Chapter Text
When Anthony and Kate sat with their assembled mothers on the morning after the Featherington Ball to tell them of their new intentions, Anthony had been ready to hop in a carriage to Gretna Green immediately following the conversation. Not that he was expecting a lack of support from their families, but simply because he could not wait to marry this woman, and a trip to Scotland seemed the most efficient way to accomplish this.
So, when the conversation turned to how exactly they should roll out this information to the ton, Anthony did his best to make one thing perfectly clear: he did not care about the wagging tongues of society – the most important thing was that he be wed to Kate as soon as legally possible. Which is why he was feeling increasingly dismayed when the ladies seemed to be coalescing around a solution.
“There must be a proper courtship period,” Lady Danbury insisted. “I think five or six weeks before the banns are read should give the ton plenty of time to forget all about the details with Miss Edwina.”
“Five or six WEEKS?” Anthony balked, his entire frame going rigid from his spot on the sofa. He barely felt Kate’s soothing hand on his arm as he glared at Lady Danbury. “Absolutely not, I am not waiting over two months for us to be married. Miss Sharma and I would sooner go to Scotland.”
“You will do no such thing,” his mother snapped, her voice unusually stern. “This entire situation has been fraught enough already, and Eloise is dealing with her own scandal. We’ll be lucky if we make it out of this season with our reputation in a sufficient place that it does not impact Francesca’s prospects next season, and we will not add more kindling to the fire. This all must be done by the book.”
“And I have Edwina’s future prospects to think of,” Lady Mary chimed in. “The queen has given us a path out of this that we might avoid further scandal, and we would be fools not to take it.”
Anthony ground his jaw as he glanced between each of the ladies, his gaze finally landing on Kate next to him. When she squeezed his arm comfortingly and looked up at him apologetically, Anthony realized he was going to lose this battle.
“I wish to be married soon too, but our mamas are right,” she admitted. “I do not wish to begin my life as Viscountess Bridgerton under the scrutiny of further scandal. It could follow us around for years if we do not do this properly.”
Anthony felt himself soften at her words. Of course, he did not wish for Kate to face more hardships in her new role than she would already. His stomach churned guiltily as he realized that, after their dance last night, there were already whispers about Kate’s role in breaking up his engagement to Edwina – as though she were somehow the party at fault, when nothing could be further from the truth. And he had behaved so abhorrently throughout the season so far that he supposed he could see some satisfaction in giving Kate the respect and admiration she deserved in front of the entire ton.
“Fine,” he conceded with a sigh, turning back to the mamas. “But it will not be six weeks of courtship. Can we not use the rumor mill to our own advantage? With the queen’s comments last night, surely it will not cause that much of a stir if we have the banns read starting this week? That is still three weeks before we are to be wed.”
Lady Danbury scoffed with a thump of her cane. “It does not matter what would shock and surprise the ton,” she insisted. “It matters more what is expected and what it looks like. Therefore, a proper courting period must be observed.”
In the end, a compromise was reached: Anthony would publicly court Kate for three weeks before their engagement was announced and the banns were read. And they would be married as soon as they could get away with under a standard marriage license after becoming publicly engaged.
Anthony could see the wisdom in the agreement, although he would never tell that to his mother. And he could see the upside of getting to court Kate properly – with flowers sent to Danbury house every day, dancing with her multiple times at every last one of these blasted balls, accompanying her on promenades and to the opera. Showing the idiots of the ton just how stupid they had been to write her off as an unmarriageable spinster.
However, this agreement also came with one significant downside: that he and Kate were now watched with eagle eyes every time they came within ten feet of each other.
He hadn’t quite realized how much time they had been able to spend together unchaperoned previously, simply because he was the viscount who was courting her sister and she was the prickly spinster. They would never have been considered a serious potential pair, and they were able to go unnoticed, with the ton only having eyes for the diamond. In retrospect, perhaps society should have been paying a bit more attention to the sister as well, but Anthony was grateful for the relative privacy it had afforded them to develop their connection. Even if their time together had been fraught with guilt, shame, and sadness over what could not be.
But now that they had resolved their guilt and shame and sadness, now that they could finally be together, Anthony found himself thwarted at every turn from what he truly wanted: to be as close to Kate as possible, as often as possible.
Anthony was not a patient man, and being unable to steal even a moment alone with Kate was trying his limited reserves of the virtue. Luckily for him, Kate seemed just as frustrated as he was by the restrictions. Although they never spoke it aloud, after two weeks of cleared throats from their mothers or cane thumps from Lady Danbury, Kate met his eye over a glass of lemonade at the latest ball and Anthony could tell that she’d also had enough.
He quickly placed their drinks on a nearby tray and tugged Kate out onto the dance floor, seemingly the one place they could get a few moments out of earshot of their devoted chaperones.
“Our mothers are driving me to madness,” he grumbled as he placed his hand on her waist, thrilling at the feeling of finally – finally! – pulling her body close to his. He felt a knot loosen in his chest as he became engulfed in her signature lily scent, feeling as though he were able to breathe again for the first time in days. Kate smiled up at him sympathetically as she placed her hands on his shoulders.
“Yes, well, I believe that may be slightly my fault,” she admitted, a charming blush blooming across her cheeks. “I, er, may have let something slip to my mama about the night of the Harmony Ball.”
Anthony stumbled over the dance steps, his eyes wide as Kate looked up at him guiltily. “What?” he breathed, feeling dazed as he regained his footing. “Your mother knows what we…?”
“No no no, not in so many words,” Kate quickly assured him. “And she knows that there is no need for, ah, a special license.” This time, Anthony felt his face heat up to be discussing this with Kate in the middle of the dance floor. “But she found me upset after your first proposal, and she knows that enough happened that you might feel… obligated to propose.”
A lump rose in Anthony’s throat at the mention of his first attempt – or perhaps second, if he counted the morning after the Harmony Ball when everything crashed down around him – to set things right. “You know that is not why I was proposing that morning, right?” he asked quietly, imploring her to hear the earnestness of his words. “I know I hardly went about it the right way or said the right things, but I proposed that morning because I love you desperately.”
Kate smiled up at him, her face radiant as she squeezed his hand comfortingly. “Of course I know that now,” she soothed. “We were both only hearing a select part of what the other was saying, and it is of no matter anymore. But, well, Mama found me upset, and I may have said something about ‘mere obligation’ that I’m sure was enough to cast suspicion. And certainly enough that she will not exactly trust me to be alone in your presence until we’ve both said ‘I do.’ I imagine she must have told something to Lady Danbury and your mother as well.”
As they turned, Anthony’s gaze searched the crowd around the edge of the dance floor, and sure enough, his eyes landed on the three ladies, standing in a corner and all watching him and Kate carefully for something improper. Knowing his (well-earned, he could admit) reputation as a rake, Anthony would not have been surprised that the ladies would be suspicious of him. But with this piece of information from Kate, it clicked into place why they had been so much more vigilant than even he had expected. It still felt entirely ridiculous – the very armies of hell could not stop him from marrying Kate now. And he didn’t need to say the words in front of a minister to already feel like he and Kate were as good as married.
He turned his attention back to Kate with a sigh. “Well, I suppose that does explain a thing or two,” he conceded with a frown. Kate hummed sympathetically.
“If it’s any consolation, I find it just as frustrating as you do,” she murmured.
Anthony felt like the wind had been knocked out of him. “You do?”
“Of course I do, you were not the only one in that gazebo at their breaking point,” Kate chided with a soft sigh. She lowered her voice even further, so that if Anthony had not already been pressed as close to her as possible, he might have had to strain to hear her next words. “I need you, Anthony,” she breathed, her heated gaze shooting through him straight to his groin. Anthony felt something between a groan and a whimper catch in the back of his throat as he glanced around nervously at the other couples on the floor, thankfully oblivious to what was happening between the viscount and his partner.
“Christ, Kate,” he muttered. “You cannot just say things like that in the middle of the bloody dance floor.”
Kate hummed, and Anthony saw the mischievous glimmer in her eye, as though she knew exactly what she was doing to him. The minx.
“Well, then, perhaps we might find somewhere a bit more… private where we might continue this conversation?” Kate asked, her eyes twinkling.
This woman is going to kill me, Anthony thought as his mind scrambled. When he saw Colin milling about the refreshment table, the rudimentary seeds of a plan began to take shape. Enough to work with, anyway. “I am going to escort you back to the other ladies, and then excuse myself to the gentlemen’s smoking room. Wait a few minutes, and then find an excuse to make your way to the garden on the east side of the house. Alone.” His eyes bore into her, and he thought he saw Kate shiver as she nodded, her expression just as hungry and wanting as he was sure his was.
When they concluded their dance, Anthony proffered his arm to Kate, who allowed herself to be escorted back to their mothers.
“Enjoying the dance floor, Didi?” Edwina asked teasingly. “I do not ever think I have seen you dance as much as you have of late.”
Kate glared at Edwina, and Anthony could sense some unspoken conversation happening between the sisters.
“Yes, well, Lord Bridgerton is an excellent dancer,” Kate said with a challenge in her voice. Edwina just hummed and sipped her lemonade, seemingly pleased as though she had emerged victorious.
“Ladies, if you will excuse me, I’m afraid I promised my brother that I would join him in the smoking room.” Anthony nodded at each of their mothers and reached for Kate, bowing to her and placing a lingering kiss on the back of her gloved hand. “Miss Sharma,” he said gently, in a way that his audience might take as a farewell, but he hoped Kate would take as the challenge it was intended to be. From the way the corners of her mouth twitched as she repressed a smile, he would wager that she understood him loud and clear.
He stalked across the ballroom to Colin, slapping him on the shoulder and steering him away as he looked about ready to grab another finger sandwich.
“Brother!” Anthony boomed, pasting a smile on his face for the benefit of those around them. “Let us go to the smoking room.” Colin startled and frowned at his brother, although he let himself be practically frog-marched from the room.
“Have you gone mad? What on earth are you doing?”
Anthony tried to keep a pleasant expression on his face as he clamped a hand onto Colin’s shoulder in a way that he hoped might look jocular to onlookers, but was intended to bring Colin closer.
“If you do exactly as I ask, and I mean exactly,” Anthony murmured, the threat clear in his voice, “then I will double your purse for your next trip. Italy, I believe you said?”
Colin narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. “And what exactly do you need me to do?”
“Oh, do not look so concerned, I am hardly asking you to steal the crown jewels,” Anthony snapped as he steered Colin out of the ballroom. “I need you to make sure that no one, save for Miss Sharma, makes their way into the east gardens for the next, oh, twenty minutes or so. And if Mother asks you later, I need you to assure her that you were with me in the smoking room the entire time.”
Colin’s eyebrows shot up incredulously at the request. “And for what reason, pray tell, might you need to meet Miss Sharma alone in a dark garden? With Mother none the wiser?”
Anthony glared at Colin as they arrived at the hallway that would lead out towards the garden. “Brother, you should not ask questions that you do not wish to know the answer to,” Anthony counseled. He crossed his arms over his chest with a smug satisfaction as he saw Colin visibly shudder, but then Anthony’s expression quickly softened. “I know how it sounds,” he started with a sigh, “but we truly just want a few minutes alone. Our mothers will not give us a moment’s peace, and, well, we’re both rather impatient with this entire nonsense. It’s as though, now that we’ve finally decided to follow our hearts, society has decided to throw one more barrier at us, and we’re just tired of it.”
He saw Colin’s expression grow soft, sympathy written across his face. Colin was a dreamer at heart – if any of his siblings were going to be swayed by the romance of the situation, it was likely to be Colin. His brother huffed out a defeated breath.
“Fine,” he conceded. “Under the condition that you can assure me that I should not expect a new niece or nephew nine months to the day after tonight.”
“Good god, Colin, I am a gentleman!” Anthony snapped. “Do you seriously think –“ he lowered his voice to a dangerous whisper and glanced around, making sure that they were completely alone in the hallway, “ – that I am going to let my future wife’s first time be a frenzied romp in a garden while my brother keeps watch? Heavens, I’d hoped you’d think better of me.”
Colin held up his hands in surrender and shook his head. “Of course, look, I should hope so, but I had to ask.” He nodded his head at the French doors behind Anthony. “Go, I shall do my best and direct Kate when she gets here. And I shall be mentally planning how I might add to my Italian itinerary instead of thinking about what you two will be doing.”
Anthony clapped a hand on Colin’s shoulder. “Good man,” he said sincerely before stealing out into the garden, hiding behind a hedgerow while he watched the door for Kate.
About three minutes later, Kate (finally – it felt like an eternity) emerged from the house, her eyes darting around the garden as she stepped down onto the path. Anthony emerged from his hiding place, his eyes meeting Kate’s with a ridiculous grin as he tugged her deeper into the garden, lest Colin be unable to stop all prying eyes in the house. Rounding the corner behind a row of bushes, and feeling satisfied that they were out of view, Anthony turned back to Kate, reaching for her waist to tug her close. She let herself be pulled until she was flush against his chest with a smirk, looping her hands over his shoulders.
“So, bribing Colin was the best you could come up with?” she teased as she played with the hair at the nape of his neck. Anthony scoffed.
“We are alone, are we not?” he asked, leaning his forehead against hers. “I think that means my plan worked.”
“I suppose it just depends on how much you trust Colin to keep a watchful eye for us.”
“Not as far as I can throw him,” he assured her, grinning at her amused scoff. He reached a hand up to cup her face, brushing his thumb gently over the swell of her cheek. “Which is why I do not intend to waste a moment of this time.”
With that, he closed the gap between them, pressing his lips to hers insistently. He felt Kate relax into his embrace, his mouth capturing her sigh as she wove a hand into his hair and held him close. A lick of fire coursed through Anthony, and he groaned, backing her into the shrubbery behind them.
Unlike what Anthony had been conditioned to expect from whatever gentlewoman he eventually married, Kate was – and had always been – an enthusiastic participant in their physical activities, often pushing them forward just as quickly as Anthony. He found it both incredibly gratifying and the purest form of agony, knowing that Kate felt just as consumed by this passion as he was, but that it would be weeks before they could truly do anything about it.
So, when Kate bit his bottom lip to pull him into a deeper kiss, slipping her tongue between his lips, Anthony felt his mind go entirely blank as he moaned roughly into her mouth. His hands sprang into action, cupping her bosom briefly before one tugged at her dress’ neckline, working his way around her stays to squeeze one of her (perfect, beautiful) breasts. This time, it was Kate’s turn to moan as she tilted her head back into the hedge behind her and Anthony rained a trail of hot kisses down her neck and across her chest, his mouth eagerly joining his hands to tease her. He swirled his tongue around a quickly hardening nipple, delighting in the way Kate’s breathing turned ragged. He pushed down the growing discomfort in his trousers, feeling content to feast on Kate.
“Anthony –“ Kate gasped as he lightly dragged his teeth across the sensitive nub. She buried her hands in his hair, holding him in place (not that Anthony was inclined to go anywhere). “Oh, that feels so good.”
“Mmmm, I think I can do even better.” Anthony slipped his hands down, quickly yanking up the fabric of her skirts before pressing a hand to her core, feeling the urgent heat of her even through her drawers. He slipped fingers under her final layer, pressing one into her drenched sex. They both groaned, and Anthony had to press his face into the crook of Kate’s neck, suddenly feeling lightheaded at the feel of her. “God, Kate,” he grunted raggedly as he moved his finger within her. “How are you so damn wet?”
“I told you, I needed you,” Kate breathed as she ground into his fingers, moving her hips to desperately seek friction that Anthony was all too happy to supply. She whimpered as Anthony added another finger pumping into her and circled his thumb around her bundle of nerves. “Anthony, please,” she begged, spurring Anthony to move his hand quicker as she chased her pleasure. He brought his mouth back to hers in a sloppy kiss, swallowing her moans as he worked his fingers over her, bringing her higher and higher.
And then all at once, he felt Kate shudder, crying out into his mouth as she crested. Anthony vowed to remember every detail of this version of Kate, awash with pleasure, and he could not wait to make a life’s work out of studying and cataloguing each in extensive detail – the exact timbre of her voice as she reached her peak, how her jaw went slack as she keened, how she fluttered around his fingers as he worked her through her pleasure (the mere thought of how she might feel around his cock nearly caused him to spend in his pants like a boy). Their wedding could not come soon enough.
As Kate gradually returned to herself, Anthony helped smooth down her skirts and set her dress to rights. She glanced down at where the front of his trousers was painfully tented with a frown.
“Do you need…?” she trailed off, uncertainty creeping into her voice. Anthony shook his head roughly.
“No, I just… need a few moments.” He buried his head back in the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent. “Why must our wedding be so far away?” he grumbled petulantly. He felt as much as heard the chuckle rising in Kate’s throat.
“It is truly most unfortunate,” she agreed.
“I don’t believe I shall survive.”
“You better survive, or else I shall be left forever wanting.” Anthony smiled at the sternness of her voice, pulling back to survey her with a fond look.
“You will not find yourself another match, should I perish? Someone else to satisfy your needs?” He asked with the cadence of a joke, but his stomach twisted as he did so, not entirely sure if he was asking about the next month or the next ten years. Kate just snorted and looked at him skeptically.
“I was this close to passing all of this up and going to live life as a governess in India. What on earth makes you think that I would so easily look to replace this?” she asked archly. Her expression suddenly softened as her eyes darted across every part of his face, as though trying to memorize him. “What makes you think that I could?” she murmured, her voice laced with gentle sincerity as she reached a hand to cup his cheek.
Anthony felt like his heart was about to burst forth from his chest, and he tipped his face forward, gently pressing his lips to hers. It was the only way he could think to express the depth of what he was feeling – that Kate would also be forever for him. Only Kate – he was certain.
“I love you,” he whispered as they pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. Kate fixed him with a blinding smile that made his heart pound into his throat.
“I love you too.”
The words swirled around them in the night breeze, wrapping them in a cocoon of bliss.
Unfortunately, that cocoon was quickly punctured by a familiar voice.
“Anthony? I know you’re out here,” Daphne called out as he heard her footsteps crunch on the garden path. He and Kate quickly sprang apart, doing their best to smooth down hair and clothing as Daphne rounded the corner. His sister sighed heavily upon finding him, glancing between himself and Kate with a frown. “Heavens, what are we to do with you two?” she snapped, not fooled by their attempts to look innocent. “Shall I call Kate out for besmirching your honor? Or perhaps I should go tell Mama where the two of you have truly been, not this story you have Colin selling?”
Anthony sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. “I assure you, Daph, that no coercion is necessary in this case, as Kate and I fully intend to be wed.” He crossed his arms over his chest challengingly. “In fact, if you could go tell Mother, perhaps she would drop this courtship nonsense and we could be wed by the weekend. It would be rather expedient, actually.”
Before Daphne could respond, Colin came jogging down the path, skidding to a halt as he saw the group assembled. His eyes met Anthony’s, wide with contrition and, Anthony was gratified to see, a small amount of fear.
“I’m sorry, I tried, but you know Daphne,” he stuttered. Anthony blew out another breath and shook his head.
“It appears our few minutes of respite are over,” he huffed, looking over at Kate apologetically. She just smiled softly. “I suppose we should return to the ballroom.”
“I think not,” Daphne snapped. “You two,” she gestured to Anthony and Colin, “must put in an appearance in the smoking room to at least make your ruse not a complete fabrication. Meanwhile, Kate and I shall return to the ballroom, far and away from you.” Daphne looped an arm through Kate’s arm in defiant solidarity as she glared at Anthony. Anthony huffed in frustration, but could see the sense of Daphne’s plan, not that he would admit it.
“Fine,” he agreed, his voice clipped as he glared at his sister. He reached for Kate again before Daphne could stop him, placing a soft kiss on her cheek. “I shall find you for another dance once we are both returned,” he breathed, tracing over her features as he tried to get his fill of her. Not that it would ever be enough. Kate’s face danced with amusement.
“I shall count the minutes,” she assured him. For another moment, they stood there, lost in each other’s eyes as Anthony felt his breath catch. It was only Daphne’s cleared throat that snapped him out of his reverie with a small shake of his head.
“Right then, let’s go,” he snapped at Colin, giving his brother a light shove as he walked down the garden path. He had to move quickly, before he could convince himself that he should hang Daphne’s plan and pull Kate further into the gardens. Besides, the sooner he took care of this detour with Colin, the sooner he could have Kate in his arms again on the dance floor.
“I am sorry, Anthony,” Colin said as they marched back to the house. “I really did try with Daphne, but she was having none of it.”
Anthony let out a long sigh before looking over at his brother, gratified to see the chagrin on his face.
“It’s fine, I know how Daph is.” He watched Colin’s shoulders sag in relief before quickly adding, “But don’t think you’ve earned that extra money, you owe me better than that if I’m going to double your purse.”
“What?!” Colin yelped. “I did exactly as you asked! I bought you at least twenty minutes, and I shall keep up the façade with Mother! It’s not my fault that Daphne is a force of nature.”
“Not your fault, perhaps, but your responsibility to manage in that moment,” Anthony argued as they made their way to the smoking room, his mind drifting back to Kate in the garden even as he berated Colin. He could already feel the twinges of frustration creeping back into his body, knowing that tonight’s interlude would be all he would see later when he eventually took himself in hand. Knowing that it would take the edge off, but that he would not feel truly sated for another month.
He had no idea how he was meant to survive these next few weeks.