A few weeks had passed since your wonderful tea with the Bridgertons.

You were happy to say your friendship with Daphne had returned to what it once was, and your status as best friends had been reestablished.

You knew it was official when Lady Danbury informed you that it had been reported about in the Lady Whistledown column. Commending you for making such an advantageous friendship, the author of the column publicly wondered if your friendship was remade in order to get closer to a certain Viscount.

While you knew that it was a ridiculous notion, you also knew you could not fault the anonymous writer for coming up with such a theory. It did not escape your notice, or the notice of the ton, that every time you made plans with Daphne, her eldest brother seemed to accompany you both.

Whether it was a pleasant stroll through the park or a mundane trip to the modiste, he was never far behind when you were involved.

You soon grew used to his presence and began to happily anticipate being in it just as much as you looked forward to spending time with Daphne.

"If not more so." You sometimes secretly thought to yourself.

And though you did not know it, Anthony was beginning to feel the same way.

Starting off by telling himself that he was only accompanying his sister in order to confirm his choice of wife, the Viscount had reached a point where he could no longer pretend seeing you was for practical reasons.

In fact, seeing you made him want to defy all logic.

Because logically speaking, he knew he should try to minimize the contact he had with you if you were to become his Viscountess. Knowing that any love that developed between you could only lead to devastation, Anthony had tried to keep you at arm's length.

But the more he got to see and interact with you, the more drawn in he became.

So he figured it was a good thing this Lady Whistledown had all but declared you as his in the latest issue. In the eyes of the ton, the appearance of a courtship was almost as binding as an actual one, and so made other potential suitors back off.

But while this worked in Anthony's favor, he was unaware that it most certainly did not work in yours.

Your stepmother's ultimatum had only begun to ring louder in your ears as time went on. The more time that passed without a proposal in sight, the closer you knew she was to victory. And while you would not change your friendship with the Bridgertons for one second, you had to admit that your reunification with them had unintentionally presented a few challenges.

To overcome these challenges, you and Lady Danbury agreed that it was in your best interest to mingle with as many eligible bachelors as you could at tonight's ball.

Pulling out your most impressive gown, you easily drew attention as you and your Aunt entered the remarkable soiree.

You both had been making the rounds for a while when you unexpectedly ran into Lady Bridgerton. Stopping to converse for a moment, you were not surprised when you were soon joined by her eldest son.

Bowing before you, Anthony had just been about to ask you to dance when an older gentleman rudely pushed his way into your little circle and presumptuously stuck his hand out towards you.

"A dance, my Lady?"

His words formed a question, but his tone demanded compliance.

Not impressed with his manners, you tried to let him down gently.

"Thank you for the offer my Lord, however I am already engaged at the moment."

And gave what you hoped was a kind, undeserving smile.

But that smile instantly disappeared when, instead of graciously accepting your refusal, the gentleman rolled his eyes and scoffed out,

"Do not be daft."

Raising a brow of surprise, you said,

"Pardon?"

Jutting his hand out towards you once more, the man continued.

"Let us not pretend this will not be the best offer you get tonight, so try to be worthy of the title of 'Diamond' and accept the dance."

You all stared at him for a moment with astonishment before Anthony calmly said with steel in his voice,

"I am not sure we understand your meaning, Sir."

Glancing at Lord and Lady Bridgerton as if they were not in their right mind, the so-called gentleman turned back to eye you up and down with poorly concealed disdain before unabashedly saying,

"Well, look at her."

Still not understanding what he was getting at, you all immediately froze with shock when he finished by explaining,

"Her color makes her undeserving of such an honor. It is only because the Queen favored her that she is worth anything."

While you were in awe at this man's audacity and boldness, you could not say you were entirely surprised.

However, what did surprise you was when Anthony took an aggressive step forward and threateningly asked,

"What did you just say?"

As if taken aback by the ferocity coming off of the Viscount, the pathetic man replied as if he had done nothing wrong.

"What? Her color alone makes her inferior."

That seemed to be Anthony's breaking point as you saw that familiar thunder cloud his face. But before he could do anything, your pride made you speak up first.

"You are wrong." You said with so much strength, the lowly Baron standing in front of you paused and offendedly said,

"Excuse me?"

Looking him directly in the eye, you repeated yourself.

"You are wrong." Making sure to emphasize that you were talking to him.

"My color alone means I will endure more than you could ever hope to handle with more grace you could ever hope to possess."

Taking an unafraid step into his personal space to ensure your point got across, you continued.

"Either way, that will not take away from the fact that you are a Baron and I am the daughter of a Marquis. I will always be your superior in every situation, and you would do well to remember that."

Done with your dress-down, you returned to your original place by Anthony's side. With a kind smile that did not match your tone, you finished the last words you ever wanted to say to such a vile person.

"Now, be a dear and politely excuse yourself once more so I no longer have to remain in your abhorrent presence."

You all watched as he gaped at you like a dying fish before he embarrassedly gave a quiet, "Excuse me," before hurriedly walking away.

After he was far removed from your group, your two maternal figures and the young Viscount turned towards you feeling both impressed at your words and concerned for your wellbeing.

Suddenly feeling overwhelmed at the attention, you abruptly said,

"It is a bit stifling in here. I shall step outside for some air."

And quickly made your way to the double doors that led to the terrace.

Placing your hands on the railing of the balcony once you got there, you took in a few breaths of the cool, night air in order to center yourself. You had been quietly staring off into the distance when you heard a voice behind you say,

"You know you are right, yes?"

Turning around, you saw it was Anthony standing there with his hands behind his back.

With a sigh, you said, "What I know is that ignorance is ignorance and I refuse to tolerate it just like I refuse to apologize for the color of my skin."

Making eye contact with him, you started to say, "And if you were looking for an apology, I am afraid…"

But he cut you off with a gently raised hand and said with sincerity,

"I would never want you to apologize for being who you are."

You both stared at one another in silence before he began to nervously fidget.

"In fact," he said swallowing, "Though this might not be the best moment, it is because you are yourself that I would like to ask…"

Coming close enough to take your hand in his, he finished his question.

"...if you would like to become my wife?"

Not being able to keep the surprise from your face, you could only hold his gaze as he went on.

"It would not be a love match," he unknowingly lied. "But you would be taken care of. You would have as many liberties as you so wished and you would want for nothing."

And then lightly shrugging, he added with a teasing smile one more perk to persuade you.

"Additionally, our marriage would also make you and Daphne official sisters."

A short, delighted laugh slipped out from behind your lips before you could stop it.

Looking down at your still entwined hands still wearing a small smile, you heard Anthony ask once more,

"So, what do you say?"

Meeting his eyes, you thought about the situation you were in. You thought about the fate that awaited you if you said no. You thought about the reaction your stepmother might have if you said yes. You thought about a hundred different things in the span of a few seconds before you opened your mouth and said,

"Anthony, I think there is something I must tell you before I give you an answer."

And proceeded to explain.