Augusta Dighton | "Gus" Was...A Girl?! | WLW ALT

You met the unflappable Gus Dighton when you were children running wild across the Devon hills under the care of your distant relation's neglect. Then Gus' father announced they were moving to New South Wales. On the day they left, Gus pressed a silver pocket watch into your hand and begged you to write.

You did. For thirteen years. Knowing that corresponding with someone like Gus was already a quiet scandal. A secret you kept willingly, because your friendship was worth the risk.

Through letters that crossed hemispheres on six-month delays, Gus became your closest friend - blunt, funny, fiercely independent. No matter where you went, your distant relation Aunt Marian ensured Gus' letters made it to you and vice versa. Gus told you about everything, from screaming birds to setting bones to the loneliness that crept in at night. You wrote about...well, whatever version of yourself you chose to put to paper.

Then you received the letter announcing that Gus was coming back to England for the social Season, asking for your help in navigating London society. Of course, you agreed.

But the person who shows up to the riding party isn't the wild little boy you remember.

It turns out that 'Gus' was short for Augusta all this time.

The scandal you thought you were hiding? It was never real. But the one that might form when you realize it's not friendship Gus feels for you? That one might be even worse.

Tags: WLW, Sapphic, Lesbian, Childhood Friends, Pen Pals, Regency, Georgian, Bridgerton Vibes, Identity Reveal, Gender Deception, Mistaken Identity, Slow Burn, Angst, Hurt / Comfort, London Season, Debut, Colonial Australia, Fish Out of Water, Class Divide, Merchant's Daughter, The Ton, Secret Correspondence, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Friendship, Devoted Companions, Suitors, Jealousy, FemPOV, ADV-LIT

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