Lucy -Wed. August, 24, 1814

Lucy hadn't prepared a good-bye for Anthony, she kind of felt that if she took the time needed to do that she might chicken out and if anyone deserved to hear from her before she left, it was most definitely Anthony. She knew she would find him in his study and when she knocked she almost smiled to herself as his voice called out enter. She knew him almost better than herself sometimes. She knew he wouldn't appreciate a long drawn out good by, or meaningless, flowery words, so she cut right to the chase and told him that she was leaving. His expression was a mixed one and Lucy almost thought that he might burst into tears or yell at her, but he didn't. She couldn't figure out the emotions that were colouring his expression, but she tried to give him a chance to explain himself. If he simply told her that he wanted her to stay, she knew that she would, but she didn't want to force him into saying it, so she kept quiet. She almost lost her head when he reached out and stroked her cheek. She almost closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, but she wanted to make a clean break of things and she knew that if she did that, she wouldn't be able to tear herself away.

Her resolve started to break as his warm thumb skated over her cheek, but then he pulled away and took a step away from her. It cleared her head, but she felt oddly empty without his touch, almost like before his hand had found itself on her cheek she had never been touched before. Lucy swallowed back the tears she felt building in her throat and behind her eyes and left the room quickly then, she needed to move before she completely broke down and missed her opportunity. She practically ran back to her room where she took off the velvet dress and left it in the wardrobe with the others. She had already said her good-byes, but she felt like her good-bye with Anthony was the least personal and yet it was their relationship that she was struggling with the most to give up so she decided to leave him a letter.

'Anthony,

I apologise for my lackluster good-bye this evening, the truth is that I just couldn't find the right words. I am so thankful that you and your family not only took me in, but made me feel like a member of the family. I feel like I have made that part quite clear however, I don't think you can truly grasp just how much your kindness and caring has touched me. I will always look back on my time at Bridgerton house with you and your family fondly, and I wish more than anything I could stay and things could go on just the way they were. I hope you will look back at these few weeks and remember them just as fondly as I do. I also hope that you continue to be a tight-knit family, if you do then you will all remain the luckiest, and richest people in London! And please, be kind to yourself. There is a saying where I come from that goes 'The harshest critic of your actions, is none other than yourself.' And you would do well to remember that. Your family loves you so much and they are so thankful for all you do, but they miss your laughter and smile and I hope you find it again and share it with them, for no one is more deserving of it than you and your family.

I shall think of you with a smile on my face and in my heart and please know that where ever I am, I wish you nothing but the best. I wish I could say I will be in touch, but maybe it is easier for us both to know that I will not be. Take-care, and live life to the fullest Anthony Bridgerton, you are an incredible man and you deserve everything life has to offer!.

Forever yours,

Lucy McCoy.'

Lucy left the letter on her desk where she knew it would be discovered, she grabbed her clutch a long with everything she had hidden, and took one last look around the room that had been her home for the last few weeks. She had moved numerous times in her life, and none of them had been this hard for Lucy. She wasn't an overly sentimental person when it came to objects or places, but at that moment when she was trying to leave she had a lump in her throat at the thought of never seeing the beautiful room again. Finally, without another look back, she slipped from the room.

The house was quiet and there were no sounds of anyone, not even servants, moving about. She stole downstairs to the back garden and let herself out, closing the doors quietly as possible behind her. She was half expecting someone to pop out of the shadows and catch her in the act, or maybe hoping that they would, but no one crossed her path and she was free and clear all of the way to the stables. She had seriously thought about riding one of those infernal beasts to the clearing, but she would feel bad if the Bridgerton's never got their horse back, so she made the trip on foot. It took her about 20 minutes to get from the stables to the other side of the pond, and for the first time she noticed that several houses backed onto this clearing. She chuckled to herself as she thought of how preoccupied she must have been on her outings with Anthony to not notice the houses in the sunlight, and even that thought tugged on her heart.

Lucy worked quickly then in case another family came upon her while she was getting everything together. She quickly hooked the wires into the potato and with shaking hands connected it to the time machine waiting for the numbers to appear. She remembered what they said when she had tried it the first time, and it made sense now knowing the date she was in, so she just needed to adjust the date to the current date at home. Anthony's face seemed to be pushing its way into her brain though and she was struggling to focus. She realised that her thoughts were on him and there was a pit in her stomach because she hadn't been honest. She had never fallen in love before and had thought she could just push down all of those feelings and do what needed to be done, but as she stood in the middle of this field ready to go home a few things became quite clear to her:

First, was that she couldn't bring herself to leave without telling Anthony exactly how she felt. Second, She found she would rather stay in 1814 with Anthony, even if he couldn't love her, than go back to her own time and third, that no matter where she was in the world, her mind would always be reaching out for Anthony, there was no moving on to be had.

Lucy snatched up the time machine then before anything could happen to it and shoved it unceremoniously into her clutch, she left the potatoes and make-shift wires on the ground and ran back to the house as fast as she could in the dress she had come to 1814 in, reminding her of the night that had brought her into Anthony's life . She didn't care what time it was, what he was doing or where he was, Lucy just had to find him. Her legs were burning, there was a stitch in her side and she could hardly breath, but none of that mattered; The only thing that mattered was getting to Anthony. She raced through the garden and inside, not caring how much noise she made. She checked his study first and her heart dropped to see that it was empty. She thought hard wondering where he would go. She decided she would check the library next and then his bed chamber if need be, so she forced her feet to move despite being exhausted.

The library was dark and empty and her heart started to race, what if he went back to his bachelor lodgings? She couldn't wait an entire night to see him. She ran back into the hallway and was going to head right for the stairs leading up to the family quarters, but she thought she had heard a noise from the other side of the music room, so she ran right through it and saw that Anthony's study door was open and she was sure she had closed it. Carefully she walked over and almost sighed with relief to see Anthony sitting behind his desk, with his head in his hands.

"Hi." She said softly.

"I thought you were on your way home." Anthony said startled looking up from his desk to see Lucy standing in the doorway wearing the dress that he had first seen her in.

"I was but...I had to come back." She breathed, wondering if Anthony could hear how hard her heart was beating in her chest.

"Why?"

"Because...I don't want to have any regrets and...I want to stay here."

"You want to stay here?" Anthony repeated, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes. If-if you'll allow me to." Lucy told him, braver than she felt.

"But, do you not miss home?" He asked, confused.

"So much! I miss cars and music and movies, I miss the internet and restaurants. I miss wearing pants and showers, dear god do I miss hot showers! I miss everything about life there and I miss my step-mother and step-sister and my class full of children." Lucy gushed, inspired by the conviction in her own voice to keep talking.

"Then why would you want to stay?" Anthony said angrily, seemingly insulted by how passionately she spoke of home.

"Because if I were home, I would miss your mother, your brothers and your sisters. I would miss how boisterous and loving your family is, I would miss being a part of that, it's been a long time since I have had a family, and it has definitely left a hole in me, But most of all, I would miss you. I would miss the way my heart skips a beat when you touch me, I would miss how safe I feel when you're with me. I would miss how beautiful you make me feel when you look at me, I would even miss how angry you make me when you are in a mood, and to me missing all this, missing you, would be the harder thing to do." Lucy told him boldly, stepping farther into the room towards Anthony.

"I know that you are looking to marry out of duty to your family and that you are not interested in love, but the gentle care that you show, and the passion you share, is showing me love, just in a different way and I am ok with that. I know I am not the woman that a Viscount is expected to marry and I didn't want to hold you back from that so I was going to leave but I can't, not without saying this. You have done all of this work to make me worthy of marrying someone like you and...well wouldn't it be easier to marry someone who already knows what you want and who you are already friends with? I don't care that you can't love me the same way, the love you do show me is enough and I can't imagine my life with anyone else, back in my time or here in yours and I can't even dream of bringing a child into this world if it isn't for you." Lucy's voice was thick with tears, her pale cheeks were inflamed and she was shaking.

"I will go if you want me to, but if not, I would like to stay here, with you."

Anthony & Lucy

Anthony couldn't believe his ears. Lucy loved him. She hadn't wanted to go home so badly because she didn't love him, she wanted to go home to give him a chance to marry well. Anthony let out a bark of laughter and shook his head, the two of them were so madly in love that they couldn't see that they loved each other and had almost lost it all.

"You would stay for me, without a promise of love?" He asked her incredulously, falling deeper in love with her at the sacrifices she would make for him. She simply nodded, her green eyes swimming with tears. At some point Anthony had gotten out of his chair and crossed the room, pulling her against him and kissing her roughly.

"I did not truly want you to leave. I only wanted you to go because I thought you missed home so much and were miserable here, and I could not stand the thought of you unhappy." Anthony said breathlessly when he released Lucy. She pulled back even further, her eyes meeting his.

"What? You- you wanted me to stay?"

"Yes! I had decided I was going to tell you, but then you said you got that infernal contraption to turn on and you could probably go home. Your face just lit up, you looked so happy I- I could not bring myself to take that away from you." Lucy kissed him softly for a moment, seeing what had almost happened.

"I was excited at first at the prospect of returning home, but I already knew the trade of that life for this one was a simple one, had it not been for the fact that you didn't want me to stay. My god, What did we almost do!?" she gasped. Anthony pulled Lucy's mouth to his again. Lucy clutched at him as Anthony's hands roamed her body, cupping her breast and running his thumb over her nipple that could be seen through the thin satin of the dress and the other hand squeezing her behind.

"Oh, Anthony." Lucy whispered in his ear. Anthony shivered and pulled away.

"What's wrong?" Lucy asked. Anthony shook his head and put a finger on her lips to silence her.

"Shh, you must come with me I - I need to do this before we go any further...I need you to understand."

"Ok." Lucy agreed, seeing the urgency in his face. He grabbed her hand and led her out into the corridor.

"Close your eyes." He whispered in her ear, kissing her earlobe lightly, making her shiver.

"What!? Why? -"

"Shh!" Anthony shushed her with a kiss.

"Trust me. Please close your eyes, and keep them closed." Lucy sighed, but did as she was told. Anthony led her by the hand down the hallway and around a corner. She had walked these halls many times in the last couple of weeks, but it was hard to figure out just where they were when she couldn't see a thing. Finally a minute or so later they came to a stop and Anthony whispered:

"Ok, just stay here a moment while I ...Just one more minute." Anthony kissed her temple and disappeared. Lucy had the chance to open her eyes but she found she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was too excited and nervous to see what was going on. After an agonising minute she felt Anthony come back, she could feel the heat from his body before he ever touched her, and it made her clench her legs together to stifle the desire.

"Ok, keep your eyes shut, but follow me." He whispered to Lucy, before leading her into a room. She felt him move away and shut a door and she heard him walk around to the front of her and then he said:

"Ok, open your eyes Lucy." And she did just that. When her eyes opened she felt like she had been placed right smack dab in the middle of a period piece romance. Anthony had taken her to the library, the place she had liked the most, and he had lit candles on a bunch of surfaces around them, and he was kneeling in the middle of 2 large flower arrangements he had pulled off of tables, and had a ring in his hand.

"This was not exactly the way I had imagined it, but you needed to see. I will not be settling and just accepting you. I wanted this, I was dreaming of this. I had wanted there to be sun pouring through these windows and more flowers but, here we are. It took me a long time to realise I had fallen in love and not because I did not think you are suitable for a man like me, but because I do not think there is a finer woman in the world than you Miss. Lucy McCoy and I was afraid to believe you were real, that this was real. I wanted to beg you to consider staying for a man like me, a man who, until you entered the picture, never dreamed of having a marriage full of love." tears poured down Lucy's face and she swiped at them hastily.

"So, what do you think? Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?" Anthony beamed, still on one knee. Lucy nodded, tears still streaming from her eyes. Anthony scooped her up into an embrace then and kissed her.

"Yes!?" He said in such a boyish manner. Lucy laughed and nodded.

"Yes! Absolutely yes!" Anthony kissed her again and broke away to slide the beautiful gold, diamond ring that his father had once given to his mother, onto her finger. It fit her perfectly, and somehow both of them knew that it would. Their kisses quickly turned from romantic to frantic, and the need to get closer to each other was over-powering. With a single look they began blowing out the candles in the library. The second they were done Anthony snatched the lantern off of the table, grabbed Lucy's hand, and ran from the room. Lucy could see rooms and pictures and décor flying by as they ran, but she couldn't take anything in, she was so wrapped up in the fact that Anthony's hand was wrapped around hers and an engagement ring was firmly set on her finger. She had been standing in an empty field just a moment ago and now they had declared themselves to each other and were about to spend the rest of their lives together.

They finally came to a stop at the master bedroom and Anthony pulled her inside and shut the door behind them. He placed the lamp down and Lucy found her way into his arms the moment his hands were empty. He tugged his shirt out of his breeches and Lucy helped him pull it over his head and throw it onto the floor near the bed. Lucy ran her hands down his chest and skirted her fingers along the tops of his pants. Anthony inhaled sharply and scrabbled at the back of her dress, trying to figure out how it undid. Thankfully the zipper was very user friendly, even to new users, and he was able to glide the zipper all of the way down to her lower back. The dress immediately fell open to reveal Lucy's bare breasts. Anthony gently ran his hands down Lucy's sides, pushing the dress farther down as he went, and when it got to her hips, one final push sent it to the ground and pooling at Lucy's feet.

"I have to say I might be a fan of future fashion after all." Anthony grinned kissing Lucy and lowering her down onto his bed and trailing a finger from between her breasts all of the way down to the top of her panty line, making Lucy shiver.

"I could explore you all day" Anthony whispered, bending his head to Lucy's body and kissing across her stomach above her panties. Lucy clenched her thighs together and gasped and Antony chuckled.

"and I just might" he said, getting off of the bed and unbuttoning his breeches and sending them to the ground. Lucy gulped and bit her lip. Lucy had had sex numerous times, and gotten undressed in front of her partners numerous times as well, but this was so different, so erotic.

"I will take that as a good sign." Anthony chuckled and moved back to the bed and over her, immediately taking her breast into his mouth, and kneading the other with his free hand. Lucy moved beneath him trying to catch her breath and reveling in the sensation, running her fingers through his silky hair and tugging at it lightly.

"Anthony I - I'm not."

"Shh, no time for nots." He said, not taking his head from her breast.

"Ah!" Lucy moaned flexing her hips into his.

"I'm not...it's not my first time." Lucy managed to get out, her lusty whisper not able to conceal some of the guilt she felt. For the first time ever she wished that she was a virgin. She had never felt guilty for having sex, it was natural, but just this once she wished that she could have given that, to Anthony. Her complete self.

"Nor is it mine." He chuckled, kissing across her chest to her other breast.

"I - know that's not what you want in a bride but -"

"Hey!" Anthony said, raising his head to look Lucy in the eye.

"None of that matters, not my past or yours. Listen very closely when I tell you this as I will not repeat it. I want you. I want you in every way a man can want a woman, and I want it over, and over again for the rest of my life and nothing, will change that."

Anthony kissed her deeply and then surprised Lucy by moving her panties to the side and sliding a finger into her.

"You are mine, and no past of yours will change that." He almost growled into Lucy's ear as he added another finger and began moving them faster, and pressing down on her with the pad of his thumb.

"Yes!" Lucy gasped, arching her back, pushing herself farther into his hand.

"and I" He said removing his fingers and quickly yanking her panties down her legs and lining himself up with her opening.

"Am utterly yours!" And then pushed into her as gently as he would have had Lucy of been a virgin, but picking up the pace and movements much more quickly than he would have done knowing she wasn't.

Lucy rolled them so that Anthony was on his back and she rode him, her hands on his chest for support. She felt complete for the first time in her life. His hands were all over her, he was buried inside of her and every time his lips touched any part of her skin her heart raced as if it had never beaten properly before. She knew that without a doubt there was no where else in the world she was supposed to be and she knew that there was no one else that she was supposed to be with. Anthony and her just fit together in a way neither of them had ever quite fit with anyone before.

"Oh! Anthony I-I'm going to..." Before she could finish her sentence her orgasm exploded from her, it was like nothing she had experienced before. Her vision went wonky, all of the energy she had was drained from her body and she felt like she was floating. She collapsed onto Anthony's chest and she could feel him smile.

"I am not done with you just yet Miss. Lucy." He grunted, rolling Lucy back into the mattress and plowing into her so that he could reach his own end, unfortunately it was causing another release to build inside of Lucy and she was writhing beneath him clawing at the sheets on the mattress, arching her body up to meet his.

"You feel so, so good!" He gushed, continuing to move within her. As Anthony's hips started to still Lucy sat up slightly and said:

"Anthony, pull out!"

"No!" He said through gritted teeth, almost shocked that she would suggest such a thing.

"Yes, pull out" Anthony stopped moving for a moment, painfully close to spilling all of himself inside her.

"Why? I thought you wanted children and we are to be married anyway." Confusion wrinkling his sweaty brow. Lucy cupped his face in her hands and kissed him softly.

"I want a house full of children with you, but look at your parents, you were eighteen when Hyacinth was born. We're going to have a house full of kids for a lifetime, if we wait we could have an entire year just you and I." Anthony smiled a beautiful lopsided smile, kissed her back and started moving again. Lucy wasn't sure if he was going to follow her wishes or not, and she supposed she didn't really care one way or the other, but the thought of a whole year of just the two of them was tantalizing. Finally a few short minutes later, with a groan Anthony pulled out and looked wildly about him. Smiling, Lucy snatched Anthony's shirt off of the floor and threw it to him, and not a second too soon because he finished into it, tossed it back to the floor and collapsed on top of Lucy sleepily. Lucy had had some extra time to catch her breath, so she wasn't quite as spent and she stroked Anthony's back lazily as he slowed his breathing, his sweaty head on her chest.

"I love you" Lucy murmur so quietly she was sure Anthony hadn't heard, which was just fine as she said it mostly to herself anyway, but a moment later Anthony said.

"And I you. More than anything." Then they drifted asleep in each other's arms.

* End of Chapter *

Disclaimer: I own none of the above characters, they are all creations of Julia Quinn (With the exception of OC Lucy McCoy)