It is the first ball of the season that is hosted at Bridgerton house, and even though Anthony is determined to find a wife this year, he is already tired of it all. The social pleasantries, all the mamas and their daughters looking at him with expectant eyes, the gossiping and the pretence. It is for that reason that, if only for a moment, he seeks respite in the solitude of his library, leaving the clamour of the ballroom behind.