Anthony - Thurs. August, 18, 1814

Anthony had not slept well yet again. He had been going over the plan in his head all night. He knew they were doing the right thing but it still bothered him to essentially be preparing Lucy for another man. He had to think with his head though, He knew he was going to take a wife soon, he had to, but she needed to be the perfect lady. She ought to be attractive since he did plan on being loyal even if he didn't plan on being in love with his wife and having a woman who was attractive would certainly help in the bedroom. She should be someone who would have a good enough reputation to help uphold the family name, someone who made a good Viscountess and more importantly a good mother. He was aware that his mother had set his standards high, but he was willing to take a wife who may not be on his mothers level yet, but could be with time. This may be a tall order, but Anthony felt it was doable. Lucy did not have the reputation that a Viscountess should have, she was not a high-bred lady and she seemed to reach deep into Anthony's soul and it made her much too dangerous to be around, therefore not a suitable match for him. He tried to ignore all of his doubts then, what other choice did he have ?and had almost convinced himself that he was doing the right thing when he finally drifted off to sleep around 2am.

He had kept himself busy the following morning, despite his exhaustion, because he discovered that even after only getting a few hours of sleep he found it easier to have a clear head when he was busy, but every time his concentration slipped he thought of her. He thought of the strange smell of vanilla and soap that seemed to seep from Lucy's pores, or he thought of the way her hair looked in the sun and he would be forced to shake his head and force himself to concentrate again.

He repeated this process until half past 11, and then he decided he needed a break and he found himself wondering where Lucy was. He knew she had a pretty full day of lessons scheduled with his family and he couldn't help but smile at the thought. He decided to take a walk about the floor until he went to the dining room for lunch, and he stumbled upon Lucy in the art room with Benedict. He had meant to say something straight away, but just as always the first sight of her stunned him into silence. He also couldn't help but overhear their conversation, and it tugged at his heartstrings to hear how earnestly she was complimenting Benedict. Benedict had a lot to be confident about, and he often came across as a very confident man just as all of the Bridgerton men did, but Anthony knew his brother struggled with finding his place in the world and he knew that he was self-conscious about his talents, often hiding them from the family feeling like he wasn't good enough. It was not true of course, but a man's mind was stubborn and there could be no changing it sometimes. After hearing the gentle way that Lucy spoke to him however, Anthony wondered if maybe a man's mind was only stubborn to a man, a woman's words seemed to seep inside of you and take root like nothing else, and Anthony had a feeling that Benedict had felt that too because his posture changed and his expression was thoughtful, it could very well have been the moment that Benedict not only heard her words on his talent, but accepted them and Anthony could tell that a bond between the two had just been struck.

The three of them went down to lunch then in relative silence, all wrapped up in their own thoughts. Lunch with the family made everyone more lively, and Anthony did participate in conversation, but he was only half listening and responding to things, the other half of him was trying to prepare himself for his horseback riding lessons with Lucy. He was a very talented rider and had taught almost all of his siblings after Colin how to ride with ease so he was confident in his ability to teach, however he kept picturing her hair flying out behind her as they rode and how she would smell once touched by the outdoor air and it was rather distracting. After Lunch Francesca took Lucy to find a skirt and petticoat appropriate to wear while riding and then she met him at the stables where he had been remembering the feel of her as he brought her to the ground with his body just yesterday.

Anthony had been correct in thinking it was going to be difficult to concentrate in such close proximity to Lucy, but he did his best and showed her proper care for her horse, even if the stable workers would usually do most of the work, it was important for any rider to know and she seemed to do quite well. When it came time to mounting the horse however, her calm façade seemed to break. Anthony helped her onto her horse, savouring the feel of his hands on her hips, and then he slowly led the horse from the barn, trying to stifle the laugh threatening to escape him at the ridiculous whining sound she was making.

"That sound is one I have not heard from a grown woman before." Anthony joked, when he brought the mare to a stop.

. "Yes, well if this thing goes any faster you may hear a few more sounds you've never heard." Lucy warned, gripping the reins so tightly her knuckles were white.

"I will not let you fall. We are just going to get a feel for the horse today and we will not even go faster than a trot in the next few days until you are ready." Anthony said gently, looking her in the eye, and ignoring the pull in his belly when he saw fear in them.

"I promise." He said again, reaching up and rubbing the horse's nose to stop himself from grabbing her hands. She let out a shakey breath and nodded. Anthony explained then how to grip the horse with her legs, what kind of handle she wants to have on the reins and then he led the mare round the garden. It was somewhat funny to be teaching her the way he had taught his siblings when they were all but five, but she had to start somewhere! Eventually Anthony was able to get the horse to pick up the pace a little without Lucy making any strange squealing noises, but she never did loosen her grip. He had her remain on the horse while he brought it back to the stable and then helped her dismount. He couldn't help but feel her hands shaking as she gripped his biceps for support as she slid off of the horse, and an image of her hands gripping his bare arms as she shook from something completely different from fear, went through his mind and he stumbled backward from the power of it.

"Sorry." She mumbled, thinking it was her dismount that knocked him off balance.

"Not a problem." Anthony replied, clearing his throat, obviously unable to tell her the real reason he was unsteady on his feet. Now that Lucy was back on firm ground however, she was much more lively and he was able to grab onto her pleasant chatter to fill his mind instead of naughty daydreams about her. They chatted while they rubbed down the horse and all of the way up to the house and Anthony thought about how easy it was to be in her company.

He was used to being in the company of his sisters whom he enjoyed (usually) of course but, he had yet to meet a woman that he was not related to whose company he enjoyed as much. He did have a fondness for Penelope Featherington but she was Eloise's best friend and he saw her as just that, this was wildly different. He could see himself walking around with Lucy's hand tucked in his arm and talking for hours on end. She was intelligent, had a good sense of humour and her reaction or opinion to anything he said interested him. She did tend to exasperate him with her stubborness as well, but he just found it to be another interesting quirk. This was all made more complicated by the fact that he had also never found another woman so attractive before, and he had bedded some very attractive women, including the very talented, Italian opera singer Maria Russo. She had been a conquest for sure, but he didn't wish to spend any time with her outside of the bedroom. Lucy on the other hand, he found himself wanting to spend an entire day talking to and watching the sun light up her face and brighten her hair and then he wanted to take her promptly to bed when the sun set and lose himself in her until a new day began. It frightened him and made him question everything he had believed about himself and about love.

"Are you alright?" Her voice dragged him back to reality with a brute force. "Erm, yes of course." He replied, hating that his voice didn't have the even tone he had hoped it would.

"Are you s-"

"Well, I will leave you here to make your way to get changed for dinner then." He said suddenly, cutting off her question.

"Oh...ok shall I see you later then?" Lucy asked, confusion present in her eyes.

"Yes of course. I have an engagement this evening so I will not be joining you for dinner. We will resume lessons tomorrow however." His curt clipped tone of authority always seemed to sting Lucy and he hated using it with her, another first for him, but it was his only defense against the feelings she stirred in him.

"Yes, My lord. Have a wonderful evening then." She said just as curtly before stalking off in quite an unladylike manner, making him smile in spite of himself.

* End of chapter *

Disclaimer: I own none of the above characters, they are all creations of Julia Quinn(With the exception of OC Lucy McCoy).