A/N: I got a lot of comments last chapter from people concerned about the age gap between Anthony and Edwina. I thought it was clear from the fact that I had Anthony mention he just got home from school, but he is a bit younger here in this story than he is in canon. Kate is too, and I'll get a bit more into it in this chapter.
Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 3
The following evening, Mary, Kate, and Edwina all walked over to the Bridgertons' house next door for dinner. Kate couldn't help but feel a bit awkward as she tugged at the hem of her knee-length dress.
"Stop it Kate – you look fabulous," Edwina said to her sister, hooking her arm through her elbow. "That dress looks amazing on you."
"I'm not used to wearing dresses," Kate said, frowning as she brushed her hands down her skirt. "I prefer jeans and riding boots."
"You're not at the farm today, Kate," Mary insisted. "But we are having dinner with the people who own your farm, so just try to relax."
That was probably the last thing Kate needed to be reminded of in order to relax, but she didn't say anything. Edwina had managed to convince her to wear a cute knee-length dress tonight; it had cap sleeves and a flattering a-line skirt, and Edwina insisted the teal color really went well with her skin tone. Edwina herself looked stunning in a pair of wide–legged white pants, high heels, and a light pink tank top that was cropped a bit to show off a sliver of her narrow waist. Their outfits were just revealing enough to look pretty, but not too risque that Mary would get upset.
"Come on, you two. I don't want us to be late," Mary said, checking her watch with a grimace. She was holding a bakery box with an apple pie inside, having insisted upon bringing something with them. Kate didn't want to point out that there were going to be about a dozen people at dinner tonight, and one measly pie probably wasn't going to be enough.
They finally arrived at the Bridgerton's doorstep, and Kate couldn't help but look at the house in awe. She had never been to 36 Longbourn Lane, even though they lived right next door to the place – up close, the house was gargantuan, and it put Kate in mind of a posh royal family. Nine people could definitely exist together comfortably here, and with quite a bit of space between them too.
Mary rang the doorbell, and a moment later, Violet Bridgerton opened the door with a bright smile on her face.
"Mary!" Violet exclaimed, and the two women cheek-kissed before Violet beckoned them inside. "It's wonderful to see you again! Come in, come in – and these must be your daughters?"
Mrs. Bridgerton was a very beautiful middle-aged woman, looking elegant yet comfortable in a pair of black slacks and a light yellow blouse. If Kate didn't know she had given birth to eight children, she never would have believed it.
"It's wonderful to see you too," Mary smiled. "And yes, this is Kate, and over here is my youngest, Edwina."
"Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Mrs. Bridgerton," Edwina said politely, smiling at the older woman as they shook hands.
"Yes, it was very kind of you to invite us over," Kate agreed, shaking her hand as well. She couldn't help but glance around the large front foyer, which had black and white marble floors, a giant chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and a grand staircase leading up to an upstairs indoor balcony.
This place is a palace!
"Oh, you're very welcome dear. I was so happy that we could plan this dinner tonight," Mrs. Bridgerton smiled, walking over to the wall with an intercom box. "As soon as we moved to the neighborhood, I had hoped we could take some time to get to know the neighbors. Let me just call the children so they can meet you too."
She pressed a button on the intercom box and spoke into it: "Everyone, come to the front hall. The Sharmas are here."
In a moment, there was a loud thud from upstairs, and suddenly three children ran from the upstairs hallway toward the staircase. A young boy and girl rushed down first, and then Eloise followed behind them.
"Hi Kate!" Eloise chirped excitedly, bounding down the stairs, and Kate couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Hi Eloise. Long time, no see," she said, and Eloise giggled.
"Gregory, Hyacinth – please calm down," Mrs. Bridgerton insisted of the two young children, who were now chasing each other in circles. "We have guests."
"Yeah, stop it Gregory!" the girl named Hyacinth sneered at her brother, who stuck his tongue out at her.
"Are those two at it again?" a girl who looked about 12 or 13 entered the foyer, smiling amusedly at her younger siblings. Two guys who looked remarkably like Anthony followed her.
"They've been at it all day," one of the guys complained. "Can't they give it a rest?"
"Doubt it, Col," the other guy grimaced. "I saw the two of them sneaking sweets from the pantry earlier today. They're running on pure sugar right now."
"Are not!" Gregory argued, but stumbled as his sister elbowed him. "Ow!"
"Stop it, you two. Don't make me tell you again," Mrs. Bridgerton said sternly, physically pulling her daughter away from Gregory.
"Looks like they're going to have to sit on opposite sides of the table again," a familiar voice said amusedly.
Kate looked around to see Anthony enter the foyer, walking alongside a young woman about Edwina's age. He was looking remarkably handsome today in a gray button-down shirt with the collar open slightly and dark skinny jeans. He glanced over at Kate and smiled at her, and she felt herself blush as she smiled back.
"Hi Anthony," Edwina said quickly, smiling brightly at him as she stepped toward him. "It's really good to see you again!"
"Yeah, it's good to see you too," Anthony said, smiling politely at her and Mary. "I'm glad you could come for dinner tonight."
"Let me introduce you to everyone so we all know each other's names," Mrs. Bridgerton said. "As you know, this is Mary Sharma, and her daughters, Kate and Edwina."
"Hello," all the young Bridgertons waved and smiled at the three women. Kate couldn't help but smile back.
"You've already met my eldest, Anthony," Mrs. Bridgerton went on, gesturing to him. "Next to him is my daughter, Daphne."
"It's nice to meet you," Daphne smiled at the Sharma women, and Kate thought she looked genuinely sweet.
"And these two are Colin and Benedict," Mrs. Bridgerton went on, pointing at the two Anthony lookalikes. "And that's Francesca beside them."
"And you already know me," Eloise piped up, grinning brightly at them. The others chuckled.
"Yes, you've met Eloise," Mrs. Bridgerton smiled indulgently at her daughter. "And these two little hellions right here are Gregory and Hyacinth."
"I really like your dress!" Hyacinth blurted out to Kate, gazing at her with wide eyes full of admiration. The others laughed, causing Hyacinth to blush, and Kate smiled kindly down at the younger girl.
"Thank you very much Hyacinth," Kate said sincerely, crouching down slightly with her hands on her knees. "And I must say, I really like your hair."
Hyacinth grinned brightly, clearly happy to see someone compliment her cute ringlets and headband. "Thanks! My mum helped me with it."
"And let's not mess it up, shall we?" Mrs. Bridgerton said firmly to her daughter, though she gave her an indulgent smile. "Do we all want to head into the dining room for dinner, then?"
Everybody agreed, and they all began to head toward the dining room, Kate trying her best not to stare at the opulence all around her.
~/~
The dining room was just as gorgeous as the front foyer, though this room had more red, brown, and gold tones. The mahogany dining table was massive, but it fit all twelve of them rather comfortably; Kate sat down on one side, and Eloise sat right beside her. Anthony sat directly across from Kate, and Edwina quickly took the seat beside him, looking far too happy about their seating arrangement.
Soon, some of Mrs. Bridgerton's kitchen staff entered the dining room, carrying dishes piled high with delicious-smelling food: roast chicken, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, salad, and much more. Once the food was set down in front of them, everybody immediately began to dig in.
"…So Kate, Anthony tells me you work at Aubrey Farm?" Mrs. Bridgerton asked Kate from several seats away. Kate looked up from scooping peas onto her plate.
"Oh, yes. I've been working there for about a year now," Kate smiled. "I really do love it there."
"Indeed. Mrs. Danbury is a wonderful asset to the farm," Mrs. Bridgerton agreed with a smile. "So did you start working there after you graduated from school?"
"Oh, er… I actually didn't go to school," Kate admitted, blushing slightly. "After high school, I decided to take some time off. But I knew I wanted to work alongside animals, and I've always had an affinity with horses, so a job at Aubrey Farm just seemed to fit."
"Kate's an amazing rider," Edwina piped up, smiling at her sister. "One of the best I've ever seen!"
"She's definitely better than me. And that's saying something," Anthony pointed out, smirking. Kate couldn't help but grin.
"Wow – Anthony admitting someone's better than him at something?" Benedict joked. "Someone stop the presses!"
"It's true, though. Kate is the better horseback rider," Eloise interjected. "That's why she's teaching me to ride and not Anthony."
"I've been away at school for four years, El – how could I have taught you how to ride?" Anthony asked his little sister skeptically. Eloise merely pursed her lips and shrugged.
"Where did you go to school, Anthony?" Edwina asked, gazing at him and fluttering her long-lashed eyes.
"I went to Harvard Business School, out in the States," Anthony said to her. "I just graduated a few months ago before coming back here."
"Wow, that's amazing," Edwina said, gazing up at him in admiration. "Going to one of the most prestigious schools in the world. It must have been really difficult coming back home to England after being there for so long. Having to leave behind all your friends… and your girlfriend, too, I'd imagine…"
Kate wanted to groan at how obvious Edwina was being, but she didn't say anything as she looked down and picked at her roast chicken.
"I actually don't have a girlfriend," Anthony said, and Kate couldn't help but glance up at him when he said that. "But leaving Harvard wasn't so bad. I'm glad to be back home and with my family again."
"And we're all glad you're back too," Mrs. Bridgerton smiled at her oldest son. "As I've told him many times since he's gotten back, he's more than welcome to stay at home as long as he likes. Twenty-three is not too old to be living at home, as I've reminded him many times."
The others laughed, and Kate could detect a blush creeping up his face as he smiled down at his plate. Despite his embarrassment, Kate could tell that Anthony legitimately loved his family, despite their teasing, and that endeared her to him even more.
Kate couldn't help but agree with Mrs. Bridgerton that living at home wasn't such a bad thing: Kate herself was nearly twenty-two and she still lived at home. Honestly, she would love to get her own place someday, but for right now, she enjoyed having the extra money in her savings account and being around her mother and sister every day.
Anthony suddenly looked up and met Kate's gaze, and Kate couldn't help but look back at him. A zing seemed to pass between them; an invisible pull that made it impossible for either of them to look away. The expression in Anthony's eyes was something Kate couldn't quite decipher, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to.
Hyacinth suddenly said something, causing the others at the table to laugh, and Anthony and Kate quickly looked away from each other. Kate began eating her food once again, trying not to think about the fact that Anthony mentioned he didn't have a girlfriend...
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Anthony and Kate get some time together ;)
Please comment and review!
