It seems dear reader that among the scandal and risqué moments of the Vauxhall's extravaganza, a phoenix rose from the ashes. Daphne Bridgerton danced most of the evening with the most eligible bachelor of the season, Simon Basset of Hastings Banking. With Marina Thompson's mysterious disappearance from the scene, Daphne will return to the top position. Perhaps she might even thank Katherine Gibbs for entertaining her brother so that she may actually enjoy her time at the top. Will this season see two rakes wed?
~ LW
Katherine rolled her eyes at the latest LW post. She tossed her phone to the side and looked up at her ceiling. After reading it, she supposed that was why Simon had called her earlier that morning. With it being closer to the afternoon hours, she supposed she should go try to wake Anthony up so they could get something ridiculously greasy inside of them so they could get back to functioning again.
That's when the smell finally hit her, and the sound of movement floated into her bedroom. She scrambled out of bed when it clicked that the smell was of something burning. It could only mean one thing, Anthony was awake and was trying to make them a meal.
Just as she got into the kitchen, he was pulling burnt pieces of bread from the toaster with a grimace on his face. On the stove was a pan, a spatula waiting in it while the carton of eggs was sitting on the counter. Luckily the burner wasn't on. Katherine couldn't help the laughter that bubbled forth at seeing her best friend looking frazzled in her kitchen. "You know, if you actually knew how to cook, a girl would feel very lucky to see this vision in her kitchen." She teased him.
He huffed, looking over at her. "I was trying to do something nice to repay you for last night and now all I have to show for it is overcooked toast."
Smiling, she patted his shoulder. "You should have just ordered something to be delivered."
Chuckling, he looked down at his feet and nodded. "I can do that. Would you mind making coffee?"
"Sure thing."
Pulling two mugs down from the cabinets, Katherine set about making them both a cup of coffee and cleaning the kitchen from Anthony's attempted breakfast. When he rejoined her, she handed over his cup and brought hers close to his chest.
"I ordered from that crepe place that's nearby. Hope that's okay."
She nodded as she took a cautious sip. "I haven't had a good crepe in a while."
He checked the time to let her know about how long it would be when he realized something. "Wait, do you not have a coffee date to attend this morning?"
She snorted while shaking her head. "One of them asked me out on one and I told him that I had better things to do like my job."
"Harsh." Anthony laughed.
Katherine just shrugged as she sipped on her coffee. "It's true. I am not about to be shown around like some trophy when my time could be better well spent. Needless to say, my father wasn't too happy about that one and I don't really have too many callers."
"Kitty, don't you need someone so you can take things over?"
"Are you happy with my work for your family's company?"
"Well, yeah, of course."
"Then I'll be fine." Katherine smiled.
After they had finished eating brunch, Anthony left soon after, promising to see her at the ball later that evening. Katherine flopped down on the couch, preparing to start checking her emails and work from home when she remembered what Simon had said about checking in with Daphne. So as she waited for her laptop to load, she sent a quick text to the young woman.
What's up buttercup? How are things on the Nigel front?
They're not terrible but they're not good either. I may need your other services soon.
Did something happen after I left?
Sort of. I think I took care of it for now though. Just please help continue to persuade Anthony from not following through with this ridiculous proposal.
Of course! Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you. xoxo
Eloise watched as the floor numbers slowly grew higher and higher. No one would tell her how one came to be with child when they were unmarried, but she knew who would. So, with foot-tapping, she rode the elevator up to Katherine's apartment. Penelope had told her the most alarming thing that morning as they walked to school. One of the Featherington maids was pregnant and they weren't even married. Sure, she had sex education, but it was more focused on abstinence and how her body would change if she were pregnant. Even in biology, they didn't exactly go over how the sperm got to the egg to even attach itself. All she knew was that marriage was the special time for that and well, she didn't exactly see herself getting married in the traditional sense. So the fact that it could happen outside of marriage freaked her out and she needed someone she could trust to tell her how to avoid it so she wouldn't suffer the same fate.
The moment the elevator doors opened, she hurried to the older woman's door and knocked incessantly until Katherine finally opened the door. "How does a lady come to be with child? I thought one needed to be married, but apparently, it's not even a requirement. And no one else will tell me so I thought surely Kitty would. So please, please tell me, Kitty."
Katherine blinked a couple of times to try and wrap her head around the blurb of words that just came her way before chuckling and opening the door wider for Eloise to come in. "Hello to you too, Eloise. It's so lovely to see you." She was just glad Anthony had left a little while before his second younger sister showed up knocking at her door.
"Yes, sorry, hello, Kitty." Eloise came in, heading straight for the living room and making herself at home.
The older woman locked the door behind her before joining Eloise on the couch. She was fairly surprised she didn't already know, especially with her nearing her A-Levels. "What brought this question on, Eloise? And why haven't you tried googling it already?"
Eloise huffed. At least Katherine wasn't shutting her down completely, just trying to get to the bottom of her sudden interest. "One of the Featherington maids is pregnant and she's not married and I haven't tried looking there because the internet can be a scary place. Surely you know this."
Katherine smiled, trying to hold back her laughter. "Yes, yes it can be." And with how many searches could bring up porn these days, it probably was better off since Eloise seemed to be quite alarmed about this fact. She tucked away the information for later. It seemed that Penelope had figured out Marina's secret. She hoped the young woman was alright and she also hoped that it meant that Penelope was trying to be Marina's friend. Marina needed all the friends she could get right now.
"So, it's true then? You don't have to be married in order to become with child? How do I avoid it? I want to finish my education, make my mark in the world before I become what is expected of me as a Bridgerton. How do you do it, Kitty? Tell me all of your secrets."
"Eloise," she chuckled as she wrapped her arms around her. "Slow down, Eloise. You're only 17 and have your entire life ahead of you. If you're not having sex with a man, then you won't get pregnant. You have nothing to worry about."
"Don't have sex with a man. Sounds easy enough." Easier than Katherine would know for her. While she had been watching Daphne prepare for all of this, she started to question things and more than in her sense of being an independent woman. She didn't agree with this ritual based on her sense of independence but being married to a man for the rest of her life seemed horrific when she would much rather be with Penelope for the rest of her life.
"Do you mind if I tell, Pen?" She asked, knowing that her friend was also trying to figure out things from her maid.
Katherine shook her head. "Not at all but if her mother comes into my office screaming about how I corrupted her daughter, I know who to come after. Hell, if your own mother comes into my office."
"There will be none of that, I assure you." She smiled up at the older woman.
"Did you come all the way over here on your lunch break?" Katherine asked.
"Maybe."
Katherine laughed. "Do you need something before you head back?"
Eloise looked a bit sheepish which caused Katherine to smile. The older woman got up and quickly made a sandwich for the girl she viewed as a younger sister. Grabbing a grocery bag, she tossed in a bag of chips, a water bottle, and of course the sandwich inside before handing it over. She then grabbed a notepad and wrote a quick note asking for the teacher to excuse her tardiness to class.
"Go ahead downstairs. Eddie'll drive you back so you can eat and get to school without missing anything." She said as she handed over the note after she signed it and listed her phone number.
Eloise wrapped her arms around Katherine's waist and squeezed tight. "Thanks, Kitty. You're the best."
Katherine placed a kiss on top of Eloise's head and sent her off, calling Eddie to pull the car around for the girl.
Dropping all her accessories at the small table by the front door, Katherine let out a relieved sigh. She would get them in the morning. The night had been fairly uneventful, well, that is until Simon, Anthony, and Nigel all went into the entertainment room with all the drinks and food. Daphne had soon followed and then she was walking out trying to hold things together.
"If she, or you, or anyone else in the family needs anything, I'm only a call away," Katherine promised Violet.
She hated that she hadn't been able to talk to Daphne herself at the ball. Her text conversation made her a little nervous, especially since she had mentioned her other services. She wouldn't know until the next day how true that was.
Katherine walked with her parents to find a perfect spot to set up their tent for the Company Picnic. Grateful for the more relaxed event, she dressed comfortably, something her parents seemed to hate but knowing how they would react she made sure to arrive at a time where they couldn't stop by her flat to make her change. Heaven forbid she wore jeans and canvas shoes to the park. Besides wouldn't it be good to stand out in a sea of skirts and dresses the other ladies would undoubtedly be wearing?
After they finished eating, she didn't stay with her family long. With a shout of her name her only warning she soon had her arms filled with Hyacinth Bridgerton. Katherine laughed as she sat up, still holding onto the youngest Bridgerton. "Hello to you too. You remember my parents?" She motioned to Howard and Elizabeth sitting behind her.
Hyacinth nodded, waving towards them. "Hello!"
"Would you like a chocolate-covered strawberry?" Elizabeth asked, holding out the platter towards them.
While Hyacinth decided on which one she wanted, Katherine plucked one for herself. Noticing which one she picked, Hyacinth chose the same one. "We went to that bakery you told us about with those yummy cupcakes." The youngest Bridgerton announced after she finished her bite. "I made sure we got your favorite if you want to come get it before someone else takes it."
"Oh, we can't let that happen." Katherine laughed, standing up with Hyacinth, following behind the girl as she took her hand, running off towards the Bridgerton tent.
Howard sighed, rolling his eyes as he watched his daughter run off. Elizabeth nudged her husband and smiled softly at him. "She's participating the best she can after being sprung into this. I know Anthony doesn't have the best reputation but I believe they have worked well together in the past, have they not? And didn't you and Edmund always discuss how great a pair they would be?"
"Edmund isn't here, darling, and Anthony has to be the one to initiate it. They might work well together but she needs someone who isn't only going to put forth the bare minimum."
Elizabeth sighed. "I thought he'd recently stepped back up to the plate. He has taken on everything at a very young age, dear."
"I suppose you're right. I still won't consider anything unless he actually starts something. She needs to find someone Bessie. Have you tried talking to her?"
"Of course I have. She's still of the opinion of not understanding why she needs to have someone when she takes over, especially since she seems to be doing a great job so far."
"Then please try again until she understands."
"Are there still red velvet cupcakes?" Hyacinth asked once they returned to her family's tent.
Violet smiled as she handed Katherine the red velvet cupcake that had been saved off on the side. "So you must be the reason why my children insisted on getting these cupcakes."
Katherine smiled, although confused by who else Violet could possibly mean since Hyacinth made it seem like it was all her idea. "Guilty. They are the best cupcakes in London, though, if you haven't had one yet."
"They are rather tasty," Anthony said from behind her, trying to swipe his finger in the icing. He had just finished talking to Daphne about why she didn't tell him about Nigel. He hoped that he'd be able to steal Katherine away to discuss things with her.
Katherine swatted his hand away as she moved out of his reach.
"Anthony, that one's for Kitty!" Hyacinth cried.
Katherine chuckled, patting the young girl on the shoulder. "It's okay, Hyacinth. Your brother has been trying to eat my cupcakes since we were your age."
Anthony shrugged. "They just taste better off your plate, Kitty. What can I say?"
"Let Kitty eat her cupcake in peace." Violet gave Anthony a motherly glare before motioning to an empty seat for Katherine.
She took it happily, grinning at Anthony before taking a bite of her cupcake.
"Now that would be quite the scandal. Anthony Bridgerton, cupcake thief." Benedict teased, causing Katherine to snort.
Anthony rolled his eyes. "You would be involved too, Kitty. It's only your cupcakes after all."
"You've never been successful, so no I wouldn't."
He gave her a challenging look. This would be the perfect opportunity to talk about things with her. So he lunged forward, stealing the plate from her hands. Katherine jumped up, missing the look Violet had given Benedict for instigating this scene.
Anthony started leading her out of the tent and just as she was about to make a move, she noticed Nigel Berbrooke quickly approaching. "Oh, god," Katherine muttered.
Anthony stopped, brows furrowed. "What?"
Katherine just pointed and when Anthony turned to see what made her react like that, he handed her plate back. She stepped up to stand next to him, taking her cupcake back all the while glaring at Nigel.
"I bring cheerful news, Bridgertons!" Nigel announced loud enough for those in the vicinity of the Bridgerton camp to hear. "I have taken matters into my own hands and sought a special license for my marriage to Miss Bridgerton."
Katherine set her plate on the empty chair nearby. She had a feeling she was about to add to the bruises that covered Nigel's face.
"There is to be no wedding," Daphne said as she returned from walking with Simon.
"I told you. The arrangement is canceled." Anthony nearly growled.
"Mr. Berbrooke," Violet spoke up, "you look in a great deal of pain. Should we continue this conversation in a more private location?" She hoped that she could diffuse the situation. Anthony always acted first before thinking and it seemed like Katherine was getting ready for a fight as well.
"I require no further conversation. Though, perhaps I am finally speaking to the true head of the Bridgerton house. For if it were you," he looked at Anthony with a sneer, "I imagine you would have instructed your sister to take better care than to encourage certain attentions while alone with me on the dark walk at Vauxhall."
Katherine stepped forward, ready to just let Nigel have it. The only satisfaction she got was to see him flinch as Anthony pulled her back towards him. He kept an arm wrapped around her, his hand pressing into her hip so she wouldn't move. "Kit, if we both lash out now then it won't make things any better for Daphne." He whispered to her which he received a small nod in reply.
Nigel laughed at the scene. "I see you've finally gotten your Kitty cat under control."
Katherine tested Anthony's hold on her but he just tightened it, keeping her in place. "You haven't seen my claws yet, Berbrooke and you don't want to."
"I'd put a muzzle on her if I were you. Then again Bridgerton, you seem to like to go off alone with her just as much as your sister likes to go off by herself. Of course, mere hearsay of such scandals could wreak havoc on even the most influential families. What would someone like LW do with such seemly information?" Nigel threatened.
"Is that a threat?" Anthony challenged, his anger rising closer and closer to the surface so that he would no longer be able to listen to his own advice.
"It is not." Nigel denied, stepping closer to Anthony and Kitty, staying closer to Anthony's side. "In three days, I am to marry. I have the diamond of the season. I have the very best the ton has to offer. I have a Bridgerton. And I shall save her, as well as your entire family from the ruin which you could not protect them."
He moved to shove the papers towards Anthony but Katherine snatched them from his hands. "You better leave before I remind everyone why these papers actually mean nothing and you can still act like the entitled asshat that you are."
Nigel looked on with wide eyes, wondering what exactly she meant before taking off. With him gone, Katherine immediately started looking through the papers. With their organization, it wasn't just a typical marriage. There were business arrangements as well and with how Jamie from Dirt Doctor didn't know how to work a typical clean-up, she hoped she didn't know how to do the other paperwork associated with a marriage besides the obvious marriage license.
"What are you looking for Kitty?" Daphne asked.
"To see if his me did her job," Katherine answered, not caring or even taking notice that Anthony had not released her yet as he was looking over her shoulder.
But then Katherine found the page she was looking for and sighed. "Fuck." She sighed out. "Looks like she learned her lesson."
"So it's legit?" Anthony asked.
She turned around and placed the papers on his chest. "Afraid so. But don't worry. I'm on it." She grinned, kissing his cheek before going over to give Daphne a tight hug.
"I'll figure something out. You won't have to worry about him." She kissed the younger woman's head before saying her goodbyes and going back to her family's tent.
"I need everything about the rules of how these marriage proposals work, especially when involving two different clean-up companies." She declared before her parents could ask anything.
Howard sighed. "You have to promise not to use it against your own proposal."
Katherine crossed her heart and her father agreed before starting to clean up their camp so that he and Katherine could discuss all that was needed.
She poured over all of the paperwork and she was beginning to get far too frustrated to even focus. She wasn't finding anything and she was about to call her clean-up crew when instead she got an invite to join Violet for tea and asked to bring any of her special information-gathering gadgets.
She wouldn't understand the request until she saw Nigel's mother sitting in the drawing room. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips as she walked around to sit in between Daphne and Mrs. Berbrooke.
"What are you doing here? You already lost your chance with my Nigel when you tossed him to the sharks practically the moment you returned." Mrs. Berbrooke stated.
Katherine did her best not to gag as she set her bag down near Mrs. Berbrooke's. "I was requested to be here by Mrs. Bridgerton, actually. You see with your son marrying Daphne, we'd hoped that you would switch over to Gibbs Communications for any of your needs. Since I already had a good relationship with Daphne it would be beneficial for me to follow her as she learns the more public roles of your company."
"Surely you should reconsider since the Gibbs handle all of the larger companies' PR and Marketing. Katherine here is surely someone you'd rather have in your corner than as your enemy. I can assure you that." Violet glanced over knowingly towards Katherine.
"Maybe we can consider the change once Daphne and my Nigel are married." Mrs. Berbrooke said with a sickly-sweet smile.
As conversation continued, Katherine resituated herself and pretended to knock something over. She quickly swiped a few things on Mrs. Berbrooke's phone, grateful that she didn't have it locked. She popped back up in a couple of seconds, the exchange confirmed. Katherine smiled towards Violet and offered a small nod.
Daphne looked between the two women, confused at what was going on. All she got in return was a reassuring squeeze from Katherine before she stood to go to the restroom.
She hopped up onto the bathroom counter and started scrolling through all the new information until she happened upon a secret so big, not only would this impending marriage never happen but Charlotte King would kick the Berbrooke's from her organization. Katherine hopped back down and wiggled around a bit in a happy dance.
Returning to the drawing room, Katherine gave another curt nod towards Violet. With that, the matron of the Bridgerton house ended the tea. "What have you found?" She asked Katherine.
"What is going on?" Daphne asked.
"Oh, Daphne, you don't think I would have invited that woman and Miss Gibbs to the same tea coincidentally without thinking about you, could you? Katherine is very good at her job for a reason." She motioned for Katherine to speak.
"I'm not sure how much you know about what Mrs. Berbrooke mentioned when I arrived but I had to handle a mess their family made that could have been trouble for us. They used a clean-up service fronting as Dirt Doctor and an agent named Jamie. Jamie is the cousin of a major player in the New York organization. Said cousin and Nigel had relations that resulted in a pregnancy that Nigel is not helping support at all. So, he could remain alive, they cut him a deal. Instead of taking care of his child, he's playing double agent and trying to get our ring crushed." Katherine explained, looking rather giddy.
"But he'd only deny it. Then what?" Daphne asked, trying not to get her hopes up.
Katherine smirked. "Oh, I have the receipts. He's doing this in exchange for sending child support. They send Mrs. Berbrooke pictures as proof of life. I just have to make a couple of phone calls, talk to Charlotte herself, and fill out a contact form on a certain anonymous blog."
"You're sure it will work?" Daphne asked again.
"Katherine is the best in the business dear. She may not be heading up her family's company yet but great things will happen once she does." Violet smiled, placing a comforting hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"You will be rid of him. I promise. I have other ways planned if this does not work." Katherine smiled reassuringly. "I'll text you once it is done." And with that, she was off.
It has come to my attention dear readers that we should be paying attention to a couple of things among the glitz and glamor of the matchmaking season.
The first is that Miss Katherine Gibbs may have sent away all her callers and no more have tried but it is all for good reason for Miss Gibbs is good at her job. Once she takes over Gibbs Communication the rest of the organization will be well taken care of as the next observation implies.
We shouldn't judge a book by its cover, and it seems we all have needed that reminder despite the business we all find ourselves in. The bumbling Berbrooke seems to have stumbled into some murky waters and tried to get his head above water again by playing a double agent to our competitors on American soil. All of this instead of merely doing his due diligence as a father. I would not be surprised if he announces a trip to America soon and there's an announcement made that our circle should no longer do business with the Berbrooke's.
I believe the moral of this story is that now that Miss Gibbs has returned to our fair ton, that it's best to be honest with her and if you're looking to capture her heart that you must not be fearful of a strong woman. I do believe I know a few who fit that description, but I know of only one that would make this author happy to hear that a partnership has been formed.
~ LW
"I believe a thank you is in order," Anthony said over the phone as he walked the length of his in-home office at the Bridgerton Estate.
Katherine rolled her eyes, sitting at her vanity with her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder as she wiped off her makeup from the latest ball. "I wish you would have told me last night. Things would have been taken care of long before his little stunt."
"I didn't think he would do something like that after I told him the deal was done. Besides, I feel bad for calling you every time that I or my family is in trouble."
"You are aware that's literally why you pay me but even more than that I am your friend and I care for you and your family deeply so I'm more than happy to help even if it seems the most mundane thing." She placed her phone on speaker, setting it down on her vanity table so she could move closer to the mirror and continue her nighttime routine.
"I know, I know."
"Especially since your idea of handling things is to go back hundreds of years and challenge him to a duel. You are aware those are even more illegal than they were back then?"
"I promise to consult you on any future matters."
"Good."
Anthony smiled briefly before smirking, getting ready to tease her. "Do you think anyone is going to show up acting like they're not fearful of an equal partnership with you? And who on earth do you think LW is thinking about?"
Katherine groaned, rolling her eyes. "You're insufferable. Good night."
"Night, Kit."
Smiling, Katherine hung up the phone and made her way to bed, not realizing that this scandal was the least of her worries.
In a small Scottish coastal town, one Luca Dawson sat in his cousin's home not really paying attention to what was on the television as he tried to fix a broken toy. That is until he heard the name Katherine Gibbs come out of some man's mouth talking about how she swooped back in and started making changes that caused him to lose so much.
So she did go into the family business, after all, he thought, glancing back down at the toy. A wicked smirk grew across his features as he set the toy to the side and pulled out his phone. Doing a quick search of one of the many women he had left behind, he learned just how successful she'd become. She opened many Gibbs Communications offices throughout the world and she still seemed to be friends with those Basset and Bridgerton boys according to her social media.
She was doing just fine indeed and here he was in between jobs and staying with his cousin and actually being a semi-father figure to the kid he walked out on nearly a decade ago. Well, he could fix that.
Dear Mr. Gibbs,
My name is Luca Dawson. I didn't want it to come to this but I'm afraid that I can't seem to get a hold of your daughter. You see Katherine and I dated during most of our time at Oxford together. I graduated a year before she did and during that time she apparently found out that she was pregnant. She wanted to keep it secret I guess, for I didn't even know about our child until I started living with my cousin, who adopted the child after an arrangement with an adoption agency and one Simon Basset. We miss your daughter greatly and if you could pass along the message, we would greatly appreciate it.
Attached are photos that might persuade Katherine to return to us. You see I've recently lost my job and I can't help support my cousin in raising my child until I find another job. I want our child to have the very best life and it kills me that I cannot provide that for them at this time. I remember Katherine being very reasonable so if you could just help me get in contact with her that would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Luca Dawson
He smirked while reading back through the email. Yes, that should work just fine. Luckily the kid got Katherine's eyes while the kid got his nose so it was clear to see that they did indeed have a child together. Once he sent it, he locked his phone and headed to his room. He had a trip to London to pack for.