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Already known as a lady of rather sharp temper, Kate found it surprisingly difficult to face the ton once again.
For a few months after their return, the Viscount and Viscountess duo barely set foot in public. They paid a visit to Lady Danbury while a good half of the town was still in the country, but by this time the old dowager counted as part of the family. Otherwise, Anthony continues his appearances as he did before their marriage, unwilling to push his wife into anything she is not prepared for.
As grateful as she is for his care, Kate finds herself making so many excuses to avoid unnecessary interactions with English noblemen that they begin to become repetitive. Thus, when the opportunity presents itself to host the first ball at Bridgerton Manor under her reign as Viscountess, she immediately gets to the task.
Kate doesn't seem to struggle too much with the logistics. She has Violet's gentle help at every step of the preparations. They set a theme - Bloom - and a color scheme to go with it. They send out invitations, choose a whole bunch of flowers, and get Anthony's immediate approval on all costs. Violet notes how much harder that was without Kate's charming smile, which causes her son to roll his eyes and blush ever so slightly.
The date is set, the gowns are made, the menu is approved, and the household is as ready as ever to welcome the most meticulous of guests.
"Remember, we're the hosts today," Kate leaves the scolding to Anthony, standing aside and watching as he pleads with his siblings to be on their best behavior. "This is a big moment for Kate. Please, just be good– And give me that!"
She steps forward as Anthony grabs Benedict's flask out of his hands. Even though they used to be inseparable last season, there is plenty of unresolved tension to work through still. Her palm gently touches her husband's elbow, forcing him to relax a bit.
"I'll give it back when this is all over," he promises. Kate finds this a solid compromise, though Benedict remains just as annoyed.
She sighs and fixes one of the ribbons on Francesca's hair. This ball was already getting on her nerves for quite some time now, and it hadn't even started yet. Most irritatingly, it wasn't the Bridgerton siblings she was worrying about the most. Kate had no doubt that no matter what would happen, they would manage to charm their way through it. She was worried about handling herself in front of all the people who had been nothing but blatantly rude and disrespectful to her before.
—
All in all, the ball was nothing short of a roaring success. Young ladies of the ton showed off their most impressive floral jewelry and could not stop whispering about the tiny lemon cakes that Bridgerton's chefs had prepared. All of the married women seemed impressed by the way the event ran smoothly, with nothing to complain about or gather gossip about. Even the men seemed to be enjoying themselves, though Kate found it hard to understand what exactly it was that made them appreciate the balls any more or any less.
Still, no matter how many people came by to praise her efforts or congratulate her on the evening's success, she was forced to wait for one more opinion. While Kate despised the idea of anyone thinking themselves the beacon of truth among their class, she knew that Lady Whistledown was the most influential woman of the ton at the moment. To impress her would mean to impress just about everyone. And, even though she kept hearing that she did not need to prove herself to anyone anymore, Kate desperately wished to have this victory.
So when the Lady Whistledown Society Paper arrived first thing in the morning, she did not hesitate to interrupt the family breakfast to read it in its entirety. Naturally, Bridgerton's ball was the event worthy of the front page. And, of course, there were just enough rumors to fill a few paragraphs. The ladies and gentlemen of the ton, emerging from their hiding place in nature, brought with them quite a few scandals. However, Kate merely scanned sentences and names, trying to find anything about her own self or other members of the family.
She chuckled as she noticed a brief but rather intriguing entry about Colin Bridgerton spending not one but two dances on the floor with Miss Penelope Featherington, but kept on reading. Finally, in the very last paragraph of the note, Kate caught the mention of her and Anthony together. Her smile faded with each word she read aloud, revealing an unhappy frown instead.
As intrigued as this author was entering the ballroom, the evening was a triumph. Whether it is the angelic patience of Violet Bridgerton, who has raised eight children, or the miraculous effect of the true love we all want to believe in, Lady Bridgerton now appears to be a wholly different character. Does that mean that the woman whom this author once claimed to be a "prickly beast of a spinster" has been tamed by the Viscount's own temper?
It would be a shame if that was the case, as her former persona would be oh-so useful in fighting desperate mamas in the matrimonial race. After all, the Bridgerton family still has three daughters to marry away and three (soon to be two?) sons to reason with. We shall all see where the season leads them after such a memorable debut.
Kate set the paper aside, visibly fuming.
"This is insulting!"
"That gossiper had no right to bring back that ridiculous moniker," Anthony nodded.
"What does she mean by 'soon to be two' anyway?" Colin chimed in, shaking his head slightly. "As if two dances already promise one a hand in marriage!"
He soon regretted his decision to speak up, as everyone looked at him in simultaneous judgment. Kate, remembering a recent scene involving him and his dancing partner near the tree, decided not to press the matter any further, but made a mental note to ensure he proposed sooner rather than later. She crossed her hands over her chest and leaned back in a chair.
"I am not talking about your marital status," she sighed, then turned to her husband. "And I am most definitely not talking about her remark from last season, thank you very much."
"What is it, then?" Anthony raised a brow, catching Benedict's mischievous smile right in the corner of his eye. They may not have spoken for a while now, but his brother's signals were always fairly obvious. Anthony was playing the fool, and he was about to get an exact explanation for why.
"She claims you tamed me!"
Benedict finally burst into a soft laughter but immediately collected himself as no one else said a word. Violet kept her eyes on her dish, not letting a polite smile leave her face for a second. Eloise looked over at Francesca, both of them sharing a very meaningful glance. Colin decided to keep his mouth full of porridge so as not to attract any more unwanted attention, while Hyacinth found a pause very convenient to toss a blueberry Gregory's way. Kate looked around the table and narrowed her eyebrows, for some reason puzzled by the lack of objections.
Anthony took a deep breath and fought to hide the pleased grin. There hadn't been a single second when they had not challenged one another, and he enjoyed every single day filled with that kind of banter. However, under the pressures of the night, Kate's usual confidence must have cracked, so the anxiety took the best of her wit and didn't let it shine through.
"This woman doesn't know what she's talking about, my love," he said. "But that will make your second ball that much more interesting to observe."
Deeply wounded by her new status as tamed, Viscountess Bridgerton finished her breakfast and poured herself a cup of tea.
While she still disliked the very idea of Lady Whistledown's persona, she now believed the woman to be far more observant than anyone gave her credit for. What she also believed was that Mayfair had too short a memory and needed to be reminded of who they were dealing with. Good thing there were enough Bridgerton siblings for her to perfect her schemes.