you have a place in my heart
no one else ever could have.

( F. Scott Fitzgerald )

AUBREY HALL HAD ALWAYS BEEN A SECOND HOME FOR AMBROSE BRIDGERTON. Growing up, he had found the company of his aunt, uncle and cousins to be rather pleasant, and would often plead with his parents to visit there so he could play with his cousins. Though, he never expected that his stay at Aubrey Hall would one day become permanent.

But death, as always, is inevitable. There is no escaping it. And more often than not, death comes at the most unsuspecting of times, and this happened to be true for his family.

It had been a warm, sunny afternoon when he learned his parents had died in a terrible carriage accident. He had been playing in the yard with his cousins when his uncle, Edmund Bridgerton, had pulled both him and his younger sister, Miriam, aside to tell them of the tragedy. He had been only seven at the time, and his sister much younger, but the boy had never been more certain of anything when he declared it the worst day of his life.

However, many years later, when his best friend would leave both London and him behind, the pain would surely come close enough.

Clara Whittemore had been a part of his life for as long as he can remember. They would play everyday as children, always smiling and laughing together. She had healed his heart after the death of his parents, and Ambrose had never been happier than when he was with her. She meant more to him than she'd ever know.

But then her mother got sick. And when Claude Whittemore died, it changed everything. Suddenly, Vincent Whittemore and his only daughter were packing their belongings and leaving to travel the world that their lost loved one had once wanted to see before she took her final breath. They left behind everything, even the broken heart of young Ambrose Bridgerton as he longed for the company of his best friend in the years to come.

Although the two of them had stayed in touch through various letters over the years, they had grown older, and with age, the letters became less frequent than before. But no amount of time could ever make them forget each other, and sometimes they would smile when they thought of one another. Their friendship was everlasting. It was something that would be remembered, even in death.

Almost five years had come and gone since the day that the Whittemore family had left, and there was not a day that went by that the two had not thought about each other since then. And as happy as Clara Whittemore was to be back home and to see her best friend again after all these years, she wasn't particularly fond of the reason why her father and new step-mother had wished to return.

Clara was twenty and one now, the perfect age for a young woman such as herself to find a husband and mother children. Her father wanted to find her a suitor before she would be considered a spinster. Someone that would be able to care and provide for his only daughter and would make a good father to his future grandchildren. But Clara didn't want that. She only wished to enjoy her time in London again, not have men chasing after her hand during every event they attended.

As she begins her journey into society, Clara joyfully rekindles her friendship with Ambrose Bridgerton. But as the two begin to spend more and more time together and catch up on time lost, they begin to see each other in a new perspective. And, suddenly, a newfound love blossoms between them as the days go by. For how could they not fall in love when it had always been them against the world?

However, there is a saying, and for these young lovers it is quite true - the course of true love never did run smooth. And smooth, it certainly will not be.

STARRING

Timothée Chalamet　is

Lord Ambrose Bridgerton ❊ scorpio • overprotective • hopeless romantic

Anya Taylor-Joy　is

Lady Clara Whittemore ❊ aquarius • aspiring artist • talented pianist

WITH

rose williams as miriam bridgerton
christian bale as vincent whittemore
kate ashfield as claude whittemore †
sophie winkleman as lillian whittemore
josh whitehouse as drake hargrave
elle fanning as edith hargrave
theo james as cassian cartwright
bridgerton cast as their characters
　

disclaimer: i do not own or take credit for bridgerton or any of their characters, nor do i own the characters specified as belonging to -beewrites-. all rights respectfully belong to the writers and creators of the show and novels. i do, however, take co-credit with my collaborator for all the original content found within this story, from the characters, subplots, canon divergence events, and dialogue. this story is part of a series of books, which means that all characters and events within a series of love stories directly crossover and connect with this one.

warnings: violence, smoking, alcohol, sexual content, etc.

dedicated to: christy sierra kelly liz daniella catie remy amara chloe nelly alana liv destiny bee clair and to you, the reader, as well! thank you all so much for your support, it means the world to me!

author's note: so first things first... welcome to A SERIES OF LOVE STORIES written by andrea and bee! we are both very happy to have you all here to experience these stories, and we sincerely hope that you enjoy reading this series. there will be a total of four fics throughout this series. mine include only this one (paper rings), but my co-author will be writing for colin bridgerton (gold rush), benedict bridgerton (willow), and a bridgerton oc × oc pairing (cruel summer). we really said "taylor swift theme" with this series lmao

now, before you read start reading, there's some things you should know about this series to avoid any confusion before you start reading. the first being that ambrose and miriam should not be mistaken for bridgerton siblings, as they're cousins. edmund's brother and sister-in-law died, so both he and violet took in their niece and nephew when they were both very young. miriam, in fact, was so young that she barely even remembers them anymore

secondly, there will be an established rilvary between the cartwright family and the bridgerton family. this feud has been going on for many years, and it is known by everyone that the two prolific families do not get along well. so, naturally, enter miriam bridgerton and cassian cartwright with a rivals to lovers fic. they are very much romeo and juliet without the death and it is so much fun!

lastly, the characters miriam bridgerton, the hargrave family, the cartwright family, as well as the whitman family, respectfully belong to my co-author -beewrites-. do make sure to read all their stories to receive a full experience of the entire series we have planned and written together!