From Young Man to Viscount: An Anthony Bridgerton Story

12

Before Kate could respond, I beat her with a small statement, "Yes, everything's fine. I was getting a little shaky and Kate thought to help calm me down before I could get attention drawn to me." Anthony nodded his head before Kate releases my wrist from her grip and Anthony puts his hand on the small of my back, not saying anything for the rest of the night.

-Back to Present Day-

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I hear Eloise being asked by Penelope, "Is the a copy of Lady Whistledown?"

"It is," Eloise says with a knowing smirk on her face as Penelope with a confusing look mentions, "I thought we were done with her."

As I'm listening to Violet's thoughts about her being interested in Lady Whistledown again and Eloise's reasoning for it as well as Penelope's input of opinions, I hear footsteps coming towards the drawing-room and wonder who's making their way up here. Certainly it couldn't have taken that quick of Anthony to finish up whatever he was doing. Not a minute later, Colin walks into the room and he definitely got a new look going for him.

"Colin!" Penelope shouts as she gets out of her seat, prompting all of us to turn towards the doorway.

"Glad to see things have not changed," Colin says as everyone stands up to greet him back home from his very long days of travel the Continent, "Could you set aside the latest family squabble and embrace me?"

As everyone goes up to him to give him a hug, I took notice in Penelope's gaze towards him, as someone who cares for him very much and is in love with him. After Colin exits Benedict's embrace, he looks over to Penelope and it almost seemed like he was going to hug her, but he stood there just staring at her, with secretly the same look she was giving him before Hyacinth and Gregory snapped him out of his thoughts to hug him. Isa, Charlie, and I stood there smiling at the happy reunion between the family before Colin reached his arms out and said, "Come on, Isa, Charlie." before the two of them went up to him and hugged him with all their might, they missed him just as much as the others have.

"Great to have you back Colin," I said as I walked up to embrace him, before he squeezed me a bit tighter than the corset I have on was squeezing me.

"Well, I missed you all. What can I say?" Colin responds as I pull away before Hyacinth and Gregory returned for their second hugs.

"I believe we must get you to the doctor post-haste. This strange, fuzzy growth in your chin is some kind of disease," Benedict says before Violet smacks him on the elbow as Francesca mentions, "And you seem to have taken to the sun too. How peculiar."

"I think he looks distinguished," Penelope whispered, thinking no one else would hear her, but I turned towards her and nodded, surprising her.

"And where, may I ask, is our intrepid viscount?" Colin asked in wonder where his eldest brother could be found.

"He is, oh, coming right now," Violet says as Anthony walks into the drawing-room right then, "Back from duties so soon."

"Colin! You are returned. Even better," Anthony responds as he walks to be beside me, "Family, I should like you all to ready yourselves for the races today. We will be attending, united as one."

"Any particular reasoning for this outing?" I asked as I look up to him in questioning as he smiles at me.

"I went by the Danbury estate for you because I knew you wanted to know how Kate's venture finding Edwina's suitor was going and she invited us all to tag along," Anthony responds as he leans down and kisses my forehead.

"You two still haven't kissed yet?! What else have I not missed?" Colin asked in shock as Anthony and I laugh.

"Just saving it for the right time brother," Anthony says as I nodded at his statement before each of us head where we needed to go to prepare for the day of betting on and watching horse racing among the ton.