R e v e l a t i o n s
"You seem distracted, didi" Edwina tells Kate
"Its, uh, just a headache" Kate says and walks over to Edwina after the maid was done dressing her.
I look at Kate worriedly, the ladies maid doing the finishing touched to my hair.
"From, uh, all the excitement these days"
"Is that all that ails you? I have seen how ill at ease you are with the Viscount" I see Kates eyes flick over to me "I was hoping we had put all that behind us now that, Anthony is to be my husband" She smiled giddily
"He has asked you to call him by his given name?" Kate said shocked
"No, not yet" Edwina frowned "It is weird, he gave Y/n the privilege before me, and I, am the one who is going to be his wife" I ignore their talk
"But it sounds fine, does it not?"
"Do you think the Sheffields, will like us?" I ask them, changing the conversation My stomach is in a knot, wondering what they will think of me, considering I am one and twenty, not married yet, even if it is my first season, and that Edwina was chosen as the Incomparable being younger than me
"Sisters, before you go, there is something I must tell you both" Kate started, we look at her expectantly
"Our guests have arrived" Lady Danbury interrupts her, Edwina and I looked at each other and smiled, we held hands and walked to the dining room together.
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"Ah, Lord and Lady Sheffield, it has been too long, may I present, Miss Sharma and Miss Y/n and Edwina Sharma" we bowed in greeting
"Oh my dears, look at you" Lady Sheffield smiled "Aren't they as lovely as the reports say" She looked at me
"Although we were kind of shocked that your younger sister, got to be the incomparable, instead of you" She laughed "Imagine being overthrown by your younger sister, she is the Incomparable and marrying a Viscount" my smile dimmed at her insult
I looked back at Mama and Kate, they smiled at me reassuringly, I turned back around and got a glimpse of Anthony's expression from behind the Sheffields, his jaw tightened in annoyance.
"We are so happy to make your acquaintance" I said instead, Lady Sheffield gave me a tight smile
"Yes, I am sure" She turned back to Edwina, giving her all her attention "I wish to know everything about you, do you enjoy dancing, music"
"You must accompany us to the opera" Lord Sheffield added
I looked between them three before turning and walking back next to Kate, my cheerful mood now gone.
"We have a box that is gathering dust"
"Indeed it has been too long since weve seen you both in town, Lord and Lady Sheffield" Lady Bridgerton said
"Yes, indeed it has" Lady Sheffield snarled, looking at mama
"Mother, father" mama greeted
"I do enjoy the opera, My sister, Kate, was the one who introduced Y/n and I, into it" The Sheffields said nothing
"Oh, shall we go through to dinner" Lady Danbury cuts through the silence
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We ate dinner, The Sheffields speaking only to Edwina, which was a disappointment seeing as I was excited to meet them. But what could I expect from the people that disowned my mother for finding true love.
"Of course, you shall be our guests at the Sheffield Manor, It is nothing compared to the estates of Aubrey Hall to be sure, but I think it a most pretty part of Hertfordshire"
"Do you shoot? We have a fine stock of birds and you are both welcome anytime"
"Thank you for the invitation, I do enjoy shooting"
"So does Kate and Y/n, Kate is the one who taught Y/n, and she does enjoy it much" Edwina gestures to us
"How unusual" Lady Sheffield looks at us "Do they teach young ladies to shoot in India"
"Only the fortunate ones" Kate answers
"Lord and Lady Sheffield, how long do you plan to remain in town?" I ask them
"Well, we will stay for the wedding" Lady Sheffield answers "Imagine, the queen herself overseeing my granddaughters nuptials, we should spend more time together, and you tell us all about what you are planning for the wedding"
"May I be able to join you all?" I ask smiling, Lady Sheffield pursued her lips
"You are not the one marrying the Viscount, are you?" I stayed quiet as my smile faded "I thought so"
"Her majesty is so forgiving, after everything that happened"
"Now, now, we are all family" Lord Sheffield said to his wife, who laughed humorously
"Of course we are she looked at mama "even after our daughter so callously rejected the match we had found for her"
"My dear, we agreed-"
"-Ah and no less, with twelve thousand acres, any other young lady would have fallen to her knees in gratitude that her parents were showing such care" I looked at her annoyed
"This was delicious Lady Danbury, you must have your cook give mine the recipe" Lady Bridgerton interjected
"it is the gooseberry, I believe Lady Danbury" laughs "Lady Sheffield, you've got quite the sweet tooth, I do recall?"
"And all for what? A mere clerk, was he? And with a child from a previous marriage to God knows who"
"She did it for love!" I exclaimed, everyone looked at me shocked
"Y/n-" Mama started to say but I ignored her
"Something which I am sure you know nothing about since you disowned your only daughter because she fell in love? What kind of parents are you?" they gasped incredulously
"How dare-"
"And my sister's mother has a name"
"We could not show our faces in society for years, not that she should care" she ignored everything I just said, i huffed.
"She simply sailed away from all of us with that man, robbing us of our grandchild"
"Grandchildren" mama said "I have three beautiful daughters with whom you have had every opportunity to form a connection. But the choice to shun us was yours alone"
"I beg your pardon-"
"Do not think I took it lightly, being cast out by the only family I had ever known. I was heartbroken, indeed. But in time, I came to see, that in your cruelty, you did us all a great service"
"I hardly think this is a proper dinner conversation"
"I completely agree, please collect-"
"When you cast me out, what you did was set me free. Free to raise my daughters far from your constant judgment and craven demands that they should chase wealth and titles above all else!"
"I see where Y/n gets her character from, talking back to her seniors, where are her manners?" Lady Sheffield chuckles humorlessly "You are a fine one to talk. You speak of scoring riches, and yet you have come crawling back to snatch at our fortune"
"Lady Danbury is right-"Kate interrupts
"Believe me, I want nothing from you"
"Oh, you may not, but your daughters certainly do" She points at Edwina and i, we all look at her confused
"mama?" Edwina said confused
"The trust funds we have set up for them, the condition of which clearly states that they must marry a man of good English breeding to inherit. You did not think we would allow another generation to pollute the Sheffield name, did you?"
"What nonsense are you sayi-" I say angrily
"Oh shut up child, you are the last person to talk seeing as it does not concern you, you are not marrying anyone of English nobility" I furrowed my eyebrows
"Didi, what are they talking about?" Edwina asks Kate
"What have you done?" Mama snaps at her
"Anthony, did you know about this?" Lady Bridgerton questions her son
"I shall explain everything" Kate tells us
"I see this one has inherited your penchant for avoiding the truth, honestly dear, are you even raising your daughters right? Seems Edwina is the only pride of the family. The eldest one, I am not even going to bother saying anything. The second? Has the character of the first, a disappointment, does not even have one single proposal from a gentleman, and was not named the incomparable, which I can see why as Edwina is more prett-"
"That is enough!" Anthony exclaims furiously, Lady Sheffield quiets down "I can only think you've been exiled from good society because of your deficient manners rather than any other sin. Since the moment you arrived, you have failed to show the proper respect for the Sharma family, and I will not stand for it."
"I declare-"
"I will not stand for it!" Anthony repeats "Lady Mary has done admirably in raising her daughters. They are intelligent, kind, loyal women and a credit to both their parents" He stares at me making me swallow.
"And since you clearly do not wish to jeopardize your social standing by associating with such company, I suggest you do not. You may leave at once!" he throws his napkin at the table and stands up
"You cannot be serious!"
"Please be kind to send for Lord and Lady Sheffields carriage, they can wait outside, and do not trouble yourselves for an invitation for the wedding, for you shall not receive one" i can see Edwina turn pale at his words
"This is beyond the pale, and if you think you shall inherit a single sovereign now, you are solely mistaken" Lord Sheffield says as he takes his leave
Leaving us all confused and betrayed by Kates actions at the table
"Lord and Lady Bridgerton, I must apologize-"
"We should take our leave" Anthony interrupts mama
"Thank you for the evening, Lady Danbury, it was quite enlightening" Lady Bridgerton said
"My lord-" Edwina stands up
"Good evening" he walks away ignoring her
"Y/n, do something" Edwina begs me "Anything, he will listen to you" I look at her unsure before I go after the Viscount
"Lord Bridgerton!" I call out desperate "Lord Bridgerton, I beg a word!" he stops
"We must be going"
"please" I beg
"Mother, I shall meet you at the house" Lady Bridgerton nodded and walked off
I looked around and walked into a room, Anthony following behind.
"You must know, neither Edwina or I knew about what Kate did, coming to England, finding ourselves a match, we had no idea, you cannot be angry at her" I plead
"I am not, I take it both of you were in the dark about your sister's schemes" Anthony mused looking around impatiently
"I am sure Kate did not mean any harm, she is not like that, she only wishes the best for us" I cut in
"I take it there'll be no dowry now that the Sheffields have withdrawn their support" I scoff
"You care about the dowry? I am quite certain it is because of what you just did, that the Sheffields withdrew it" i exclaim
"It is regrettable, to be sure, but clearly Miss Edwina and I have both been misled, and it is best to call off this doomed engagement before it is the cause of any more strife" Anthony muttered "Of course, I would never besmirch, my mother and Lady Danbury will make a plan-"
"Anthony!" I looked at him as if he had gone crazy "What is wrong with you? Why are you even suggesting this?" I ask "Were you not the one who has been set on marrying Edwina, and now you intend to cast her aside?" He shook his head angrily
"And do not say it is because of the dowry, you told me yourself that you had enough money of your own and did not care for something like a dowry" I scoff "So, tell me, what has she done?"
"She has done nothing, it is you. You have made this match impossible" he admits desesperated
"Me?! I have done nothing but he supportive of you both" I exclaim
"Supportive?" He huffs "Of course, you were being supportive when you put my hand on your bosoms, you were most definitely being supportive in that library when we almost-"
"I am leaving with Kate for India" i shook my head
"And it is not far enough!" he stuns me into silence "Do you think that there is a corner of this earth that you could travel to far away enough to free me from this torment?"
"I am a gentleman, my father raised me to act with honor, but that honor is hanging by a thread that grows more precarious with every moment that I spend in your presence" my heart starts to race rapidly
"You are the bane of my existence, and the object of all my desires, night and day, I dream of you," he walks closer to me "i- do you even know all the ways a lady can be seduced? The things I could teach you" his breath hits my face, his lips brushing mine
"Anthony" I whispered looking down at his lips "I did not ask for this, to have these feelings, for you. Hiding them from Edwina. Being driven to distraction every time you enter the room" he puts his hand on my cheek
"Then you agree, it is insupportable."
"Impossible" his lips meet mine for a second before he pulls away, shaking his head. Tears start brimming in my eyes.
"If I wed your sister, it will bind me and you together for eternity and I will spend every day of my marriage wanting you, dreaming of you, dreading the day when my last thread of honor finally snaps." He murmurs
"Is that the future that you want for us? For your sister? Because I do not," he gets closer to me once again "So it is better that we call the engagement off, so as to not hurt her, and maybe, after some time, I can-"
"What is going on?!"