forcing the kids to learn how to navigate London she asked Mary if she wanted to see Kate in her first season? Mary jumped on the chance, she was absolutely going to be there for her daughter's first season she'll fight anyone who tires to stop her.

Portia invited Mary to the country estate first before going to London. She suspected the Sharma family will have to work some things out first.

#honestly I didn't want anthony to be the middle of the sharma drama #I want them to work out their shit first before throwing him in because that's a different can of worms to work with #bridgerton #villainess isekai au #what if spouses remembered isekai au #also gives mary some time to bond with the other kids too after she and kate talk it out

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notebookqueenofnarnia · 1 year ago

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Totes ma goats imagine the Pevensie kids as the royal family. Not the head-cannon where they rule, but just the four of them being princes and princess of England or some (nonexistent) random European country. Like Peter being so like Prince William of a country and trying so hard not to screw up; Susan being so gracious and graceful and ladylike never a hair out of place. And since their parents are so busy like running a country, they try to raise their little siblings and Peter trying to make Edmund like him and Susan always fixing their appearances and manners.

(Also explains names like Edmund, but I also wanna an explanation for titles. Can they all be HRH not just Dukes and stuff) (what if their parents change the rules so that they all rule together to take the stress off and make them all equal. This is a total game changer you know. Forces think it makes them week but they are powerful as the the kings and queens)

Like also imagine them at all those public appearances. And Ed trying to get to movie premieres and trying to use his title to get on a Doctor Who episode. Peter telling him to stop using his power and influence. Think of all the things the royals do: behind the scenes at zoos, sailing fun races, hula dancing, traditions and cultures around the place, the Olympics (maybe Susan the swimmer even competes), parties. And Ed and Lucy at those boring events with old people just like reeking havoc when they were young and just judging everyone now. "Hey, Lu." "What?" "Did you see Lady Smallwood's hat? I think they forgot to take the feathers off of the bird." And then Susan yelling at them to behave while she charms everyone. (Also Susan with suitors and her and her brothers having no patience with the stuck up sons of Lords and rich peoples and things (and Caspian being one) but also using them to get money to charities.) (and Susan wanting to marry someone of and with purpose and with heart)

And everyone feels pressure in relationships, especially Peter who sees the hard marriage of their parents-who almost are ready for divorce. Peter has to find a queen for Petes sake (lololol a great pun), Susan wants what she wants(like maybe even Prince Charming day dream or that could be Lucy), and Ed doesn't even imagine marriage because he isn't Prince Charming and they expect him to be.

But also they all used to get up to trouble and mischief all four of them together, even sometimes now. Imagine craziness while visiting the White House, like super feminist

Susan meeting Trump but it ends up being Edmund and Peter who like loose their shit at him.

And all the social media (give me vlogger Princess Lucy) and activism and protecting each other from paparazzi and from rumor and scandals and stuff

Does Peter join the army to be a "normal guy" does it work?

They each ending learning different languages fluently (except Peter poor guy is terrible with languages) but so Susan can handle the German embassy, Lucy has any Spanish speaking country, and Edmund deals with the French and Italians

And scandals and pretend scandals and Ed just trying to run away from all of it (does he have a giant scandal?! Like is his father really the king? Or maybe drugs/drinking?) (OR he like gives away family gossip or something when he's young for sweeties- like betraying family and it's a big scandal, maybe even makes international relations bad, (or breaks up parents marriage) so after lots of angsty time he and his family finally forgive and he spends years trying to forgive himself and make it up by becoming the grave, serious, grumpy pants, with a beautiful soul) because who would notice third in line for the thrown at some massive university in the states. And Lu eventually follows him.

But just always living in the shadow of their siblings who live under the influence of the crown.

And they all just wanna be free

Want normal lives

And Aslan the Advisor finds ancient bylaws or old tradition or whatever where the four of them can rule over Narnia. And it takes the pressure off of Peter and they are all so badass together and they kill it even thought they are super young and are running a country. The white queen could totally be the kings sister and she is the reason he dies. (And the oldest of each of their children will fill their shoes when they die.)

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sea-owl · 2 years ago

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You know what, OP is right the Spouses are all angelic beings who have done nothing wrong. We obviously need them representing the Heavenly Virtues.

Kate - Diligence

Diligence is a decisive work eithic, where one is steadfast in thsir belief, fortitude, and dont give up easily. We all know Kate is gonna get shit done. She says she gonna do it, then she's gonna do it. She succeeded in doing what she said she was gonna do when Anthony started come around, keeping him away from her sister, though I don't think she would have ever realized that it ends up with her married to him though.

Sophie - Kindness

Kindness is doing good towards one and all, having everyone's best interests at heart. Truly, if anyone embodies this, it's gonna be Sophie. She has been through so much in her life, but she was always trying to be kind to others even if their behavior isnt kind to her. Biggest example is when it came down to being thrown in jail, she didn't wish her abuser, Araminta any harm. She just wanted to live in peace in the country with maybe Benedict.

Penelope - Patience

Patience means forbearance and endurance through moderation, resolving conflicts, and injustice peacefully. I don't think anyone is really surprised by this one. Not only is Penelope’s enduring love for Colin a testament to her patience, but also, in a way, so is her job as Lady Whistledown. The way she gathers and picks through gossip among the ton, choosing mercy among those who don't deserve the scorn of her pen.

Simon - Humility

Humility is being aware of one's greatness but still being modest and giving of respect. I think I chose this one for Simon mainly . Yes, he is a Duke, and he very much worked for it, but he really doesn't brag about it. He does his duty and is actually pretty humble. Add in his deference towards Lady Danbury as his elder and kind of mentor I feel like this fits.

Phillip- Temperance

Temperance is a practice of self-control, abstention, and moderation. What comes to mind for Phillip with this is his temper and his refusal to take a mistress while married to Marina. He is very aware of what his temper could do should he lose as from the example he had with his own father who Phillip refused to be like especially for the twins.

Michael - Chasity

I can hear you all, Michael is the merry rake. He is a hoe! Chasity, though, is the ability to overcome temptation and make a conscious effort to avoid distractions. What mainly comes to mind with this and why I gave Michael this outside of the process of elimination is Michael's steadfast resolve to hide his feelings for Francesca. Particularly when he left for India. I know part of him did it because he was having his own mental breakdown but it was probably one of the best decisions he could have made for himself and Francesca as they worked through the loss of John.

Gareth - Modesty

I know this could also fall under humility, but we have vanity up above, and modesty is the opposite, so we are rolling with it. Gareth kind of got this one via process of elmenation, but I find it still works. Gareth fights with his stepdad so much that he's truly not happy until he allows himself to reach a level of modesty with Hyacinth that he shows hey this is what I am and what will most likely be the work for the rest of my life. It's through this that he becomes much happier and allows his relationship with Hyacinth to deepen.

Lucy - Charity

Charity is the willingness to go out of your way to help others, even at the cost of yourself. We all know Lucy always just wants to see her loved ones happy. She wants them to not squander away the precious gift that is a choice so she helps as much as she can.

Eight deadly sins: Bridgerton partners edition

Companion piece to my 8 deadly sins Bridgerton siblings edition. So let's get started

Kate: Wrath

I think I chose her as Wrath because its the driving force behind most of her actions in TVWLM. Take playing pall mall, she doesn't want to win, she just wants Anthony to lose. Anthony pisses her off so much during their book that her almost in perpetual state of annoyance drives most of the actions she takes and also, it is often mentioned in later books, how much Anthony dreads making his wife angry. If you ask me, out of both of them it's Kate who has a tiny bit of an anger management problem. ( She's capable of ruining Maria Rosso whole career in a pique of annoyance, just sayin)

Sophie: Lust

Self explanatory. Sophie spent her entire book acutely aware that her lust for Benedict was a particularly terrible weakness of hers and as such she guarded herself against sleeping with him with all trough thick and thin. So much that when she does fall into bed with Benedict it makes her feel like she betrayed herself and makes her want to immediately run away from the situation.

Penelope: Pride

Penelope's pride was what ultimately led to her downfall. So proud of Lady Whistledown, so happy to have made a name for herself right under the ton's nose, so confident nobody would ever figure it out. Penelope likes being the smartest person in the room, she likes the invisible power her secret gives her. So much that the moment Cressida tried to take credit for LW Penelope's pride wouldn't let her get away with it! And her hurt pride also leads her to lash out at Colin when he discovers her secret. It's her life work! She's not going to let anyone minimize what she's achieved

Simon: Vanity

He does think he's hottest snack in the room and needs protection from matchmaking mamas. No Seriously all jokes aside, for someone that insecure, he does have a very high opinion of himself that borders on vanity. Simon has worked all his life to build his public image, to hide the parts of him that his father deemed undersirable and cultivate an image of aristocratic aloofness. It's Daphne seeing past all that, which makes Simon break character and start liking her

Phillip: Sloth

More like, he was content with the bare minimum, before Eloise came into his life. Most of Phillip's sins in TSPWL can be blamed on inaction, some because he didn't know what to do,(deal with the aftermath of Marina's death) others because he was too passive to actually do what needed to be done (take charge of the raising of his children) Phillip is content with inaction, with isolation and distance. That's all he's ever known. At least until Eloise lights a fire under him and pushes him to make things right

Michael: Gluttony

I guess I put Michael in this category because Gluttony is the sin of overindulgence and he's the merry rake. Michael is an overindulgent person, not just in Francesca's eyes, but also in the eyes of everyone else. Which makes it ironic that the only thing he's had restraint in, has been his desire for Francesca.

Gareth: Greed

His greed comes in good faith okay. We still love him. But truth be told he still has to replenish his family fortune by marrying an heiress and he's still looking for the family diamonds for this reason. Gareth's greed is ultimately channeled into healthy outlets but we all know that had lady Danbury left him to his own devices, he would undoubtedly have married for money

Lucy: Envy

Like Gregory, Lucy ended up getting envy by process of elimination. Which is fitting considering that while she doesn't Envy anyone's life, she does envy the fact that they have a choice in the outcome of said life. Lucy's entire life has been controlled by her uncle while Hermione and Gregory did grow up with families that let them have a choice in how they wanted their lives to be. Even Richard has more choices than she does. And Lucy envies them for this. Not to the point of wishing anyone ill, but yes to the point of trying to make sure the people she loves don't squander the chances they got, because she doesn't get to have those chances

An: honestly this post was hard because I do think all the Bridgerton partners are Angelic beings who have done nothing wrong. Still I did my best with the prompt

#bridgerton #bridgerton spouses #7 deadly sins #7 heavenly virtues #kate sheffield #kate sharma #sophie beckett #penelope featherington #simon basset #phillip crane #michael stirling #gareth st clair #lucy abernathy

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dreamwritesimagines · 3 years ago

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Enamored [30] - Honesty

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback my loves, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please let me know what you think, thank you! ❤ And as always, thank you @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter and the story❤

Summary: The truth comes out sooner or later.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules, mentions of sickness and death and dysfunctional relationships.

Word Count: 5400

Series Masterlist

Your sleep was disturbed by nightmares, which you figured was not very surprising. Exhaustion had taken its toll on you, but even that wasn’t enough to push you into a deep slumber, not when you didn’t know whether your father would make it to the morning.

You snapped out of your sleep with a gasp when you heard the knock on the door, and Lucie opened the door, then she stepped inside.

“Any news?” you asked, sitting up straight in the bed and Lucie smiled at you.

“His fever broke, my lady.”

The relief hit you so hard that it made your head spin and you pressed a hand over your chest, closing your eyes. You let out a breath and lowered your head, trying to swallow the lump in your throat, ignoring the burning in your eyes as you opened them again.

“The doctor is with him now, but I heard one of the maids say he was awake, just very tired.” Lucie said and you nodded.

“Can I see him yet?”

“Your brother and your aunt were told to wait until the doctor is finished,” she said. “You should probably change before you go downstairs though.”

You looked down at the gown you were still wearing, the discomfort of the corset from having been slept in it making itself known through your body before you pushed the covers off of you, but as soon as you did, your eyes fell on the handkerchief right beside you.

It must have slipped from your hand while you were sleeping. You bit on your lip and reached out to take it, then pressed it on your lips, taking a deep breath. His scent still lingered there, coaxing a smile out of you before you lowered the handkerchief and dragged your fingertips over the monogram.

He had kept it.

He had been carrying it for weeks now, because it was the only thing he had of you.

Your smile grew bigger and you lifted your head to see Lucie watching you with raised brows.

“I didn’t know it was back,” she commented and you giggled.

“I will give it back today,” you said and walked to her so that she could help you out of your clothes from yesterday into a new gown she had just pulled out of the wardrobe. You heaved a sigh and sat down in front of the vanity so that she could do your hair.

“Are you and the Viscount…?” Lucie trailed off and you found her eyes in the mirror, then shook your head.

“No,” you managed to say. “He was just here last night—”

“In your bedroom?!”

“He only stayed for a moment.”

She shot you a look. “My lady.”

“No one saw, and Cece was right outside,” you assured her. “We didn’t even…we just talked for a minute, that’s it.”

“But you want him to court you,” she said as she started doing your hair into a simple bun and you bit at your lip.

Just remembering his conversation with his mother, the very same conversation you had eavesdropped, was enough to make your heart skip a beat. The way he talked about you, the way he talked about his feelings, how he said he would wait for you until the end of his days—

How you held his heart in your grasp…

“I’m in love with him Lucie,” you said, still playing with the handkerchief, “You know that.”

“I know that yes, but I don’t want him to break your heart again,” she said with a sigh and pulled back. “There.”

You turned your head from side to side to look at your hair better. Seeing that the Duke was still sick, wearing any jewelry or accessory was completely out of question. Your unadorned gown was different than your other ones and the simple bun seemed to be appropriate for today, after all you couldn’t look like you spent too much time on your hair.

It would be extremely rude, not to mention unacceptable.

“Thank you,” you said and pushed back the chair to walk out of the room with Lucie following you. “Is Cece awake? Or Elias?”

“They’re both in his study,” she said. “No one is allowed to disturb them though.”

“Why not?”

“I think they just wanted a moment to themselves?” Lucie said. “They both look exhausted.”

“What about Aunt—” you started but stopped talking as soon as you walked past the blue drawing room and your eyes caught the sight of Lady Bridgerton. You stepped inside and smiled at her, still holding the handkerchief in your palm.

“Good morning Lady Bridgerton,” you said, making her smile as well.

“Y/N. Good morning.”

“Lucie, please tell the maids to have the breakfast room ready—”

“Oh no no,” she said, shaking her head. “No need. I’ve already had some tea and biscuits, that’s enough for me. You’re waiting for the doctor as well?”

You nodded your head and shifted your weight.

“My apologies Lady Bridgerton, had I known you were awake I would’ve woken up sooner to accompany you.”

“The rest of the family is waiting to come here but I told them they must wait until he’s in the condition to accept visitors. How have you been?”

You nibbled on your lip, fidgeting in your spot. Of course Lady Bridgerton didn’t know you were listening last night when she and Anthony had that talk, but it was obvious that last night’s conversation had made her see things clearer.

She had always been very motherly towards you but you couldn’t help but think she now saw you as more than just Elias’s sister or her friend’s daughter.

“I’ve been well,” you said. “Thank you so much for your support, for being here. It means a lot to me and Elias too.”

“You’re family,” she said, making your smile wider. “You both are. Never doubt that for a second.”

You paused for a second, then took a deep breath, then cleared your throat.

“Elias and Cece need some time alone I think but I’m worried about them both,” you confessed and she nodded.

“Leave them be for a moment,” she said. “I think Elias might need some time alone after last night, and something tells me that Cecily is the only one who can soothe the doubts in his mind.”

“I understand that but—” you got distracted when your eyes caught the sight of Anthony by the entrance and he stepped inside, his whole attention on you as if he couldn’t even see his mother in the room.

“You’re awake.”

“I am,” you said, beaming at him. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he said with a smile, and then turned to his mother as if he had just remembered she was also present. “Mother.”

“Anthony,” she said and bit down her smile, looking between you. “Well, I’d better find Lavinia. Y/N, your maid will stay in the room of course?”

“Of course,” you said in a haste and she shot Anthony a look, then walked out of the room, leaving you, Lucie and Anthony there.

“Did you hear-?”

“The Duke, yes,” you nodded. “Thank God he’s alright. Lucie tells me we’re not allowed in until the doctor tells us we are.”

“He should be done soon,” Anthony said. “He’s been there for a while now. Did you sleep well?”

“As well as I could, considering…” you trailed off. “But I’m glad he’s fine now.”

“We all are.”

You tilted your head. “You do realize that he hates you, right?”

He thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders. “I got Cecily another fine china set, he should warm up to me one of these days.”

You let out a giggle and lowering your eyes to your hands before you lifted your head again, then held up the handkerchief.

“I took good care of it,” you stated, extending your hand. “You know. Just in case you wanted a reference for how careful I am with things if you trust me with them.”

A soft smile curled his lips and he took the handkerchief from you.

“I can see that now,” the confession left his lips in a murmur. “My apologies for not seeing it sooner.”

There was some movement by the door and Lucie cleared her throat, making you both turn your heads to look at her and step away from each other as a maid entered the room, then curtsied.

“Viscount. My lady,” she said. “The Duke wants to see his children now.”

You caught up with Elias right at the door to the Duke’s room. Lucie was right, he did look exhausted so you heaved a sigh and offered him a small smile, then pulled him into a hug.

“Morning.”

He held you tight and pressed a kiss on top of your hair. “Morning to you too.”

“Could you sleep a little?” you asked, already knowing the answer and he shrugged his shoulders.

“I’m fine,” he said. “I will sleep later on, now that I know he will be alright.”

You nodded and watched as he knocked on the door, then opened it so that you could both step inside. The doctor was still there with Aunt Lavinia, and the Duke was sitting in the bed, fluffy pillows supporting his back.

“I will leave you be,” Aunt Lavinia said and squeezed at the Duke’s shoulder before walking out of the room with the doctor. Elias let out a breath and darted to hug the Duke, making him smile.

“Thank God…” you heard Elias murmur before he pulled back to wipe at his eyes. “Don’t do that to me again.”

Your body moved before you could even think as you lunged to hug him, and it was only when he wrapped his arms around you that you realized what you were doing. You paused for a moment and pulled back instantly.

“My apologies,” you said and he shook his head fervently.

“No, please don’t apologize,” he said as Elias sat at his bedside and you cleared your throat.

“What did the doctor say?” you asked, desperate to distract yourself and the Duke took a deep breath.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “It was just a small accident, but I’m alright now.”

“No more stairs.”

“Elias.”

“We’re moving your room downstairs.”

“We’re not doing that,” the Duke said and ran a hand over his face. “Like I said, a small accident. I’m sorry I made you worry, both of you.”

The memory of last night, him calling you by your mother’s name flashed through your mind and you frowned when you remembered what he said in the delirium of fever.

“I never should’ve believed him.”

“And the doctor will come here every day until we’re sure you’re completely healthy, I already talked to Aunt Lavinia.”

“Don’t bring Lav into this, I’m serious.”

“Too late. Y/N agrees, right? It’s a family decision.”

“Elias, you’re making it a bigger issue than it is.”

“You almost died!”

“It was just an accident and then some fever.”

“You were on death’s doorstep and—”

“Who’s he?” you cut through their bickering and they both turned to you.

“What?” Elias asked. “Who’s who?”

You frowned, looking at the Duke.

“You spoke when you were feverish,” you told him. “You saw mom, you said her name and you said…You said I never should’ve believed him. Who is he?”

A silence fell upon the room and Elias looked between you two as the Duke heaved a sigh.

“I guess this is as good time as any,” he murmured. “I don’t want to take this to grave and you’re both old enough to know the real story between your mother and I.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you pulled yourself a seat, crossing your arms while Elias sat up straighter.

“My father –your grandfather— passed away right after I graduated from Oxford,” he started. “But before all that, on my first year at college, I’ve met my…” His jaw clenched. “I’ve met who I thought was my best friend. Frederick Jennings.”

Elias pulled back slightly as if he had heard that name before, unlike you.

“We got along right away. For years he was my friend and after my father died, he was always there for me. He stayed at Stormview for months after the funeral just to make me feel better, and the following season we came to London,” he paused. “That was the season your mother debuted.”

You and Elias exchanged glances before turning to the Duke.

“Has she ever told you how we met?” the Duke asked you and you shook your head.

“No.”

“She and Frederick grew up together,” he said. “They were close friends until he left for school, and I heard him mention her in passing but I hadn’t met her until then. So one night, Frederick dragged me to this ball I didn’t really want to go to, and she was there so he introduced us.”

He paused for a moment, then scoffed a bitter laugh.

“One conversation,” he said. “That’s all it took. One conversation and I was completely under her spell.”

You could feel your heart skipping a beat.

“Cassie on the other hand…” he trailed off, smiling slightly. “She was never known to be an easy going person, so by the end of the conversation I asked her for a dance, she looked me dead in the eye and told me Dukes are more trouble than they’re worth so no need for a dance, go find someone more compliant, before she walked away from me.”

Oh that sounded like your mother alright.

Elias let out a small laugh. “I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t even think I could move from shock for a couple of seconds,” the Duke said. “I came back here but couldn’t sleep the whole night. The next morning I sent her flowers, and she sent them back right away.”

“Seriously?”

“Mm hm,” he said. “Frederick told me that it was a terrible idea, Cassie was too headstrong, too impatient, too… rebellious. He told me it was just an infatuation, that it would go away soon. I didn’t know why he was so against me courting her, nor did I care to be honest, I was too distracted by Cassie. It was only after it was all over that I…I saw it.”

You frowned. “Saw what?”

“That he had been in love with her long before we even met,” he said, making your breath hitch in your throat and Elias blinked a couple of times.

“What?”

“He introduced us thinking that we wouldn’t even like each other, Cassie was everything a duchess wasn’t supposed to be, and she was never the type to be impressed by anyone. We weren’t supposed to even like each other, let alone…”

“Love each other,” you finished his sentence for him. “She loved you back?”

A light crossed his eyes and he nodded.

“She did,” he said. “And after that, it was wildfire. There was nothing anyone could do to stop it, no matter how many times they tried. I think it was two months after we met that we got married. There were a lot of rumors flying around but neither of us minded. Nothing mattered, really.”

A bitter taste appeared at the back of your throat.

“Until it did,” you commented, your gaze unwavering and his jaw clenched.

“Until it did,” he said. “Cassie and I…we were too alike on certain things. We managed to bring out both the best and the worst in each other, and even though all our fights happened behind closed doors, those closest to us knew. The Bridgertons, Danburies…”

“And Frederick,” Elias’s voice was a mere murmur.

“And him,” The Duke nodded. “I think both your mother and I thought the fights would get less intense in time, but it was the opposite. When things were good between us, they were perfect but when they were bad…”

He trailed off and Elias pursed his lips.

“And then there was this one fight that was particularly bad,” the Duke said. “Everyone could tell something was wrong between us, and that’s when the gossip started again. It took me a while to understand Frederick had started…that rumor but by the time I realized it, it was too late.”

Your heart dropped to your stomach.

“He started that rumor?” Elias asked through his teeth and the Duke nodded before turning to you.

“And around that time, your mother became pregnant with you.”

Ah.

Well, you might not have known the earlier parts of the story, but you knew some part of this one.

“And I was stupid enough to believe Frederick when he said he knew for certain that…”

“That I wasn’t your child,” you said through frozen lips and he swallowed thickly.

“Y/N…”

“No no,” you said, shaking your head. “Finish your story.”

He took a deep breath.

“He insisted a divorce was the only option at that point, I guess he thought if we got a divorce, Cassie would go to him,” he said. “Which just proves that even if he was convinced they were meant to be together, he didn’t know her. Cassie would have died before asking anyone for help, she was not the type to go to anybody after heartbreak.”

“But why did you listen to him?” Elias insisted. “If you loved mom—”

“You love Cecily, don’t you Elias?”

“With all my heart.”

“Why did you listen to your best friend when he said you should pursue Lady Miriam instead?”

Both you and Elias shook your heads at the same time.

“That was different—”

“Anthony’s intentions weren’t—”

“I know,” he cut you both off. “I know, but I need you both to realize, we all let our friends cloud our judgement sometimes. In my case, my friend whom I trusted with my life turned out to be the devil.”

Elias scoffed.

“But, there was something even Frederick didn’t plan,” the Duke continued. “The ton is many things, but they’re not blind, especially not when they’re paying attention, so it wasn’t long until that rumor of your mother and my best friend having an affair came out.”

You could feel the goosebumps rising on your arms.

“He and I had a huge fight,” the Duke said. “We were both here in London and your mother was in Stormview resting before the birth, and during that fight, he said it was true. That the ton was right.”

“And you believed him,” you spat. “Without asking my mother I’m guessing?”

A shadow crossed his eyes and his gaze grew distant before he nodded.

“She gave birth in Stormview,” he murmured. “She sent me a letter saying you were born, and I… I sent back the divorce papers from the parliament.”

Elias stared at him and you tried to ignore the burning in your eyes, gritting your teeth.

“I was dead to her after that point,” the Duke said with a bitter smile. “That was the thing that ended everything between us. A week later, she—Elias, do you remember how Violet paid a visit to Stormview and took you back here with the rest of her family?”

Elias glared at him, and raised his brows.

“You mean the last time I saw my mother in England?” he asked. “Yeah. I do remember that father. ”

“What do you mean?” you asked and Elias gulped down.

“I wasn’t present in the house when you were born,” he said. “Mom sent me to Lady Bridgerton’s house, and I stayed there for some time while she rested, until Lady Bridgerton said we were all going to go to London after a visit to Stormview. I wasn’t aware that was a goodbye.”

“Elias…”

“Me and Anthony sneaked into the nursery to look at you, and after that—” Elias clicked his tongue. “I remember mom had tears in her eyes and…she told me we would see each other soon, told me she loved me more than I could ever understand, that I’d always be her baby and then Lady Bridgerton took me to the carriage.”

You could feel a tear slip from your eye and you wiped at it in a haste.

“Was that when you exiled her?”

Even you could tell the forced calmness in Elias’s voice and the Duke shook his head.

“I never exiled her, Elias,” he rasped out. “She left.”

Your head shot up and Elias blinked a couple of times.

“What?”

“Cassie was always too proud,” the Duke said. “She wasn’t going to stay in England, not after the divorce. But she didn’t tell me, I had no idea she was going to actually leave until Violet arrived and gave me her letter. I went back to Stormview right away but she was already gone.”

“But I-” Elias stammered. “I don’t…”

“She wanted to take you with her,” the Duke said. “Violet told me later on. But Cassie was no fool, she knew she couldn’t. You’re the heir, she had to make sure you would inherit your birthright. Everything about your legitimacy could be questioned if she took you. Y/N, on the other hand...”

“Everyone questioned my legitimacy already,” you nodded. “Including you.”

A silence fell upon the room.

“Frederick came to Stormview right after I arrived, he must have heard the news as well,” he said. “He told me everything and… I rode back to London on horseback to pull the divorce request back as fast as I could, but it was too late, it had already passed the parliament when I got there.”

Elias looked almost frozen in his spot and you reached out to hold his hand.

“I wrote your mother more than thousand letters,” the Duke said. “I went to Paris to beg her to come back but—”

“I don’t remember seeing you.”

“You were just a baby,” he replied. “But nothing worked. That’s the thing about Cassie, she was never going to forgive me after receiving those papers. Once someone lost her trust, they were dead to her.”

“And the person who’s responsible of all this?” you asked. “Besides you of course?”

“Frederick left the city after that night,” he said. “He might have left the country even. I never saw him again.”

Elias pushed back his seat and stormed out of the room and you darted to follow him.

“Elias!” you called out, running after him in the hallway. “Elias, you—”

“Don’t,” he turned around as a door opened and footsteps came closer. “I can’t do this right now.”

“But—”

“I need some time alone.”

“But we need to talk about this!”

“What’s there to talk about?” he asked as Cecily and Aunt Lavinia entered your sight. “For all this time I thought mom loved me only to find out she didn’t. I don’t think that requires a conversation.”

You pulled your brows together. “Elias, of course she loved you!”

“Not enough to take me with her,” he spat and Aunt Lavinia gasped while Cecily looked between you.

“Don’t say that,” you said. “You know she loved you.”

“No offense Y/N, but you really have no idea what you’re saying.”

“Elias she missed you every day,” you insisted and Elias scoffed a bitter laugh.

“No, you know what she did?” he asked you. “She left me behind. That’s what she did. She took you and left me behind.”

“She didn’t have a choice—”

“Yes she did,” Elias said. “No wonder you can’t see it. You were the lucky one.”

“Elias,” Aunt Lavinia said, almost warning him but he ignored her as your frown deepened.

“I was the lucky one?” you repeated. “What are you talking about?”

“You were a baby when mom took you to Paris,” he said. “You didn’t even remember father, you didn’t feel that void because you never knew otherwise but I did. I remembered her. Every morning I woke up hoping she would come back but she—”his voice cracked and he blinked back the tears.

“Just leave me alone,” he said, walking away from you and you took a step to follow him but Aunt Lavinia stopped you.

“Y/N, give him some time to calm down.”

“But he shouldn’t be alone.”

Cecily shook her head. “He won’t be, don’t worry,” she said and walked out of the hallway, no doubt going after Elias.

You pressed the heels of your palms into your eyes before you lowered your hands.

“Why didn’t she come back?” you asked Aunt Lavinia. “She wasn’t exiled, and if she could come back at any time she wanted, why didn’t she?”

Aunt Lavinia offered you a small smile.

“Your mother was many things,” she said. “But she wasn’t forgiving, Y/N. She would never come back here after that divorce.”

You sniffled and wiped at your eyes, shaking your head.

“I’m going outside to the yard,” you croaked out and went downstairs, then walked through the back door to step into the yard before you lifted your skirts a little to run to your favorite tree. When you reached it, you pulled yourself up to climb it, and sat on the branch, leaning back to the tree trunk as you pulled your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them.

Your mother had refused to tell you anything about their marriage or her time in London, and now that you knew the whole story you had no idea what to make of it.

On one hand, you suspected you wouldn’t have come back either. Not when you knew what coming back to London’s high society meant, endless chatter and gossip and…

After the divorce, it would just be even worse.

But on the other hand, you understood what Elias was talking about even if he didn’t think so. He felt deserted by your mother, the same feeling you had carried in you for your whole life about the duke, and it was heavy on his heart since he—

He knew what it was like to have her in his life.

You were so lost in your thoughts that you almost jumped when you heard the familiar voice, snapping you out of the haze.

“Y/N?”

You looked down to see Anthony frowning up at you.

“Hello,” you said and he chuckled.

“Hello,” he said. “Will you come down or should I come up?”

You tilted your head. “Can you?”

“I’m guessing your aunt didn’t tell you about the time me and your brother would have climbing races here?” he asked as he unbuttoned his waistcoat, then rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, making your heart skip a beat. He grabbed the branch you were sitting on and pulled himself up, coaxing a laugh from you.

“How proper of you, Viscount Bridgerton.”

“I’m a paragon of propriety,” he stated as he sat next to you and you pursed your lips, trying to control yourself.

“Right.”

“Are you alright?” he asked and you heaved a sigh.

“The Duke told me and Elias all about what happened during the divorce,” you said. “Cece is with Elias now, he’s…angry.”

“Was it bad?”

You nodded, running a hand over your forehead, your throat tightening.

“I feel like neither I nor Elias know our parents,” you admitted. “But hey, apparently they had a love marriage. If you can call that love.”

Anthony offered you a small smile. “That explains things.”

You thought for a moment and blinked back the tears, gritting your teeth.

“Maybe you were right earlier,” you stated, doing your best to push the memory of last night to the back of your mind and he turned to look at you.

“What do you mean?”

“When you said you hurt the ones you love the most,” you murmured. “I’m beginning to think maybe I shouldn’t have brought Cece and Elias together, if it ends like that—”

“Elias won’t make the mistakes your father did.”

“But look around you,” you insisted. “It ends badly all the time. Everything I keep seeing, that I keep living through, maybe love really does not bring happiness. Maybe it’s either love or happiness, your peace of mind.”

“That’s not true.”

A bitter chuckle left your lips.

“Show me one couple who loved each other and managed not to rip each other’s hearts out along the way.”

He was quiet for a couple of seconds before he took a breath.

“My parents never did that.”

You pulled back slightly, your eyes darting over his face as you didn’t dare speak in fear of him changing his mind.

“My mother and father were so in love,” he said. “And they made each other incredibly happy.”

You pulled your brows together. “You’ve had a love marriage example in front of you all that time?”

He nodded, deep in thought.

“Then why..?”

“Why did I keep avoiding it if I saw them being happy beyond words?” he finished your question. “I’ve also seen what my father’s death did to my mother.”

Your stomach did a painful flip.

“I’m sorry,” you said. “How did he pass away?”

“A bee sting,” he said. “It was very sudden and I wasn’t there.”

Oh.

That was why he had told you that you would regret it for the rest of your days if you weren’t there for your father’s last hours.

Because it had happened to him and he knew exactly how it felt.

“He was the best man I’ve ever known, I looked up to—I still look up to him, even years later,” he said. “But after he passed away, my mother was just not herself. I’ve seen how destructive love can be, how much that loss might hurt the ones you leave behind.”

It was like putting the last missing puzzle piece into its place in your mind.

That explained everything, why he was so adamant in avoiding love altogether, why he insisted he didn’t want his future Viscountess to love him, why he wanted a marriage of convenience…

You swallowed thickly. “How old were you when it happened?”

“Eighteen.”

You let out a breath, staring at him. “Anthony…”

“The thing is,” he said. “After seeing that pain my mother went through, I was sure no one in their right minds would ever actually seek it out, not when losing that person would hurt that much. I even asked my mother later on, if she regretted it and she always told me she didn’t regret a single second, even though she lost him that early, even though it devastated her for a long, long time. But I didn’t understand how, so I convinced myself that it wasn’t worth it.”

“And you changed your mind?”

He nodded his head.

“The end is always there,” he said. “But the pure happiness of being with that one person until you reach the end? Not even death can taint that.”

You could feel the tears rushing to your eyes but you blinked them back.

“So yeah, I’ve changed my mind,” he said and shrugged his shoulders. “You could say I’ve seen the light.”

You bit down a smile. “Careful there, you sound like a romantic.”

He gave you a mischievous look.

“Bad influence,” he taunted you. “Don’t get your hopes up though, I’m still winning the bet.”

That managed to draw out a faint laughter from you and you reached out to hold his hand before you turned the ring around his finger, making his head snap up. He stared at you for a couple of seconds, that soft light crossing his dark eyes before he let out a breath, a small smile curling his lips. You paused for a moment and rested your head on his shoulder, dangling your legs back and forth as he buried his nose into your hair.

A peaceful silence fell upon you before you spoke again.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Being you,” you whispered, enjoying the warmth of him right beside you. “Just that.”

He turned his hand as you dragged your fingertips over his palm before he entwined his fingers with yours, the simple touch sending a spark of excitement through you.

“Anthony?”

He hummed into your hair. “Yes?”

“There is no way you’re winning the bet.”

The pleasant sound of his chuckle was enough to make your heartbeat faster.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Yeah,” you muttered, painfully aware of the bright smile on your face. “Yeah we will.”

Chapter 31

#anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton x reader #bridgerton #bridgerton x reader #regency fic

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ierotits · 3 years ago

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after a 2nd watching, heres my current view on the barris/guy dexter situation (spoilers below cut)

I love barris! i love richard ellis! i would have been happy to have them stay together! but i completely understand how it was cut off. to me, it seemed like richard saw the risks that come with their life with the gay club situation in the first movie, and decided he didnt want to risk that. which i feel is perfectly reasonable. i like to think he found a girl who understood, and was happy to marry him as he is. richard gave thomas the option of staying together while hes married, but i think thomas has almost grown up since season 1 with the duke, and since then hes decided for himself that isnt what he wants. like he said at the end, he wants a life thats as honest as someone like him can get. i think richard would respect that, they dont part on bad terms, and i like to think they continue to write to eachother as friends, that richard and thomas are both good influences on eachother for years to come, and totally respect eachothers views on life

i also really like guy! hes one of the few people who really seem to respect thomas' feelings and wishes, he instantly changes the way hes speaking to thomas when he realises its making thomas uncomfortable in any way. he put them both on the same level, doesnt want to elevate himself above thomas at all. as everyone else said, hes a really nice person in general. him and thomas seemed to lift eachother up and encourage eachother in the few scenes they had. it was also nice the way guy specifically said "we'd have to work it out" or whatever it was when talking about what would happen if he couldnt act, he wouldnt leave thomas in the lurch, they'd figure it out together. he also makes it clear that its totally up to thomas if they make any sort of romantic/sexual relationship, he'll respect those boundaries. so if you personally dont like the idea of them being in a relationship, just imagine them as friends in the future! its an open ending, it can be whatever you want!

in terms of thomas, i think it was made clear from the start of the movie that what guy is offering is exactly what he wants. he expressed wanting to live as honest a life as possible, he talked about wanting to travel, and those things are completely consistent with his previous characterisation. he did well in america previously, hes really always wanted to get away from the abbey too. he might have had a few happier years, but downton is still a place with some awful memories for him, with people who will never really respect him the same way they did carson. it makes sense for him to want to leave. however you look at it, guy is offering him a stable future, the opportunity to travel, relative safety, and as close to a marriage as they can get if he wants that. it seems as hopeful a future as possible.

im glad barris got some time together, and i do think it made thomas happier, showed him that he does have a chance at happiness. they had a good run of it too, anywhere between a year and 2 years i reckon, and at any rate their relationship was just as long as tom and lucy were together before the wedding.

i also think thomas did have time to get to know guy, even if it was off screen. the actors were there for at least a month, and guy made a point from the start to get to know thomas. to compare that to upstairs couples, it wouldnt seem out of the ordinary for any of them to know someone for a month and do no more than glance at eachother suggestively for them to get engaged. i dont see why the same cant be said for thomas and guy.

tldr, i think both couples are good, and you can imagine the future for both however you want, so long as you arent pulling other people's ships down. thomas can be with guy and still be friends with richard. he can be friends with guy and start up with richard again if you really want. just stop being so fucking pessimistic about with, and definitely stop being a dick about it in the thomas barrow tag. write fics and be nice about it all to everyone. as far as i care, all that matters is thomas' happiness

#downton abbey #downton #thomas barrow #a new era

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fielran · 3 years ago

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A (not so) Brief Guide to Titles and Prefixes on Downton Abbey

Married vs Unmarried Women

All downstairs characters should be either Miss or Mrs. The prefix Ms. did not come into common use until the late 1960s and so is anachronistic -- it is not a shortened version of Miss, but rather a marital-status neutral alternative to the other prefixes in use.

"Miss" denotes an unmarried character, regardless of age.

"Mrs" or "Misses" denotes a married or widowed character, or rarely, an upper female servant. Remember the exchange from S1--

Joe Burns: I notice you call yourself Misses.

Mrs Hughes: Housekeepers and cooks are always Misses. You know better than anyone I haven't changed my name.

Joe Burns: Well, I know you wouldn't change it to Burns when you had the chance.

Miss or Mrs are also used for any middle or upper class characters who do not have titles, including courtesy titles.

Use of Prefixes for Servants

The lower servants, including maids and footmen, are referred to by first name only, both by upstairs and downstairs characters.

Lady's maids, valets, and male upper servants are referred to by prefix and last name by downstairs characters, but by only last name by upstairs characters. For example, Mrs. Hughes says "Miss O'Brien" but Cora and Robert say only "O'Brien". Female upper servants get the prefix from everyone, even Lord Grantham:

Mrs Patmore: I promise you, milord, if I could just be allowed a bit more time--

Robert, Earl of Grantham: Mrs Patmore, I've not asked you here to give you your notice.

For example, Thomas Barrow starts as a footman, and everyone calls him Thomas. During the war, he is Corporal or Sergeant Barrow, then he is called Thomas again after, as a footman. When he becomes Robert's valet, he is Mr Barrow downstairs, or Barrow upstairs, and remains that way throughout his remaining promotions. He is also called Mr Barrow by the children. It may be this is a peculiarity, or the children may be expected to refer to unrelated adults using their title.

Anna is a bit of a strange case - she properly ought to be Mrs. Bates downstairs and Bates upstairs after she becomes a lady's maid, but perhaps to avoid confusion with her husband who is also Bates upstairs, the change never happens.

Phyllis Baxter is Baxter upstairs, Miss Baxter downstairs. If Mrs Hughes retires and Phyllis takes her place, she would be Mrs. Baxter. If she actually gets around to marrying Molesley at some point, with no promotion, she would be Mrs Molesley downstairs, Molesley upstairs.

Tom Branson as chauffeur is called Branson by both upstairs and downstairs characters - at least those who are not in a relationship with him. After his marriage to Lady Sybil, he is called Mr Branson by those outside the family.

Daisy is called by only her first name as a scullery and kitchen maid. There are no other undercooks to compare, so I am unsure whether she ought to be Mrs Mason. If Mrs Patmore retires and she becomes the cook, she should become Mrs Mason (or Mrs Parker, if she actually gets around to marrying Andy by then).

Titles for Nobility

There are 2 main types of titles used by the 'nobility': Substantive titles, and courtesy titles.

Substantive titles are for those who hold titles in their own right. This includes hereditary peers, like Lord Grantham, as well as life peers. The title holders have seats in the House of Lords.

Courtesy titles are for those connected to title holders - wives and widows, children, and other male-line heirs. Wives and widows hold legal, though not substantive, titles. Children of title holders are considered socially as nobility; however, legally speaking they are commoners and can be elected to the house of commons.

Lord Grantham is the only member of the Crawley family with a substantive title during the time of the series. All the others use courtesy titles. As the wife and widow of title holders, Cora and Violet are Lady [title], in this case Lady Grantham.

Legitimate daughters of a hereditary Marquess, Duke, or Earl or his direct male-line heirs are Lady [first name]: Lady Sybil, etc. They retain this styling if they marry someone without a title. In Pride and Prejudice, Darcy's aunt Lady Catherine, daughter of an Earl, had been married to Sir Lewis de Bourgh, who held only a knighthood and no title, so she remained Lady Catherine. Violet Crawley married Robert's father, the Earl of Grantham, and so her married title of Lady Grantham took precedence over any title she used previously, even if her father had higher precedence.

This courtesy title does not carry on to their children. Sybbie Branson cannot claim her mother's courtesy title, and her father Tom Branson has no title of his own, so she will be Miss, not Lady. Under formal etiquette, she and any future siblings would be styled like the Bennets - Miss Branson for an adult Sybil, as the eldest unmarried daughter, Miss [first name] for any additional unmarried daughters. However, they would not necessarily follow such protocol unless they are active socially in the upper class - if Mr Branson marries Lucy and she inherits, for example. The middle and lower class, especially more radical members thereof, did not hold closely to this tradition by the time Sybbie would be an adult.

The eldest son and heir of the hereditary holder of a title in the top 3 ranks - duke, marquess, or earl - can use one of the title holder's subsidiary titles as a courtesy title. We don't know if Grantham has a subsidiary title, because nobody alive during the show is entitled to use it. If there is one, Robert would have used it prior to his father's death; however, James was not Robert's son and therefore could not use the title, nor could Patrick or Matthew. George, although he is Robert's grandson and heir, cannot use the title because he is inheriting through Matthew rather than Robert.

The younger sons of Dukes and Marquesses are given the courtesy title Lord [first name]. The younger sons of Earls without subsidiary titles, as well as all sons of other nobles, are styled The Honourable [first name] [last name], as: "The Honourable Evelyn Napier, son and heir to Viscount Branksome." Tim Grey is also "The Honourable", although he will not inherit if Larry has any legitimate sons.

Adopted children were not entitled to a courtesy title at the time Downton Abbey takes place, so there will be no title for Marigold even if Bertie adopts her or Edith acknowledges her.

Young Children

Young children of higher standing than the speaker should be referred to as Master or Miss, regardless of actual titles. So in Downton's nursery we have Master George, Miss Sybbie, Miss Caroline, and Johnny.

So What Does That All Mean for Whoever I'm Writing About?

Robert would have been Master Robert as a child, Viscount Something - the wiki says Viscount Downton - as a young man, prior to his father's death, and of course is Lord Grantham in the time of the show. Had he had a son while his father was still living, that son may have used another subsidiary title, if one exists, or have been styled "The Honourable". Any brothers Robert had would also be styled "The Honourable".

Cora would have been Miss Levinson prior to her marriage, Viscountess Something after, then finally Duchess of Grantham. She may one day become the Dowager Duchess of Grantham.

Mary would remain Lady Mary after both marriages, as neither Matthew or Henry has a title. However, had Matthew lived to become Earl of Grantham, she would have become Countess of Grantham at that time. Carson may have called her Miss Mary as a child.

Sybil Crawley would remain Lady Sybil, though she would use Branson's last name.

Edith would change from Lady Edith to the Marchioness of Hexam on her marriage. Her illegitimate daughter Marigold would have no title, even if adopted by Lord Hexam. Her firstborn son would use a subsidiary title, and younger sons would be called Lord [first name]. The firstborn son of her firstborn son would also likely have a subsidiary title. Additional daughters would be Lady [first name].

Bertie went from an untitled Mr Pelham to the Marquess of Hexam. His mother did not gain a title and is called Mrs Pelham.

Sybbie Branson is Miss Sybbie now, and will be Miss Branson. She will not have a title unless she marries into one.

George Crawley is Master George now, and will be Mr Crawley until he inherits the title Earl of Grantham. He is not Viscount Downton.

Marigold is Miss Marigold, and will be Miss whatever-last-name-they-decide-to-use. I don't know what that is, and there isn't one listed on the wiki. Miss Pelham if Bertie adopts her.

Caroline is Miss Caroline, and will be Miss Talbot.

Evelyn Napier is The Horourable Evelyn Napier. He is addressed directly as Mr Napier. After his father's death, he will be Viscount Branksome.

Anthony Foyle is Viscount Gillingham. Prior to his father's death, he was an Honourable.

Larry and Amelia Grey are styled The Honorable Mr and Mrs Larry Grey. They will be Baron and Baroness Merton on his father's death.

Let me know if there are any other characters you aren’t sure of, and I’ll try to add them.

#Downton Abbey #meta #writing resources

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dramioneasks · 3 years ago

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HP FESTS: DramioneFanfictionWriters (Part 4)

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Famous Shakespeare Lines, February 2021:

Short Life For A Daffodil by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - Hermione and Draco have a wild daughter who likes to pull up daffodils and frustrate her parents, but the duo wouldn't be without their children.

Friends Dont by Lostinthenightrain - T, one-shot - "You don’t choose who you fall for!” “No, because I sure as hell wouldn’t be standing here now would I?” Hermione mourns the loss of a relationship.

The Malfoy Mistress by ThebeMoon - M, one-shot - Unable to bear the sight of Bellatrix carving into Hermione Granger at Malfoy Manor, Draco Malfoy whisks his hated former schoolmate to safety. He should have known better.

Rules of Engagement by Art3misiA - T, one-shot - Lucius just had to be difficult about the idea of Draco and Hermione getting married. Will Draco and Hermione allow him to throw his weight around, or will they bring him to heel?

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Popular 90's TV Shows, March 2021:

The Death of Theo Nott by Lostinthenightrain - T, one-shot - “Hermione.” Her head whipped up to see the broken expression in Draco’s eyes. “He wouldn’t kill himself.”

The Night of the Rats by rennaissance_woman - not rated, one-shot - What happens when a prank war goes too far?

Perfect Harmony by Talonwillow (TalonWillow) - T, one-shot -Professor Slughorn's star Potions pupil Hermione was tired of being the ugly duckling, so she created a potion that would transform her into a beautiful swan. Everyone seemed to like the shiny new version of her... Well, except for herself and maybe one other. Would Draco Malfoy convince her that what everyone else was seeing was what he saw every day, and would Hermione finally be able to live in Perfect Harmony?

Dramione Go Star Trekking by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - Riker has made a pass at Hermione and she doesn't quite know how to deal with it.

Bloody Colonials by Maira - T, one-shot - Hermione Granger has had a long week, and the last thing she wants to do is leave the comfort of her home. But when her best friend asks for her help in dealing with a possible cursed object, what can she do but help? Brownies, Potion-making robe etiquette, and a cursed Nigerian mask all add up to a typical night at Hogwarts. Written for the DFW's Deal or No Deal challenge.

The Latest Teenage Drama by Art3misiA - T, one-shot - Teenagers. Gotta love em. Teenage dramas? Not so much. Draco and Hermione navigate the perils of unwanted teenage behaviour - 90s family sitcom style.

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Around the World, April 2021:

The Assignment by Art3misiA - G, one-shot - Hermione and Draco, Aurors, have been sent to Cape Town on a top secret assignment - to track down a former Death Eater.

Finding Them by KrysKrossZee - T, WIP - After not finding her parents in Austrailia, Hermione enlists Draco's help and the two make their way to Vancouver when they have a new lead.

DFW's Deal or No Deal: The Language of Flowers, May 2021:

Spilled Ink by Maira - M, one-shot - It's nearly Christmas, and things aren't great. Draco Malfoy is still on house arrest due to the Wizengamot being a bag of dicks. Hermione Granger is out of the country on a job, which means he won't see her for a few weeks. And to top it all off, Hermione has sent Draco a plant. A green, spiky plant, for no reason that he can fathom. Oh, and a spelled journal that he's now supposed to write in. Because nothing could possibly go wrong with that plan. Written for the DFW Deal or No Deal Challenge!

Forever by Art3misiA - M, one-shot - Though they may be gone, our memories of them remain forever.

The Little Things by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - When Hermione buys Draco a cup of coffee and leaves it on his desk, it throws Draco through a loop and he wonders what he should get her in exchange.

The Climbing Vine by rennaissance_woman - not rated, one-shot - After receiving some startling news, Draco runs out of the house. He receives some advice from a surprising source.

Changing of the Seasons by Lostinthenightrain - M, one-shot - Hermione & Draco find a local park and two unlikely faces to greet them.

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Draco's Birthday Soundtrack, June 2021:

Straight to the Heart by AdAsttra - T, one-shot - Draco's ready to tell Hermione how he feels, but Cupid has other ideas.

Stick Around by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - Hermione doesn't know why Draco is the only one who makes her feel safe, but she is glad that she is able to get some reprieve from her brain.

Wild and Wired by Maira - M, one-shot - Need your lovin' here beside me, Need it close enough to guide me, I've been hopin' you would find me, You're the biggest part of me. - Hermione was expecting a fun night out with her boyfriend and her friends. She was not expecting ice cubes, sick ponies, and a serenade beautiful enough to melt her heart. Written for the DFW's Deal or No Deal challenge.

Let's Get Serious (Please, for the Love of Merlin!) by Art3misiA - G, one-shot - Draco wants to get serious, but Hermione isn't so sure. Will their opposing views make or break them?

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Magical Monsters, July 2021:

There's A Zouwu In My Basement by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - When a creature has broken into the Malfoy Manor dungeon, Draco has to call for help.

Miseria by crochetaway - T, one-shot - Hermione tames a Dementor.

Aegis by Maira - M, one-shot - Their world is in ruins, and their only protection against creatures wanting to kill them is about to fall. They make a plan to trek across the country to Hogwarts, where others have gathered to make a new home within the castle. There, they will be safe. One problem - before they go, there's a queen to kill. Written for the DFW's Deal or No Deal Challenge.

Fear & Desire by myladymay - T, one-shot - Draco Malfoy wants to change his life. He returns to Hogwarts for Eighth Year and finds himself confronted with both his biggest fear and greatest desire, all wrapped up in a Gryffindor tie.

Innocent Monsters by itscometothis - T, 12 chapters - Draco Malfoy thought he had reasonable expectations for his mandatory Eighth Year at Hogwarts, where he would be confined to the grounds as part of his probation. Isolation, hatred, and passing his NEWTs were really all he had in mind. What he wasn't anticipating: 1) Having a small firstie latch onto him like a bloody koala 2) Said firstie adopting an erkling as if they didn’t feed on children. To protect his little nuisance, he’ll have to seek help from uncomfortable places, including the Swottiest Witch of Her Age. Joy of all joys.

Transformed by Art3misiA - T, one-shot - Draco and Charlie have a dragon to catch, and time is running out. Meanwhile, Hermione is missing, adding to Draco's woes.

DFW's Deal or No Deal: Legendary Duos, August 2021:

Three's a crowd, four's trouble by AnnaRitaLi - M, WIP - p>My sister is right. My life did change that evening. I just don't think Rosalind meant for me to steal her boyfriend, or I don't think I stole him, Draco, not precisely. You cannot steal something that doesn't want to be whisked away. That's my experience, at least, and I've stolen quite a few things over the years. So I can say this with confidence. You can't lose something you never had. But you’ll have to read it in the book, dear. While the Crown doesn’t wish for me to speak out in public, I have been silent for too long. You see, There were three of us in this marriage. And people, the press, have assumed many things over the years about Draco and me. So this book, as you’ll see, it’s my attempt to set the record straight. Yes, there were three of us in this marriage, but there were also much more going on than that. -- This is the story the Crown never wanted to get out. In other words, I bring you the x-rated version of the book ‘Diana - her true story - in her own words’.’ It’s the Dramione as Charles & Diana AU you didn't know you needed.

The Marquess and the Kitchen Girl by Art3misiA - E, 8 chapters - Draco Malfoy is the son of the most powerful Duke in Wiltshire. One day, he will be the ruler of a large duchy. Hermione Granger lives happily with her parents - that is, until tragedy strikes. Two children will become friends, and gradually discover a forbidden love that seems as if it might one day defy the odds. Alas, this is a tale of doomed lovers.

In Her Arms by KrysKrossZee - M, one-shot - Draco's worked his way up through Voldemort's ranks but it would seem that all of his work has been for nothing when Dolohov captures a new prisoner.

The Happiness I Seek by Maira - M, one-shot - To those without a soulmate, the world is devoid of colour. They say that if you are lucky enough to meet your soulmate, everything changes. The world is brighter, food is richer, and you find a love you never knew you needed. Draco Malfoy has never been lucky. Written for the DFW's Deal or No Deal challenge.

darling! by itscometothis - M, one-shot - When Draco and Hermione are invited to help demonstrate a path forward for Wizarding Britain and its reconciliation, neither really feel like they can refuse - Hermione for moral reasons and Draco for practical ones (read: Azkaban sounds bad). But they have very different ideas on how to play up this fake relationship. Written for DFW's Deal or No Deal: Legendary Duos - Kermit and Ms. Piggy. It's as ridiculous as you expect.

A Thousand Ships by floorcoaster - M, WIP - Draco Malfoy knows what he wants, and he's not afraid to reach out and take it.

Quiet My Demons by Lostinthenightrain - M, one-shot - “Unhappy, darling?” He murmured, his cigar placed on its resting dish, dashed out - a little puff of smoke rising into the air between them before disappearing. “Yes, completely.”

I Love Draco by crochetaway - G, one-shot - A few slice of life scenes with Hermione, Draco, and Scorpius ala I Love Lucy style!

DFW's Deal or No Deal: The Final Word, September 2021:

Crime & Punishment by itscometothis - T, 12 chapters - TRIAL TRANSCRIPT OF DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY IS FORMALLY CHARGED WITH THE FOLLOWING: CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER AIDING AND ABETTING A MURDER USE OF UNFORGIVABLE CURSES: IMPERIUS (2 COUNTS) USE OF UNFORGIVABLE CURSES: CRUCIATUS (47 COUNTS) PARTICIPATING IN A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION -- I don’t regret hoping. I thought I might, at the beginning, do you remember? But I don’t. I regret nothing about you, my love. Eternally yours, Draco -- A story of hope, punishment, and the nature of justice told in trial transcripts, visits in an interrogation room, and letters.

Boats Against the Current by AlannaTCooper - T, one-shot - Draco Malfoy is trying to escape his past by running as far away as he can. But the past - and his nightmares - keep pulling him backwards.

By His Side by KrysKrossZee - T, one-shot - Hermione is lonely but there's at least one person who can break through her loneliness.

Trying To Live by IzzieStellar - T, one-shot - After her husband dies, Hermione can’t seem to remember how to live and her friends vow to help her.

In the Dead of Night by AdAsttra - G, one-shot - Hermione and Draco are some of the last people to leave Hogwarts under the veil of a cold, dark night.

This fest is ongoing.

#dramionefanfictionwriters #Fests/Exchanges/Challenges #dramione

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chrissmou · 2 years ago

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The Ranking and rambling of the Bridgerton Books

The promised Book Ranking of the Bridgerton Series books. Eight books are presented according to my preference from my favorite to my least favorite. You will find a summary of each book and my personal opinion on it, as well as a link to Goodreads (there you can find more on the books):

The ranking after the cut, because I ramble a lot.

1. The Viscount who loved me (Book 2): Kate and Anthony. Classic enemies-to-lovers plot with well-written characters who manage to fill you with all kinds of emotions throughout the book. You can see how vulnerable they are, the challenging family bonds, and the need to preserve their social status while protecting the family. The way the book is played out makes you love it even more.

2. It’s In his kiss (Book 7): Gareth and Hyacinth. Here Garreth and Hyacinth are an investigative couple, and the book’s plot revolves around this relationship. What is fascinating is the fact that Lady Danbury is Garreth’s grandmother. You'll enjoy Hyacinth’s delightful wit and view of the world. Stay prepared for a story full of surprises and suspense.

3. On the way to the wedding (Book 8): Gregory and Lucy. In this book, Gregory finds himself in a love confusion, as he ends up proclaiming his love to someone unexpected, someone many wouldn’t probably approve of. of the detail you’re gonna love in this book is the character build and illustration; Kate’s cool appearance, Hyacinth’s curiosity Violet’s nurturing and supportive role towards Gregory, and of course, Gregory’s “Prince Charming” behavior.

4. Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Book 4): Penelope and Colin. I was very reluctant to rank this book because it was so much fan and had a different status in a classic trope, in love with best friend’s brother. Also, in the series' previous books, you see a different characterization for both Colin and Penelope, with him being the aloof joker and her the wallflower everyone is sad about. In this one, Penelope has a secret and doing everything in her power to protect herselgf and everyone from it. On the other hand, Colin is very confused about the future contracts with the immaturity and the boyishness that he presents in the first three books.

5. An Offer From a gentleman (Book 3): Sophie and Benedict. The only reason for the position of this one is that I couldn’t be inside the first part of this book, which explains why Sophie is in this position with her stepfamily. I loved the second part and the reveal of the identity. I love the characterization of Sophie and the whole Cinderella eyed especially the relationship with Benedict. I did not like the pace of the beginning

6. The Duke and I (Book 1): Daphne and Simon. I liked the fake dating trope; the characters are a good introduction to the series. What I liked most in this one is the introduction to the two main characters, especially Simon’s reactions to finding this was Anthony’s little sister, Daphne, as it always makes me laugh. The fears, on Simon’s side about his father, are portrayed with a reality you need to understand. On the other hand, Daphne is a very good character but naive and a little boring with perfection which sometimes made me cringe.

7. To Sir Philip, With Love (Book 5): Eloise and Philip. I have to say, I read the books after I saw the first season of the TV Show, and I love Eloise as a character in the series, she is funny and independent, something I am drawn to. She has something of that in the books, especially in this and in the previous one. I liked that and the plot of how they met via a letter, but it didn’t have the impact I was expecting from a book. I love the twins and the pranks, but it was a little intimidating for the character of Philip.

8. When he was wicked (Book 6): Michael and Francesca. I made the mistake to read the reviews of this book before the actual book and it made me anticipate it more than the other books in the series, but in the end, I was disappointed in the whole plot. The plot is of the second time Francesca is getting married and how she copes with the depression of her first husband’s death. You see a character who has to decide what she wants to do but also wants to fulfill her dreams. I liked that but I was underwhelmed by how unappreciated she was of her surroundings, especially Michael, and that makes her a little boring. The good thing was that Michael is an interesting character and has this way to make you love him even if he has womanizing ways.

#Bridgerton #romance books #book rant #ramblings #my thoughts #kanthony #garreth hyacinth #grucy #colin x penelope #benedict x sophie #daphne simon #eloise x phillip #michael francesca #book rank

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amateur-author597 · 4 years ago

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SERIOUS RISE OF THE TITANS SPOILERS

BUT I NEED TO RANT

SPOILERS ARE UNDER THE CUT I PROMISE

I STARTED ROTT TEN MINUTES AFTER IT CAME OUT AT 5:01 PM AEST AND FINISHED ROTT AT ROUGHLY 10 TO 7

I FINISHED THE MOVIE AND SAW 8 SPOILER POSTS WITHIN 2 MINUTES ON TUMBLR

PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHERS AND PUT ALL SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT FOR YOUR POSTS AND TAG THEM PROPERLY

FIRST OFF

Everyone who said Blinky would die because of"and blinky" in the trailer

Fuck you

It was very fair but still I was so scared

Same to if those who said Archie died because he wasn't in the trailer

Again fair but I was terrified and anxious as hell

My heart could not have handled if he died or Douxie's grief but I'm still upset about what actually happened

And I wish Zoe showed up so they could give her some characterization

We find out she's known Douxie and been friends with him for over 900 years but she doesn't help with the Arcane Order?

And none of the hedge witches show up to help fight them to defend their home?!?!?!

SECOND!!! THE TRAIN SCENE!!!

YES

LOVED IT

GREAT

Jim you stupid string bean, I love you though

Claire, good job, that was some hard magic

Toby, go duke!

Douxie my husband, YAAASS QUEEN, GET IT BABY

The Police Station

It was so funny

Everything about it I loved

Douxari confusing the officers and being neutrally chaotic

Claire trying to be tough and silent

Toby spilling ALL the tea and the officers not believing him

Archie just being Archie and enjoying the confusion of the humans

KREL SHOWING UP WITH RICKY AND LUCY

YES

OMFG

Keep casually listing just about every spy agency in order

and then just

"And your mum"

What a legend

Literal King 👑

Honestly

Walter and Barbara

Them being engaged and happy

Y E S

Jim being best man

Y E S

Walter DYING before they could get married

N O

H E L L N O

ELI GREW UP!!!!!

MPREG STEVE

Very unpopular opinion

I loved it, so fucking funny

I don't even like mpreg normally

But I loved it as a random side plot cause they probably couldn't find an import part for every character and still give them their deserved screen time

Also, funny!

Krel was way too smug explaining to Steve that he would be pregnant, not Aja

You know how we as a fandom have all decided Krel is Aro/Ace icon or at least Aro spec and/or grey ace (something like that) I have no problem with this and love it, it makes me feel very validated, but what Krel just doesn't want kids and decided it's easier to not have romantic relationships, that's also a legitimate thing a lot of woman do

Does that mean gay guys can have biological kids on Akiridion 5?

BACK TO STEVE

I wish there was a bit where Steve called Lawrence on the phone calling him "dad" or "coach dad" and being like "Hey, I know you're probably busy, you're at school but I'm seriously freaking out and I need your help or advice" and explaining the whole Akiridion pregnancy and Coach just reassuring him gently and telling him that he and Steve's mum would support him and he wasn't alone and they weren't mad at him.

Douxie figuring out the sigil

Good job baby! Smart boy! I am very proud

You very smart

The Order bringing the Titans with Nari mind controlled

😬

That's all

Numora dying

Why! It's was so unnecessary!

I don't necessarily love her by any means

But still!

Dndndbebhsvehehrdidjbdisbeurbvtisjbsgsneosbsyneyjsosnsjdbdynsvsidbfindbzhndhdushdhushdbudhnm

*key spams in frustration*

This began much irritation that just increased

THE BRIDGE

ARCHIE LEFT DOUXIE HIS LONG LIFE FRIEND AND PLATONIC SOULMATE (NOBODY CAN CONVINCE ME THAT NOT JOW FAMILIARS WORK IDC)

YES HE WAS STAYING WITH HIS DAD AND I RESPECT THAT

BUT GODDAMN IT CHARLIE

CHARLEMAGNE COULD HAVE JUST LIT THE TROLLS FOLLOWING THEM ON FIRE AND THEN FLOWN OUT

THE PORTAL WOULD HAVE CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME

OR THEY COULD HAVE FREED THE TROLLS

EITHER WAY

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT

WTF HAPPENED THE WHOLE FOUND FAMILY THING THEH WERE PUSHING IN WIZARDS

WHY PUSH A GRIEVING DOUXIE TO ESSENTIALLY GET OVER IT AND ACCEPT ARCHIE AS HIS FAMILY CUZ HE WAS ALWAYS THERE JUST TO GET RID OF ARCHIE ANYWAY

DOUXIE WOULD HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM AGAIN

HE WOULD HAVE JUST SEEN "TELL DOUXIE I SAID GOODBYE" IN THE KRONOSPHERE AS HIS LAST MEMORY OF HIM

*INCREASING FRUSTRATION*

"No More Running"DOUXIE ALMOST DIED BRINGING NARI BACK

I KNEW HE WOULDNT DIE BUT I WAS STILL SCARED

I was sad

NARI AND SKRAEL'S BATTLE WAS PERFECT

CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE I WAS NOT PLEASED WITH NARI DYING

NOR DOUXIE BEING HELD BACK ONCE AGAIN FROM SAVING A LOVED ONE

"Nor more running"

Simple line

Sweet

Shattered me and my very being THE SWITCHING SPELL

AMAZING.YES.ILOVEDIT.

DOUXIE YOU SMART BRILLIANT BOY I AM SO FUCKING PROUD

Douxari was so chaotic and funny and pure in a very weird way

I was sad that THAT screenshot of Douxie and Archie wasn't actually Archie because he looked so happy chddling his familiar but it was still cute

Narxie was so fucking sarcastic when the Arcane Order realized the spell didn't work and I live for it

Walter and Barbara

Them being engaged and happy

Y E S

Jim being best man

Y E S

Walter DYING before they could get married

N O

H E L L N O

ELI GREW UP!!!!!

MPREG STEVE

I loved it, so fucking funny

Krel was way too smug explaining to Steve that he would be pregnant, not Aja

Does that mean gay guys can have biological kids on Akiridion 5?

BACK TO STEVE

Douxie figuring out the sigil

Good job baby! Smart boy! I am very proud

You very smart

The Order bringing the Titans with Nari mind controlled

😬

That's all

Numora dying

Why! It's was so unnecessary!

Dndndbebhsve hehr didjbdisbeurbvtisjbsgsneosbsyneyjsosnsjdbdynsvsidbfindbzhndhdushdhushdbud

*key spams in frustration*

THE BRIDGE

ARCHIE LEFT DOUXIE HIS LONG LIFE FRIEND AND PLATONIC SOULMATE (NOBODY CAN CONVINCE ME THAT NOT JOW FAMILIARS WORK IDC)

YES HE WAS STAYING WITH HIS DAD AND I RESPECT THAT

BUT GODDAMN IT CHARLIE

CHARLEMAGNE COULD HAVE JUST LIT THE TROLLS FOLLOWING THEM ON FIRE AND THEN FLOWN OUT

THE PORTAL WOULD HAVE CLOSED AT THE SAME TIME

OR THEY COULD HAVE FREED THE TROLLS

EITHER WAY

THEY COULD HAVE GOTTEN OUT

Titan Nari

I was so scared when Douxie nearly passes out from lack of oxygen trying to save her

Claire did a great job and I like her but I feel like they're overpowering her without developing her

Nari and Skrael's battle was a cinematic masterpiece

Coach Lawrence seriously needs a break

NARI DYING WAS UNACCEPTABLE

DOUXIE BEING HELD BACK FROM HELPING HER WAS UNACCEPTABLE

"No more running" destroyed me

I AM STILL NOT OK

I DON'T THINK I EVER WILL BE

The 9th configuration

FOUND. FAMILY. CENTRAL.

I'M THE CHOSEN ONE BUT I CAN'T DO IT ALONE

YES

The Final Battle

I don't even know what to say

Aja. QUEEN.

RIP Varvatos

Rip Douxie that fall would have really fucking hurt

He definitely had broken ribs from that

I'm surprised he could walk after even while being supported against someone else to stand

Jim should have just stabbed Bellroc instead of talking

Jim should not have been able to walk and run perfectly fine after being stabbed even with all the adrenaline

Toby WTF MAN

GOOD JOB BUT FUCKING HELL

I LEGIT CAN'T EVEN FIGURE OUT HOW IT HAPPENED

THE MOVIE CAME OUT 4 DAYS AGO (IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO WRITE THE RANT DONT JUDGE) AND I'VE WATCHED IT 5 TIMES AND I STILL DON'T KNOW HOW I MISSED IT EACH TIME

HOW DID TOBY CRASH?!?!

ANYWAY

TOBY DYING WAS NOT ACCEPTABLE

JIM SCREAMING OUT HIS NAME AS SOON AS HE REALIZED TOBY WASNT THERE

BLINKY AND ARGH LOOK OF PANIC AND WORRY CUZ THEY REALIZED TOBY DIDNT COME BACK WITH JIM

DOUXIE REALIZING HE FAILED TO PROTECT SOMEONE ELSE IMPORTANT TO HIM (EVEN IF HE DOESNT HAVE MUCH OF AN ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP WITH TOBY, I REFUSE TO BELIEVE HE DIDN'T ADOPT THEM ALL AS HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS)

"Always was, always will be" hurt my entire soul

The Time stone

This frustrated me so much it took me 3 days to write just this bit

Go back in time and save everyone?

Yes! Awesome!

Go back to the start the start

Also, I love and adore Toby

BUT IT MAKES NO SENSE

JIM GIVING THE AMULET AND RESPONSIBILITIES AWAY WHEN HE HAS 2 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE AND KNOWS ALL OF HIS MISTAKES AND HOW TO FIX THEM

WTF

AS I SAID I LOVE TOBY AND I LIKE HIM ACHIEVING STUFF

BUT HES NOT TREATED AS BADLY AS THE FANDOM ACTS LIKE HE IS

AND LOGICALLY JIM MADE A STUPID DECISION CONSIDERING WHAT HE KNOWS

I get that he was tired of being the trollhunter

Largely because he was tired of not thinking he would do a good enough job

But odds are Toby will make some of the same mistakes and they'll be right back in that same position except maybe Claire will die that time around

And if you're sick of the trauma and responsibility of it than why would you dump it on your best friend

Once again I say, it was an illogical and dumb decision

I WILL BE RUNNING TO FANFICTIONS TO ESCAPE THIS CANON

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mischievouslittlecreature · 8 days ago

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Part 29: Back From Under the Ground

Summary: Duke’s introduction to the rest of the family opens new wounds in Tommy and Lucy’s relationship with Lizzie.

Word Count: 3,933

Warnings: Violence, references to drug dealing and use, terminal illness, sexual content, and polyamory.

Previous Chapter • Series • Fic • Next Chapter

Chapter 13: The Duke of the Saxon Shore

She sat at a booth in the empty Garrison, her fingers fiddling and twitching with each other while she stared at the closed door to the snug. Tommy had gone in there with Duke almost as soon as Esme arrived with the boy in tow.

She understood that they needed some time to talk, just the two of them. But it was killing her not knowing how it was going. Not to mention the nerves that prickled at the thought of officially meeting Tommy’s long lost son.

What if he didn’t like her?

“I heard you got all cut up,” Esme came out from where she had ducked behind the bar to pour herself a glass of whiskey, sliding into the booth across from Lucy.

“Yeah,” she shifted awkwardly against the flaring pain in her stomach.

“How bad?”

“Not bad enough to puncture anything important. But I was bleeding so much that Tommy had to cauterize it to keep me from dying,” she tried to shrug it off with a weak smile. “I’m fine.”

Esme snorted, shaking her head. “You always were unkillable.”

Lucy hoped that she didn’t notice the way that her smile slightly cracked at that. Let’s hope not.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small satchel of gold, sliding it across the table to Esme. “The rest of the payment for bringing him to us. Plus a little extra. As a thank you.”

Esme took it and slipped it into the pouch belted around her waist.

“You know, I was impressed with how quickly you were able to find Evadne Barwell for us. If you ever wanted back in, there could be work for you here.”

Esme gave her a crooked smile. “No. I prefer the clear air. And I won’t ever be tied to the whims of Thomas Shelby again. But thanks for the offer.”

Lucy nodded, eyes sliding anxiously back towards the snug. The familiar pit of guilt opened up inside her. Had Zelda still been alive when she and Tommy first got together? Would Duke hate her for having his father’s heart when he mother had gotten nothing but a baby and a stolen watch?

Esme reached out, smoothing her palm along the back of Lucy’s hand. “Don’t feel bad. Zelda would have liked you.”

Lucy looked over at her, surprised. “You think so?”

Esme nodded. “Duke’s a good kid. A little rough around the edges, but good. He won’t cause any problems for you. Even if he did, Thomas is dedicated to you. More than anyone else.”

“Sometimes it feels like the whole bloody universe is trying to tear us apart,” Lucy whispered. “Sometimes I wonder if he’s right about us being punished. For everything that we’ve done.”

“His love for you is stronger than any outside forces. He brought you here with him to meet his son rather than his wife. That means something. Does she even know yet?”

Lucy internally cringed at the thought of how Lizzie would react. “No. She doesn’t.”

Esme gave her a look that seemed to say, well, there you go. She downed the rest of her whiskey and stood. “I need to be getting back.”

“You aren’t staying? What if he doesn’t want to stay here with us?”

“He will,” Esme spoke with such sage confidence it was impossible to argue with her. “And even if he doesn’t, he can find his own way back to camp. It was good to see you again, Lucy.”

She nodded. “You too, Esme.”

She watched her leave, the fiddling of her fingers increasing now that there was no one to distract her from her thoughts. Her throat burned for a glass of whiskey, gazing longingly at the shelf behind the bar.

Maybe it wouldn’t matter anymore if they took up drinking again. They were dying already, what more bad could a few glasses of whiskey a day possibly do?

The door to the snug opened, and her head snapped up to meet Tommy’s eyes.

“Lucy.”

She pulled herself hastily to her feet, weaving around the tables to approach him. He stepped fully out of the snug, Duke shadowing behind him.

The boy was slender, but when he moved, she identified that familiar, prowling motion. Like a big cat stalking through the trees. And his eyes were just like Tommy’s too. Even if the shade was a little different, the way that they stared at her, calculating and clever, was so bloody familiar that their relation was undeniable.

“Duke,” Tommy cleared his throat. “This is my partner, Lucy Winters.”

“Hello,” she smiled at Duke nervously. He looked her up and down, hands in his pockets.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he expression was guarded, but his eyes and voice were warm. He cocked his head. “Partner in what?”

Lucy hesitated, unsure how to best answer.

“In everything,” Tommy said simply. Duke looked between them, understanding in his gaze. Lucy braced herself for anger to cross his features, but none did.

“Johnny will be here soon to help prepare for the family meeting,” she told Tommy.

“Right,” he turned to Duke. “Will you be alright staying here with him while Lucy and I go run an errand? We won’t be long.”

Duke stepped deeper into the pub, looking around with interest. “I suppose.”

Right on cue, Johnny came bursting through the door, all smiles and chattering. When Tommy introduced him to Duke, his brows raised momentarily, look of surprise quickly melting away into one of mischief.

“Oh, Tom, you old Tomcat. Shoulda known you had at least one of these running around somewhere,” he chuckled. Tommy rolled his eyes, sighing exasperatedly while gathering up his coat.

“You’re sure you’re alright if we go?” he asked Duke, who nodded. He seemed more at ease with Johnny, perhaps because he recognized another Romani traveler. “Right,” he gave Johnny instructions to get everything set up, and to not introduce Duke to anyone until they had returned, then they headed for the door. “We’ll be back soon,” he promised.

“It went alright?” Lucy asked after they piled into the car and started driving in the direction of Montague Street.

“Alright enough.”

She gave his shoulder a squeeze. “He seems like a good kid.”

“I suppose we’ll see.”

“You’re sure about not telling Lizzie before everyone else?”

“Yeah,” he affirmed. “I am.”

She shrugged. It was his call. “Alright.”

They came to a stop and got out of the car. Tommy went around to the boot, pulling a black bag from it.

“Ready?” he asked. She nodded. He reached into the bag, carefully starting the timer for the bomb nestled within. He clutched the straps of the bag in his gloved hands. “Let’s go.”

They walked down the street, mostly deserted this early in the morning. They’d paid the police ahead of time to block pedestrians from walking the street until they were done with their business to try to avoid as many unintended casualties as possible in case things went wrong. An officer was stationed at the entrance to the street, nodding at them in greeting when they walked past. Children peeked out from behind equipment at them, their faces smeared with soot. Fog danced around their ankles.

They crossed the bridge and approached the shop. Both owners–a man and his wife–were already bustling about, preparing to open for the day.

Lucy’s eyes swept across the den which had become Arthur’s primary supplier of opium lately. Annoyed as she was at them for enabling Arthur’s bad habits–especially after they were already warned to stop–she couldn’t deny that their taste in decor was quite nice.

Would be a shame to blow such a cute little shop off the map.

Tommy all but ignored the shopkeeper’s explanation that he only gave Arthur opium because the last time he showed up, he attacked his wife. Instead, he set the bag he was carrying onto a chair, so both the shopkeeper and his wife could see and hear the ticking of the bomb. He turned calmly to Lucy.

“What type of tea would you like, love?”

She cocked her head, thinking. “Green.”

Tommy turned his gaze back to the shopkeeper, ordering a pot of green tea for them and slipping off his gloves. He and Lucy both took seats at the table. At Tommy’s order, the shopkeeper ran to get the remaining opium that he had stored away in the shop. His wife shuffled over with a tray of tea, the delicate China rattling at the way her hands trembled as she silently served them. The ticking of the bomb seemed unnaturally loud in the otherwise quiet of the shop.

The shopkeeper returned with two parcels of opium which he set on the table. Lucy sipped at her tea happily, enjoying the comforting warmth while Tommy instructed the shopkeeper to never sell opium again. If he did, the consequences would be dire.

Lucy let out a deranged little cackle when the shopkeeper’s wife murmured to her husband in Chinese that she didn’t think the bomb was real. Apparently they didn’t know that they were speaking with two people who were already dead. It didn’t matter one bit to either of them if they got blown sky high.

Tommy stood, sliding his gloves back on, shoving the two parcels of opium into the bag alongside the bomb. Lucy swallowed the rest of her tea and stood to follow him out of the shop.

“What did the woman say?” he asked, once they’d gotten a reasonable distance away, headed back towards the bridge.

“She didn’t think that it was a real bomb.”

He raised an eyebrow, glancing back towards where the owner and his wife were watching them retreat through the window with wide eyes. “Is that so?” They climbed the stairs to the bridge. “Well, in that case…” he raised his arm, and dropped the bag into the river below with a soft plop. Just as they got to the other side of the bridge, there was a massive BANG! from behind them, water spewing up from the river to drench the nearby bank–and the shop’s windows.

Lucy shot a smug look over her shoulder.

At the end of the street, Tommy paid off the officer, telling him that he could let the meandering pedestrians through now.

By the time that they got back to the Garrison, the other family members were only just starting to arrive. Charlie and Curly slipped into a booth. Arthur lingered by the bar. Duke was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is he?” Lucy asked Johnny.

“I stuck him in the back. Figured we could bring him out once Tommy’s ready to introduce him.”

She nodded, taking an offered cigarette from Tommy, who had slipped off his coat and suit jacket and was leaning against the bar. Lucy pressed her side against his, letting her head momentarily drop to rest against his shoulder. The melancholy that seemed to cling to her like smoke these days reawakened to let itself be known.

Tommy turned his face to press a kiss to the top of her head.

Finn arrived but a minute later, his new wife Mary on his arm.

Lizzie came in last, hands stuffed into her pockets and her head down. She sat silently at a table in the middle of the room, not saying a word of greeting to anyone.

Lucy suddenly felt very bad for leaving her out of the loop regarding Duke. She shifted uncomfortably from side to side, hoping that the meeting could start soon so they could get this all over with.

It was just Ada they were waiting on.

“I’m going to go check on him,” she whispered into Tommy’s ear. He nodded, and she slipped away towards the back. Duke was standing there, shifting from foot to foot, eyes darting around nervously. He looked moments away from bolting. “Hey,” Lucy said gently.

He looked up at her, that guarded expression still on his face. “Hello, Miss. Winters.”

“You can just call me Lucy, kiddo,” she smiled. “If you’d prefer.”

“Alright.”

“It’s almost time. We’re just waiting on one person.”

His throat flexed when he swallowed.

“Don’t worry. They may take a while to warm up, but it’ll be alright.” She took a cautious step forward, approaching him like she would a skittish horse. “If you need anything, let me know, okay? It’s what I’m here for.”

Duke fixed her with that curious gaze again. “When my father said that you’re his partner in everything…” he trailed off, head cocking. “What exactly is it that you do for him?”

Lucy couldn’t quite help the mischievous smile that ghosted across her features. “Whatever it is that he needs of me.”

Behind her, she heard the sound of the door opening and then the hum of Ada’s voice. She glanced over her shoulder, then back at Duke.

“I have to go. See you out there.”

He nodded, nerves overtaking his face again.

She walked back out to find that Ada had taken a seat next to Lizzie. As soon as she settled back into her spot at Tommy’s side, he started the meeting. First welcoming Mary to the family, and then turning to Johnny, who gave him and Lucy a conspiratorial little smile before heading to the back to get Duke.

He came out from where Johnny stashed him in the back, a nervous, suspicious look on his face, taking in all the new faces staring curiously at him. His eyes found Lucy and she gave him a small, encouraging smile. It seemed to help him relax, even if only a fraction.

Tommy stepped forward, a hand resting on Duke’s shoulder, and began to tell an abridged version of the events of him meeting Duke’s mother. “This is my son,” he announced to the family, a shocked silence filling the air of the pub. Lucy watched all their faces carefully. Most seemed only momentarily stunned, but Lizzie’s face twisted with cold wrath, staring at Tommy and Duke as though she hated them. Lucy was half afraid that she would jump out of her chair and try to throttle the poor boy. Lizzie snarled when Tommy announced that he was bringing Duke into the fold, and Lucy could have smacked her.

This was his son. What else did Lizzie expect him to do? Just abandon him to continue life as a penniless wanderer?

She understood Lizzie may not be happy about this, especially at first, but was it too much to ask that she not lash out with the kid standing right there in front of her?

Tommy urged Duke to take a seat at the bar. He slid onto the barstool next to Lucy. She gave him what she hoped was an encouraging, warm smile. He offered her a wobbly, tiny one in response. Tommy came to lean against the bar on the other side of her.

“There are some mistakes I’ve made that I can never address. Some I can,” Tommy said. “Some wounds I can try to heal.”

“New wounds you can open up,” Lizzie spat back. Tommy flinched. Lucy felt her hackles rise, biting down hard on her tongue to keep from barking back at her.

She had sympathy for her. Really, she did. But only to a point.

She was not going to allow her to keep kicking Tommy all throughout the precious little time he had left to live.

“Anyway,” Tommy said quickly, trying to hide the hurt in his voice at Lizzie’s words. “That’s the business of the day.”

The pub was quiet, save for Ada’s request for whiskey, and Arthur pouring a bottle into a glass. Lucy looked back over at Tommy, reaching over to squeeze his bicep when she saw the look on his face. He looked to be only moments away from crying.

He sent Duke with Arthur to work at the betting shop for the day. Duke shot her an uneasy look, gaze snapping between her and Arthur. She gave him an encouraging nod, and that along with Tommy’s quiet encouragement seemed to be enough for him to follow Arthur out of the pub. Tommy grabbed his suit jacket and coat, pulling both on.

“Lizzie,” he said his wife’s name quietly. “Come on.” He rested a hand briefly on her shoulder when he walked past her towards the door. Lucy followed him outside. They lingered by the car, Lucy eyeing him curiously. She understood that he felt bad about the whole thing and how it was likely a deep blow for Lizzie after losing Ruby so recently, but she still worried what effect her words and behavior would have towards him.

“Here we fucking go,” she sighed out, when Lizzie came out of the pub and walked towards them, her shoulders hunched up around her neck. She’d started slouching again, Lucy realized. An old habit that had mostly faded away after she and Tommy had gotten married.

“A fucking heads up would have been nice,” Lizzie said. But the usual venom wasn’t really there. Instead her voice was dulled and dead. Lucy frowned. She had been expecting more shouting.

“Lizzie,” she began, trying to keep her voice gentle. “We didn’t…”

“Fuck off. Both of you,” her eyes darted between them, lips set in a miserable frown. “I’m calling a driver to take me home.” She stalked away without another word, before either of them could respond.

They watched her go, neither trying to stop her. Lucy sighed, resting a hand on her face, pushing her thick hair out of her eyes. Whatever anger she felt briefly towards Lizzie in the pub was quickly overridden by guilt.

“Well, that wasn’t how I was expecting things to go.”

Tommy was still staring after Lizzie, a deeply guilty look in his eyes. “No. Me neither.”

“We need to get to the church anyway, don’t we?”

“Yeah.”

She gave him a little nudge, hoping that the walk would help to smooth over the regret they were both experiencing. He reached down to take her hand, holding onto her tight when she tried to pull away.

“People will see–”

“It doesn’t matter. We’re dying anyway.”

She swallowed painfully. He was right. Even if they did kick up a massive scandal, they would not have to deal with the consequences for long.

She squeezed her fingers around his, holding onto him the entire way to the church’s front door.

At the entrance, she hesitated. “I’ll wait out here.”

Tommy gave her a look, tightening his grip on her. “I’d rather you didn’t.”

She frowned. “What? Why?” She sincerely doubted he was that scared of Linda that he didn’t want to face her alone.

“Mosley just tried to have you killed. I…I’d feel better if you stayed with me.”

She felt herself soften. Her sweet, overprotective gangster. Reaching out, she tenderly touched his face.

“Alright. But if I burst into flames, it’s your fault.”

He snorted, giving her a gentle tug. “I think if I can walk on consecrated ground, so can you.”

She huffed out a laugh. He had a point, there.

The meeting with Linda went better than she could have ever expected. She and Tommy sat side by side in the pews, shoulders brushing, Lucy not saying a word as Tommy negotiated with Linda. Linda had never liked her, and she didn’t want to fuck things up by opening her mouth.

All it took was a check for ten thousand pounds written out to the foundation of missionaries Linda ran, and she agreed to help look after Arthur.

“So,” Lucy said, once they were outside the church. “That’s Arthur taken care of.”

“Yes.”

She glanced over at him, watching him mentally place a checkmark next to his brother’s name.

“I want you to reach out to our men in Boston and Miquelon and tell them to get ready.”

“Okay,” Lucy cocked her head. “We’re still waiting on word as to what Michael’s plans are.”

“I imagine they won’t know until he’s released.”

“Which will be soon.”

“Yes.”

“I think we should have Johnny come with us. We could use the extra help.” With her abdomen still bandaged and healing, it would be good to have another set of hands there in case things got messy.

“That would probably be a good idea.”

She looked out over the misty cobbles of Small Heath. “I’ll make the arrangements, then.”

∗ ∗ ∗

The Liverpool Docks were bustling with people. Lucy stuck close to Tommy, her paranoia agitated ever since the attack in the woods. Every time she saw a face she thought might look familiar, she felt herself tense with the worry that she was being followed again.

The meeting with Stagg went well enough. Lucy watched Tommy deal with him from her place leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m not sure what to make of him,” she admitted to Tommy after they left Stagg’s office.

“He’s alright,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “And he helped Arthur.”

She hummed. There was no denying that.

After they slipped back into the car, Tommy suddenly twisted in the driver’s seat before starting the engine, cupping the side of her face and kissing her softly. She left out a small sound of surprise, fingers curling in his lapels.

“Thank you for helping me with everything,” he whispered, peppering kisses along her neck. She stroked his hair, trailing her fingers down to brush at the base of his skull. Above where the tumor was growing in his head. She swallowed around the lump in her throat.

“Of course.”

He nuzzled at her, and she leaned back to look into his face.

“Listen. I’ve been thinking. You could take Lizzie to the Midland for the night. It might be good for her to get a change of scenery from Arrow House.” She still felt bad about…well, everything. It would be good to do something nice for her. Help balance the scales in her head to weigh out the guilt. At least for a little while.

He frowned, head cocking, considering. “You might be right.”

“And maybe…it should just be you and her. I could get my own room, if you still want me close by. Or I can stay at Charlie’s yard for the night. No one will be able to get me there.”

His eyes narrowed. “Absolutely not.”

“Tommy…”

“I’m not doing anything with her without you there.”

She met his stubborn gaze for a long moment, then threaded their fingers together, hoping that he knew she was grateful for his devotion. “Okay.”

He nodded, shoulders relaxing, clearing his throat roughly. Lucy cocked her head, looking him over.

He always placed so much guilt on his shoulders. It worried her, the effect that it undeniably had on him.

Despite how he tried to hide it, she knew he felt horrible for everything Lizzie had gone through due to them being shackled together.

She gave his hand a squeeze. “Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

He offered her a weak smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes, leaning in to press his lips to her hair. “I’ll book the three of us a room for tomorrow night.”

“Not tonight?”

He shook his head. “Just want to be with you, tonight.”

She felt her heart shudder with affection for him, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his lips. “Alright, then.”

He wrapped his arm around her, encouraging her to snuggle into his side with her head on his shoulder as he started the car and pulled out onto the road.

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#peaky blinders #tommy shelby #tommy shelby x oc #lucy winters #lucy winters x tommy shelby #lily writes #love me where i'm most ruined

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ashleyfanfic · 4 years ago

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Ranking the Bridgerton Books

I've read all but one at least twice now, so I'm gonna give my ranking. 1. Romancing Mister Bridgerton - Colin and Penelope since the first time I saw them interact in the show, but their dynamic in the book I like just as much. You get snippets of them being around each other in the first books, but there is a pivotal scene in An Offer From A Gentleman that hurt me into my soul and I have never felt for someone as much as I felt for Penelope in that moment. And then in their book, you can see their friendship grow because as long as he's known her, it's taken him so long to see what everyone else already did. Penelope is amazing, even if she is hiding things from him. The scene in the carriage, but specifically their first time and Colin thinking that he wanted to make love to her in front of a mirror one day so she could see what he saw...lord. Also, Lady Danbury is phenomenal in this book. 2. This was really hard for me to decide which one I liked more, and the truth is, I actually read one of these books more than twice and that was The Viscount Who Loved Me. If you know anything about me, you know that I am a huge fan of Enemies to Lovers, and boy does this deliver on that. I love Kate. She's a whole lotta spitfire and just says things to Anthony that NO ONE else would say because she's adamant that her sister could do better. But then things shift and she sees him differently. The storm scene in the library cemented my love for Anthony Bridgerton. The "Oh Kate" KILLED ME. Dead. The Pall Mall game, which, I'm gonna be honest, if they don't give to us I will be FURIOUS! That shit was legit funny. But then there's the bee, the gazebo, Colin pissing off his brother. And the love story between Kate and Anthony and how these two idiots find love in one another is just *chef's kiss* 3. This was really hard because I loved this book so much. When He Was Wicked is the spiciest of all the books in my opinion. And it's because we start with Francesca being married. You don't see her wedding or courtship to her husband, John, in the other books, you just learn that she was married. And her relationship seems to be a good one. They love and care for each other. But that's not the story that's actually being told. We meet Michael Sterling (and if he's not played by Richard Madden I'll fucking burn the world down), a rogue, rake, an altogether scandalous man, and the cousin and close confidant of both John and Francesca. There's already a flirtation with Michael and Franny before John dies, but Michael would never act on it. Then he dies and both of their worlds are turned upside down. But it's when Michael returns from India and the two are being sought after by others that they're teetering on the edge of something. Michael knows his feelings but doesn't think he can betray his cousin like that, and Franny is just afraid of her feelings for Michael all together. But then there's their first kiss, and then Michael riding to fucking Scotland to seduce her into being his wife, which she doesn't agree to do right off. But the creme de la creme of this book, aside from Franny finally realizing her feelings, is the scene in the cabin when they get stuck in the rain. It's one of the women taking her sexual agency and fucking using it, and Michael is a more than willing participant. That scene was fucking hot. They also have a beautiful Epilogue if you want to read it.

4. To Sir Phillip With Love is a strange one for me. I love that Phillip and his weirdness appeals to Eloise, who I don't think would ever be content with an ordinary man. I could also see someone like Eloise being courted in such an unusual way as letters. What kind of puts me off about this is Phillip's treatment of his children. I get that he eventually catches a clue as to what's going on with them, but through most of the book, he doesn't even bother trying to be close to them. The best part of this book are 1) the brothers Bridgerton storming into their home and trying to pummel Phillip all while Eloise fights them for her man, and 2) the scene at My Cottage where Philip seduces Eloise.

5. While I think this book is the most unoriginal in terms of beginning and end, it's not a bad book throughout the middle. And I'm talking about An Offer From A Gentleman. This series actually shows that Step parents/Siblings aren't all bad, take a look at the Viscount and you get nothing but love between Mary, Kate, and Edwina. But this book goes with the wicked stepmother. Of course it does, it's ripping off Cinderella. The first chapter with the ball had me uninterested and it felt like a slog to get through, but once we get away from the Cinderella aspects and get to Sophie and Ben's actual story, I'm more into it. UNTIL Benedict decides that he's going to wear Sophie down about becoming his mistress. From book to show, Benedict is the most different in my opinion. I can't imagine that guy ever doing what book Ben does to Sophie. When he finally realizes who Sophie is, it's cathartic really. Because on the one had, she's known who he is the entire time, even knew he was looking for her, and said nothing about it. I do love Violet in this book. I love their scenes at My Cottage and I love the idea of a Colin Firth type scene for our Benedict, but the rest of it left me very underwhelmed.

6. It's In His Kiss was cute enough, but my problem with this one is that Hyacinth is in all of the other books as a pesky younger sister, a girl if you will. So, it's really difficult for me to wrap my head around her being a grown woman at this time. And it would take a special man to handle her. Gareth is that man. I love the scenes with Lady Danbury. She shines everywhere she goes, though. I don't know, I just didn't feel this one and I guess it's because seeing Hyacinth grown is weird to me.

7. The Duke and I. If you've seen the show you've read the book, I feel. This book had so much promise until THAT scene. Like, I get it, you're mad about being lied to, but the man was drunk and Daphne took advantage of that. It caused him to start stuttering again, it was so damaging. And she wasn't sorry. I guess that's my real gripe. She wasn't apologetic about what she did. This is the only book I read once.

8. On the Way to the Wedding felt like a lesser version of the Viscount. Gregory wanting Hermione, but having to go through Lucy to get to her... I read this story before and it was done much better. Not that I dislike Gregory or Lucy. I don't. I just don't find either of them as compelling as Anthony or Kate. I don't have a lot of thoughts about this one because once I hit the wedding I was like "I just want to be done with it already". Maybe it was burnout. I don't know. Perhaps if I start with this one instead of saving it for last I'll have a better opinion.

#bridgerton #bridgerton books #anthony x kate #colin x penelope #benedict x sophie #phillip x eloise #simon x daphne #gergory x lucy #francesca x michael #hyacinth x gareth #couple rankings #books rankings

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