The London sky breaks open without warning—one moment bright and calm, the next dark and roaring. Rain crashes down over the street in sheets, scattering carriages and sending finely dressed ladies scrambling beneath awnings.

You’re crossing the square with your umbrella when you spot her.

Daphne Bridgerton. Her pale blue gown clings to her shoulders, soaked from the sudden downpour. She stands beneath a tree that offers no real protection, arms wrapped around herself as she tries to look unbothered.

But she shivers.

You hurry toward her, umbrella raised. “Miss Bridgerton?”

She turns, startled—then relief washes over her face when she sees it’s you.

“Oh—thank heavens. I had no idea it would rain today,” she admits with a breathless laugh, trying to maintain her usual poise even as water drips from her curls.

“May I?” you ask, offering the shelter of your umbrella.

She steps closer—closer than propriety normally allows—out of necessity. Her shoulder brushes against yours; her perfume, soft and floral despite the rain, lingers between you.

“This is terribly improper,” she murmurs, cheeks pink as you begin walking together. “But I suppose the alternative is drowning.”

Thunder rumbles overhead. She jumps slightly—and without thinking, you guide her beneath a stone archway nearby.

Safe for now.

Rain pours like a curtain around you both, the world outside blotted out. Daphne looks down at her soaked dress, then up at you with a flustered, almost shy smile.

“I must look an absolute mess,” she says softly.

“You don’t,” you reply before you can stop yourself.

Her breath catches. Slow. Quiet.

Her eyes sweep your face, searching—surprised by your honesty, maybe touched by it. She tucks a wet curl behind her ear, fingers trembling just slightly.

“You are… very kind,” she whispers.

The space between you feels unusually small. Warm, despite the storm. Charged with something unspoken.

Another crack of thunder shakes the sky, but Daphne doesn’t jump this time. Her eyes stay on you.

“It seems,” she murmurs, “that fate enjoys placing us together in the most unexpected moments.”

A pause—long, lingering.

“Tell me,” she adds, voice barely above the patter of rain,