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Chapter Text

Guilt. 

Desire. 

Frustration. 

It was all the same to her right now in this moment, sitting in a room she didn't want to be in, and discussing a situation that by her own sister's estimation was all her fault. Though if she were honest with herself, she did feel like the whole room felt the same way. 

Loneliness.

Edwina being coddled was nothing new. She was quite use to it by now. Edwina, the beautiful one, the granddaughter of an Lord. Kate was used to being overlooked. Kate herself could admit to spoiling Edwina just as much. She only wanted the best for her sister. The best education, the best chance at a good marriage. She never looked for herself. She was now six and twenty, and never once entertained the idea of establishing a good marriage for herself. 

When her father had passed, everything fell to her. She was responsible for the finances, and making sure her mother and sister were fed. She was responsible for it all. If something failed it was all on her. 

Always her. 

This trip to London was to serve one purpose, and she still believed that. Edwina would get married, and she'd return to India. Now all she wished for was for a quiet return to India, and never make her presence known in London again. 

The looks she had been receiving from her mother and sister all morning told her enough that her traveling back to India wouldn't be objected to, and truthfully that hurt. She owed everything to Mary. Everything she did she did for her and Edwina. To pay her back for taking her in as her own. For being a mother to her when she had no one. 

Now truthfully the only family she felt she had was Lady Danbury, and she wasn't even family. Not really. If she were honest though, she would have buckled under the pressure of handling this season if not for Lady Danbury. She was as much a mother to her this season than her own mama had been to her in years. 

It wasn't like her to pity herself and Kate hated that feeling. Years of independence had hardened her against it. She hated feeling so vulnerable. 

"Perhaps we need another story as to why things ended," Mary's pointed glance in her direction wasn't lost to her as she stared down at her teacup. Her shoulders sagged, and she heard Anthony sigh at her left. If she wasn't so sure that this was all her fault, she would blame it all on him. 

"Another ball," he said. "So that the ton might inspect this wreckage with an even closer eye?" 

She hated that she agreed with him, that she tuned out the response until she heard a teacup clatter against the plate. 

"A ball may very well work," Edwine jumped in, and all eyes in the room turned to her. "After all the viscount and my sister have been so good at hiding their true feelings from everyone in public this far. It should not trouble them to do the same for a little longer."

Anger.

Mary's "Edwina," did nothing to calm her. After all she had done for Edwina and Mary to be treated like this. She stood up and slammed her cup down. 

"Miss Sharma, -" Lady Danbury started. 

"NO," she began, "No. You do not get to speak. I have put up with these looks and these snide comments since yesterday from the two people in the world who are supposed to love me unconditionally. And I will freely admit I made mistakes."

Edwina scoffed and rolled her eyes and looked in the opposite direction. The rest of the room was staring at her like she had grown another head. "But I did them for you. Both of you. You were to get married, and I was to return to India. That was the plan. That was the goal this whole time, Edwina! And you had standards for yourself before you got swept in the whirlwind of English nobility. You wanted to marry a scholar. Someone who could read with you and debate with you. Someone who could love you. And I wanted that for you. Do NOT forget that I shared with you many reservations about the match, but you did not listen. You did NOT listen to me." 

She saw Anthony look away and Lady Bridgerton was looking anywhere except at her. Edwina's lips were pursed and staring blankly ahead at a window at the opposite side of the room. Edwina would never allow herself to an outburst like the one she was currently in the middle of. Every bit a lady. Another lady-like trait she herself certainly didn't have. 

"That night with the Sheffields," she began again. Her voice was still angry and becoming hoarse. "You told me you loved him. And that if he would still have you, you wanted to marry him, and live a life with him. I have had your back all my life, bon, and believe me, everything in this situation was done for you because of your desires, not mine. Never mine. You do not now, get to sit here and judge me for not letting my feelings be known, when all you have ever known of me was protecting you and giving you your every wish. Perhaps if you weren't so absorbed in yourself maybe you would have seen how I felt, truly. Maybe sisterly affection would have won out. Perhaps if you had actually given your other suitors a chance once Lord Bridgerton entered the fray, and not been so overcome at the idea of becoming a viscountess, we would not be in this situation."

She turned to Mary who was staring at her in shock. "And you. Everything I have done since father's death was because you were too overcome to do it. I planned this trip here to give Edwina a chance. I contacted your damnable parents, though they do not even like me. I prepared Edwina for the London social season, teaching her to read and write and dance. Teaching her the etiquette that I had to learn myself from books and letters. Do not sit there and judge me for finally trying to do something for myself, though it is clear that was a mistake as well. You were my mother! The only mother I have ever known! And still when it really mattered a mother not at all." 

Pain.

She bit her lip to push back tears and clinched her fists. 

"Miss Sharma," Anthony began and stood and began to reach for her. 

"You too," she hissed. "I told you not to play with her feelings and to be honest with her. I told you even after you proposed that it was a mistake. And you now have made me a traitor within my own family. I told you," the damn had broken. "I told you and you didn't listen. You do not listen." She wiped at her face. "And now I pay for the consequences of your own actions," her voice broke. "Truly a gentleman, Lord Bridgerton. You won. Congratulations." She picks up her skirt and races from the room and down the stairs. 

She heard her name being called out first by Anthony, and then by Mary. It didn't matter anymore. Next week she would be on a ship for India, far away from this forsaken place, where she lost her head and heart. 

Far away from them. 

Far away from him. 

She knew eventually she would have to go back. They had a play to put on after all, to save both of their families from ruin. And she of course would do her part because she always did her part.

Newton was racing along with her, barking excitedly like they were playing a game. Even her most beloved pet could not cheer her now, but she would never turn him away. She found herself in a sitting room downstairs standing next to the window looking out in the direction of the stables. 

She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she finally broke down, turning and wrapping her arms around the elder woman's shoulder's, clinging to her like a child. "I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was overcome." 

"Shh," Lady Danbury's voice, though soft, was still authoritative in her command. "It's alright. I have got you now. Take all the time you need."

Relief. Kate said nothing more as she clung to the matron and cried.

The pain he felt at Kate's accusation only worsened his guilt over the events of yesterday but only because it was Kate who said those words. Edwina has been glaring at him all day, and though he could not stand to look at her for the pain he caused her, the guilt he felt was for Kate and Kate alone. 

He never should have listened to her that morning in the park. He should have put his foot down, if not for his damnable pride. And now this. 

He watched, still standing there as shocked as everyone else, when Mary called after her daughter, when Lady Danbury stopped her. 

"I've got her." 

"Lady Danbury," Mary began. "With all due respect, she is my daughter."

"With all due respect, Lady Mary. I've come to know Miss Sharma quite well since you have arrived. I will attend to her." The lady left the room in quiet contemplation. His mother stared ahead playing with a ring on her finger. Lady Mary sat back down in her seat. Edwina rolled her eyes at him and looked away, reminding him much of his younger sister when she was in the middle of a tantrum because he told her no. 

He hurt her. A woman he could clearly say that he loved with his whole heart. He proposed to her sister and made her watch. He walked down the aisle and ruined her life.

"I should have put my foot down," he murmured as he walked to the window and looked out, hands clasped behind his back. 

"Anthony," his mother turned. "Did you say something?" 

He turned and sighed when he noticed all three of the ladies' eyes were upon him. "I was just-," he walked back to his seat. "The morning after the dinner with the Sheffields. I met Miss Sharma on a ride," he began. 

Edwina scoffed, "Of course you did. Never mind that you were engaged to me. You never had any trouble seeking out her company."

Anthony ignored her sharp rebuke and continued. "I had every intention of calling off the wedding that day."

"What," Edwina exclaimed with wide eyes, looking to her mother who sighed and sat back. 

"But Miss Sharma would not allow it. She did not want to see you hurt Miss Edwina. And I should have stood my ground. I should have done it. But Kate,-" he caught himself. "Miss Sharma. We've never seen eye to eye, but I have never been able to deny her anything. She is the most vexing woman of my existence, and even still, I love her." 

His mother stood, "Anthony, now is not the time,-" she began.

"Time, mother? Then when would be the time? Would the time to profess my love to the woman I love be when she is on a ship to India, when it is too late? Is my happiness for the first time in my life too much to ask for? This farce will only go so far and then what? What will I do after everything dies down? After everything I have done for my family since father died," he choked up and moved closer to her. "You were barely even there. I raised Gregory and Hyacinth and Francesca, they are as much my children as they are my siblings. You were not there"

"You have sacrificed much for us, Anthony," she began, "but, -"

"No. I may not have all the answers as to how to go about this right now. And I have no idea if Kate will ever forgive me. If she does not however, I will never marry, and the Viscounty will pass down to Benedict."

"Anthony," she gasped. 

"No. You told me, mother. To marry for love. And now you worry about scandal more so than your own son. I may never earn her forgiveness, but I know I must try." He turned to Edwina and Mary. "You do not have to accept my many apologies for everything I have done. It is my fault; it is all my fault. But you have them, nonetheless. I cannot go back and change the past as much as I wish I could. But this is not Kate's fault. She tried to get me to stop many times, and I did not listen. I should have listened." He looked directly at Edwina now. "If she'll have me, I do intend to marry her. I will not ask for your blessing, I know you will not give it. But it is time some stepped up on cared for Kate too, and I am more than ready to do so." He turned back to his mother. "Even if I do not have yours. I need to do this for me, mother." He bowed to the room and rushed out the door.  

Chapter Text

Anthony had never been more grateful for Kate's damn dog in his life. He followed the barking through the house in order to find where Newton's owner was. Who in their right mind put this many staircases in one house anyway? Nevertheless, if Kate agreed to marry him, he would ensure that Newton would have a never-ending supply of treats and his own room. 

He found her in a sitting room just off the entrance. Lady Danbury holding her in a way that his own mother use to hold him when he was hurt or upset, and his heart sank. Kate's sobs wracked her body as she held onto the older woman, and it was all his fault. He entered the room, and only Lady Danbury seemed to notice him. He braced himself ready for a rebuke, but it never came. The emotional toll of the day must have hit her as well because she waved him forward. 

He gently replaced Lady Danbury in Kate's arms as she continued to sob, he watched the lady reach for her cane as she murmured. "No funny business. I will be just outside the door, Lord Bridgerton," her warning very clear. As much as Miss Edwina took center stage this season, Kate herself was under the lady's terrifying protection. He watched the lady go out the door and close the door until there was just a little crack. He tightened his arms around the woman he loved and murmured gently into the top of her head. Her carefully coiffed hair from this morning had come undone with strands falling down her back. 

"Shh," he whispered. "I am so sorry, my darling. This is all my fault. All my fault. I did this. If I could go back, -" he gently pressed a kiss at the crown of her head. "Kate please talk to me." He rocked her soothingly, like he use to rock Hyacinth after a bad dream. "I love you. Only you. I cannot be upset about what happened yesterday, except that I hurt you. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry." 

Her shoulders shook and he felt her arms wrap around his back, and she buried her face in his neck. "I know, darling," he continued and rubbed her back. She fit, pressed against him like this. He was an almost finished puzzle, and she was his missing piece. If he could go back in time, to that fateful night that she heard his damnable list of requirements for a wife, he was sure they would be married right now. She would be the quintessential viscountess, putting the ladies in the ton in their places like she did to her sister and mother just earlier. Never had he been so proud of her as he had been at that moment. 

Except maybe when she sent his damn pink ball flying into the forest during their game of Pall Mall, immediately taking him out of contention. What a woman! 

Of course, he had seen it throughout the season. Miss Edwina was definitely spoiled, and Kate all too often overlooked. He had not minded it then with the number of times he was able to see her alone. In the park on horseback, in the garden with that damn bee, in his study when he knew if his own damn sister had not interrupted, he would have compromised her without a qualm, and married her the next day if possible. 

"You pushed for me to convince her to continue with the wedding," her whispered words broke his heart. "You do not love me. You only like me for the challenge." 

"I love you because you are you," he tightened his hold as her arms loosened around him. "I was panicking. The threat of scandal overwhelmed me. My siblings were absolutely no help. My mother, -" he sighed and continued. "It was a mistake. I was overcome, and when you left that closet, all I could think of was that I hoped you would not convince her. All I wanted was to take you away from that damn palace and run away with you. There is no excuse for it, I know. But please do not doubt my sincerity when I say that I only have ever loved you, not Miss Edwina. And that if I could go back I would. I would have never proposed to her in front of you like that. If the roles were reversed," he choked back a wave of emotion that threatened to overwhelm him. "When I saw you with Dorset that day at the Serpentine, I was jealous. Kate if the roles were reversed. If I would have had to watch you accept a proposal from a man who was not me. Kate I would have killed that man. I would have killed him, and been hung, and it all would have been worth it, because he could not have you."

"How barbaric," she chuckled. 

"Only for you," he pressed another kiss into her hair as she stared up at him. Her brown eyes red from her tears. He pushed a tendril of hair from her face. "Always for you," he whispered. 

"I am tired of being so strong," she sighed. Her face took on a look of resignation that he hated. She was fire, and light, and lightning, and she deserved every single good thing this world had to offer. 

"Perhaps together," he squeezed her to him, her hands went to his shoulders. "We can face the fire together. I want to court you Kate. I want to give you everything you deserve because I need you to understand that I cannot give you up. If I cannot marry you, I will not marry. I cannot imagine a better woman by my side, even now. All I want to do is take you away from this mess. You do not deserve this. This is my fault. And Miss Edwina's, but mostly mine. Never yours. You did nothing but set your feelings aside for the benefit of your sister."

"My feelings?" 

"Tell me you do not care for me," he whispered and placed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Tell me that the look I see in your eyes every time I see you look at me, is not the same one you see in mine. Tell me that the need to be near me isn't overwhelming when in my presence. All these things I feel for you. I want to be near you all the time. I cannot breathe if you are not near. All of these things, these emotions. The fact that touching you grounds me in a way that I have not had since my father passed. I love you. And you do not have to say anything, but you must feel it, in your heart because I do. I love you." He placed one of her hands over his chest, while kissing the other. 

"I do not know what to say," she began. 

"You do not have to say anything."

"I do not know think there is anything else to say other than I love you too," tears pooled in her eyes and she looked down. "But it is hopeless." 

He placed another kiss into the palm of her hand, for the first time in months, feeling light and free, and ready for battle. "It is not hopeless if you are willing to fight. We have a lot to overcome, I cannot deny that. Your mother and sister. The ton. But the Bridgertons are no stranger to scandals worse than this. My own grandmother took a lover after her last child was born."

"I am not a Bridgerton, Anthony," she sighed. 

"Are you not," he teased, and she gently slapped the back of his head. "No, but you will be, so therefore you are. And I will make it very clear that you are under my protection. Throw in the Duke and Duchess, who adore you by the way, -." 

"I have never met the Duke," she said. 

"Does not matter. The Duke goes where the Duchess does. Quite singular, since he was quite against the marriage in the first place. And do not pretend that we cannot count on the rest of my siblings support. Eloise loves you more than me. Gregory is overcome by you. And you have Newton so Hyacinth has always been on your side as has Benedict. He loves you already. And Francesca, well she's an enigma. You give her a niece or nephew, and she will be on your side forever." 

"And Colin?" 

"Colin is an ass. Always trying to one-up me and steal my mallet. It is a wonder that he is still breathing. The number of times I have considered fratricide because of him is too high to even count. But he likes you too." 

"You know if we marry, you will never get to play with your mallet again," she teased. 

"Is that a promise, Kathani Sharma?" He looked down at her, a half-smile playing at his lips. "I will not go down without a fight you know. But if you promise me now, that you will play Pall Mall by my side for the rest of our lives, I am prepared to go into the lion's den by myself and lay down the law." 

She giggled and looked up at him. "If you propose to me with the same ring you placed on my sister's finger, Anthony, you will live the rest of your life alone." 

"Understood," he grinned. "And besides, I think it is time for the Bridgerton family to start some new traditions." He picked up her left hand and placed a kiss to her ring finger. "Beautiful girl," he placed another kiss to her head, and gentle one to her lips. "You name it, and it will be yours." He wrapped his arms around her again. 

"Then yes," she whispered as she reached up to tangle her fingers in his hair, just as she did during their shared interlude in the church yesterday. It was fast becoming one of his favorite ways that she showed her affection. "It is a promise." 

"Well then," he smiled. "It seems the two of us are finally seeing eye to eye on something."

Chapter Text

Lady Danbury had closed the door the rest of the way once she was sure Lord Bridgerton would most likely be groveling for the rest of their conversation, leaving the new couple to their much-needed privacy. 

How had they all gotten this so wrong? Of course, there were signs. Signs she was set to ignore, to prove a point to their Queen, and now two families were hurting for it. A woman she had come to love very much as a daughter was hurting because of it. She caught the secret glances and the hands lingering a little too long in the middle of the dance. She knew all too well that the line between love and hate was very thin, and Anthony and Kate definitely had walked that line. 

She made her way up the stairs and met Violet who was standing outside the sitting room door. "Miss Edwina is very angry," Violet spoke in a hushed tone. 

"Well, she is about to be more so. He has asked to court her," she responded a small smile playing at her lips and Violet gasped. "I did not think it necessary to dissuade them from doing it so soon. I have known Lord Bridgerton since he was young and the more you tell him not to do something, the more he digs his heels in and does it anyway. Case in point." She motions to the sitting room where Edwina and Mary are currently occupying. 

"Every bit his father's son," Violet sighed. "Where did we go wrong in this? I knew his feelings, and I should have stepped in and demanded he stop. Anthony would not have done this if he had not had his family's support. And now Miss Edwina is hurting and Miss Sharma," she stopped. "She is very much like my son. Confident, head-strong, athletic, accomplished. She would be the perfect viscountess."

"She will be the quintessential viscountess to follow in your footsteps, Lady Bridgerton. He chose a good one, regardless of the way he has come to that choice, I give him points for his choice this time." 

"And Miss Edwina," Violet asked. 

"She is what she is. A diamond. She speaks when spoken to says exactly what she thinks someone wishes to hear."

"She is very angry with Miss Sharma," Violet said quietly. 

"Miss Sharma is very angry with her as well. With her and Mary. Apparently, there was a comment yesterday about her only being a half-sister, before Mary threw her out of the room." 

Violet gasped for the first time outraged, "she did not!" 

"She did," Lady Danbury sighed. "It is going to get messy, Lady Bridgerton. I hope you are ready for a war." 

"This is what our mama's trained us to do all those years ago, is it not," she smirked prettily. 

Lady Danbury motioned with her cane into the room. "I should tell them, so they are not taken unawares. I doubt Miss Sharma shows her face for the rest of the day. But I know Lord Bridgerton will. I have a feeling Miss Sharma is going to feel suffocated by the end of the week with how protective he is being."

Violet grinned,"Very much his father's son." 

Lady Danbury chuckled and walked into the elegant sitting room, Violet closely following behind, and Lady Mary stood up. "Kate?"

"She is currently being comforted by Lord Bridgerton, after accepting an offer of a courtship from him," Lady Danbury said with a smile and Edwina gasped affronted. 

"Mama, surely you will not allow it!" 

"And why should she not allow it," Lady Danbury interrupted. "Soon this scandal will die, and she has to marry just as you do." 

"Mama! He was just engaged to me! He abandoned me at the alter!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, Miss Edwina," it was Violet this time. "I believe it was you who called off this wedding." 

Edwina sniffed and glared into her cup of tea. 

"My son is many things, Miss Edwina, but he is not cruel. And you would do well to cease talking about him that way in my presence." 

"I'm sure Edwina did not mean to insult, -" Mary began. 

"Whether she meant to or not, Miss Sharma was right. Miss Edwina is not the only one suffering this pain and scandal. Scandal is a time for a family to come together. I can safely say with my whole heart that every single one of my children, despite teasing him relentlessly, has their older brother's back. Because he is family. Despite that the scandal was caused in part by his actions, -" 

"In part," Edwina exclaimed. "It was all due to his actions!"

"Miss Edwina," Lady Danbury called the young woman to attention. "I do recall plenty of times when your sister called to your attention his unsuitability to you. You failed to listen. You failed to really get to know him during your courtship. You did not listen to the Duchess of Hastings when she was shocked at your claim of him being even tempered. Family and friends who knew him best gave you ample warning and opportunity to dig deeper into the courtship and to learn about him properly and you failed in that endeavor. You failed. That is not on anyone else except you, Miss Edwina. And you would do well to remember it. I will not have any more of this. Miss Sharma has only ever wanted the best for you, at the expense of her own heart. She was moving back to India because she wanted you to have a happy marriage. And she has admitted to her sharing a part of the blame in this failed attempt at matrimony. But her blame is still less than yours. You failed your courtship, and you now suffer the consequences." The older woman stood and motioned for the maid nearby to bring her a cup of tea. Kate's shattered cup had already been cleaned up by the diligent staff. "Calling her your half-sister and throwing her out of a room when she needed her family the most is a sign of great immaturity. All of these glares you think we do not see, believe me are seen, and I must call your age into question child. Are you even old enough, mature enough, to be a wife? A mother even? Your actions these last two days almost make me regret even putting you in the path of the Bridgertons. Lady Bridgerton is a dear friend of mine, and for her to see you acting like this. You her almost daughter-in-law who would have been responsible for helping to bring her younger children out into society. I wonder if you are ready for marriage at all."

"It is all I have been trained for," Edwina snapped. 

"Take care of how you speak to me, child." Lady Danbury knocked her cane against the floor three times in her frustration. "I am not as nice as your elder sister to allow it to continue."

"I think we should all take a breath and calm down before we all say something we regret," Mary glanced at her youngest daughter. "We have all made mistakes these last two days and our emotions are beyond our control. We should give Kate and Lord Bridgerton our blessings and, -"

"MAMA, you cannot be serious!" 

"I am perfectly serious Edwina. Should I deny your sister, my eldest daughter, a chance at love after everything she has done for us since your father has passed? I would never think to deny any of my children that chance no matter the way it came about." 

"And Miss Sharma is of age, and perfectly able to consent without a blessing anyway," Violet interrupted what was likely to be another outburst from Edwina. It was easy to see how hurt she was. But Violet was sure that what Edwina felt for her eldest son was not love, but a mere infatuation. And despite the scandal, the more she spent with Miss Edwina in this room today, the more she was relieved that the wedding was called off. She had no doubt that Kate would continue to play the part, just as she had as a maid of honor, watching her sister walk down the aisle to be married to the man she, herself loved. And in that thought alone, Violet's respect for Miss Sharma grew a little more. 

And she was proud of her son too. After months of her begging him to reconsider and marry for love, he finally owned up to what he realized he needed. He commanded the room today, in a way he never had. Despite his age, Anthony would always be her baby, the baby who had made them a family. In her heart of hearts, she knew she had failed her baby at the time of his father's passing. She should have been more present and been there to guide him as he was making decisions for the family that would shatter most adults. But Anthony did not shatter. He persevered and shut himself off in every possible way, that there were some days that she was sure her son was merely a shell of his former youthful exuberant self. 

Yes, she was proud of him. And of Kate too. They made a beautiful couple and challenged each other in a way that they both needed in order to grow. "They will give me beautiful grandchildren," she thought with a smile. Scandal had a way of changing your perspective, often for the better. She ignored another one of Miss Edwina's outbursts and sipped her tea peacefully. 

Yes, they would all be fine. 

Anthony entered the sitting room thirty minutes later, and Kate was noticeably absent. "Kate will be eating dinner with us tonight, mother. To be with the family," he looked to Lady Danbury. "I hope that is alright that it is just her."

Lady Danbury nodded and waved her cane for him to sit in the chair he previously occupied. 

"Kate and I will go with whatever we need to do to help the families survive this scandal. It was a mutual decision. A ball. Whatever is needed. But I will not hide my feelings from her anymore. I am in enough trouble with her as it is, and I refuse that. I hope I make myself clear." 

"I will talk to the Queen," Lady Danbury said. "She loves a true love match, and this will curry her favor again."

"That may help in winning over some of the ton then," Lady Mary added. "Especially if it gets to Lady Whistledown." 

"That is true," Violet said. "And the more the families are seen together, the better the chances of this blowing over quickly and swiftly. And we can have a wedding at Aubrey Hall at the end of the season." 

Edwina scoffed and rolled her eyes and Anthony stared at her, hard and unwavering. 

"I do hope, Miss Edwina, that forgiveness can be granted by you to your sister as soon as all this hurt is past us. But understand this," he stood and calmly walked to the cart and filled a plate full of pastries. "When I marry your sister, and I will marry her. If this has not blown over, I shan't have an issue with barring you from my homes. You will afford Kate the respect that she always affords you, even now. I hope I have made myself clear, just as I did with your grandparents at dinner last week. You shall have no invitations from me." 

Chapter Text

Kathani Sharma-Bridgerton sighed in bliss as she looked out over the field from the shade, Anthony's lucky mallet hidden under the table by the cloths. It was her first Pall Mall game with the family since the birth of the newborn in her arms, and she would be damned if she let him have his lucky mallet. Looking down at the beautiful boy in her arms, a perfect blend of them both. Her tan skin and Anthony's serious face, his tiny six-week-old fist in his mouth after just having finished nursing with his besotted mama. Violet, Lady Danbury, and Mary all looked over at her with a smile when they saw her husband of over a year stomp up from the field after placing a wicket over a tree root. 

"Kathani Bridgerton," his voice was authoritative.  "You wouldn't have happened to see my lucky mallet, have you?" 

"I'm sorry, I don't understand," she grinned. "You lost my lucky mallet?!"

"I didn't lose it," he said through gritted teeth. Their fifteen-month marriage had not calmed their competitive spirit. Most recently she won the wager over the sex of their child. Though he didn't seem to mind that. Edmund was perfection to the perfectly besotted father. 

"You know," she placed a kiss on their son's tiny head and handed his sleeping form over to Lady Danbury. The three matriarchs made having a nurse on hand unnecessary. He would be well cared for with a full belly, while his mama and papa played. She stood and bent to retrieve the black mallet from under the covered table. 

"You," he growled. 

"You think I would allow you to have this after watching all the traps that you just laid out in the field of combat, my love," she grinned as his eyes went wide and the mother's all laughed. "It will make my victory all the sweeter, watching you lose on your own field with your lucky pink mallet." She placed a kiss on his cheek and flounced off, leaving her staring open mouthed behind her. 

God, what a woman! 

The longer he was married to his wife, the more he grew to love her if that was even possible. Even now as she sent his own ball flying down away towards the lake, with his own ball hitting Collin's along the way who let out a string of curse words that had even their mother laughing from her spot under the tent, who was currently holding her youngest grandson. His son. 

Truthfully it didn't matter that she had. She was too far in the lead anyway. Having no issues with even the wicket over the root as she used his lucky mallet to ensure her victory. Her maidenly form had taken more curves as she became a mother, though still long and lean and her chest had filled out in a way that he never thought possible as she continued to provide sustenance for her son. It was hard to keep his eyes and hands off of her. 

The Duke of Hastings was hunched over his own mallet, laughing and struggling to breathe as Colin waded into the shallow waters to attempt to wrestle his ball from its grasp. There were still four turns until he had to go. Kate stood next to Simon grinning. 

She was radiant. 

This last year had been hard on her. While Mary had worked diligently to repair what was broken in-between her and her eldest daughter, Edwina had chosen to nurse the hurt caused, and the separation between sisters who were once so close was inevitable. He hated that he was a reason for it, but Kate had reassured him that maybe it was necessary. She had almost been like a mother to Edwina for so long, that it was almost a relief not to have to worry about her so much anymore. Not that she didn't worry about her at all. But she no longer had to bear the responsibility for all of Edwina's prospects. 

Not that it mattered. Edwina had married the Queen's nephew six-months after their own marriage. Though it wasn't a love match, he happily gave his permission because it was what Edwina wanted. Edwina still wrote to Kate every now and then, the last letter described the latest ball and every detail about the gown she wore, but no congratulations over the birth of her first and only nephew. 

It stung Kate, but his own sisters had fast become some of her absolute favorite people. She and Daphne and Eloise were inseparable when together so much so that he was constantly questioning his own intelligence for not seeing it in the first place. 

But she was his now. Not that he would ever say that to her out loud. She was still very much an independent woman whom he still failed to keep off her horse even during her ninth month of pregnancy (though he did get her to agree to no more than a trot at most.)

And when she gave birth to his son, he was right there by her side, holding her hand. She took to motherhood as easily as she took to beating him at every single thing she set her heart to. 

Once upon a time he made a proposal to his mistress out of a misguided notion that he was in love with her. He could safely say that he owed that girl a big thank you for turning him down and away from her. 

He'd found a woman who not only loved him but adored his family. She stood by him in his toughest times. She was his confidant and his protector. His best friend. His lover. The love of his life. The mother of his child. 

An emerging and prominent figure in the London social scene as the Viscountess Bridgerton pushing their family into an even higher elevation of status than before, with the Queen even inviting her to events throughout the last year. She'd even sent a gift of a silver rattle and teething ring for their son. 

She was fearless, and she loved him. 

And he would happily lose to her for the rest of his life if it meant that he got to see that radiant smile of hers for the rest of hers. 

He found himself behind her, wrapping both arms around her as he placed a gentle kiss to the side of her head. Her hand found its way to his arm, holding it as he swayed them both as they watched Simon take his turn, sending Daphne's ball in the opposite direction of the field than what she needed.

"SIMON," Daphne screeched. 

Kate bit her lip to hide a giggle. 

"I think the in-laws are better at Pall Mall sabotage than the actual blood Bridgertons." 

He chuckled again because he couldn't disagree. 

But he could hold her. And that was a win enough for him.