I DO NOT OWN BRIDGERTON. I LOVE THIS SERIES, MOST OF THE TIME AND THIS STORY IS IMPORTANT TO ME ON A PERSONAL LEVEL. THE FACE CLAIMS OF ALL THE CANON CHARACTERS WILL BE THE SAME AS THE SHOW.

FACE CLAIMS

ROMAN BARRINGTON- NIEKE TEBEEST

DOWAGER COUNTESS GLORIA BARRINGTON- OLIVIA COLMAN

London, England. March 25, 1814.

The click clack of the carriage played like a record on repeat as it carried its occupants into the English capital of London. While there was noise a plenty on the outside of the carriage, the inside of it was silent as the grave; excluding the sound of page being turned every now and then. The occupants of said carriage were a young man by the name of Roman Barrington and his mother, the dowager countess Gloria Barrington.

They had traveled many miles from their former home in the coastal city of Liverpool in order to procure a fresh start in London. Although, neither occupant was overly optimistic about their plan. Roman was passing the time the same way he always did when he was on a long journey: with his nose stuck firmly within a book. This particular book that he was devouring was Republic by the Greek philosopher Plato. Nothing could please this young man more than spending a day filling up his head with the thoughts written down in books; especially books having to do with philosophy. He would have gladly attended university to study philosophy, if his mother would allow such a thing.

His mother, the dowager countess Barrington, on the other hand had little patience for books and even less for her son. She would prefer to keep him locked inside their home if she could accomplish such a feat. However, she knew this desire to be an impractical one. All she could truly do was make Roman's forays into English society very few and very far in between. That is why she was displeased to be arriving in London just in time for the 1814 social season. She could see nothing but trouble coming from it and she decided that she had avoided the subject long enough. It would be better to lay down the law with her son now rather than risk a public quarrel that would engulf them in scandal.

"For God's sake Roman, you must put down that book!" The dowager declared in annoyance. "You shall confuse your thoughts."

"At least I have thoughts that I may confuse." Her son remarked.

"Hold your tongue, we must have words!" Lady Gloria snapped as she glared daggers at her only son. "I understand that the social season is close at hand."

"As do I mother, and I mean to experience like every other unmarried person in the Ton." Roman insisted.

"You shall do nothing of the kind." Gloria shot back. "Need I remind you why we are moving to London in the first place?"

"You have reminded me every day since it happened, why break tradition now?" Roman teased with sarcasm in his voice.

"Because you were careless!" She exclaimed in his face. "Because you let the MacGregor girl get too close and she saw you for what you truly are."

"No one has ever seen me for what I truly am; least of all you!" He exclaimed in return as he slammed book shut. "I still have a right to live my life. You can not keep me shut up like a criminal in a prison; I've committed no crime."

"I believe that the church would disagree with you on that score." The dowager remarked.

"Luckily for you, what the church thinks is no longer any of my concern." The young man remarked in return. "I was excommunicated remember?"

"Believe me, I shall never forget that particular humiliation." Gloria groaned in shame.

"I should at least be allowed to attend a single ball, so that if my lack of public appearances should come up in a conversation, I may honestly say that I attended an event." Roman explained as he tried to reason with his witch of a mother, but to no avail.

"I said no, you foolish Hellion!" Gloria declared as the red vein on her forehead appeared as though it was likely to burst out in blood at any moment. "I refuse to endure any more shame than is necessary because of your diseased brain. You shall not go to any balls, you shall not attend any races or luncheons, you shall not promenade, you shall do nothing except stay in the bloody house where you belong."

"If that is truly your sentiment mother, why not send me off to bedlam?" Roman snapped, bluffing with the woman.

"Believe me, if it were possible, you would have been there long before now." She insisted angrily as she looked away from him. "It would only cause more scandal to have a relative in an asylum. At least if I keep you within the walls of our home, I can control the narrative; albeit in a limited capacity." Roman refused to even look at the woman as they finally reached their new home. It was a pleasant looking 2 story home on Grosvenor Square.

"Are you absolutely sure that we can afford such a luxury mother?" Roman asked as the 2 Barringtons exited their carriage as the footman began to help unload their personal possessions.

"Your father was most cruel in the way he left, but at least he was kind enough to provide a fortune for us." Lady Gloria replied wistfully as she opened the door to allow the footman to begin moving their things inside their new home. "And if you are so concerned about our finances, perhaps you should stop buying all those bloody books!"

"Those books nourish my soul, unlike you!" Roman snarled as he grabbed a trunk full of books and stormed inside the house as his mother looked around, hoping that no one was watching.

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