Title Inherited

Part 2

Anthony Bridgerton was awake and dressed before Grosvenor Square came to life. It had been that way since he inherited the Viscount title when his father died. He wasn't necessarily at Bridgerton House every time this occurred, however. He may have just gotten up from a married woman's bed or already walking home from said bed. Like most men of high rank, one should never be seen leaving the place of their dalliance. Although, the dalliance was always rumoured to have occurred; the Ton always took it into account to form their opinion of the man. However, Anthony never cared personally what the Ton thought. He acted as he wished but still took care of his actions to keep his family and the Bridgerton name in high regard.

There was no one else in the Bridgerton House now; other than the staff. All the siblings have married and moved to their own homes; either still in the city or to their country estates. Even his mother purchased her own townhouse a couple of blocks down. She felt that with herself in her own place, Anthony would be inclined to try the marriage mart again but with love as a factor the second time around. She was sorely mistaken.

After he found out that Kate had left for India the night of the Featherington Ball, Anthony made every effort to find out what ship she boarded and where in India she resided. However, after a year of no reports locating her, he closed his heart and his mind from any thoughts of marriage. He did not want to be entangled in another farce of a wedding again; and he did not want to feel the pain of a broken and tortured heart ever again. Anthony did not convey any of this to anyone, never mind his family. He had already admitted to his mother that he failed with Edwina; but only admitted to himself that he failed with Kate. One would think that these experiences would cause a man to drink. However, while Anthony was now almost always in a black mood, in his mind, duty would now and always come first overall.

This one morning, he was at Bridgerton House; already breaking his fast and sipping a cup of coffee while he looked out the windows. The view was of their land which backed onto Windsor Great Park with all its trees. He had looked out these windows many-a-time early in the past 9 years; never expecting to see anything but, down deep, longing to see something….

It was of late that he just stared out the windows; expecting to see nothing…

As his gaze meandered through the trees at the distance, a flash of aqua blue weaved in and out amongst the trees. It wasn't fast moving but it was making its way into the middle of the park.

What could that be?

While the sighting piqued Anthony's curiosity, he didn't move from his seat. He did, however, lock his gaze in that direction and continued to sip his coffee. No point in letting a good cup of coffee go to waste.

"Will there be anything else you require this morning, my Lord?" asked Mr. James, the head butler. Anthony did not notice that anyone had entered the room.

Keeping his eyes in the direction of the park, Anthony instructed, "Please have my horse saddled at the half hour. I would like to ride in the park this morning."

Mr. James' eyebrows lifted. His lord never rode in the park of late. Mr. James knew that Anthony used to ride in the early morning a long while back but the routine stopped the day after the Featherington Ball.

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While astride Torchbearer, Kate meandered through the trees. Because of the thick brush on either side of the path now, she did not take to gallop…as she had a long time ago. Allowing her mind to wander, her thoughts went back to the time she and Anthony first met…

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Anthony, upon Thunderbolt, sauntered up to the edge of the park. It had been a long time since he was here last. He felt his heart squeeze a little in his chest.

No, do not let your mind go there! It cannot be…

He did not continue the thought. That life was too far back in the past to bring it to the forefront now.

It is just another rider…there are always riders in the park, for sure! Yet, at this hour?

He nudged his horse to start trotting in. Along the way, they stepped on twigs and branches causing them to snap and break. He did not know exactly which direction the rider would have taken. However, he did see fresh hoof prints off the beaten path which matched the pattern of the rider's movements that were weaving between the trees. He directed Thunderbolt to the right, following the hoof prints.

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Kate's consciousness was brought back to the present when she heard twigs snapping under the sound of trotting hooves. She did not want to be seen and, even less, seen by anyone of the Ton. She nudged her horse to start a slow gallop. However, she heard the mystery rider getting closer. Since it had been 9 years since she was last in Windsor Great Park, she did not remember all the other paths that would lead her back to Mayfair. The only way she knew now was the path she had taken. If she turned back, she would surely come upon the other rider. She did not want to take a chance that it would be a rider that knew of her; but she did not want to lose herself in the park if she tried to go another way.

Quickly surveying her surroundings, Kate saw an area with thick, heavy brush. She turned her horse towards the sound of the rider that was quickly approaching but still could not be seen. She jumped off and slapped her horse's backside. The horse neighed in surprise and started a fast gallop down the path whence they came. She then ran into the thick brush to hide herself properly. Once she was settled and stilled, she listened. The other rider had come to a stop and started galloping after her horse.

After a while, she heard, "Whoa…whoa…" It was a man's voice but she couldn't garner anything more since he was a distance away. He must have taken hold of the horse's reigns. Kate made a tiny clearing in the brush to peek out so she could see if the area was clear to make her way back home. However, as she looked out, she saw the man, on his horse, come into view with her horse behind them. His face was turned away from her, ensuring that her horse was following them. She put a gloved hand to her mouth and breathed through her nose to make as little sound as possible. She kept looking out of the tiny clearing and, when the man turned his head forward to look at whence her horse came, her breath caught and tears filled her eyes.

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Anthony looked ahead down the path that the runaway horse came from.

"Now, where did this beast come from, Thunderbolt?" He did not expect an answer from his trusty steed but it shook its head nonetheless.

"Well, maybe the answer is on him. Let us see what we can find, shall we?"

He dismounted and walked the horses to a nearby tree. He tied their reigns around the trunk. Then, he moved over to the runaway horse and brushed its nose with a gloved hand; all the while making soothing noises so that the horse would trust him while he made his investigations.

Anthony noticed that the horse looked well-fed and had a beautiful coat and mane which meant that it was properly cared for by stable staff. The saddle and reigns were of supple leather which signaled to him that the horse belonged to a person of the Ton. He lifted the saddle and, on its underside, there was an emblem. He recognized the emblem to be the House of Dorset.

Well, that's a name I have not heard in a long time.

Anthony was friends with Thomas Dorset in their Oxford days. When they finished their levels, they went their separate ways until they happened upon each other at the races when Anthony was trying to court Miss Edwina Sharma. Thomas had returned to London for the social season between his 3rd and 4th year of medicine studies. He wasn't there to look for a wife, however. He felt being a second son did not precipitate the need to wed right away as his older brother would marry and secure the Dorset lineage. No, his purpose in the city was to visit his family and attend parties with friends. Then go back to his studies to obtain a PhD and practise in the field of medicine. After the incident at the lake, Anthony did not see Thomas again for the rest of the season, nor after that. The news of Lord Tennyson's death was sad to be sure. News of the Dorset title being passed to Thomas was of no consequence to Anthony even though the Ton did not know of Thomas' whereabouts; only that he was travelling for his medicine studies. Therefore, the Dorset estate was still being cared for; awaiting for the day that Lord Thomas Dorset would return. However, unbeknownst to Anthony, that day would never come.

"It looks like you belong to Tommy Dorset [the name Thomas went by in their Oxford days] …but what of your rider?" Anthony looked around but did not find any signs of a person lost without a horse.

'The horse must have escaped the stables as one of the stable hands were saddling him up for a rider and then ran into the woods,' Anthony shrugged to himself.

The Dorset House was just on the edge of the park; at the other end of Mayfair from Bridgerton House. He looked up at the sky and noticed the morning light was now brighter from when he started his ride.

"Well, let us get this Dorset horse back to its owner, Thunderbolt. I have much to do today."

With that, Anthony mounted his steed and, with the reigns of both horses in hand, made his way to Mayfair but continuing through the park.

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Before long, Kate made sure that Anthony was out of sight and out of earshot before she relinquished her hiding spot and started running back the way she came. Luckily for her (though she did not know it), Anthony had taken the long way back to Mayfair. This allowed her to make it back to Dorset House before Anthony returned with her horse. A stable boy saw her immediately and ran up to her.

"M'Lady! Where have you been? The household has been looking for you and was worried when they found Torchbearer missing! Were you on Torchbearer? Where is he?"

Kate nodded, still trying to catch her breath.

Once she had, she exclaimed, "He is on his way back! But I must go inside now!" She pushed past the stable boy and ran into the house through the door that was being held open by the doorman.

The boy had moved out of her way and bowed to her only to straighten up quickly when he heard, "You there!"

He turned around to see Lord Bridgerton on his horse with Torchbearer trailing behind him.

"This horse belongs to this House, does it not?"

"Yes, m'Lord. Our many thanks to you for returning him. Where did you find him?"

"I found him in the middle of Windsor Great Park. However, he is saddled which lead me to think that he escaped without his rider. Who was to ride him?" Anthony queried as he dismounted Thunderbolt.

"I believe Lady Dorset was riding him but maybe he bucked her off during the ride."

"Lady Dorset?" Anthony asked with a confused brow.

The Lady Dorset that Anthony knew of died from drink consumption when news of the Mountbatten sank into the sea. Lord Dorset soon followed her. Thomas had been on his travels by then but didn't return for their funerals. Instead, he made arrangements from afar. Only the staff and the family solicitor were at the funerals. Tennyson was recognized for his bravery once the war ended. Still, Thomas did not return for the recognition. No one knew why and the Ton was abuzz with speculation, of course.

"Yes, m'Lord. She just returned on foot."

"May I make my acquaintance with Lady Dorset?" Anthony asked rhetorically as he passed the horses' reigns to the boy.

The stable boy bowed and lead him to the doorman. The doorman opened the door and Mr. Brown was awaiting Anthony in the foyer.

"Lord Bridgerton. We thank you for returning Torchbearer to us," Mr. Brown said with a bow.

"You are most welcome. But I would also like to welcome Lord and Lady Dorset back to Mayfair. Tommy finally returned from his travels…and with a wife no less!" Anthony smiled. However, his smile fell when he saw the butler's face.

"Lord Bridgerton. I am sorry but the Baron and Lady Dorset are not available at this moment. You see, they arrived very early this morning and were very tired from their journey. They are in their rooms getting much needed rest."

"Not so much needed rest for Lady Dorset since she may have been the one riding Torchbearer, I am sure…" Anthony pointed out.

"Apologies, my Lord, but the stable boy was not correct in saying that Lady Dorset was riding Torchbearer before you found him. The horse was being saddled but took off without a rider."

Then, Mr. Brown walked towards the front door and the doorman opened it to Thunderbolt awaiting its master.

"I will advise the Baron and Lady Dorset of your visit, my Lord, when they have risen from their rest," Mr. Brown said as he bowed towards Anthony with a hand outstretched to the open door.

Anthony took the hint. "Thank you. Please do so and I will await their invite to welcome them."

He walked down the front steps and mounted his horse. Before riding off, Anthony looked up to an upstairs window and saw a little boy's face staring back down at him.

Tommy is blessed…he has a son…