(Author's Note: In this story Kate and Edwina's father left them a sizable inheritance. Kate wants to be an academic while Edwina wants to be a famous, rich, influencer mom. Our story starts with Anthony Bridgerton already proposing to Edwina (without ever meeting her). He's seen her online presence and approved of her as a suitable Viscountess. Meanwhile Kate isn't online at all and isn't shown in any of Edwina's posts- at her request- so Anthony has no idea of Kate's existence. He still has a dim view of love and marriage like in the show.
Told from Kate's P.O.V. Enjoy!)
Vienna in June:
I sat there with the widest, most contented, most proud smile plastered across my face. My head turned from the letter in my hand to the view of the city from our tiny, two-bedroom apartment in the heart of Vienna. A part of me- a large part- would be sad to leave the city. We'd only been here for a few years now, but I'd fallen in love with the architecture and Austrian food already. It made the pain of leaving Amsterdam a bit more tolerable, and before that there was Spain, Belgium, Italy, and Vancouver in Canada. My sister, Edwina, and I had moved around quite a bit in our twenties. We hadn't lived in England since our teens; it'd been quite a while now.
Our father left us with a considerable inheritance, one which Edwina had already blown through mostly. There was barely enough left for me to go to Oxford. My beloved baby sister wasn't like me; she'd always dreamed of being an influencer since high school. Meanwhile I attended university, determined on making a name for myself in the world of academia. And I'm a little more than proud to say I've made it. The letter clutched in my hand was my acceptance letter into Oxford; I'd be starting PhD there in the fall of this year.
Breathing in a deep breath of fresh air, my eyes shut as my head leaned back a little in the sun. My grin radiated even more, if that were possible. I did it…. I actually did it. I've achieved my highest goal- I'm going to Oxford. There's nothing else I've wanted more than this, and nothing will stand in my way now that I've got it.
Nothing.
My eyes slowly fluttered back open as my sister opened the front door to our apartment. She was carrying a ton of shopping bags on her arms and put the key in between her teeth. I shook my head, still smiling and not bothering to get up to help her.
"Didn't I tell you not to buy any more things before we move? How are we gonna get all this stuff to London?" "Don't worry, I've arranged all that," she said once she set down her mountain of bags and took the key out from her mouth. Unlike me, who dressed like you'd imagine a PhD to dress, Edwina always looked "done up", so to speak. Not that it's a bad thing! I thought my sister was incredibly beautiful, and I was extremely proud of her. Proud, and worried whenever she went out on her own. Not that Edwina was ever particularly concerned; she let me handle all that. No, she was the laisse-faire type, happy to leave the "responsibility" side of things up to me, except when it came to her clothes and sponsorship deals. Then she proved herself to be surprisingly organized.
Edwina set the bags down and looked up at me. "Did the guy call?" Guy here meaning her new landlord. My head shook a second time. "No, but I'm sure everything's ok. I've printed out our plane tickets and arranged a cab to pick us up from Heathrow." "Heathrow?! Ugh, couldn't we have flown to a less crowded airport? How am I supposed to post my journey when we can barely hear ourselves?" Edwina rolled her eyes. I did the same, finally getting up to go get myself a glass of water. "It was the best option we had, and besides, you've been to Heathrow lots of times. It'll be easy; get in, get out." "I don't care about "easy". I just don't want this flight to be a nightmare," Edwina huffed and I grinned somewhat sarcastically. "You won't have to worry about that once you marry a billionaire," this slight mocking twist curled up one side of my lips as I took a sip from my glass.
Edwina's finger immediately pointed my way accusingly. "I knew it! You are judging me for marrying a total stranger!" "Do you know how insane that sounds?" I countered back immediately, also in a teasing tone. "You get what I mean!" She yelled back. "Heh, contrary to popular belief, I'm perfectly ok with you marrying some guy you've never met before, so long as he treats you right. You've always known you'd marry someone rich ever since we were kids; far be it for me to stand in your way. After all, I know what it's like to want something so desperately….. for so long," my eyes peered down at the paper with the Oxford logo in my fingers, my thumb tracing along it adoringly.
My sister watched me a moment before relaxing her shoulders. "So you're cool with this?" "If you are. If this is what you want, Edwina, then that's what I want. We only have enough left between the two of us to cover my tuition. Once that's gone…" "Hmmmm, well I do make enough from my content to get by, but it can't sustain the lifestyle we've had for the last ten years…" She pondered out loud to herself. After a moment of merely observing her, I came over to rest my hand on her shoulder, giving it a loving squeeze. This made Edwina look me in the eye, giving that sisterly glance she always had. God, I loved her; I loved her so much. Nothing would ever change that either- ever.
"It's ok, sis. I know why you're doing this, and I don't judge you for it. I think…. I think it's wise to post it as a love-match online, but you don't have to prove anything to me. Some people marry for money, and that's totally ok. He's getting a bombshell, drop-dead gorgeous wife out of the deal, so you're not the only one getting something good here." Edwina considered what I said briefly before gazing up into my eyes somewhat hesitantly. "I don't wanna sleep with him; not until we're married. Just in case he changes his mind!" "I totally understand. You don't have to explain yourself to me; I trust you, Edwina. You'll do what's right for you, just like you always have."
She smiled after a second, reaching up to put her hand over mine. "Thanks, Kate. You're the best big sister a girl could ask for; I mean it. I know you're not big on London, but it means a lot to me that you'll stay the summer… Just until arrangements for the wedding can be made." "Of course! I'm not going to leave you with some rich playboy all by yourself. Someone needs to look out for you, at least until I know that your fiancé isn't some weirdo or serial murderer." "I think he's alright. He's been to Oxford and has his name title of "Viscount". The only reason he's marrying me is that he wants a hot wife who'll give him kids and won't bother him too much." "What a charmer," I rolled my eyes deeply unimpressed. Edwina chuckled softly while lowering her head a little.
"He's been very honest and upfront with me from the start. He's not looking for love… for some reason. He just wants a wife, and I'm it… I guess." "Well Edwina, if you're ok with it, then I suppose I am too. At least you know all this ahead of time….." Her hand gave mine a tender squeeze. "Trust me, Kate; I'm ok with this. I'm going to be a Viscountess and super rich once we're married. Then I can help you….. while you're at Oxford." I also chuckled, shaking my head lightly. "Oh, I won't need that much support. True, I'll never be rich like you, but I'll be comfortable. I'm like your fiancé in that way; I don't want to fall in love and don't plan to. I'm going to stay single and focus on my studies, which isn't that expensive a lifestyle when it's just me."
"Nevertheless I will help you, Kate. You'll be able to afford to live wherever you want and go wherever you fancy for vacations. You won't be poor- I promise you," her hand clung to mine particularly tight in that moment. Smiling ear-to-ear, I leaned in to give her forehead a kiss, letting mine rest against hers for a long moment afterwards. We sighed in unison and shut our eyes. This would be the last time we lived abroad together…. and we very well knew it. Both our lips quivered. "How'd I get so lucky to have such a kind sister like you, Edwina?" "I'm the lucky one, Kate. You've always looked out for me." "And that's not going to change. Don't worry; we'll still have some time together in London." "Yeah, that's true….." She said and I sighed again.
"I sure hope "Lord" Anthony Bridgerton knows what a wonderful bride he's about to get."