-The Next Day, Y/N's POV-
"Miss Patridge requires large amounts of sugar for her morning tea, and Lord Abernathy, he will refuse to eat any meat that is not well-cooked, while Lady Abernathy will only consume her meat bloody, I am told. And make sure you put an extra blanket on Lord Weston's bed. I hear he feels the cold," Violet tells Mrs. Wilson as Daphne and I are trailing behind her right on her heels.
"Wow, I forgot how busy it would get for-" I started to say until one of the maids interrupted with, "The roses and carnations have arrived, ma'am."
"You may wish to add in lilac, Mama. Symbolic of first love," Daphne mentions as she glances her eyes back at me before I softly scoff and lean in to whisper, "May I remind you, Duchess, that your brother has yet to showcase his findings of his Viscountess."
"He doesn't need to be searching any farther because he should be looking at the lady in front of him," Daphne whispered back as she turns her attention back to the maid to suggest, "And perhaps make the bouquets even bigger."
"What are you girls going on about?" Violet asks curious what we were whispering about and before I could get an answer in, Daphne beats me to it with, "Just simply telling her that Anthony doesn't need to be searching because he's already found his match."
"And I was simply reminding her that we're in a courtship, which means there's a chance he's going to find a better match, besides we haven't kissed yet," I said as Daphne sighed as if to say I'm possibly right, as much as she hates to admit her defeat in this battle.
I decided to be quiet about the kiss, mostly because it felt like a spur of the moment kind of thing and also, Anthony didn't mention anything about it to me during our last conversation. Almost felt like he wanted to forget it ever happened to begin with, so what am I doing, keeping another secret. Typical.
After I walk away from my spot near Violet and Daphne to help out with the leftover preparations, I looked back to see them talking and shrink into my thoughts about what they could be discussing now.
"I have taught you well," Violet says as she is pleased Daphne has learned so much in her new duty.
"If there is truly to be a proposal before the week is out, Anthony will need all the help he can get," Daphne responds before continuing, "Which I do hope he's only been sticking with the decision of choosing Y/N as his new Viscountess, you see how he looks at her whenever she's not looking."
"We shall see dear, but I fear he's still allowing parts of his fear interfere with his decisions," Violet says before she sighs, "The Queen is still trying to use her power to try to get Edwina and Anthony to marry."
Daphne drops her jaw in shock and sputters out, "W-w-what on Earth for? Can't she see Y/N and Anthony love each other? Do they know about her plans?" Violet shook her head no and whispers, "Y/N doesn't, Anthony doesn't want her to just yet and same with Edwina, she feels guilty enough about the whole thing."
"Do they have any plan to get her off their backs?" Daphne asks as Violet looks at her with a sadden look, "They do, and its not pleasing in the slightest due to the fact the Queen seems to not be backing down even with what we're doing now..."
"Mother, whatever do you mean-" Daphne says before Violet interrupts her with, "Anthony's going to start courting Edwina, and I'm not happy about it either."
"B-but Mama, it's going to break her heart," Daphne responds as tears start to build as Violet nods her head, "She-she has the right to know about all of this, let's go make her aware." Before Daphne could go to talk, Violet put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her to mention, "Anthony doesn't want her to know at all about the plan, what the Queen is doing."
"So he's willingly to allow her to be blindsided and crushed yet again by his actions?!" Daphne whisper shout as she is pissed beyond all reasons, "It's not fair, not to them and as well as the Sharmas."
"I know," Violet says before letting her hand off and wiping a tear away from her eyes, "It's hurting Anthony more than you think to be doing this."
"When are they announcing it?" Daphne asks as Violet responds, "Later this evening, when everyone has gathered."
"Mother, it's- it's not right to be doing this in front of the ton," Daphne says as Violet mentions, "I trust Anthony to know what to do with the plan."
"Does Kate know or is she going to be in the dark about it too?" Daphne asks as Violet shrugs, indicating it's Edwina's decision to do so or not.
-Sharma's Guest Room, Kate's POV-
"Didi," I hear Edwina say, snapping me out of my thoughts as I looked over to see her looking at me quite solemn in her facial expression.
"What is it? Is everything alright Bon?" I asks as I jump out of my seat to make sure she wasn't hurt or something bad has happened to her.
"I fear I'm going to hurt someone or something very important and I can't help but feel terrible about it," Edwina whispered before she starts shedding tears.
"Hey, hey, nothing you would do could be that terrible," I say as I try to comfort her as best I can before she mutters out, "I have to court Anthony."
Taken aback, I ask, "I'm sorry, but did you say you what I thought I heard you say?"
"I have to court Anthony! Yes I said it, I have to enter a courtship with the Viscount, who's already in a pretty strong one," Edwina responds as she starts pacing back and forth in the room, "Oh god, oh god she's going to hate me forever for this!"
"Bon, what do you mean you have to court him?" I ask trying to get more details through her anxious blabbering and muttering while also trying to help her gain her composure back down to Earth.
After Edwina took deep breaths and stopped pacing, she sighed before telling me, "The Queen is still not backing off on her attempts to get Anthony to marry someone other than Y/N. She wants him to marry me considering I'm her Diamond and she thinks her match is the one that is to make Whistledown put her quill down for good and stop challenging her. Anthony believes that the only solution for her to stop all this nonsense is to end the courtship he has with Y/N and enter a new one with me."
"D-does Y/N know about all of this?" I whispered before Edwina shook her head and whispered back, "He doesn't want her to know about the whole thing, he said something about wanting to protect her or keep her safe from what the Queen could possibly do to her and her family."
As Edwina was giving me this information, the more I was wishing that this wasn't happening before the events were to take place. Y/N was excited to be back where her happiest memories occurred and now everything is going to come crashing down because the Queen couldn't stand to not stick her power into businesses that aren't hers, EVEN IF THEY WERE HAPPENING WITHIN HER KINGDOM.
"We're making the announcement at the event today, and we're going to pretend we've been in one for a while," Edwina says after I scoffed and responded, "I don't even know what to do or say about this."
"Believe me, I already feel awful and guilty about this plan enough as it is," Edwina mutters as she rubs her temples before a headache were to come on.
"I swear if this event comes and the announcement shatters Y/N's mood for the entirety of this trip, I won't hesitate to make Anthony pay Hell," I say as Edwina softly laughs before saying, "I'm sure Isa and Charlie won't hesitate to tag along in that team."
-The Outdoors Event, Y/N's POV-
"Welcome. Lovely to see you again," Violet says as she, Daphne, and I greet those coming from such a travel to the ancestral home.
I don't know exactly why I was roped into doing this but I guess this is what needs to be done in the duty as a Viscountess. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Anthony make his appearance yet, but I guess he's finishing up last minute things before he does. Also, Violet and Daphne keep glancing their eyes my way as if they know about something that I don't know. After the last few guests come by to be greeted, I head off the one of the tents where Penelope and Eloise were sitting under minding their own conversation. I was about to join in when I followed Eloise's gaze towards the back entrance to Aubrey Hall to see Anthony walking out with Edwina, but they're holding hands and appear to be smiling at one another. What- what is going on here?
"Excuse me, everyone," Anthony bellowed out to capture the whole attention of those in attendance, "I have an announcement to make. First, thank you all that have graciously accepted our invitation to join us in celebrating our annual ball this year, and lastly, I'm pleased to announce my courtship with Miss Edwina Sharma."
All in that moment, I felt heartbreak, betrayal, embarrassment, disbelief, frustration, and anger come at me at once overflowing my thoughts. Everyone gasped in shock and some applaud while some looked over at me in confusion to what just happened. I-I can't just sit here, I need to say something and get the hell out of there.
"Y/N, I-" Eloise started to say before I put my hand up to signal her to not say anything and I got up from my seat to say, "Don't, it's okay. I'm really happy for them. I hope everything works out in your favors." before I start making haste past Anthony and Edwina towards the estate and into the guest bedroom I was staying in before letting out a sob, not giving a damn who could've heard me from behind the door. I gripped the corner of the desk and tried to catch my breath, but it was proving to be difficult so it would come out shaky and uneven. After a few minutes went by of me drinking water to help calm me down, a knock came on the door, I did not want to face the older Bridgerton siblings or mine for that matter as of now.
"Go away," I croaked out as I tried to gain the courage to steady the tone of my voice. Then the knock came again, and I answered, "Leave me be, I do not want to talk right now. I don't need help or a shoulder to cry on, I just want to be left alone!" before I winced and let out a sound of pain. I looked down to see I had squeezed the glass so hard that it shattered and tiny pieces of it had embedded in my hand. I then make haste into the bathroom to put my hand in the basin of warm water and tried myself to pick the pieces out before they could dig too deep to be plucked out. After I finished, I walked back into the room to start bandage it up to see a piece of parchment was lying on the floor and walked over to see in writing that says, "Let us in, Y/N."
"I told you I want to be left alone," I said as I leaned close to the door to say that when I heard someone respond, "We know what you've said. Charlie and Isa asked us to stay with you, you don't deserve to be alone in this situation." Wait a minute, we?
I opened the door to see Francesca, Gregory, and even Hyacinth standing there. I looked at them in confusion as they each walked in to shut the door behind them to ask, "Why?" Francesca then looks at my hand and the bandage to say, "I'll help you out."
"Also answer to your question, because we care deeply about you. What Anthony, especially Edwina did to you was terrible of them and we don't know why they did it," Hyacinth says as she sits down beside me with Gregory sitting behind her while Francesca helped with the bandage.
I sighed before saying, "I did tell your brother that if he were to have found a better match, the courtship was over. I just- don't get why it still hurts when I knew that there was a chance of this happening."
"Because Edwina's not Anthony's perfect match, you are! Sorry for raising my voice, but including the three of us, Isa, Charlie, the rest of our siblings, and Mother knows how much you mean to him," Gregory says as I raised my free hand to wipe a stray tear, "Even some people of the ton are questioning why Anthony did that when they see it too."
"You three really didn't have to do this," I whispered as Francesca finishes up with tending to my injured hand and then leans in to hug me tight. Hyacinth and Gregory follow suit to do the same thing to then Hyacinth saying, "Of course we had to, you're still family, even though Anthony is in the wrong for this. Makes me want to get him near a beehive to teach him a lesson." making me and the others laugh.
"Maybe we shouldn't do that, but you're probably right," I respond as I hug them back and ask, "What is Isa and Charlie up to by the way?"
"Umm..don't know if I should say," Francesca says before I roll my eyes and respond, "She said they were going to give him a talk didn't she?" as all three nodded in unison and mentioned, "In private later, and the others will be joining them."
God I could only imagine what could happen or what would come to light during that conversation and the pressure of it during it.
-Later in the Drawing Room, Anthony's POV-
Well this isn't how I imagined the plan going, with me being stuck in a room with my mother, the Sharmas, Lady Danbury, and especially Y/N's brother and sister along with my siblings giving me the death glare. Anthony, you screwed up, badly. Now you're going to pay for it.
"Before you say anything," I started to say before I'm interrupted by Benedict, "Oh, there are SEVERAL things that need to be said."
"I know how she must be feeling right now," I respond before another interruption erupts with, "No you don't! Stop trying to paint yourself to be this considerate man who seems to actually care about someone's feelings, you're not, Anthony, and you know it! Isa and I trusted you yet again, but it appears you're still the same cold hearted-"
"It's not him!" Edwina shouted as everyone stops their arguing to look towards her direction, "Sorry for that, but it seemed the only way to get you guys to listen. Anthony didn't want to go through with this, but he felt it was the only solution to get the Queen to take her talons out of his and Y/N's courtship as well to get her to stop being Hell bent on trying to get him to marry me."
"Wait what? The Queen? I thought she stopped, what does she have to do with you ending your courtship to start a new one with her?" Eloise asks before I try to keep myself composed to tell them what I'm about to say out into the air.
"The Queen never did, I don't know why but she's challenging Whistledown's words and trying to get me to marry Edwina because she believes that we're the perfect match in her eyes, and-" I said before I sigh and continue with, "She made a promise or a threat that if I didn't do what she said, she was going to make me regret not going through with what she wanted." making everyone shocked and dumbfounded that their Queen would do this.
"So you and Edwina doing this," Colin says as I nodded my head, "I had to make a sacrifice I never wanted to make, and it's going to pain me everyday seeing her that way, which I didn't want to- DAMN IT ALL!" I picked up a whiskey glass and threw it at the opposing wall that no one was near, making it shatter. I mutter, "I'm sorry, I'll get it."
"Don't, I already had to wrap one hand today, I don't plan to do another," Francesca says stopping me in my tracks and look back at her to ask, "What?"
"Y/N squeezed a water glass too hard and it cut up her hand," Francesca responds as I feel my face turn solemnly.
"Is she- is she mad at me for what happened?" Edwina asked as Hyacinth say, "She didn't even mention you, so we're not quite sure at this point."
"I really hope you know what you're doing Anthony, because this whole plan you and Edwina has conjured better work in your favors. I'm not pleased with the Queen so I hope she'll finally get a reality check and stop being so blind to not see the love you have for my sister," Isa says as I nod in understanding.
Me too Isa, me too. I have calculated all possible scenarios for this and they all ended with me & Edwina succeeding and finally having the Queen not shoving her input of opinions onto me and the girl I really plan to spend my future, even the rest of my living life and in the afterlife.
"As much as I know it's hard for everyone in this room to keep quiet about the plan for the sake of her feelings, we need to act like it wasn't a plan to begin with and that it just happened out of the blue. Do we understand?" I asked as everyone hesitantly nodded, "Good, shall we head back outside and continue the festivities?"