Aubrey Hall, March 1816
Little Lord Edmund Bridgerton the second was to be baptised on a sunny Sunday in early March at the small church in the village near Aubrey Hall. The guestlist included, apart from the Bridgertons and the Bassets, even the usual guests such as the Dorsets, the Duke of Stanton - who was practically family and would be married to Violet next summer - as well as Lady Agatha Danbury, obviously. The Prince and Princess of Prussia had for unknown reasons decided to stay in the prince's homeland since Christmas and would receive their child there, which was due at the end of March. Lady Mary had travelled to Prussia to be present with Edwina for the arrival of her baby, ergo, much to her disappointment, she missed out on the christening of Kate's son. For some other unknown reason Colin Bridgerton had insisted on inviting the Featheringtons, so they had arrived as well and Lady Philippa even brought her husband, Lord Albion Finch, with her. And, as an even bigger surprise to everyone, Violet's parents - Lord and Lady Ledger - had also announced that they would participate in the joyful festivities.
"Is it silly of me to be this nervous over meeting your grandmother and grandfather...?" Kate wondered as she stuck the last hairpin into her dark curls with slightly shaking hands in front of the mirror in their bedroom, which also partly acted as her dressing room.
"Definitely not. You should be very, very nervous. I must warn you that my grandmother is a horrible person. Grandpa Ledger is fine, but grandma... Just do not listen to anything she says, or at least do not let it sink in and offend you." Anthony replied, while tightening his white necktie. "Are we ready? You look amazing, as usual..." He smirked at her and gave her a kiss.
"I believe we are. I will go and see if Violet and Mrs Wilson are ready with dressing up Eddie." Kate smiled and gave her husband one more kiss before leaving the room. Soon she returned with their son in her arms, dressed up in a white bonnet and an extremely frilly and long ivory-coloured christening dress, made of countless layers of old and expensive lace.
"Oh no, poor Eddie...!" Anthony gasped and burst into laughter. "Look at you, what a ridiculous thing did grandma Violet dress you in!" He chuckled and took the baby from Kate.
"Well..." Kate sniggered. "Violet insisted that he would wear the family's old christening dress. Apparently, you yourself and all of your siblings have worn it as well."
"But he looks like an old lady...!" Anthony complained. "Poor little Eddie..." He sighed again and kissed his tiny forehead. The boy stared back at him with serious eyes, evidently not as amused as his parents seemed to be. "Let us go, or we will be late." Anthony stated, pressed Eddie tighter against his chest and hurried down the stairs to the entry hall with Kate.
"Oh, there you finally are!" Violet, who apparently had already managed to emerge in the hall amongst their guests, hooted. "Kate, you must come and meet my parents!" She waved eagerly and Kate followed her towards an old man and woman still standing close to the doors. It was clear that these were Violet's parents, even if they had not yet been properly introduced to Kate. Lord Ledger had the same nose and mouth as his daughter, whereas Lady Ledger had the exact same blue-green eyes, but in contrast to Violet's kind ones, hers looked like those of a bird of prey.
"Ah, so this is the new viscountess we have heard so much about." Lady Ledger huffed, as Kate curtsied politely in front of her. "Let me look at you." She more ordered than asked and grabbed Kate's chin between her bony thumb and forefinger. "Not bad, not bad at all..." She hummed like she was inspecting a horse at an auction. "How did such an unpleasant man as Anthony Bridgerton catch such a delicate beauty as yourself? Did he compromise you and then you had to marry him?" She asked sharply and Kate failed at holding back a laugh.
"Grandma Ledger...!" Anthony, who had appeared next to his wife with their son in his arms, breathed out in shock. Kate put her hand reassuringly on Anthony's upper arm.
"No, my lady, I believe it was I who compromised him, at one point. I was stung by a bee and for obvious reasons Anthony became very distraught, so I had to put his hand where the bee had stung me to ensure him that I was alright, but... Unfortunately it happened to be at my bosom." Kate smirked and Anthony's face grew even more horror-struck.
"Kate...!" He hissed at her, but after a short pause Lady Ledger broke into surprised laughter, much like the Queen herself had done with Eloise's joke of emeralds two years ago.
"Oh...! A bee, at your bosom!" Lady Ledger laughed until she was wheezing. Kate sniggered and Anthony's face melted into a cautious smile. "I like you, Viscountess Bridgerton." She finally announced, after she was able to breathe normally again. Anthony flashed a relieved smirk at Kate as the old woman walked towards him and Eddie, leaning heavily on her stick. "Let us look at the child, then." She grunted and peeked at Eddie's face underneath his white bonnet. "Oh, most unfortunate... He looks just like you when you were a child. An angry little sourpuss craving for his mother's teat all the time." Lady Ledger said dryly and waved her walking stick towards Anthony.
"How wonderful to see you too, Grandma Ledger..." Anthony sighed unenthusiastically, but nodded politely at his grandfather. Lord Ledger seemed to be a more silent fellow, who was content with a brief 'pleasure to meet you' with Kate, before hurrying after his wife towards the carriages that were waiting outside to take the small congregation to the venue of the christening. Once again the villagers had gathered outside the church and waited eagerly to catch a glimpse of the little lord, so Kate and Anthony passed them with amiable smiles. A decorative old chalice filled with holy water was placed by the altar and the priest signalled for Kate and Anthony, along with the child's godmother Daphne and godfather Simon, to gather around it. After they all had sung a hymn together the priest began his solemn sermon, which proved out to be quite a lengthy one. Anthony stirred where he stood between Kate and Simon, transferring his weight from one foot to another while jiggling Eddie in his arms and listening to the priest go on and on regarding his comparison of this particular child with baby Jesus Christ.
"Can you take him? My arms are getting seriously tired..." Anthony whispered to Simon.
"Of course." Simon smiled and scooped up Eddie carefully in his arms.
"Damn, this is awful... This is probably the most boring speech I have ever heard." Anthony complained in a hushed voice. Kate and Daphne cast murderous looks at their whispering.
"I know..." Simon muttered silently with a grin. "This is even worse than the speech the headmaster of Oxford gave at our graduation ceremony, do you remember it?"
"Unfortunately, yes." Anthony grinned. "An unforgettable day indeed..."
***
Oxford, May 1809
Anthony lay sprawled out on his back in the grass underneath an old oak tree with his notebook opened up and covering his face, while Simon sat next to him writing furiously in his own notebook. A couple of maids walked past them, giggling and casting longing looks at both Anthony and Simon, which the latter quite could not understand. Anthony seemed to be able to look handsome even in the silly long black college robes, whereas Simon felt like he was some dreary dark ghost in his. Nevertheless, the maids looked like they were plotting which one of them should marry Anthony and which one Simon, as they reluctantly walked further away from the men of their dreams.
"Why are you not writing your speech? Our graduation is tomorrow!" Simon suddenly exclaimed and tossed his pencil at Anthony, who flinched and slightly lifted the book from his face to be able to glare at Simon, before adjusting it back on his face again to cover it from the sun. Simon had frantically been trying to come up with some points Anthony could take up in his speech, since he obviously had been chosen as the honorary student, whereas Anthony himself seemed in no hurry at all to write anything. Simon felt dizzy if he even had to think about standing in front of that huge crowd tomorrow, consisting of all the students and their families. He could not understand how his friend was so relaxed, when he was the one who would actually have to do it.
"I know that it is tomorrow, but I will just improvise something..." Anthony grunted.
"Improvise...?!" Simon almost shrieked and tugged the book away from Anthony's face.
"Hey...! Would you mind, I am terribly hungover..." He complained as he squinted at the sudden bright light from the intense early summer sun.
"You cannot improvise the speech of an honorary student, it is - well, a great honour! You have to be prepared!" Simon blurted out and shoved his own notebook in Anthony's disapproving face. "Look, maybe you can use something of this..."
"Thank you, Basset." Anthony stated and placed Simon's notebook on his face instead.
"Anthony, I am being serious...!" Simon persisted, feeling suddenly so stressed that he forgot about all manners and called his friend by his given name. Anthony sighed and lifted up the book from his face, apparently not surprised by Simon's choice of words. During these past five years they had indeed grown as close as brothers, but Anthony himself still insisted on calling Simon with his family name, even if Simon quite often slipped into first-name basis nowadays.
"Do not worry... It is not you who has to make that speech, but if it makes you feel better I will use some of this." Anthony muttered and waved Simon's thick notebook around in the air. "Now please shut up and stop fussing, you are giving me a headache..." He exhaled and closed his eyes again. Simon took a deep sigh as well and leaned his back against the old oak tree, trying to think about why they were not on its shadowy side if Anthony disliked the sun so, instead of thinking about what he actually was worried about - whether his father would be there tomorrow at their graduation or not.
Simon felt a sting in his heart when he sat on the platform facing the audience with all the other graduates and saw the empty chair next to his governess and his godmother, Lady Danbury. He was quite sure that sting was partly relief, but mostly it was somehow still plain disappointment. The shine shone brightly from the clear blue sky and everyone else but him seemed to be both happy and excited. He cast a worried look at Anthony who had in the end not prepared at all for his speech and was now about to stand up by the podium, but if he was nervous, at least he did not show it.
"Dear fellow students, professors, friends and family. My name is Lord Anthony Bridgerton, I am the viscount of the Bridgerton estate and now also an Oxford graduate." He smiled and received a few cheers from the platform. The graduation robes were even bigger and more ridiculous than their usual ones, in Simon's opinion, but still Anthony managed to look dashing while wearing his angular hat. "These past five years we have learned a lot in the auditoriums, but I believe we have learned even more outside of them. We have had so many unforgettable moments, we have battled other universities in rowing and fencing, among other sports, made trips around the country and even to France, studied late and partied even later, but amidst of it all I feel like we have also grown up. We came here as eighteen-year-old boys and stand here today as young men in their twenties, ready to face our future challenges as the heads of our own households. I want to thank every single one of my classmates for taking this wild ride together with me and for voting me as honorary student, it is truly an honour. Some of you I may not wish to ever see again after this..." He declared and some laughed, although he was not joking, but quite seriously looking at Nigel Berbrooke, who much to Anthony's horror seemed to be scanning through the audience and looking for someone in particular - most probably Daphne. "And some of you I hope to remain the best of friends with for the rest of my life." Anthony smirked and turned to look at Simon instead, who was very grateful for his darker pigment so that his blushing was not that obvious.
"I also want to thank all of our family members who have gathered here today to share our joy and I want to remember those who are not here with us, all those we have lost on the way." Anthony then said, with his voice slightly breaking. He happened to catch his mother's teary eyes in the audience and quickly looked away from her, clearing his throat and continuing more vigorously. "On behalf of the entire class of 1809, I thank you all; family, friends and patient professors, for your tireless support. We made it!" He grinned and put his fist up in the air in a victorious manner, making his classmates stand up and cheer while tossing their hats in the air. The audience burst into roaring applause and cheering as well, while the professors applauded more tranquilly. Simon stood up with his jaw dropped, since he could not believe that Anthony had come up with such a great speech on the spur of the moment. Thomas Dorset and a few others came up to hug or shake hands with Simon and after having broken through the barricade of joyful graduates, Anthony finally made his way to Simon and snatched him into a tight embrace.
"That was incredible...!" Simon breathed out while Anthony squeezed him so hard it made breathing difficult. Still Simon could not stop himself from smiling, because Anthony Bridgerton surely was not a hugger, but now the man seemed quite overwhelmed from all the excitement.
"See, I told you that you should not worry!" Anthony grinned and began to tug Simon towards the audience. "Come, you must finally meet my family!"
"No, I need to -" Simon tried to protest, but then he noticed that Lady Danbury and his governess were already talking to the woman he knew to be Anthony's mother.
"Darling, there you are!" Lady Violet Bridgerton exclaimed as she saw her son and pulled him into a hug that seemed to, miraculously enough, be even tighter than the one Simon had just got from Anthony.
"Mother, you are suffocating me...!" Anthony complained and squirmed away from her.
"Oh, your speech was so wonderful! I kept crying the whole time..." She sniffed and dried the corners of her blue-green eyes with an elegant handkerchief.
"Indeed a fine speech, Lord Bridgerton." Lady Danbury smiled and curtsied at Anthony, who replied with a polite bow. "And my dear godson, an Oxford graduate!" She grinned and straightened out Simon's academic cap before giving him a hug.
"Yes, who would have thought..." Simon laughed a bit embarrassedly and hugged her back.
"Well, I knew it all the time." Lady Danbury smirked and the governess agreed with a smile.
"Basset, you must meet my siblings!" Anthony yelped and interrupted their emotional moment quite crudely. "Wait a minute, where are Colin and Daph?" He suddenly realised.
"Ah, I am afraid they both caught the cold..." Violet replied in a slightly annoyed tone. "Your siblings got the absurd idea of making the pall-mall course cross the creek, so naturally they both fell into it and got all wet, giving them a fever in the evening... They are fine, but I am not fine with the fact that they missed out on your graduation." She snorted in an upset tone.
"'Pall-mall'...?" Simon whispered confusedly to Anthony.
"I will explain it to you later." Anthony smirked. "And what a shame, but I guess Simon will get to meet them both later! Benedict you of course know already." He nodded towards his brother, who flashed an equally disarming Bridgerton smirk at Simon. They had met last year at a rowing contest between Oxford and Cambridge, which Benedict attended. Simon had thought that Anthony was a hard drinker, but he proved out to be nothing compared to his younger brother and it all had ended up in an absinthe-filled night that Simon did not want to reminisce upon, or even if he would have wanted to, for the most part he could not. "Then there are my lovely sisters, Eloise and Francesca." Anthony waved his hand towards two young girls with the same dark hair as he and Benedict had. They curtsied to Simon and he bowed back at them. "And the little ones, Gregory and Hyacinth." He smiled towards a seven-year-old boy and scooped up a five-year-old girl in his arms, undoubtedly Bridgertons as well. The little girl gawked at Simon with large green eyes from her big brother's arms.
"Are you a prince...?" Hyacinth sighed at Simon, who burst into laughter.
"I am afraid not, I am a mere baron." He smirked at the girl.
"But he will be a duke." Anthony pointed out and smiled at his youngest sister.
"Can you marry me then, when you are a duke? I would love to be a duchess and you are so handsome...!" Hyacinth cooed and fluttered her little eyelashes at Simon.
"Alright, that is quite enough. Let him be, Hyacinth..." Anthony growled and put her back down on the ground. "Basset will not marry any of my sisters, if he knows what is best for him."
"Hyacinth, do you not remember how I told you that a woman should seek other pursuits in her life as well, not simply a marriage to a duke?" Eloise commented sourly.
"Eloise, now is not the time for your radical opinions...! A pleasant young duke, such as Lord Basset here, would be most welcome to our family." Violet chimed in and flashed a wide smile towards Simon. "I am so disappointed that my eldest daughter could not be here today! She is both intelligent, talented and beautiful...! Therefore, might I be so bold to say, she would make a perfect duchess one day!"
"Mother!" Anthony snarled. "Stop trying to marry Daphne off to every man we meet, she is fifteen for God's sake!" He groaned and rolled his eyes while glancing at an amused-looking Simon.
"Yes, she will make her debut in merely three years, so perhaps the duke -" Violet began.
"Baron." Simon corrected her.
"Perhaps the future duke will be present in London then." She smiled happily.
"Good heavens, this is ridiculous..." Anthony sighed. "Come, Basset."
"Wait, are you not coming home to London with us?" Violet wondered.
"We are going to London together with Basset later tonight, but we will go to the opera and stay at my apartment, so you do not have to concern yourself over anything, mother." Anthony replied quite bluntly.
"To the opera?" Violet looked even more confused. "I thought you hated the opera?"
"Yes, brother... Did you not always either fall asleep or throw peanuts at the people underneath our box when we went to see an opera?" Benedict sneered.
"Well, Basset wants to go." Anthony retorted, a bit ashamed. "And you both exaggerate, I have never said that I hated the opera."
"You have, several times." Eloise snapped with an amused look.
"I have grown up, then! Maybe I will like it this time!" Anthony exclaimed. "If Basset wants to go to the opera, we will go to the opera. He is a future duke, after all." He smirked at his friend and made a jesting little bow towards him. Simon felt like he was blushing again.
"Fine... But perhaps you will join us for tea tomorrow then, at Bridgerton House? Both of you?" Violet suggested with an inviting smile.
"Perhaps!" Anthony yelled over his shoulder, while he was already walking towards the dormitory with his friend.
"Bridgerton..." Simon began with a sigh, as they passed the old oak they had sat by yesterday.
"Yes, what is it?" Anthony asked with a curious look.
"I cannot join your family for tea, I will leave for Cairo tomorrow." Simon said with a heavy heart.
"Cairo...? In Egypt...? What on earth are you blabbering about, man...?" Anthony suddenly halted and stared at him in confusion.
"Yes, in Egypt. Then I will continue my travels through Africa all the way to Cape Town and then... Who knows, perhaps I will sail to India or China. Or both." Simon pondered.
"China...?!" Anthony spat out like Simon had just said he would fly away to the moon. "Christ, Basset, how long are you planning to stay away?!"
"Until my father finally passes away, most likely." Simon replied, surprisingly emotionlessly.
"What... But... That could be years from now!" Anthony blurted out in an anxious tone.
"I know." Simon admitted.
"What is this madness, Basset? Are you angry over the fact that he did not come today? I obviously understand that, but simply you cannot run away to Africa, India or China to get away from him...! Surely there must be at least some things that could keep you here in England?" Anthony enquired, seemingly upset.
"I have no business in England as long as he is alive." Simon declared coldly. Anthony felt an unwelcome painful sting in his heart. What had he expected, that Simon would have wanted to stay in London just to be able to spend time with him?
"But, I..." Anthony started both confused and sad.
"Of course I will miss you, Bridgerton, truly. You have been the greatest friend a man like me could ever have asked for. But I do not have an estate or siblings to take care of like you do, there is nothing for me in London but bad memories and resentment." Simon explained and grabbed Anthony by the shoulder. "I will write to you all the time and tell you where I am heading next, so you can send me a response, if you want to."
"Of course I want to, but..." Anthony sighed and paused.
"You will be fine, Anthony." Simon smiled, slipping into using his first name again. "After a few weeks you might have forgotten about me completely."
"No, I could never forget you...!" Anthony gasped. "But I... I have nobody else to talk to, I cannot talk to anyone else about... About my father and everything..."
"You can write to me." Simon pointed out and now grabbed his other shoulder as well. "I will not disappear from you entirely. Alright?" He said, looking both reassuringly and somewhat sternly into Anthony's panicking eyes.
"But... I am even worse at writing about difficult things than I am speaking about them..." Anthony muttered, biting at his lip. Simon let go of his shoulders and wrapped his arms around his friend instead.
"You just have to try your best." Simon exhaled and patted him on the back, before letting go of him. "I am so sorry, but I simply cannot stay here any longer..."
"I... I understand... I do not like it, but I understand it." Anthony grunted, looking at his toes.
"Come now, wipe that mopey frown off your face... This is our graduation day and that must be celebrated!" Simon grinned at Anthony, until there was a slight twitch by the corner of his friend's lips. "I am sure we can find some pretty ballerina or a gorgeous soprano to keep you occupied while I am away." He smirked and wrapped an arm around Anthony's shoulders as they continued their walk towards the dormitory and thereafter the carriages back to London.
***
After the priest had finally finished his sermon and dabbed some holy water on young Lord Edmund Maahesh Florian Bridgerton - who received his second names from Kate's father and the Bridgerton flower tradition - the celebrations continued with a grand dinner at Aubrey Hall. The little protagonist had already grown tired of his party, protested loudly on their way back home from the church and after having eaten eagerly was now finally asleep in the nursery, together with Augie and Belinda Basset. Meanwhile, Kate had always found it strange how the members of British high society were able to keep only one conversation going at a large dinner table and even now, with twenty two people present, everyone seemed to be able to listen to the one person who was talking. Unfortunately, that one person seemed to quite often be Lady Ledger.
"Eloise, have you put on a few extra pounds?" She screwed up her nose at poor Eloise over the table. "No wonder you did not get any marriage proposals during your first season..."
"Mother...!" Violet burst out. "You will not speak to my children so disrespectfully."
"Just look at dear Daphne." Lady Vivian Ledger continued lecturing Eloise, paying no mind to Violet. "She married a duke during her first season and even that tired old rake Anthony managed somehow to find such an intelligent and beautiful woman willing to marry a mere viscount." She huffed and waved her fork in Kate's and Anthony's direction. The 'mere viscount' looked like he was soon going to stab his grandmother with his own fork. "But speaking of dukes, your mother has found one too, as her new husband. Yes, he might not be as pleasant and handsome as Lord Edmund was, but -"
"Mother, that is enough!" Violet lashed out with such a sharp tone that none of her children had heard it in years, it was the tone she had used when they had fought as youngsters. "I am so sorry Michael, this is unbelievable..." She muttered and turned towards her betrothed with an apologetic look.
"Perhaps a toast!" Kate declared loudly as she jumped up from her seat, trying to save the dinner before someone of the Bridgertons would do something irreversible to their heinous grandmother. "My husband and I are forever grateful that so many of our dear family and friends could join us today on our son's christening. It feels like we have not seen, or even wanted to see, anyone but each other and little Eddie during this past month, so it is most welcome for us to spend some time with all of you again. And for me, to meet such lovely new people as well." She forced a smile on her face and nodded towards the Ledgers. "I believe I speak for the both of us when I say that this past month has been a turmoil of emotions, above all happy and excited, but also a bit worried and fearful over whether or not we are doing everything right. But, I know we are doing the best we can and that must surely be enough." She cast a fond smirk at Anthony, who grabbed her hand and smiled quite emotionally at her from his seat.
"During these past weeks I have found myself often thinking about the Bridgerton family motto, 'familia ante omnia', family above all else." Kate went on. "If there is something I have learned while being a Bridgerton for a little over a year, it is that this family sticks together through the good times and the bad, supporting each other fiercely. Even if Anthony and I might feel like it is us alone who have to bear the heavy responsibility of being the parents of a little human being, our family has in fact helped us immensely and I wish to take this moment to thank you all for it. I want to thank Violet for having spent the last month here with us, even if she does have a pleasant and handsome fiancé waiting for her as well. I want to thank Benedict for having finished this wonderful painting of me and Eddie." She waved her hand towards the artwork they had received as a gift earlier today, now hanging above the mantelpiece, finally with the baby and not Newton in Kate's arms. "I want to thank Colin for having tirelessly told stories and guarded over his nephew even after Anthony and I had already passed out from fatigue and thanks to Gregory for having so willingly shared his old toys with the baby. Thank you, Eloise, for introducing Eddie to Mary Wollstonecraft at such a young age and also, thank you Fran and Hyacinth for having persistently fulfilled my every wish on which music to play in the house or fetching every little thing I might have needed for Eddie or myself. Of course, also a big thank you to my dear sister-in-law Daphne, who received her second child only a month before we received our first. I am grateful for all the important correspondence we have had by letter these past weeks, exchanging thoughts about motherhood and parenting in general. I knew already that you Bridgertons are a generous lot, but I am nevertheless completely in awe over how lovingly you have taken in both me and now also our little Eddie into the family. You all mean the world to me." She finished with teary eyes and a trembling smile, while raising a toast. "Oh! And of course thank you, Anthony, for sharing this wonderful adventure with me." She added with an apologetic grin and squeezed his hand, but he simply jolted up from his chair and gave her a passionate kiss, while the others held up their glasses or applauded Kate's speech.
"Oh, good heavens...! What kind of brothel is this household..." Lady Ledger grimaced at Kate's and Anthony's endearment. Violet mimed a 'thank you' to Kate while she dabbed her moist eyes with a napkin. As they sat back down, Kate sincerely hoped that someone else might take the word before Lady Ledger would, but apparently it was already too late.
"Viscountess Bridgerton, is it true that your sister is a princess?" The old woman asked.
"Yes, my lady. My sister Edwina married the Prince of Prussia last year." Kate replied politely, but Anthony could see from the corner of his eye how his wife's jaw clenched in a threatening manner.
"I see, how delightful. But... What was that whole ordeal about you being set to wed that younger sister at first, Anthony, but then you ended up with this older one instead?" Lady Ledger enquired and Anthony took a deep sigh.
"Indeed, I believe we all would want to hear what truly happened." Portia Featherington - who had been so far surprisingly silent - suddenly chimed in with a smirk that was hungry for juicy gossip. Anthony cast a murderous look at Colin, who had emphatically wanted to invite the wretched woman and her daughters to Aubrey Hall.
"If you have read about that, dearest grandmother, surely you also read that it was the Queen herself who changed her mind and wanted her diamond of the season to marry her nephew the prince, instead of mere viscount such as myself, like you also so aptly pointed out." He smiled venomously.
"So, the younger former Miss Sharma changed her mind in the middle of the wedding ceremony that she wanted to marry the prince instead?" Portia sneered with curious eyes.
"Precisely, Lady Featherington, that is what happened." Anthony replied sourly.
"How curious." Portia stated with a grin that suggested she did not believe a word.
"Well, at least you two seem to be quite content with the Queen's and this younger sister's decision, seeing how conspicuously fond you are of each other." Lady Ledger pointed out with clear disdain. "Her Majesty seems to be a talented matchmaker indeed." She added, stabbing her food with her fork.
"I could not agree more, we are forever grateful to Her Majesty." Anthony smiled, this time sincerely, took Kate's hand in his again and cast her a meaningful look.
"Did you know that my dear Prudence, who is still looking for a husband, was quite close to becoming a princess herself? The Prince of Prussia could not take his eyes off her when he first arrived in England." Portia Featherington declared proudly. Prudence herself looked confused and poor Penelope looked like she would melt from shame at any moment.
"Mama, the prince was nowhere near Prudence at those balls..." She hissed at her mother. Kate and Daphne exchanged amused looks, while Anthony could not believe what kind of nuisances suddenly inhabited his home.
"Why are these people here?" Lady Ledger wondered uppishly, finally making Lady Featherington shut her big mouth.
"That is a great question..." Anthony muttered to himself.
________________________________________
NOTE: This one was already the second to last chapter, huge thanks to everyone who has followed along on the journey so far!!
And fear not, Kate and Anthony - along with all of their offspring - will return in "Burn - Edmund Bridgerton II's story", continuing to publish on every Thursday!