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A sharp scream sounds down the hallway and Kate Sharma jumps to her feet nearly instantaneously to see what has her stepmother in such a fuss.
“Kate Sharma! Get in here this instant!” Mary ‘s voice echoes throughout the hallways of their country home.
Kate gulps, looking down at the floor, knowing exactly what has gotten Mary riled up such. There has only ever been one culprit that has led to Mary losing her temper. Only one.
“Yes, Mary?” Kate grins shyly as she enters their drawing room to find Mary’s beautiful green dress covered in drastically brown mud.
“Look at what your menace has done to me today!” Mary sighs dramatically, pointing blame at the small creature happily smiling in the corner of the room.
“My menace? Dear Mary, I do believe that he is our menace as he lives by the Sharma name and is a part of the family,” Kate interjects with a wry smile, stooping to pick the rather pleased corgi off of the floor, being careful not to let his paws rub against her own dress.
“No, I do believe that Newton is rather your menace, Katharine,” Mary remarks, her jaw set as she gazes at the tan-and-white corgi covered from his waist to his paws in mud and dirt. “Edwina and I were rather happier prior to you bringing him home one day when he followed you home from the fair in town.”
At this, Newton sticks his tongue out and lets out a happy bark as if to chime in on the matter.
After receiving a proper scolding from Mary about how Newton needs some serious training and obedience lessons, especially at his formative age of six months, Kate somehow manages to wrangle the corgi puppy upstairs.
“Alright, mister. Bathtime for you, Sir Newton,” Kate laughs, though the joke is completely lost on the canine before her. “You really do stink, don’t you?” the dark-haired maiden continues, stripping down into her underclothes where she does not ruin her blue satin dress that had been a gift from her Papa for the last birthday of hers that he was alive to see.
Once the water is amply warmed where neither she nor Newton freezes in the endeavor to bathe him, Kate sets the positively grimy corgi into the bathtub and prepares herself for quite the battle. Mary had been quite true in her assessment of Newton, however. Life had definitely been much quieter and a bit more sane before Newton had entered their small family. But, what was Kate supposed to do when he followed her home from the fair and whined at the door until she let him inside? It was not as if she could let the poor pup stay outside overnight in the crisp April air, as surely he could have frozen to death. At least, that was the excuse she had given Mary, to which Edwina wholeheartedly agreed. (This was prior to the younger Sharma sister knowing about the absolute menace young Newton would grow into as he aged and grew in size.)
“You are positively the menace that everyone declares you to be, Newton,” Kate decides then and there as the corgi decides to have the gall to shake the muddy water all over the maiden. “And yet, I do remain loving you still. However, I now suppose I, too shall have to have a bath before the two of us retire to bed this evening since I have spoiled you into sleeping under my duvet with me.”
Newton simply yips in agreement, a doggy smile spreading across his furry face.
“Kaaaate!” Anthony Bridgerton calls one day as he returns home from a busy day at Parliament and helping several of his tenants with problems that have arisen in the past week. “Your presence is required this instant!” he screams from downstairs, and Kate cannot help but chuckle.
Although the viscount is nothing like Mary Sharma, Kate is rather certain that this particular roar of displeasure can only be due to a certain someone. Or rather a certain dog by the name of Newton. Taking her time to slowly creep down the stairs in an effort to see how many more times her husband will call for her prior to doing his best to seek her out, Kate can barely stifle a giggle to herself.
“Yes, my love?” Kate sweetly remarks as she comes into Anthony’s line of sight before she presses a kiss to his cheek. “Welcome home. I have missed you today.”
“Yes, thank you. However, your warm welcome can in no way excuse this monster of a menace from the absolutely appalling act he has just committed against me!”
“Who, Newton? Why, I’m sure he just played his usual tricks on you, Anthony. However, you know he acts so much more behaved in your presence than he does with anyone else other than me...”
“And that is supposed to make me feel better?” Anthony loudly remarks, casting a disgusted look down at Newton who has retreated dutifully to Kate’s side where he is currently getting ear scratches from his owner. “Can you guess what this infernal dog has done this time? Hmm?” he directs towards his wife, utter fury written on his face.
“Well, I’d wager a guess and say that since you are not soaking wet that he couldn’t possibly have dunked you in the Serpentine,” Kate can barely suppress a laugh, thinking back to the encounter that very well might have sprung her and Anthony’s relationship into fruition.
Come to think of it, she and Anthony ought to have more appreciation for how much Newton had brought them together that day. This was a fact she would have to mention to Anthony later in the day when it did not look as if a blood vessel in his forehead might burst at any moment.
“Fortunately for him, no. Once in a lifetime was quite enough, thank you very kindly,” Anthony scowls, though a small amount of humor slips through his voice. “This diabolical monster child of yours was doing his business in the park when I stopped to chat with Lord Hardy and his wife. Suddenly, I felt myself being pulled forward as Newton chased after a small flock of birds of all things! Might you wager as to where I ended up, Kate?”
“Oh, Anthony! He didn’t…. You didn’t…”
“Oh, but I assure you, Kate, I did. I ended up with my shoe rather disgustingly in Newton’s waste. Never again shall I be able to wear my favorite pair of shoes, nor face Lord Hardy and his wife again without thinking of the embarrassment!” Anthony proclaims, looking for all the world like an ashamed adolescent boy who had just been caught by his mother for partaking in some shameful activity.
“Anthony, I do not believe it to be the end of the world. I shall simply see about getting you another pair of shoes the next time I am in town this week.”
“Next week will be far too late, Kate! By then I will have tracked…”
“Darling, it is not as if you do not own other pairs of shoes,” Kate gently reminds, wrapping her arms around Anthony’s back and locking her eyes on his. “Simply wear another pair for the next few days.”
“Whatever would I do without you, Kate? However did I live this long without ever finding you?” Anthony softly murmurs against Kate’s ear as he presses a line of several kisses against her neck and collarbone.
“I do not know. Though, I must say that I do rather know a way to take your mind off of the ruined pair of shoes and the menace that you call Newton,” Kate devilishly grins against Anthony’s lips.
“And what, pray tell, might that be?”
“I believe you know.”
Anthony takes Kate’s offered hand and follows her up the stairs to their bedroom where the door is promptly closed and neither of them resurfaces until it is time for supper.
That night as they lie in bed next to one another, with Anthony tracing designs on Kate’s bare back as he holds her in his muscular arms, Kate relays a thought she had earlier in the day.
“I have just realized a striking similarity to you and Newton!” she admits with a carefree laugh.
“And what might that be, love?” Anthony inquires, the tenderness of the moment leaving him unable to think of why Kate might be comparing him to the canine sleeping right outside their bedchamber door, no doubt.
“The two of you most likely butt heads and are constantly at odds with one another because you are both so similar. You are both a rather handsome menace in your own ways.”
“Hmm… And would a rather handsome menace know all the things that make his wife go absolutely overboard with excitement?” Anthony teases, running his hands across her breasts as he watches Kate nearly moan with pleasure.
“Anthony…” Kate breathes, and then her mouth is hungrily on his.
“I must thank that dog for one thing. The ruined pair of shoes rather led to some very enjoyable and private time with my wife today,” Anthony practically growls as he pins Kate against the bed.
“Perhaps I should convince him to cause you trouble more often if this is how you will act when he does,” Kate seductively whispers in Anthony’s ear as she runs her fingers down Anthony’s bare back.
“Or perhaps you will just allow me to work my devilishly handsome charm on you in this manner without my being embarrassed in front of the whole ton by your little hellion of a corgi.”