TURNING PAGE
( bridgerton )

there are as many forms of love
as there are moments in time.
— MANSFIELD PARK

.·:·.⟐.·:·.

MANY WOULD AGREE THAT WINIFRED ERSTWHILE WAS MOST MISFORTUNATE. For what she thought would be forevermore, she had settled into a life of marital bliss with her husband, Joseph Erstwhile — their love match was a rare sight to behold. There was nothing Winifred relished more than the steadiness of their life in the countryside, finding his warmth on the other side of the bed. Not for one second, when each time her beloved soldier goes overseas, does she expect the worst to happen.

     All it takes is one letter from Madrid to shatter all of that; one letter regrettably informing her of Joseph's death on the battlefield.

     Now Winifred spends her days drenched in black crepe, coming to terms with her new life without Joseph. The new widow becomes subject to the judgements of others, who have their own ideas of how she should be mourning — all she feels is numbness. Winifred does all she can think of doing, by pushing on stoically through the hollow, mundane everyday. She will not crumble. Not if she can help it. And, if there is anything she is sure of, she will not remarry (if she should feel so inclined one day) for anything less than true, deep love.

Regardless, none of her efforts remove the sting of her loss, leaving Winifred quietly fighting the fleet of questions that rage inside. Who is she, in this world, without Joseph Erstwhile? Where does she go from here? And when does it stop hurting?

As she does, the universe proposes its own answer to all of this: her gentle easing back into social life one year after Joseph's death, via her younger sisters, whose ongoing searches for suitors pull Winifred into the orbit of the magnificent ton and the Bridgertons — specifically, that of the second best Bridgerton brother...

BENEDICT BRIDGERTON HAS NEVER KNOWN SUCH INTIMATE HEARTBREAK. Not truly, deep in his soul. He can only think of a couple of instances that came close — his father's untimely death, of course, springs to mind. Sometimes Benedict thinks he has caught a glimpse of it in a Gainsborough painting or a Turner sky, the melancholy making him tremble. In reality, he has always been one to settle the chaos amongst his family, or to shun the dramatics of the ton for more personal pursuits. He is the free spirit; even if the own storms raging inside him are hidden beneath an easygoing exterior.

     So, yes, Benedict shies away from heartbreak whenever he can... until he meets Winifred Erstwhile. In the widow's eyes, there is a heaviness he could not even begin to express with a paintbrush and an easel. But amid that grief, Benedict is even more struck by her unwavering strength. And somewhere, beneath the weight of all that black crepe, he catches a glimpse of her character which everyone else fails to pay attention to.

     Although the widow may think herself plain, sullen and painted into the corner, Winifred makes a lasting impression on Benedict. Something about her is inspiring to him. What's more, unbeknownst to him, the feeling is mutual — although she fails to understand why, Winifred finds the second Bridgerton son to be in the very minority of those she can truly open up to, without fear of judgement or the pressure to play the part of the woeful widow.

     Indeed, it is a rare miracle to behold, to meet the right person at the right time.

     AFTER THESE TWO SOULS STUMBLE INTO EACH OTHER'S LIVES BY CHANCE, they find it difficult to simply walk away again. How can you, when you suddenly find someone who endeavours to understand you completely? Unfortunately, the answer is not that simple. It never is. Winifred has been through this before, and she has doubts she could do it again. After all, with such a great love, lightning never strikes twice... does it?

❝your love is my turning page...

... where only the sweetest words remain.❞

.·:·.⟐.·:·.

D R A M A T I S
P E R S O N A E

—

ellise chappell as
WINIFRED ERSTWHILE

THE WIDOW
humble. sincere. dependable.

luke thompson as
BENEDICT BRIDGERTON

THE ARTIST
sensitive. creative. endearing.

with...

jack lowden as
JOSEPH ERSTWHILE

THE SOLDIER
affectionate. driven. principled.

&& ADDITIONAL CAST;
rose williams as ABIGAIL SEYMOUR
ella hunt as JEMIMA SEYMOUR
lily james as MADELINE OSBORNE
henry golding as SILAS OSBORNE
crystal clarke as LETICIA 'LETTIE' FITZROY
helen mccrory as OCTAVIA SEYMOUR
colin firth as CHARLES SEYMOUR
the bridgerton cast as THEIR CHARACTERS

❝every kiss is a cursive line...

... every touch is a redefining phrase.❞

.·:·.⟐.·:·.

T H E    W R I T E R
S P E A K S

—

Dearest, gentle reader...

Welcome to this very impulsive Bridgerton fic! I have just been desperate for something to channel my love for Jane Austen and the Regency era, and this show was the perfect opportunity... in fact, I was surprised by just how much I did enjoy Bridgerton. I steered clear of it when it first aired, but season 2 did have me curious. Then recently I was in need of some entertaining escapism, and this absolutely ticked those boxes — it also gave me BENEDICT BRIDGERTON, my love ❤️❤️

Anyway, this will be a verryyyy slow burn story, considering that Winifred has a lot of grief and finding love again won't be an easy journey; on top of the trials and tribulations of being a widow in the early 19th century. Although this is Bridgerton, you can expect a significantly lower level of, uh... raunchiness... but Winifred and Benedict completely own my heart, so you're still in for a ride. As for historical accuracy, I'm trying my best, although considering the nature of Bridgerton I think we can allow a little bit of leeway there, don't you?

I have a tendency to ramble in my author's notes, so I will leave it here before I bore you to death. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

— starryeyedturtle

.·:·.⟐.·:·.

DISCLAIMER.
I do not own the characters or plot from the Bridgerton universe, credit goes to Shondaland and Netflix — this is a work of fanfiction. Any new/original characters, plots and dialogue are owned by me.

WARNING.
This book will contain themes of grief, death, depression, miscarriage, sexism, misogyny and some sexual references. Reader discretion is advised. If there are any particularly heavy chapters, I will try and include a trigger warning at the beginning.

DEDICATIONS.

bIumenthaIs · wishfuIthinking · -wildkats

And to any fans of Bridgerton, or a good period drama in general!

started: 25.08.2023
published: 12.09.2023
completed: TBA