Chapter 14
The rest of the day, Edwina stayed in her room. She clearly needed her space, which Kate was all too happy to give her – she was obviously still upset about this whole Anthony situation, and if she wanted to give Kate the cold shoulder for the foreseeable future, then Kate wasn't going to stop her.
Edwina's reaction to finding out about Kate and Anthony was pretty much what Kate had expected, but she found herself feeling less upset about it than she had anticipated. She realized that Anthony was right: Edwina was going to have to find out about the two of them eventually, and she would just have to get over it. The two of them weren't doing anything wrong, and it would be foolish of Kate to continuously worry about how her sister would react to her relationship with Anthony.
But still… Kate hated it when Edwina was mad at her, and she didn't know when Edwina would get over this. Kate hoped it wouldn't take too long.
The following morning, Kate went downstairs to grab breakfast, and she saw Edwina already sitting at the kitchen table, eating toast while scrolling through her phone.
Edwina glanced up at Kate, her expression neutral, before she silently turned back to her phone, not saying a word.
Kate grimaced, moving over to the cupboard to grab a box of cereal and a bowl. "Good morning, Edwina," she said.
Edwina made a noncommittal sound in the back of her throat, not looking up from her phone.
"What are you up to today?" Kate pressed on.
"Nothing," Edwina said, still doggedly looking at her phone. "What are you doing? Hanging out with Anthony again?"
Kate felt an uncomfortable twist in the pit of her stomach. "Er… I was planning on going into town to run some errands since I don't have to work today."
"Right, of course," Edwina said, raising an eyebrow. The sarcastic lilt in her voice was starting to annoy Kate.
"If I was hanging out with Anthony today, I would just say that," Kate defended herself. "He and I haven't done anything wrong, Edwina."
Edwina finally pulled her attention from her phone to glare at her sister. "Yes, you two have made that abundantly clear," she said snarkily. "You guys do whatever the hell you want without any thought or concern of how I might feel. At the very least, you can do what I asked you last night and not flaunt your relationship in my face."
"I'm not flaunting anything," Kate argued, glaring at her sister. "Maybe you just need to grow up, Edwina."
Edwina reared back slightly, looking shocked and angry Kate said that. Without another word, she jumped up from her seat and stormed away back up the stairs. Kate watched her go, regretting her angry words, but also knowing deep down that they were true. Edwina was obviously hurt and embarrassed by this situation, but there needed to be a point where she had to figure out how to get over it. However long that would take.
Kate suddenly felt her phone buzz in her pocket, and she pulled it out to see a text from Anthony:
Anthony: Are you able to get to Aubrey Farm this afternoon?
Kate frowned slightly in confusion before texting back.
Kate: Yeah. Mary's not working today so I can use her car. Why?
Anthony: I have a surprise for you :) Can you come by at 5?
Kate couldn't help but smile to herself. How did she get so lucky to find a guy like Anthony?
Kate: I think I can manage it :) See you soon.
Anthony: See you soon ;)
Kate fought to hide her excited grin. She couldn't bring herself to worry about Edwina at the moment – not when Anthony was planning a surprise for her. She got up and headed back upstairs to her bedroom, feeling excited thinking about what Anthony had planned for her.
~/~
At exactly 5 o'clock, Kate arrived at Aubrey Farm and headed inside the main building. She didn't see Anthony anywhere, however: the only person around was Mrs. Danbury, who was standing behind the front desk and reading something off a clipboard.
Kate hovered near the door, unsure of how to explain to Mrs. Danbury why she was here after the farm had technically closed. However, when Mrs. Danbury looked up, she smiled at Kate as if she was expecting her.
"Ah, Kate," she said brightly. "I thought you might be coming by soon."
Kate frowned in confusion. "Really?"
"Yes – Mr. Bridgerton told me you would be coming by at this time, and he gave me very firm instructions to give you this," she picked up something on the counter and held it out for Kate to take. It was a folded note, and Kate couldn't seem to move from her spot as she stared at it.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Mrs. Danbury insisted, gesturing to the note in her hand. "This boy is waiting for you, Miss Sharma."
Kate blushed, quickly moving forward to take the note from Mrs. Danbury's hand. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Danbury. I just wasn't expecting Anthony to involve you in… whatever it is he's got planned for me here."
"It's quite alright, my dear. He simply asked me to give that note to you," Mrs. Danbury said, giving Kate a smile. "I assure you I haven't read it, and I promise not to get further involved in your relationship. Although, I must say, I think it's wonderful that the two of you are spending time together. You both seem very happy together."
Kate's blush intensified, and she gave Mrs. Danbury an uncomfortable smile. "Thank you."
The older woman waved her hand, shooing her away. "Now go and read your note. You young people go have your romantic date – I need to get some work done."
Kate couldn't help but smile as she watched Mrs. Danbury turn and walk into the backroom behind the counter, and Kate finally opened the note in her hand to read it.
She was surprised to see the paper wasn't exactly a note, but rather a map of Aubrey Farm. It was a photocopy of the one hanging up in the main building, showing the building, the barns where all the horses were housed, the paddock, and the surrounding woods. There were some handwritten words scrawled near the top of the paper:
I'm here. See you soon xo
AB
There was a large circled X marking a spot in the upper left side of the woods, making it clear to Kate that she was to ride a horse out to meet Anthony at that particular place.
Biting her lip in excitement, Kate folded the note back up and hurried out of the building, heading toward the barn so she and High Flier could go and meet Anthony.
Kate knew these woods like the back of her hand, so she knew the place where Anthony wanted to meet her was a small clearing near a creek and a large fallen tree. She often stopped there for a rest while riding and to give her horses a quick drink of water - she had to admit, it was the perfect place for a little romantic rendezvous.
Kate quickly saddled High Flier and mounted him before galloping out of the barn into the paddock. Since it was late afternoon, the first streaks of dusk had begun spreading out over the sky, lighting the trees in a beautiful yellow-orange glow.
After about ten minutes, with Kate wending her way through the dirt paths of the woods, she finally arrived at the clearing. She tugged on High Flier's reins, slowing him down to a trot as she stared at what was in front of her.
Anthony stood in the middle of the clearing, Nectar tied up at a nearby tree. String lights were hung along the branches around them, casting everything in a beautiful soft glow; a picnic blanket with a basket was also set up right beside the fallen tree, making it a perfect seating area. Kate couldn't fight her wide smile as she slowed High Flier to a stop and dismounted.
"Hey," Anthony smiled, walking toward her. He looked incredibly handsome tonight in a blue and green flannel shirt with dark wash jeans. "You found it."
"Yeah, I actually knew this clearing already," Kate said, feeling suddenly shy as she walked toward him, still clutching High Flier's reins. "I ride around these woods too much, I suppose."
"No way," Anthony teased, and Kate giggled. He reached forward to take the reins from Kate's hand and let High Flier over to Nectar. "I'm glad you made it. I hope you were okay with my note and this picnic – I wasn't sure what you thought of doing stuff like this."
"Are you serious?" Kate asked, giggling incredulously. "Anthony, this is amazing! I can't believe you went through all this effort for me."
"I just thought it would be nice," Anthony admitted, tying High Flier to the same branch as Nectar before walking back over to Kate. "After all that unpleasantness with Edwina, I figured you could use a little respite. I wasn't sure what you liked for a picnic, but I brought a bit of everything: some fruit and vegetables, potato salad, sausage rolls…"
Kate cut him off by moving forward and taking his face in her hands, kissing him. Anthony froze for only a moment before kissing her back, smiling against her lips as he placed his hands on her waist and held her close.
"...You're really sweet for doing all this for me," Kate said, pulling away slightly so she could look into his eyes. "Thank you."
Anthony smiled down at her, the emotion playing clearly across his handsome face. "You're worth it," he said sincerely. "And there was something I was actually hoping to ask you tonight."
Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you proposing to me? Because I must say, Anthony, this is all happening rather fast…"
Anthony laughed. "No, I'm not proposing. I am, however, officially asking you to be my girlfriend… if you'd like to be, that is."
Kate felt her heart catch in her throat. "Really?"
"Really," Anthony gave her a small grin. "You're surprised? You don't want me to be your boyfriend?"
"No!" Kate said quickly. "I mean, yes… I would love to be your girlfriend, Anthony."
The smile on Anthony's face was huge, and Kate couldn't help but smile back. "Awesome. So, it's official now? You're my girlfriend?"
"Yes," Kate beamed back. "And you're my boyfriend."
Anthony leaned forward, brushing his nose against Kate's. "I do like the sound of that, Miss Sharma."
"I do too, Mr. Bridgerton."
And the two of them kissed again, the rest of the world dissolving into nothing all around them.
A/N: I know there's still some stuff that needs to be cleared up with Edwina, but I couldn't resist adding more Kanthony cuteness lol
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