Reunited

Is it her? No, it cannot be her. But that scent…that scent is everywhere! No…no, it is the kerchief…

Anthony just stared at her form, but his hand reached up to his breast pocket to remove the kerchief. He brought it up to his nose and breathed. He closed his eyes.

'Tis the kerchief…'tis the kerchief bringing back memories.

Kate had closed her eyes when she had hidden herself again. She did not know why she did so. Possibly it was just a reflex to keep herself hidden. However, she heard the door open, and someone stepped into the shed. She had heard the door shut but had not heard the person go back out.

Had someone found me and come into the shed? Did they see me? Maybe they did not see me and had gone back out again and, thus, the shed door shut itself.

Kate steadied her breathing and listened…She could hear breathing other than her own. There was someone in the shed with her! She opened her eyes and slowly stood up, turning in the direction of the sound. Her eyes widened and she took a breath as she saw the face that haunted her dreams over the years. She could feel her pulse start to race.

"Lord Bridgerton," Kate said and made her bow.

Anthony's eyes flew open at the sound of her voice. It was a voice that had dissipated to silence in the last few years. However, now that he heard it again, his mind opened the Pandora's box that kept all the inflections, intonations, and lilt of her Indian accent that had endeared her to him whenever she spoke so long ago. However, now he could not speak for fear that the apparition he was seeing or hearing was a trick of his mind and would vanish should he acknowledge her. All he could do at this moment was just stare to commit to memory these new imaginings for him to bear the remaining years of his life.

Her hair was still as dark as night and she wore it in a chignon with small tendrils framing her features. Her eyes were wide and almond-shaped, and he felt he could lose himself in them again. She wore an emerald, green dress and it accentuated the curves of her body that were now more prominent than before. Her skin was illuminated under the sun's rays coming through the window and he wondered if her skin was as silky and smooth to his touch as he remembered. He felt his body harden as his mind replayed what they had shared...

'This is…Kate,' Anthony finally concluded to himself.

"Lady Dorset, my lord," Kate informed him since he spoke her name aloud.

His mind snapped to attention. His gaze now intently focused on her. Something inside him did not accept what she just said. His face set grim.

"Last we met; you were Miss Sharma. How is it that you came to be Lady Dorset? If I recall, you did not wish to marry whatsoever."

The fact that Kate was carrying the Dorset name did not sit well with Anthony, although he did not acknowledge this to himself at this moment. The attention Thomas Dorset had paid her rankled him. However, since there was no further interaction between them for the rest of the season, Anthony never gave Thomas another thought. Yet, Thomas Dorset did win out in the end, Anthony felt. Thomas married Kate. His Kate!

Kate lifted her chin and said, "Indeed, I had no plans to marry. I went back to India and became a governess. You knew this all along." Anthony's eyes flashed and he took steps towards her.

He was close and asked, "Pray tell then, when did you deem title and rank important when it was not for your sister? Only a love match would do. How is it that your rules did not apply to you?"

His questioning vexed her. She felt that she owed him no answers. However, she did not want him to think that she was a liar back then or now.

"Not that it is any concern of yours, Thomas was not titled when I married him, as you would well know. He was a second son and became a doctor."

"And so, what? You wrote to him telling him where you had run off to in hopes that he would meet you there? To which he did, of course, it seems! I should have known that he was besotted with you that day at the lake…and you, with your beguiling ways, encouraged him!" Anthony's voice rose with each sentence.

"I did no such thing! And what of it? You were engaged to my sister!" Kate spat back. The audacity of this man! How can he be this way? After all these years, he is still insufferable!

Anthony ignored her question, "Well, how did he get to India then to marry you? He must have known you were there with notice from you. You certainly did not give anyone else the courtesy to know of your whereabouts."

"You had no governance over me then and do not so now. My affairs, sir, are of no concern to you!" Kate moved past him on his left to get to the door.

However, Anthony quickly turned and grabbed her arm closest and pulled her to him. Once again, her intoxicating scent filled his senses. His eyes closed as he inhaled. Then, he felt her start to pull out of his grasp. He clamped his jaw together to regain his senses and tightened his grip. He slowly exhaled and looked down at her through his lashes. She was looking at him. In her beautiful brown eyes, he saw that she was incensed. This satisfied him somewhere deep within. He felt the passion in her as she was breathing heavy now; her breasts rose and fell with every breath. His body hardened with her every movement.

Then, he bent his head so that his lips were close to her ear and, through gritted teeth, he said, "You were mine first. Did he know it?"

Kate gasped and her free hand swiftly moved to land a slap on his cheek. Anthony was not expecting this, of course, and released her to assuage his jaw. Kate took advantage of her freedom and ran to the door and tried to open it. It did not budge. She pulled and pushed but the door was stuck shut.

I must get out of here! The viscount is not a man that will take lightly to what I have inflicted upon him!

She turned around to face Anthony who was rooted in the same spot she left him. She felt uneasy to be with him; alone and now locked in the shed. Her heart was racing, and her breathing now unsteady. She looked at him but could not read his face.

What have I done? This is…Kate…

In a strained voice, he called her name, "Kate…" and took a step towards her with an outreached hand.

"Viscount Bridgerton, do not come close!" Kate yelled at him as she put a hand up, indicating him to stop.

Anthony stopped not because of her demand but because she called him by official title. The one and only time she did that was upon meeting him at the Conservatory Ball. She had dressed him down after hearing his requirements for a wife. It was then that Anthony knew she was like no other.

"Kate…" Anthony said again but then paused.

He searched her face for what he was not sure was there…as he was not sure was there when he offered her marriage so long ago. She refused him in the end. Now, he figured, she was no longer of the same mind and, thus, she used his proper name. She was looking at him and what he could see in her eyes was a loathing...of him. This pained his heart. He took a step back and bowed to her.

"My deepest apologies, Lady Dorset. I do not know what has come over me and I regret my abysmal behaviour. Please...let us calm ourselves and get ourselves out of this shed."

Kate straightened up and took a step back herself. She took a few breaths to steady herself. Then, she lifted her chin and eyed him directly.

"As you just saw, my lord, the door is stuck shut."

"Did you really try?" Anthony asked with a smirk. [Yes, reader, our viscount can still be a cad!]

She let out an exasperated breath and said, "Do you really think that I want to be stuck in here…with you?"

Anthony lifted his head and looked to the heavens.

He said under his breath, "I think at one point you would have."

"I beg your pardon?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Never mind," he countered and took a step toward the door to which she held her hands up again and he stopped.

"Well, move out of the way then and I shall try to get the door open," he instructed. "Unless you want to stay here and find something to do together while we wait for someone to realize we have not returned…?" he innocently asked while ridiculously hoping she would take him up on the offer.

Kate turned her head and moved out of the way to stand beside the window, opposite of him. Anthony walked to where she had stood and hung his hat on a hook that was close by. He turned to one side and started butting his shoulder up against the door. The shed shook but the door did not budge. He tried a few more times but still to no avail. Kate looked at the window beside her and saw that it was just that…a window to look out but nothing more. It shook while Anthony was still butting up against the door. She turned back to him.

"Oh, enough, my lord! You will cause injury to yourself," Kate said exasperatedly.

"And you would care?" Anthony said with a bit of sarcasm while rubbing his shoulder.

"Of course! I am not one that takes pleasure in seeing someone hurt. How would I aid you if you were injured while in here?" She asked with her hands on her hips.

Ummm…I would need comforting for sure… Anthony just looked at her with an arched brow but kept his lips together.

Kate threw her head back and moaned, "Oh why did I have to hide in here?"

Then, she twisted her head while still looking up and said, "There is a skylight…why is it that we have not noticed it before?"

Anthony did see it before, but he did not think it could have helped them in their predicament. He said as much to her now.

"Does it open?" She asked, still looking up.

"What?"

"Does the skylight open? If I can get up there, I can push on it to see…"

Kate started looking around for something sturdy to stand on but there was nothing that would give enough height to reach the skylight.

Then she said to Anthony, "Link your fingers together like a stirrup and lift me up to the skylight so I can see if it does open."

"Are you mad? I will not help you injure yourself! There is nothing that will hold you up to reach it," Anthony pointed out.

"As long as you keep steady and firm, I will be able to reach up to the frame and push up against the glass if you raise me high enough."

"No," Anthony said, not making a move but now stood with his arms crossed.

"Lord Bridgerton, how long have we been in here that no one has come looking for us? My own son has not come looking for me! Now that he has made new friends, it seems that he has forgotten me!" Kate implored.

Anthony did think that his mother was acting odd…and Colin, well, put a tray of sandwiches in front of him and all else is forgotten. Penelope definitely would not move of her own accord in this regard. No, if they were to get out of the shed, it would have to be of their own doing.

He let out a breath, "Fine…I know I am going to regret this but fine."

He removed his jacket and walked over to the spot under the skylight. He linked his fingers together as she had described and crouched down so that she could put a foot into his hands. He was now in ready position to take her weight. However, she did not move.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked exasperatedly.

Kate had not thought this through until now. She would have to hold onto his shoulders and be close to him, more like right up against him, so that she could be lifted steady by him.

Anthony could read her face. She's realizing how close we will have to be should she follow through with this endeavour. However, I am a gentleman…He stood up and slightly bowed to her.

"Lady Dorset, I now see that the possibility of the skylight being opened may be our only chance of getting out. If you still wish to try, on my honour, I will be the perfect gentleman and lift you up."

Anthony got into position again. He looked straight ahead and said, "My lady…"

Kate tried to assess him altogether, but it was true that his honour, and that of his family, had always hung on his words and actions.

"There is nothing for it then, I guess" she conceded.

She walked over to him and raised her skirts to try to put a foot in Anthony's hands. However, it seemed that he was not crouching low enough for her to do so. Kate put her foot back down, put a hand on his shoulder and pushed down so that he would crouch more. He looked at her with an arched brow.

"You were not low enough for me to raise my foot," she informed him.

"You did not raise your skirts high enough to get your foot out from under them," he countered.

"You will have to close your eyes as it would be improper for me to do so in front of you," she huffed.

"Are you serious? Close my eyes? How will I keep us balanced with my eyes closed?"

Kate walked up to him then and she bent down so that her face was close to his. He did not know what to think of this. She put her hands on both sides of his face and turned his head to the side, facing the window.

"Fine. Please, my lord, keep your head in this position until I have reached up to the skylight while you straighten and raise me up," she instructed.

'This is ridiculous!' thought Anthony but he complied and stayed in position, keeping his eyes cast downward.

He heard the rustle of her dress as she gathered her skirts to pull them up. This made him move his eyes to horizon level and, at this level, he had a view reflected from the window. He did not make any movement whatsoever to indicate his discovery. Kate pulled her skirts thigh-high to get her foot high enough to put it in his hand. Then she put her hands on his shoulders to push on them to get herself up on the one foot. Anthony felt the brush of her bodice against his cheek as she slowly straightened herself. For a quick moment, he had to close his eyes as he inhaled the scent of her skin. His body hardened, and he had to concentrate on keeping himself steady to accommodate her weight as she balanced herself.

"Alright, now, slowly raise me up as I reach for the skylight," Kate directed as she released one of his shoulders to reach a hand up.

Anthony gritted his teeth as he straightened from crouching position. It was a good thing that he kept his weekly boxing exercises with Will Mondrich since the Duke introduced them. The routine kept his strength and physique well into his age. Plus, it definitely contributed to Anthony's stamina late into the nights over the years.

"You need to raise me up a little further, my lord," Kate said from above.

Anthony lifted his forearms a little while still balancing her in his hands.

"A little more…more…"

"That is all I can muster!" Anthony declared through his clamped jaw.

"But the skylight is at my fingertips!"

Kate started to stretch herself further up as if she was trying to tippy toe on the one foot, still in Anthony's hands.

"No. No. Do not do that!" Anthony demanded as he could feel her start to get imbalanced.

He started to move to try to right her but that caused more unsteadiness and her foot slipped from his hand. Kate cried out as she came crashing down on him causing them to both fall onto the floor with her on top of him; face to face.

Anthony was moaning from the pain her body caused falling on him. However, with eyes closed, his brain quickly registered that she was on top of him, and at that very moment, Kate's mind registered the same. She opened her eyes and gasped. Then started to move herself off but his hands were on her hips and tightened to keep her there.

"No, no. Do not move," Anthony whispered.

"My lord!"

"Shshsh! Do not move as my back may be injured," he said, not truthfully.

"Lord Bridgerton! If that is the case, I must move off of you so that I do not do anymore damage by keeping my weight on you!"

"Very well but do so slowly," Anthony says, still with his eyes closed but a slow smile started to form on his lips. [Did I mention, dear Reader, that our viscount is a cad? Lol!]

Kate saw this and jammed an elbow into his ribs to get herself up, but his hands held strong as he writhed in pain, nonetheless.

"Release me at once!" she exclaimed.

Just then, the shed door burst open and Colin's head came around from the other side. He looked at the scene with a shake of his head. Then he yelled over his shoulder, "Children, go run back to the house and ask Grandmama for a cold cloth. Uncle Anthony has fallen and cannot get up!"

Anthony opened his eyes when he heard Colin come through the door and looked up at him. His grip on Kate loosened and, so, she wriggled to get herself up. Anthony, not in the worse for wear, jumped up and dusted himself off. Kate stepped away from him and shot him a look of daggers to which he chose to ignore.

"Lady Dorset, are you alright?" Colin asked with a concerned look on his face.

He was about to step towards her but Kate exclaimed, "Do not let go of the door!"

She side stepped around Colin and said, "Thank you, Mr. Bridgerton, for the rescue. I had begun to think that the game of Hide and Seek was forgotten altogether." Then, because she had a title to uphold for her son, she turned and bowed to Anthony saying, "Thank you, Lord Bridgerton, for 'trying' to rescue me." And with that, she exited the shed and ran for the house.

Anthony and Colin soon followed, exiting the shed and putting the brick back in place.

After a few steps towards the house, Anthony tightly said to Colin, "Your timing is impeccable as always, Brother."

Colin smirked and clapped his brother on the back, "One would think that you should be thanking me for rescuing you too. But from the look of both of you when I came through the door, maybe not…?"