La chronique des Bridgerton/06/Francesca

Résumé : From New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn comes the first novel in the beloved Regency-set world of the Bridgerton family, now a series created by Shonda Rhimes for Netflix. In the ballrooms and drawing rooms of Regency London, rules abound. From their earliest days, children of aristocrats learn how to address an earl and curtsey before a prince - while other dictates of the ton are unspoken yet universally understood. A proper duke should be imperious and aloof. A young, marriageable lady should be amiable... but not too amiable. Daphne Bridgerton has always failed at the latter. The fourth of eight siblings in her close=knit family, she has formed friendships with the most eligible young men in London. Everyone likes Daphne for her kindness and wit. But no one truly desires her. Amiability is not characteristic shared by Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. Recently returned to England from abroad, he tends to shun both marriage and society - just as his callous father shunned Simon throughout his painful childhood. Yet an encounter with his best friend's sister offers another option. If Daphne agrees to a fake courtship, Sim can deter the mamas who parade their daughters before him. Daphne, meanwhile, will see her prospects and her reputation soar. The plan works likes charm at first. But amid the glittering, gossipy, cut-throat world of London's elite, there is only one certainty : love ignores every rule...

Résumé : This year's most sought-after invitation must surely be that of the Bridgerton masquerade ball, to be held Monday next. Will some fortunate young lady use the mystery of a masquerade night to snare one of the eligible bachelors ? Lady Whistledown's Society Papers, May 1815 Sophie Beckett never dreamt she would sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball - or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her ! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie had been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But that night, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she felt like royalty. Yet she knows all enchantments must end. But Sophie has reckoned without Benedict's determined heart : he has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, for he knows this is his only chance for a fairy-tale love...

Résumé : La cadette des Bridgerton, l'une des meilleures familles du Londres des années 1820, est-elle destinée au célibat ? Trop fine mouche, trop directe, Hyacinthe n'a rien de l'héritière effacée qu'apprécient les hommes de la bonne société. Pourtant, ce n'est pas une raison pour finir vieille fille ! Certes, quand Gareth Saint-Clair, un aristocrate à la réputation douteuse, croise son chemin, on est loin du coup de foudre. Mais la traduction, à quatre mains, d'un journal intime écrit en italien va jouer un rôle qui n'était pas du tout prévu.

Très chers lecteurs, quelle saison ! Au rythme des bals et des réceptions, je vous ai narré le feuilleton haletant de la folle romance entre Mlle Daphné Bridgerton et Simon, le ténébreux duc de Hastings. Valses langoureuses, rebondissements cocasses et bagarres mémorables nous auront tenus en haleine jusqu'à l'épilogue d'un romantisme échevelé. Aurons-nous le temps de reprendre notre souffle ? Il est à craindre que non, car il se chuchote déjà dans Londres qu'Anthony, le frère de Daphné, serait décidé à convoler lui aussi. Hélas, l'élue a une soeur odieuse qui s'oppose catégoriquement à cette union en raison du passé libertin du vicomte. Cela nous promet bien des péripéties. Et comme il reste six Bridgerton à marier, votre dévouée chroniqueuse a de beaux jours devant elle. Ne perdez pas le fil, chers lecteurs, la saga ne fait que commencer ! Rubrique mondaine de lady Whistledown, Londres, 1814