"Ah for fucks sake" sighed the man voice on the other end of the line.
"Yes; it is that time of the month again" the other responded.
"I thought he had stopped with the foolish antics..."
"I thought so too but unfortunately I was called by Chariot Hill once more because.. Penelope is abroad for her interview with Michelle Obama and mother is also abroad; on a romantic getaway to Lisbon; with Richard".
"Really? Wow that is great." said Benedict.
"What is? Penelope's interview for Vogue UK with the former first lady of the United States or the fact that our mother is in love and has been grinning like a shy, pimply teenage girl for weeks?" asked Anthony in a slightly sarcastic tone.
He might be joking, but Anthony was secretly happy for his mother who had not dated for years after the death of their father. And Richard seemed to be a good guy; a spontaneous and friendly man who had quickly made a connection with him and the rest of his extended family and got along well with them, so all was well in his book.
"Both" Benedict replied with a chuckle.
"How is he? And what has he done now, then? Parkour again? He'd stopped, hadn't he?"
"No. Not parkour this time... He has picked up cycling; but not regular cycling, no, the high-speed late-night racing through the city like a maniac version... Apparently, he encountered a car door that suddenly opened which made him fly through the air; and he eventually landed with a smack on the road or so he says".
Benedict remained silent for a moment and then sighed deeply.
"One of these days he is going to kill himself if he doesn't let up" Benedict dejectedly stated.
"I know, I know. Look he is alright I think; has been given medication but he is still in pain, and we are once more waiting for the doctor. I think he or she will be along shortly, but I really must leave after that, Ben... The Elston Case is still ongoing, but we haven't gotten made any headway yet so please-".
"I'll be there as soon as I can" Benedict said with a sigh.
Anthony hung up and then went back to his younger, idiot brother's room. Colin had fallen asleep, he saw, so he silently sat down beside the bed. He looked at Colin; at the brash boy; no man, he was 27 now and a melancholy feeling took over. At times like these, he would have liked to have had his father with him; he would have been able to talk some sense into Colin; something Anthony apparently could not do. It had been difficult for him to take on the role of patriarch of the family after his father died, but he had done it.
He had tried to fill some of the void, but at the end of the day he was only 18 and had just started studying law. Maybe he had failed... maybe he should have taken over the business; maybe he had... He didn't know any more; not now; his head was spinning in all directions again. Anthony had not noticed that someone seemed to be watching him and had walked into the room.
He turned with a jolt and saw Kate Sheffield standing there; to his surprise... Well, somewhere he had expected to see her. Well, he had 'hoped', although he would never admit that, and certainly not to Kate. He wanted to say something, but Kate held a finger in front of her mouth and motioned with her hand for him to come out. Anthony stood up and followed her.
"Dr. Sheffield... Good evening" Anthony greeted her politely; hoping not to repeat their previous meeting in hospital and to make things civil this time.
"Mr. Bridgerton... I'd be lying if I said I was glad to see you; both of you as a matter of fact" she spoke slightly annoyed. On the other hand, there was a hint of concern in her voice although she did not realise it herself; nor did she realise that she was looking worriedly in Colin's direction through the opening of the door.
In any case, there went his and her intentions to keep things civil; that being said, Anthony did not respond to the dig and instead just looked at her patiently; waiting to hear about his brother's condition.
"He has two sprained wrists and some other bruises and abrasions on his legs but luckily no fractures this time" she stated with a serious intonation.
"There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with his head either when I look at his scans, but I'll keep him here for a few hours just to be sure and we'll monitor him for vomiting and other symptoms to make sure he doesn't have a concussion.".
Anthony nodded. He had no understanding of medical matters, but it was a smart idea to keep Colin in hospital for a while. He was thankful that Colin had at least been sensible enough to wear a helmet; thank God for that or the outcome would have much worse; he feared.
"So, he'll be all right?" he asked, just to be sure.
"Yes, but..." and Anthony suddenly saw doubt appear on the young doctor's face which concerned him to see.
"Yes, but what?" he asked worriedly. Kate awkwardly bit her lip, and he could see that internally she was debating something with herself.
"Do you have any idea why he is running from one dangerous activity to another? He seems to want to injure himself almost on purpose" she said worriedly in a soft tone.
Colin wanting to hurt himself. Anthony couldn't get his head around that idea.
"I just mean to say that he does seem to consciously-" but she didn't finish the rest of her sentence as she saw Anthony shake his head hard.
"I don't think he does these things on purpose" yet he looked at this one worriedly through the doorway. "He's just looking for a thrill but approaches it all a bit clumsily" he added but Kate didn't seem to want to believe him; he noticed.
"Really... I would know if there was anything wrong with him. Believe me," and though that answer did not seem to satisfy her very much; she did not ask any further, nevertheless.
"Alright then... We'll just let him sleep for a while and the nurse will start her round in a moment. It will take a few weeks for the bruises to heal; it is advisable that he moves them as little as possible" she explained, looking him directly in the eye, wanting to assert her authority, although she failed, staring him in the eye a little longer than she should have.
By God, she suddenly thought; he was an arrogant man but a very handsome arrogant man; she had to admit. He was the definition of 'tall dark and handsome".
His chestnut brown hair was perfectly coiffed for the early morning, she had to admit; his brown hooded eyes were very beautiful up close; and so was the rest of his face. Everything was in proportion to her annoyance; as if everything belonged the way it should; not too big not too small and his lips...
His lips were... lovely; plump and moreover immensely kissable
Oh, what the heck was she doing? This was not very professional behaviour, although her first greeting tonight towards him was not exactly professional either; she had to admit.
"Thank you, Doctor. Thank you very much... also for last time" Anthony said with a nod and a brief smile (he also had an appealing smile; this fact could also be added to the laundry list of points that made him attractive) and it was a sincere statement; she could tell.
"You're welcome, Mr Bridgerton," she replied genially, and any annoyance she felt towards the man seemed to subside somewhat.
"You can call me Anthony if you like," he said with a brief smile.
"We kind of are acquainted by now, aren't we?" he asked. he asked, again raising his lips.
"Alright... Well then I think it is only fair that you address me as Kate" she uttered, as part of her offer of reconciliation.
"Kate" he said repeating her name and her heart did a small jump for a moment; though later she would vehemently deny that it had done so.
"Pleased to meet you" he said and held out a hand to her. She looked at it briefly and then took it to shake; briefly was the intention; but to her shame they kept shaking and shaking; looking at each other; as if for a moment they had forgotten what they were doing.
"You may let go of my hand or you will be treating a second Bridgerton ij a few minutes," he chuckled, and abruptly she let go.
"Sorry," she said, blushing. "I have to go and see the next patient. Are you staying or is your other brother coming?".
Aha; so, she had already met Benedict. Hhm... perhaps he should ask Benedict about his first impression of her; he didn't really know why, but she intrigued him. And... he had to admit now; she was a beauty to behold; even now with her messy bun; her eyes looked tired and lacking in sleep which was obvious from the bags under them.
"I won't be staying; I have to go to work... Benedict will take Colin home" he added.
"Excellent... Well then I wish you a good day; Anthony".
"Likewise," he smiled and that was where he should have ended it... Should have ended things but Anthony made a mistake; a silly mistake; something he hadn't thought of sincerely and hadn't said out of malice, but the words came out of his mouth before he knew it.
Kate had already turned around and was in the process of walking away until she heard him say something that made her pause.
"Give my regards to your sister" was the sentence he had spoken, and, in an instant, she had felt a wave of irritation wash over her. She turned and walked with firm steps towards him, towards Anthony who had suddenly realised the error of his ways quite well.
"Excuse me?" she asked and oh, there it was again, that fiery look of hers that could swallow him up at any moment.
"I um... recently connected with Edwina on Linkedin-" and... as if he had not already dug himself a hole, he had now made it even deeper.
She stared at him in disbelief and a pang of ... something went through her that she refused to acknowledge as disappointment and ... rejection. In any case, it bothered her that he had sent her sister an invitation on Linkedin and not her, but she would never let him know that. And what was worse; he had found out Edwina's name; which somehow made her even angrier because he had apparently done some research.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from my sister, Mr. Bridgerton?" she asked sharply.
He didn't know what irritated him so much; the fact that she had gone back to formally mentioning his name or the fact that she had started an interrogation he was not interested in. In any case, it made him react with the same fervour as her.
"Excuse me, Doctor but I don't recall asking you who I am or am not allowed to send out an invitation on a platform meant for expanding one's network; a harmless-"
She interrupted him with a scoff and a haughty laugh; to his anyone scoffed.
"But your intention wasn't 'harmless' now, was it? For you wanted to get her number via social media; remember?".
Oh shit...
He had indeed done that; not that he had forgotten, no, but it was not nice to be reminded of it, he thought, and certainly not by her. He had only wanted to tease her at the wedding. By chance, he came across Edwina in his list of 'recommended connections' probably because they both knew Ayaan and he had added her. And she had accepted. However they had not engaged in any further communication with each other. After looking at Edwina's profile, he had also looked through her friends list and yes, there she was. Kate Sheffield in all her glory; smiling in the photo; with makeup on and her hair down.
He had also wanted to send her a connection request and the cursor had been on 'add' for a long time, but he had never made the cut; somehow. After that, he had completely forgotten about it until he had to go to the hospital again, thanks to Colin.
His confidence waned after hearing her accusation and, to his annoyance, a blush came over his cheeks; even worse; he who normally always managed to save himself from predicaments with his arguments; was at a loss now... Just for a moment then, because when he came to his senses once more his ability to put people in their place came back with full force.
"I'm sorry, but are you sister's keeper or something? She is a mature woman who; given her education; is quite capable of making decisions about who to add or not to add on Linkedin. She doesn't need you for that; a pathetic woman who clearly has no life and therefore wants to determine that of her sister. It is ridiculous; really" he spat.
First there was a look of disbelief on her face; then acceptance; it seemed. The words were harsh and yet true to some extent, she knew, but nevertheless they hit Kate hard.
Anthony immediately regretted what he had said after he had glanced at her features... He wanted to apologise right away, but she wouldn't let him.
"I... I should leave, I have other patients to tend to" was all she uttered, defeated and ashamed.
"Kate, I didn't mean what I said... I shouldn't have... Please allow me to apologise... I-"
"Have a nice day..." Kate murmured and then she was gone in no time. He didn't follow her; although that was the first thing he wanted to do, but on what grounds did he have the right to do so after treating her like that? Instead, he sighed and walked back to his brother's room... Colin still had his eyes closed he saw; luckily, he hadn't heard a thing so... thought Anthony.
"You handled that poorly... very poorly" Colin said as he slowly opened his weary eyes. Anthony remained silent for a moment; fixing his gaze on Colin before he spoke next. Oh right. Mr. Daredevil here was wounded but apparently not too wounded to get up and eavesdrop.
"Shut up will you. Just shut up Colin"; Anthony sighed.
Kate was tired; very tired. It had been a rotten day of epic proportions because just after the already rotten meeting with Anthony, there had been a major accident on the highway and the wounded had been flushed in. Kate only had time to take a break around 3 o'clock in the afternoon, which she spent taking a short nap. The rest of the day was equally hectic; something she was already used to, having been a full-time doctor at a large healthcare facility for three years now, but somehow, she specifically didn't feel like working. No, what she wanted was to go home, take a shower and pull the duvet cover over herself. It was weak; she knew that too; but she longed to do it.
When she finally arrived home, to her luck Edwina and Mary were not there. She heated up her meal; leftovers from yesterday; ate it quickly and then quickly went into the shower. After she was dressed, she dove into her bed fully intending to sleep until her gaze fell on her laptop.
No. She wouldn't pick the thing up and look up that... that jerk in Edwina's list of connections. No... and yet she grabbed that 'thing' and started it up and then went straight to LinkedIn and to Edwina's profile and after a moment of searching she came across him; smiling broadly in his picture; in what looked like a very expensive suit.
"Anthony Bridgerton; solicitor at Rolston & Hydes" was his header.
Rolston & Hydes? Where had she heard that before? She googled the lawyer's name and then came to the site but also saw a few news items. Kate clicked on one of the articles and was scrolling through when she suddenly saw an embedded video player on the site, clearly showing Anthony. She pressed 'play' and was forced to watch two irritating adverts before arriving at the news item. The reporter said that there was little progress in the Elston case and then let one of the applicants speak.
"I can't say much about the case so far. All I want to report to you on behalf of my client is that they thought to be acting in good faith. That will be all" Anthony then said firmly.
She watched the video again, not knowing why, but she did it anyway and immediately regretted it. His words still rang in her ears and then she felt as bad as she did in the morning. Kate didn't know why it bothered her so much; it wasn't the first time she'd had a verbal clash with someone; no, she'd had many. Especially in high school, and sometimes the encounter changed from verbal to non-verbal at the end, so that Kate's mother was called and ordered to go and see the headmaster.
So why... did the words of this man she barely knew suddenly weigh so heavily?
There was little point in thinking about it, however, and she stubbornly decided not to pay any more attention to this terrible man who had hurt her so much, so she closed the laptop without shutting it off, switched off her light and laid down. She was already half asleep until she heard a 'sound'; a notification coming from her laptop.
She straightened herself; switched on the light and reached for her computer to open it. There on the still open page she saw the notification and her heart... jumped... again... just for a second.
It was a connection request... from him... and a corresponding message. She quickly opened the message and read:
Dr. Sheffield, Kate,
I'm sorry for approaching you this way, but I had no other way to reach you. Chariot Hill didn't want you to share your contact info with me for privacy reasons.
The reason I am sending you this message is to apologise for what happened this morning. I regret the things I said and if I offended you... I am truly sorry.
I'd love to make it up to you by taking you out to lunch... (Kate's mouth dropped open upon reading this) but only if that's OK with you of course. I'm also doing this as a thank you to you for taking such good care of Colin these past few months.
If you like, Colin can come too; maybe you could try to talk some sense into him because it is apparent he ignores his family's advice.
Please let me know if you agree to my request.
I would be happy to hear from you,
Sincerely,
Anthony Bridgerton
Anthony had taken several sips of liquid courage before sending the request and message and now took another after sending it. He felt tense somehow, waiting for her response. All day he had felt guilty and rotten for his outburst; unable to forget her expression after he had finished. She seemed deeply hurt and he realised that he had not behaved unashamedly and ungentlemanlike; something his father, would surely have given him a slap on the back of the head for had he been among them.
He did not know when he had started tapping his fingers on the table. He glanced at the screen every now and then to see if she had sent a reply, but every time she had not. At one point he was convinced that Kate had either not read or had ignored his message until he heard a ping. He quickly opened the tab on his Linkedin profile and first read the pop-up stating that Kate Sheffield had accepted him into her network and then her reply...
Mr. Bridgerton, Anthony,
Thank you for connecting with me on Linkedin.
Apology accepted.
I appreciate it, but there is no need to thank me with buying me lunch. I was only doing my job and would do the same for anyone.
Sincerely,
Kate
Anthony continued to stare at the screen for a long time; a disappointment stirring in him; the source of which he could not find.