AN: Thank you so much for all the love this story has received already! Happy reading!
A resounding knock sounded throughout Katherine's flat causing the brunette to groan. Turning over to check the time, she let out an exasperated sigh. It wasn't anywhere near the time her mother said she would be over. It was nearly two hours earlier and the sun had barely even risen. If this was how things were going to be, she would need to start planning on how to make her parent's life miserable.
With a huff, Katherine threw off her covers and hastily pulled on her robe, hurrying to open the door before another loud knock happened again. The moment she opened the door a woman with a clothing rack walked in, looking apologetic as she headed towards the bedroom.
"Did we wake you?" Elizabeth asked, not looking apologetic at all.
"Yes, mum. You're two hours early." She replied with a roll of her eyes.
"Well, there's just so many things to try on and get right. I'll put on some coffee." She said with a smile and made her way into the kitchen. "Go ahead and start trying things on with Genevieve. While I get this started." She waved her daughter away.
Everything on the rack was white. Katherine snorted at the ridiculousness of it all. Was the value of her virtue still graded on whether she was still a virgin? If so, that ship sailed off long ago and ended in a massive shipwreck. "Is there one that doesn't make me look like a bride?" She asked, undoing her robe, and tossing it on her bed.
"That's exactly what this is for." Genevieve said.
"Great." She muttered as she pushed the tulle monstrosity, she was pretty sure was an actual wedding dress, to the side.
The first dress she came to that wasn't an immediate no was a short lace dress that hit mid thigh. The sleeves belled out and came down to the middle of her hand. She sent a wicked look towards Genevieve before she went to the bathroom to change since she needed to put on a bra and underwear.
Genevieve laughed. "You know I wouldn't do you dirty like that." She called out through the door.
"You're truly a wonder Genevieve Delacroix!" Katherine replied.
Seeing the dress actually on her, Katherine knew right away that her mother would not let her out of her own flat dressed like that. It would be worth a try, especially since it was included in the dresses to pick from.
As predicted the moment Katherine stepped foot into her kitchen, Elizabeth shook her head. "No, absolutely not. Go try again."
The second dress wasn't better per say except maybe in length. The dress came just past Katherine's knees but had a slit up the left leg that stopped mid-thigh. It hugged her curves and the asymmetrical shoulder cut out created a sweetheart neckline. She actually liked the dress and could see herself wearing it somewhere else but she needed to think business soiree.
"Oh, honestly Katherine. This is supposed to be classy."
"I think this is very classy." Katherine argued but her smirk gave her away.
"Nice try. Gen, please dress my daughter in something classy." She called out.
It was a long while until Katherine finally appeared again. Genevieve looked over everything she had brought, trying to find something that would fit her friend's style and Elizabeth's requirements. After a couple more no's from Katherine, they finally landed on the outfit, she could get behind. It was a jumpsuit, but the pant legs were wide enough and with the two different fabrics, they looked like a skirt when she stood with her legs side by side. A thin pearl collar connected the strips of fabric allowing for a deep v in the front and for the back to remain open. With a once over in the mirror, Katherine felt like a powerful businesswoman. This was what she was going to wear regardless of what her mother said. "Gen, this is perfect."
"I completely forgot that I had brought it. I should have offered it first since now I remember picking it out getting ready this morning knowing it would be the perfect match for you."
"Well, I'm glad you remembered." Katherine smiled at her friend in the mirror before going out into the kitchen. Her bell bottoms swished as she went and when she got to the edge of the kitchen, she posed, placing her hands on her hips. "This is the one."
Elizabeth looked her daughter over, motioning for her to do a spin. Sighing at the sight of the open back, she nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to change her daughter's mind. "It's a good compromise and you do look great."
Katherine smiled. "Great. So, I'm going to change and then you're going to tell me the real reason why you were here two hours early."
A coffee cup was waiting for her at the kitchen island when she returned to the kitchen. She would have a little bit of time while Genevieve went to go grab the accessories that would go best with the outfit she had chosen. "What's going on, mum?" Katherine asked as she slid onto the stool, bringing her cup close to her, soaking in the warmth before taking a sip.
"I'm worried about you, sweet pea. I'm worried you're not taking this seriously. This could make or break us."
"No pressure or anything." Katherine muttered behind the lip of her cup.
"I just know that we, I have raised you to be so independent and to follow your heart and I'm worried that you might act out because you feel like you're being caged in."
"When have I ever acted out because I was feeling pressured?"
"What about that summer you spent with Simon and Anthony instead of coming back home?"
Katherine rolled her eyes even if dread started to build in her stomach. "That was just a road trip with two of my best friends. All three of us needed a little break from the family business so the sands of the Moroccan beaches were calling our names. We didn't even cause any trouble."
Elizabeth sighed. "That's exactly my point, Kitty. All three of you are being so closely watched and with those boy's reputations, we just want someone for you that's a little more stable, that will look out for you."
"Mum, I'm not going to change who my friends are and I'm certainly not going to change who I am. Whoever I wind up with needs to know exactly what they're getting into. At these events, I promise to be nothing but a respectable lady, but you've got to let me pick who I want to spend the rest of my life with on my own."
Elizabeth sighed as she got up to open the door for Genevieve. "Just be cautious, sweet pea. You're about to realize just how closely you're watched."
To try and ease her mother's nerves, she sat at her vanity and let her pick what accessories she would wear. Things were going great. On one arm she would wear a thin gold cuff around her wrist while on the other she would wear an intricate gold cuff around her arm that looked like a vine, leaves and all. Pearl teardrop earrings would adorn her ears and then Elizabeth placed a white pillbox hat on top of her head with a net veil that came just under her nose with pearl flower embellishments.
"Mum, no. There's got to be something else. What about a comb or two?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "This will look great, Kitty. It's elegant and it allows for that demure look."
"You are aware that I'm far from demure, right?" Katherine asked, raising her eyebrow towards her mother in the mirror.
"You must pretend."
"I would think someone in this business would want someone who can fend for themselves."
"They want someone that they can protect."
"So, I have to act like I know what I'm doing yet need protecting?"
"Exactly." Elizabeth smiled at her daughter in the reflection of the vanity mirror before she started to play with her daughter's hair. "I think you should curl your hair and have a red lip."
"That's not very demure, mother," Katherine teased.
"Well, like you said. You have to look like you know what you're doing too."
Katherine laughed, shaking her head. "Fine, I'll keep the hat. Now since I have plenty of time to get ready for the day can you show Gen and yourself out?"
Elizabeth smiled, removing the hat, and setting it on the vanity before kissing the top of Katherine's head. "Of course. Genevieve you've outdone yourself yet again. Thank you."
Katherine smiled at her friend, agreeing with her mother before thanking her. She'd have to remember to stop by Genevieve's to make sure that they would be on the same page for whatever her mother would request, especially as this season continued on.
The moment she stepped into the Bridgerton Estate, little Gregory and Hyacinth Bridgerton ran right for her, calling out her name. "Oh, my goodness!" Katherine exclaimed as she crouched down to wrap an arm around each of them. "When did you two get so big?!"
"Gregory, Hyacinth, Katherine isn't here on a social call, let her breathe." Anthony said as he walked down the steps to the foyer.
"He's no fun when he's on business, is he?" She joked with the youngest Bridgerton siblings, causing them both to laugh and shake their heads as they agreed with her.
Katherine stood and smiled down at the two. "I'll come find you after and I'll tell you about the time I saw a whale on my travels."
Anthony rolled his eyes and offered out his arm as the two children screamed out their excitement before hurrying off.
"What?" Katherine asked with a smile as she looped her arm around his. "Are your other siblings here? They'd be disappointed if I didn't say hello."
"We'll see them after we go over this next campaign and then you can go be a social butterfly."
She sighed, leaning into him. "Fine." She then pulled her arm away. "But if you insist, we remain professional, then we must remain professional. As I've learned this morning we're watched, very closely apparently."
Chuckling, he ushered her into the home office. "What on earth are you talking about?"
"Bessie stopped by this morning with Gen to get me ready for introductions and she told me that she was worried that I wasn't going to take it seriously or that you, me, and Simon would come up with some plan like we did when we all went to Morocco that one summer."
Anthony snorted. "I highly doubt Simon will be anywhere near these events, but you know if you need an escape plan, I'll help you."
Katherine sighed as she plopped into one of the large, leather armchairs. "Thank you. Now," she sat up a little straighter, "this new campaign of yours. Did you get a chance to look at the mockups I sent you?"
"I did." He nodded as he sat down next to her. "Everything looked to be pretty standard. As far as I'm concerned you can go ahead and get rolling with that part."
"Great, I'll let my team know." She pulled her phone out and sent a quick text to her marketing team. Once it sent, she looked back up at Anthony. "I was reading over the other part of your file yesterday and do you want to tell me why your usual port is tightening up their monitoring?"
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "The Berbrooke's got caught smuggling things in."
"Why are they a part of this group again?"
"Because Nigel's father was far better at handling things than Nigel is."
"Who's their clean-up crew?"
"Not you."
Katherine glared at him. "That's really helpful Anthony."
"I think it's the one that fronts as a maid service."
Rolling her eyes, she set a reminder to call the Dirt Doctor company. She knew that most of King's crew used her family's company but a few like the Berbrooke's who felt like they had something to prove, didn't use them. Then situations like this happened and it was made clear that the Gibbs were the best at taking care of things. "I'll look into it and hopefully we won't have to change ports."
"If anyone can fix it, it's you." He smiled.
"Don't look at me like that just yet. We've also got to talk about you and Sienna."
Anthony stood with a groan as he walked over to sit behind his desk. "Not you too."
"Oh, so you have heard this before?" She leaned back in her seat and crossed a leg over the other. The whole affair was bound to be a public relations nightmare that she would have to take care of. Not only that, but she also didn't want to see her friend get hurt.
"Yes, from my mother, from Ben, and even from your father. I would rather not hear it from you."
Katherine sighed and raised her hands up in surrender. "I'm not here to tell you who you can and cannot see. I'm just saying to be careful. People know who she is. She's not involved in your other dealings and I don't want to see anyone get hurt, especially you."
Sighing, he ran his hand through his hair. Everyone else had talked about how it would be bad for business and here she was approaching the subject as his friend. God, he really had missed her. "I really am glad you're back; you know?"
She smiled as she stood, walking around to where he now sat. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she leaned her head against his momentarily. He brought his hands up to hold onto her and they stayed like that for a moment. "I know." She said before giving his temple a quick kiss.
"Mind if I call Ronan in here?" She asked as she pulled away, scrolling through to find the number she needed. She had decided the issue really couldn't wait until she got back to the office and she'd need the name of the person from Dirt Doctor before calling them.
Anthony motioned to the room. "Go right ahead." He liked watching her work. Once she took
over her family's company, there would truly be nothing stopping her, and he couldn't wait for her to get to that point.
Katherine smiled her thanks and made her way to one of the windows overlooking the garden as she waited for Ronan to answer. "Hello darling, what's this I hear about tighter restrictions?" She said as soon as he answered the phone.
Ronan Campbell worked down at the docks for the organization. His father actually started with them to pay off some debts but after he got injured Ronan took over and then stayed on after his father's debts were paid. They weren't the richest and the organization paid too well to give it up. He met Katherine once when his dad was in the hospital and the two connected pretty quickly.
"The Berbrooke men were too careless even after I warned them. It's like they don't know not to run their mouths in front of new people. Especially new people looking as squeaky clean as those undercover cops were. So now we've got police scheduled to come and do random checks."
As Ronan spoke, Anthony watched as Katherine nodded, making the appropriate sounds to ensure that he knew she was listening. She'd make someone a very happy man someday. He would just need to make sure that that man would also make her happy because he was not about to let her go through another Luca incident.
"Who did Berbrooke send over?" Katherine asked, as she started to play with the curtain.
"Some lady from the Dirt Doctors. Jamie I think her name was."
"Well, there's your problem right there." She rolled her eyes turning back to face Anthony who tried his best to act as though he hadn't been watching her. "Have you ever heard of her before they sent her over?"
"Uh, no, no I haven't."
"And neither have I, which means that she had no idea what she was doing. Please clear your afternoon. I'll be there after lunch to sort these issues out." With that she hung up and pocketed her phone.
"Trowbridge and Cowper are going to hate that they're losing you as their main contact." Anthony said with a chuckle.
Katherine waved his statement away. "I do the same for everyone. They just won't get my full attention anymore since they tend to not get into so much trouble."
"Should I see what everyone is doing for lunch so you can see them before you wreak havoc down at the dock?"
"That sounds lovely." Katherine smiled as she followed him out of the office.
Lunch was no simple feat. The dining room was filled with chatter. Francesca told Katherine all about how she was to be going to school in Bath soon. Katherine barely had time to act the proud older sister before telling the youngest siblings about seeing whales in South Africa. Eloise insisted on Katherine sitting next to her so they could catch up after she greeted her with a quick embrace.
Colin greeted her next, hoping to pick her brain on places he absolutely needed to travel to. She promised to send him a whole itinerary before being swept up by Benedict. The two laughed as he spun her around. "Look what the Kat dragged in." He exclaimed as he set her back down.
"Oh, ha, ha, very funny. How long have you been waiting to use that one?" She asked him, hands on her hips and a smirk on her lips.
"Since I heard you got back."
"You didn't think about it for very long then. Got it." She teased him.
He dropped his jaw and placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "You wound me, Kitty."
She reached up and patted his cheek. "You'll live."
"Alright, let's have a seat. Katherine has a meeting this afternoon to get to." Anthony said, giving the two of them a pointed look before looking around.
Benedict nudged Katherine with his elbow giving her a smirk and a wink before going to take his seat.
"Where's Daphne and mum?" Anthony continued, ignoring how Katherine nudged Benedict back before taking her seat next to Eloise.
"Right here, Anthony. We just finished my last fitting." Daphne smiled as she and Violet entered the room.
The eldest Bridgerton daughter then hurried over to give Katherine a hug. "I can't believe we're going to be debuting together."
Katherine laughed as she returned the embrace. "I'll do my best to stay out of your way."
"But don't you want to find love?" She pulled back, looking at the older woman as if she had grown a second head.
"Of course, Daph, but you've been preparing for this since the day you were born. I, on the other hand am still technically new to all of this."
Daphne nodded. "Well, still. It'll be nice to have a true friend to go through this with."
"It will indeed." Katherine smiled.
"Yes, why are you just now making this debut, Katherine?" Violet asked.
"I've been told it's a requirement before I take over my family's company. My father wants to make sure I'll be looked after when he retires." Katherine said, sitting up a little straighter.
"I hope you find what you're looking for." Violet smiled and then motioned for lunch to be served.
"I think your mother hates me." Katherine said as she and Anthony stood on the front porch of the estate.
Anthony rolled his eyes. "She does not hate you."
"Pretty sure she does. I hope you find what you're looking for. C'mon Anth, what was that?"
He slung an arm around her shoulders as he walked her to the car that just pulled up. "You're actually one of my decent friendships that's good about keeping me in line so she does not hate you. You're still new, like you said so she's just wary. You're going to be fine." He then opened the door for her. "Call me later with updates?"
"You got it." She gave him a quick hug before sliding into the car.
Anthony closed the door behind her and gave a small wave before going back inside where he was greeted by his mother waiting for him in the foyer. "Oh, please tell me I didn't just lie to her."
Violet grew confused. "What did you say?"
"That you're merely wary of her."
"I'm not even that. I've always enjoyed the girl's company. I'm just wondering why you haven't made a move yet."
Anthony's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about mum?"
"You've known her for how long and you're really going to make her go through this like she's brand new on the scene. She's been taking care of Trowbridge and Cowper since she finished her schooling and even took care of things while she was travelling around the world. She's seasoned."
He shook his head. "She's just a friend, mum. And she won't take away from Daphne's chances. I guarantee she'll direct everyone towards her instead. She's not entirely thrilled about this."
Violet sighed. "You will always do what you want to do. I just know that you will hear no objections about the union."
Anthony watched on as his mother left him, shocked. Well, at least he can reassure Katherine now that she is most definitely not hated.
The moment Ronan saw Katherine make her way to his booth, he smiled at her before coming out onto the walkway. He knew that she was there on business but it had been awhile since they had seen each other. They had talked periodically while she was travelling. She had even connected him with others in his position around the world so they all could better work together. She seemed to be thriving after she left London and he couldn't be happier for her. He was just happy to have her back around.
Katherine greeted him with a smile and a hug. Ronan had grown to become one of the only other people she felt like she could fully trust within the organization. As she grew within, she pulled him a few times so he could have her back when she went to perform site visits for the Cowper's and Trowbridge's.
"It's good to see ya, Ro." She said as she pulled back. "Wish it was under better circumstances but here we are."
Ronan chuckled and nodded. "Same here. I hope you can set them straight. Even after I got after them, they didn't seem to comprehend how big they fucked up and this Jamie person doesn't really seem to be doing a whole lot to make this go away."
"Well, good news for you is that I already called two of our guys on the force. They've agreed to do the checks but I'm going to make sure that Dirt Doctor pays them and gives you a little something extra too because their mistake nearly cost you your job."
He gave her a pointed look. "I did not say that."
"You should have because they will always come look at the managers first. Besides you should be compensated for the mess they created for you and your other accounts."
"You really think they're going to go for that?"
"Oh, I'll make them." Katherine smirked.
The moment Jamie approached the duo, Katherine could tell that the other woman was nervous. She held out her hand, even offered a small smile as she introduced herself and Jamie seemed to relax a little more. She really shouldn't have done that.
"Do you mind telling me in your own words what you did to prevent not only your client but the other businesses that use this port to go out of business?" Katherine asked.
Ronan had to look away to keep from laughing. He knew that his friend did not come here to play but he hadn't expected her to dive right in.
"Well, I worked with my clients on how they would work with the authorities to make sure that they wouldn't get marked again." Jamie explained.
Katherine nodded her head. "I see. And is this your first ever clean up job, Jamie?"
"No, ma'am."
"Are you sure? Because it seems like it. And it's okay if it is. We've all got to learn somehow." Katherine gave Jamie one last chance for her to save herself but the other woman didn't take it.
"I'm sure. I've been doing this for awhile actually and the Berbrooke's are long time clients."
Ronan chuckled. "Oh, you're in for it now."
Sighing, Katherine shook her head. "If you've been doing this for awhile then you should know that when cleaning up a mess that your client has made in a large forum that could potentially affect multiple groups, then you need to look out for all of those groups and not just your client or at least reach out to those group's clean up crew. Do you know why this is, Jamie?"
"Uh, because we're all a part of the same organization." Jamie's confidence was plummeting. She had heard the rumors about how Katherine took care of business but when she had been friendly in her introduction, she had hoped that the rumors had been false. She was sadly mistaken.
"Correct and if one part of the organization gets into trouble with the authorities and causes heavier restrictions then you put the whole organization in danger. What should you have done, Jamie?"
Her silence was clear that she didn't know anything about what she was doing. Katherine sighed and then turned to Ronan. "Do you know what she should have done, besides call me?"
"Told me more than I have everything handled."
"That's right and you should have not taken that at face value when you don't know the woman. You know better than this." She gave him a pointed glare before returning her focus onto Jamie.
"And here is what you should have done. You should have gotten a roster of who all uses this port from our lovely director of operations here. When you realize that the Berbrooke's are not the only family that uses this port for business, you are then reaching out to each of the families and apologizing for the mess your client has made and reassuring them that you have things under control. From there you call any contact you have within law enforcement and you make sure that they are the ones who are coming down to do the inspections, paying them a little more than what they usually make on your payroll to ensure that they will pass you and all of the businesses your client is attached to. You also make that the director of operations gets a bonus for dealing with the initial interaction with law enforcement and not ratting anyone out. Do you understand?"
Jamie nodded.
"I said, do you understand." Katherine repeated herself, keeping her voice calm and collected.
"Yes, ma'am." Jamie replied, tears starting to gather in her eyes.
"Good. Now I have already contacted law enforcement and gotten our two guys on it. The Berbrooke's, however, will be the ones covering all extra expenses. I've sent the information to your email along with contact information because you will also be calling the families to apologize as well as ensuring them that after some guidance from me, everything is taken care of. Do you understand?"
"But if they're -"
"Ah, this is not up for discussion. You're lucky that this is all that I'm making you do and putting you out of business. "Now, do you understand?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Thank you for joining us, Jamie. I hope you learned something. Now I believe you have some work to do."
Jamie just glared at Katherine for a moment before turning on her heel and leaving. Not even out of ear shot, Ronan began laughing. "London is not going to know what to do now that you're back full time. That was the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time."
Katherine rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. "Keep me updated, especially if she doesn't follow through with anything."
"Will do. Ready for that tour, now?"
Smiling, Katherine motioned for him to lead the way. "More than ever."