OUR LADY OF THE
UNDERGROUND
ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ʙʏ ᴋᴀᴛ

❝ WE'RE CREATURES OF
THE UNDERWORLD— ❞

(    the summary.   )

❝ —WE CAN'T AFFORD TO LOVE! ❞

PERSEPHONE DRAKE WAS not one to be disillusioned, she had made peace with her fate many years ago.

       With her father, a sailor with an affinity for Greek mythology, killed at sea before she could even walk, her mother had little choice but to sell everything she had in order to support her two young daughters, including herself.

        Thus, at ages ten and eight, Ariadne and Persephone Drake found themselves orphans. Yet, such tragedy was ne'er felt by either sister, they considered themselves predisposed to misfortune, after all their namesake was their curse.

        Ariadne, abandoned by her lover and vengefully ensuring his demise, and Persephone, destined to be forever ensnared in the clutches of the underworld.

Still, neither could complain, after all they had ultimately made good out of a bad lot.

As per the myth, after Theseus, Ariadne found love in Dionysus — or rather a public house landlord named Joseph Steele — and while Persephone was condemned to life in the underworld, at least that life took on the form of the theatre.

Persephone wouldn't allowe herself to indulge in dreams of better circumstances, any fool could lose themselves to fruitless daydreams and she would rather be damned then be a fool.

Her Hades took the form of Dudley Mayhew, the owner of the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Mayhew called the shots and, like many of the other young actresses, Persephone played the part.

She might not have had her freedom but at least she had her craft and if she could command nothing else in her existence, let one thing she could be the stage.

The name Persephone Drake was revered upon the Drury Lane stage; she was Juliet, Hermia, Katherina. She played women ruled by sense of wonder that she would never know.

The naivety was appealing. Those were the women the rich man of the ton paid for, so those were the women she played and as long as they paid, Mayhew was happy to provide them.

Persephone Drake was no lady in the circles within which her callers ran, but there was no doubt that within her own underworld, as her legend assured her, she was queen.

Such a title suited her well. Perhaps she was forever commended to this life but that didn't mean she couldn't have her fun. She knew very well some such liberties were not afforded to every young girl in London — dancing on tabletops until the dead of night, drinking champagne by the bucket full, having her way with whichever man in the room she so pleased — such things could very well ruin a proper young lady.

Yes, she had those freedoms. But there would always be things she knew she would never be privy to.

Love, for example.

Her sister had been fortunate in that sense but, then again, she was gracious, adoring. Persephone had once told her that loving her came as easy as breathing. Joseph had not been the first man to fall in love with Ariadne Drake and, despite their marriage, he would certainly not be the last.

Such was a contrast between the two sister, thick as thieves there were yet if Ariadne was a gentle stream then Persephone was a tidal wave; abrasive and cold. But how else is one to survive the underworld?

         And survive she must do above all else. She is perfectly content burying silly desires and delusions, that is until she discovers a new kind of liberation and the unforeseen thrills that come with falling in love with a Bridgerton.

(    copyright © & disclaimers   )

       I do not own Bridgerton, subsequently credit is due to Shondaland and Netflix for its creation. Original characters, plot lines, and other pieces of dialogue are owned by me.

(    author's note.   )

thank you for taking the time to read this book! i cannot put into words how desperate i am to pour myself into a new character and storyline, and fingers crossed this story fits the bill. this is very much a work in progress that will loosely follow the plot of bridgerton but more so will just exist within the same universe, however you may see some familiar faces along the way!

STARTED 30/12/2023
FINISHED XX/XX/XXXX
——— coming 2024 ———