Work Text:
Anthony admired his wife in her traditional red wedding attire. Her gold jewelry made her glow under the candlelit room.
What fascinated him most were the beautiful intricate designs of blossoms and suns, tattooed on her hand in some kind of brownish red ink.
Anthony was busy admiring the designs on her hands when his bride finally noticed his interest. “It’s called mehndi,” she said. “Brides in my country always wear it on their hands and feet on their wedding day.”
To his surprise, she discreetly lifted her heavy lehanga and showed him her beautiful feet, decorated with a simple design, as opposed to her hands.
“Is this permanent?” he inquired curiously, making her smile at him. “It depends on how deeply the color sets into your skin. It could last anywhere from one day to two weeks; there’s a superstition that the deeper the color, the more your husband loves you.”
Anthony smiled as he noticed how deep the color of her mehndi was. “Looks like your husband loves you deeply.”
Kate began to laugh loudly, causing a few guests to turn and stare at her.
Both of them quickly composed themselves, and then his wife gave him a challenging look. “My dear husband, do you really think it is that easy to declare your love by just watching the dark shade of my Mehndi? Well, my love, I am sorry to inform you, but that is only half of the superstition to prove your love.”
Feeling intrigued by this challenge, he asked excitedly. “So, tell me. What is the other half?”
His bride scrunched her nose mischievously as she showed him her hands. “Before our wedding night ends, you have to find your name on my skin. If you succeed tonight, then your love will be forever sealed… Otherwise.” She sighed with a defeated expression.
Anthony on the other hand growled as he pulled his wife close to him without caring about his audience. “Mark my words, Viscountess, before our wedding night ends, I will be proving my deep love for you by finding your name.”
His wife smiled as she held out her hand. “Best of luck, dear husband.”
Anthony grasped her hand and kissed it sensuously. “I don’t need luck to prove my love,” he said.
That night, after thoroughly making love with his wife, Anthony now lay on her lap as he examined every inch of her bare skin, not only her hands and feet, but he checked out every inch of her, in case his competitive wife tried to trick him into losing this challenge.
“Your name is on my hand,” Kate once again assured him, but it only made him growl in frustration. “Then where is it?!” he exclaimed. “Because I have searched everywhere and still haven’t found my name anywhere on your skin.
She said, "Well, maybe you should try to find it by using your heart and not just your eyes."
Anthony sighed as he felt sad about losing; not because he was losing this challenge, but because he was losing his chance to prove his love, a chance he had never wasted since his Kathani accepted his heart when she accepted his love and proposal in Featherington's Gardens.
Kate watched as her husband's face suddenly lit up as he kissed her palm before flipping her hand. "You devious woman, all this time my name was right in front of me, hiding behind the token of our affection on your finger."
Kate beamed as her husband gently moved her wedding and betrothal rings from her ring finger, and then his eyes lit up like a child who had finally found his greatest treasure.
Anthony's heart swelled as he traced the small letters of her name on her finger, where he had placed their betrothal ring two months ago and wedding ring just this morning.
He looked up and stared at his wife as he triumphantly showed her his name on her finger skin. “Found it!”
“Yes you did!” she all but shouted, leaning down to kiss him passionately. When they pulled away, Anthony kissed his name on her skin and happily declared, “Kathani Bridgerton, I love you deeply, passionately, and immensely.”
His wife had tears of joy in her eyes as she held their joined hands closer to her heart. “I love you too, deeply, passionately, and immensely.”
And as the years passed by, every time Kathani Bridgerton wore henna on her skin, her husband would always ask her to draw his name on it.
🌷❤🐝