Kate was firmly back in wanting to murder Anthony Bridgerton territory as she dressed for Lady Danbury's soiree. She didn't think she had ever put this much care into her appearance ever and she rather hated herself for caring about it now. When she could not stand adjusting her hair one more time, she abandoned the pursuit to go help Edwina.
"Are you excited, Bon?" she asked, dismissing the maid, and taking over her duties. "They will all be here for you."
"I believe at least one of them will be here for you, Didi." Edwina replied, meeting her sister's eyes in the mirror and making Kate sigh.
"Whether or not Lord Bridgerton is here tonight, the purpose is to get a better idea of your options." She told her sister. "Tonight is about you."
Edwina sighed heavily and Kate made her turn to look at her.
"What's wrong, Bon? Are you not happy?"
"I am happy." Edwina assured her. "I am just…overwhelmed, I suppose. How do I know for certain that the choice I make is the right one?"
Kate considered her question for a moment.
"I suppose you just have to have faith." She told her finally. "You have to trust that what you feel is true and that Mary and I would never let you marry someone who was unworthy of you. But, most importantly, you must trust yourself. You'll know when it's true, Bon."
"How?" Edwina pushed.
"I don't know." Kate admitted. "I suppose…when all you want is to be with him. When he enters the room and it's like you can breathe again or when he makes you laugh even when you don't want to. You'll know when he looks at you like Appa used to look at Mary…when you know that being without him would shatter your entire world and you can't possibly imagine how a day could be bright without seeing him. When seeing him is like coming home."
Edwina's eyes were bright as she stared at her sister.
"I want someone like Appa." She said softly. "Someone who will love me like he loved mama."
Kate took her face between her hands and smiled brightly.
"Then that is what we shall find." She assured her. "There has to be at least one gentleman amongst the rabble."
Edwina laughed and threw her arms around Kate, hugging her tightly.
"Are you two ready?" Mary asked, coming into the room as they pulled apart. "The guests are arriving!"
Kate brushed a stray tear from Edwina's cheek before pulling her to her feet.
"Come along, Bon."
~.~
"You're nervous." Eloise marveled.
She, Colin, Anthony and Violet sat in their carriage in the line to arrive at Lady Danbury's soiree.
"Eloise." Violet sighed.
Anthony glared at his sister, but he did stop tapping his leg.
"Are you afraid Kate will come to her senses and realize how much better off she would be to retain her independence?" she continued, ignoring her mother.
"No, Eloise, I am not." Anthony replied, only slightly lying. "I'm not nervous at all."
"Of course not, brother dear." She said, the condescension clear in her voice. "No reason to be concerned that a beautiful, independent, intelligent woman might realize that she has more options than marriage to the Viscount Bridgerton."
"Eloise, stop being unkind to your brother." Violet ordered sharply. "I'm sure Miss Sharma will be thrilled to see Anthony."
Anthony wished her could be as sure.
"He certainly sent enough flowers to buy her good graces." Colin said, smirking. "Tell me, brother, was there a lily left in the whole of London or did they all make their way to Lady Danbury's house?"
"It is not too late to cut off either of your allowances." Anthony threatened.
"Children, behave." Violet pleaded.
"You do realize that everyone in this carriage is an adult?" Eloise asked.
"I will treat you like adults when you act like adults." Her mother shot back.
The carriage came to a halt at the front of Danbury House and Anthony had to use all of his will to keep himself from leaping out of the carriage and rushing to find Kate. Somehow, he managed to remember that he was a gentleman and calmly exited, handing down his mother as Colin took charge of Eloise. His mother gave him a smile before taking his arm as they joined the throng.
There was no receiving line, given the informal nature of the soiree, so Anthony was forced to search the room for Miss Sharma. Unfortunately, he couldn't spot her.
"I say," Colin said, smirking, "there seem to be quite a few lilies in this room."
Anthony looked and Colin was right. Every arrangement in the room contained lilies.
He smiled to himself before turning back to his family.
"I'll fetch us some lemonade, shall I?"
Before they could answer, he was gone.
"We're not actually going to receive lemonade, are we?" Eloise asked, clearly amused.
"Not bloody likely, no." Colin replied, smirking.
"Colin." Violet sighed. "There are ladies present."
"Sorry, mother." He replied with a charming smile before holding out his arm. "Shall we?"
His mother shook her head fondly before taking his arm and allowing him to lead her further in, Eloise trailing behind them.
~.~
Kate knew the moment he entered the room. Honestly, she couldn't understand how all the women in the room weren't hyper aware of him. Although, to judge by the looks he was getting, at least some of them were.
Still, she was fairly certain she was going mad and it was somehow his fault.
She stayed at the edge of the room and watched as he escorted his mother inside with his sister on his brother's arm. He stood talking to them for a moment before Colin seemed to motion to the flowers. She flushed as she remembered the knowing look Lady Danbury had given her when she suggested they include his lilies in the arrangements. Anthony then turned to his family, said something, and moved away. She tried to keep track of him, but was quickly frustrated as he disappeared into the crowd.
She was about to leave her spot to look for him when she felt a warm presence at her side.
"I trust you are recovered, Miss Sharma?"
Kate felt herself relax instantly.
"I am, my Lord." She replied with a small smile. "A gentleman sent me a truly outrageous amount of lilies to aid in my recovery. I found they helped greatly."
"I heard tell that lilies became rather difficult to find in the city rather suddenly." Anthony said in an uninterested tone but she could hear his smirk. "I am sure the gentleman in question simply wanted to demonstrate his desire for a speedy return to your company."
Kate finally turned to look at him and her breath hitched as she met his damnable warm eyes.
"Thank you for the lilies." She whispered. "I adore them."
Anthony smiled softly.
"I'm glad."
They were quiet for a moment, lost in each other, before Kate cleared her throat and forced herself to look away.
"I'm afraid I may not be the best company tonight, my Lord." She told him, looking over to where a crowd had already gathered around Edwina.
"Of course." He replied instantly. "Tonight is for your sister, after all. Your duty is to her. In fact, I came to help, if you'll have me."
Kate's eyes snapped back to his in surprise and he chuckled in response.
"I did learn something during Daphne's Season last year. I would be honored to support you as you help your sister, should you desire it."
Kate nodded, finding herself speechless. She took his proffered arm and let him lead her into the crowd surrounding Edwina.
"Lord Bridgerton! How lovely to see you!"
Anthony smiled and stepped away from Kate to take her sister's hand and press a kiss to it, making Edwina giggle and the men around her glower, before stepping back to Kate's side.
"You look lovely this evening, Miss Edwina." He complimented her as he took Kate's hand and tucked it back into his arm.
"Thank you, my Lord." She said brightly. "I do hope you will grace us with a poem later on."
To Kate's amusement, Anthony seemed to blush.
"I assure you, no one wants that, least of all me." He told her with a laugh. "I believe I am never to be a man of poetry. Words of flattery are beautiful and sweet, but they are also hollow unless accompanied by action."
Kate thought of his offer to help her navigate Edwina's suitors and smiled softly.
"If you want poetry, I am afraid you will need Benedict, not me." He concluded and Edwina smiled at him.
"I believe there are many ladies present who would vastly prefer actions to words, my Lord." She told him before giving Kate an evil smile. "I know for a fact my sister was stunned by the actions of a gentleman earlier this week. You see, she felt unwell at the races and he sent her a parlor of lilies to speed her recovery! I do not believe I have ever seen her so pleased!"
"Is that so?" Anthony replied, turning to grin at Kate, who was glaring daggers at her sister. "Is that, perchance, why there are so many beautiful lilies in tonight's decorations?"
"It is, my Lord," she replied gleefully. "Kate insisted on it."
"I believe it is time to begin tonight's festivities, don't you agree, Edwina?" Kate said loudly, hoping to curtail this new alliance between her sister and Lord Bridgerton.
"Right you are, Miss Sharma." Lady Danbury agreed from nearby. "Gentleman, prepare to impress us."
She took Edwina's arm and directed her to the place of honor while Kate and Anthony took a position behind her, Kate pointedly ignoring Anthony, who looked far too pleased with himself.
"I am pleased you were pleased with my lilies." He murmured with a wicked grin.
"I think you'll find I was pleased by my lilies, my Lord," She replied softly, "as they seem to be in my possession."
"I see many of them in this room," he continued, ignoring her interjection, "but this can't be all of them. I know, because I bought them. Tell me, where are the rest?"
Kate lifted her chin defiantly and Anthony found that he enjoyed inspiring her blushes almost more than he did her laugh.
"That is none of your business." She told him primly.
"You know what I think, Miss Sharma?" he said, so softly that she was the only one who could hear. "I think they're in your bedroom. I bet that the last things you see before you go to sleep and the first things when you wake are my lilies."
Kate glared at him.
"My lilies, my Lord."
Anthony chuckled and pulled away, finally allowing her to breathe.
"I note you didn't dispute their placement." He told her.
"You know, I am reconsidering something you said, my Lord." She told him blandly.
"Oh?"
"I think a muzzle would be a very practical purchase."
Of all the shocking things that men would do that evening, nothing was more shocking than the sound of Lord Anthony Bridgerton laughing.
~.~
A half an hour later, Eloise had joined them to stare in vague horror at the spectacle in front of them.
"Was this your idea?" she asked Kate. "Tell me this was your idea and I shall love you forever."
"I wish I could take credit, but no." Kate replied with barely contained mirth. "Lady Danbury encouraged a poetry reading. The men, thanks to their spirit and competition, concocted the rest of this farce on their own."
"Of course they did." Eloise said with a laugh.
"Honestly, I believe they were driven to this by your brother's thoughts on action versus pretty words." She told the younger woman. "I rather think they took them to heart."
"You did this?" Eloise breathed, leaning around Kate to marvel at her eldest brother. "You are my favorite, you know that?"
"My words were never meant to inspire…this." Anthony told her in vague disgust. "I was simply trying to get out of the poetry reading."
"And instead you have condemned us to hell." Colin said as he joined them. "Congratulations, brother."
"Are you not going to regale us or entertain us, Mr. Bridgerton?" Kate asked with a smirk.
"As I am not trying to win your dear sister's hand, I feel safe in bowing out of this one." Colin replied with a smile. "But I shall remember that you tried to throw me to the wolves, Miss Sharma. Excuse me."
He drifted off and Eloise linked her arm through Kate's.
"Poor Edwina." She said, her commiseration somewhat lessened by her clear amusement as Edwina was forced to clap politely for a young man's truly terrible juggling act. "I would not be in her spot for anything."
"I will concede that this was not how I thought this evening would go." Kate admitted.
"I'm not too upset with how this evening is going." Anthony said softly, his breath warm on Kate's ear, making her shiver.
"You know," Eloise said blandly, "you are technically supposed to be chaperoning me, not the other way around. I would ask that you at least remember that I am here before you start flirting with my friend!"
Kate blushed but Anthony just reached around to flick his sister's arm.
"Find yourself a suitor and I'll be happy to chaperone you, El." He shot back. "And kindly remember that Miss Sharma was my friend first."
"As if that matters." She replied primly. "And if this is the pool for suitors, I would rather not. There is no one amongst this lot that I would ever consider."
"It is making me nervous for Edwina's prospects." Kate sighed.
At that moment, Lady Danbury called a pause to the performance, to the relief of the majority of the room. Kate watched as Edwina began speaking with the youngest Featherington. She looked around the room and began to despair. Would Edwina be able to love any of them?
"Brother, dear, go and fetch us some lemonades." Eloise said suddenly.
Anthony gave his sister an odd look, but whatever he saw in her face had him agree and slip into the crowd.
"You know," Eloise said when she deemed him far enough away, "I must thank you for the effect you are having on my brother."
Kate started, surprised.
"What ever can you mean?" she asked. "I can't believe I've had any effect on him whatsoever."
"That's because you've only known this version of him." She replied. "I can tell you that the version I've known for the last several years may have been a devoted brother and an excellent head of the family, but he wasn't happy. He never laughed and he never would have referred to a woman as a friend. When you meet Daphne, she can tell you all about Anthony's behavior during her season, but believe me when I tell you that the man who has stood next to you all evening is not the same man from even a month ago and I believe that is due to you. I mean, he was nervous on the way over here tonight! My brother doesn't get nervous. We owe you a debt."
Kate felt the panic from the other day at the races begin to rise again, but she forced it down. She had made the decision to trust Lord Bridgerton and she would stick to it.
"You owe me nothing." She told Eloise. "Your brother has been inordinately kind to me. I am grateful for his friendship, as well as yours and your other brothers' and your mother's. I cannot thank you enough for how welcome you've made me and Edwina feel."
"I'm glad." Eloise told her, smiling happily before glancing back to where Edwina and Penelope had been standing but now Penelope stood alone. "I should go rescue Pen. I'm sure I'll see you again before we leave!"
With that, she was gone, leaving a pensive Kate in her wake.
Eloise Bridgerton considered it a forgone conclusion that she would one day meet Daphne. She wondered what tales the Duchess of Hastings would tell, because Eloise was right…
The man everyone whispered about, the man Lady Whistledown wrote about, was not the man who had stood at her side all night. He wasn't the man who made her laugh and sent her flowers and cared so fiercely for his family. The man they spoke of would be in the thick of Edwina's suitors, not approaching her with lemonade.
"Apparently, I will never successfully bring Eloise lemonade tonight." He said, handing her one of the cups and keeping the other for himself. "Where did she run off to?"
"Miss Featherington." Kate nodded towards the corner where the young women had taken refuge.
"Poor Penelope." Anthony said, looking at his sister and her friend. "I keep hoping Colin will realize she's in love with him and make all our lives simpler."
Kate stared at him in shock and he just smirked.
"Pen has never been particularly subtle and I have four sisters." He told her. "I'm not completely unobservant."
"Well, there goes that plan." Kate quipped. "I was relying on your brothers to be viable options for when this lot eventually disappoints."
"Just my brothers, Miss Sharma?" Anthony asked, his smile turning sinful. "Why, pray tell, am I not in the running to be your dear sister's second choice?"
"I knew from the moment I saw you that I would never allow you anywhere near my sister."
Anthony's smile turned into a large grin.
"And why is that?"
"Because Edwina will marry for love." Kate told him, suddenly serious. "And everyone knows the last thing you are interested in is a love match. I would not risk her heart like that."
"Was."
Kate looked up and found his eyes staring at her. When he caught her gaze, he held it, making it once again hard to breathe.
"That's the last thing I was interested in." He continued, just as serious as her now.
"And now?" she asked softly.
"Now I'm not so sure."
They were quite for a moment before Anthony looked away, his smirk coming back in full force.
"Had I been so inclined, though, I believe I may have courted Miss Edwina just to vex you. I do so love it when you're angry with me."
"And he wonders why I would have done whatever it took to keep him away." Kate muttered, rolling her eyes.
Anthony just smiled at that.
"Well, Miss Edwina is safe from me." He told her, taking a sip of his lemonade. "I find I am no longer in the market for a Diamond. And as for her prospects, I'm sure the Queen would be disappointed were she to not wed this Season, but there's always next year. She is certainly nowhere near on the shelf."
"There is no next year."
Anthony looked at Kate, but she was looking at Edwina with an almost desperate look in her eyes. He gently took her arm and pulled her further to the side, where they were less likely to be overheard.
"Why would there be no next year?" he asked softly, but Kate hesitated, looking around to see if anyone could hear them. "Please, Miss Sharma. I said I would help. I want to help."
Kate studied him, wondering just how far she could stretch the trust she had so recently decided to place in him. She met his eyes and found sincerity there, mingled with something else that she didn't dare try to identify at that moment. Finally, she took a breath.
"I often like to ride in the mornings." She told him, surprising him with the change in subject. "I know I shouldn't ride alone, but I often times miss the freedom I had in India."
No one could ever accuse Anthony Bridgerton of being slow on the uptake.
"There is a wood nearby that has excellent trails and is still close enough to Mayfair to be safe." He replied as if she didn't know exactly where he meant. "I often ride there myself."
Some of the tension left Kate as she realized he had figured out what she was doing.
"I thought I might ride tomorrow morning at sunrise." She told him, her eyes begging him to understand.
Anthony nodded and Kate breathed a sigh.
"I would be careful, though." He told her, his smirk firmly back in place. "I heard tale that men often race unsuspecting young ladies in that wood."
"That's odd." Kate shot back. "I heard that young women often times win races against men there."
"Someday, Miss Sharma," Anthony said with heat in his voice, "we shall race again and discover who the real victor is."
"I think, my Lord," she replied with a wicked grin, "you'll find I never lose."
"We shall see."
With that, Kate allowed Anthony to escort her back to Edwina's side. They spent the rest of the night working together to find anyone who stood out against the sea of men.
Even Anthony admitted it was not encouraging.