The wedding preparations were in full swing. There had been discussion about how long the couple should wait before walking down the aisle- Lady Bridgerton and Lady Danbury thought a longer courtship may be less likely to stir gossip, but Anthony firmly put his foot down and announced that he would not wait anymore than a month to make Kate his wife. As he told Kate, as they were discreetly hidden behind the bushes in Lady Danbury's garden, now that he'd had a taste of what it would be like to be wedded to her, he could not stop himself from wanting more. Kate had blushed and not said anything, although he heard later that evening from his mother that Kate had started pushing the idea of a short courtship too. That made Anthony smirk, and his skin tingle at the thought that she must want him as much as he wanted her.
Eventually, the date was set for the next month. The wedding was to be held, at both Kate and Anthony's request, at Aubrey Hall. The ancestral home of course had the necessary amount of space and accommodation to cater to everyone, not to mention the stunning scenery.
Once the date and location had been decided upon, the guest list had to be made. Although Anthony would have preferred a more intimate ceremony, he knew as a viscount that he must perform to his role in society. And, as much as she may try to hide it, Anthony could see the gleam in Kate's eye whenever she was discussing the wedding, an event in her life where she would be the focus of attention, not Edwina. He did not dare take that happiness away from her. Hell, he would have done a whole other royal wedding if that's what Kate said she wanted.
Luckily, she did not have too exuberant plans, and they managed to keep the guest list reasonable. All the family friends such as the Featheringtons would be invited, as well as Anthony's friends from Eton and Oxford. Lady Bridgerton insisted on inviting some members of the aristocracy who Anthony was indifferent to, but he allowed it.
The sorting of the wedding party was fairly straightforward too. Anthony once again chose Benedict as best man, and Edwina would happily play the role of maid of honour. Kate had seen the wistful glance Hyacinth had thrown at her own bridesmaid dress at Edwina's wedding, and so decided to ask the young girl if she would agree to be one of Kate's bridesmaids. Hyacinth had never looked so happy: she quickly embraced Kate in the tightest hug Kate had ever experienced, ecstatically bounding off to tell her mother and Anthony the news. Of course, Kate would not want to exclude the other sisters- Francesca was also ecstatic at the prospect, although Eloise was not as convinced.
"I know you don't like fluffy dresses, or the general concept of marriage, but I would hate for you not to be involved in the ceremony somehow," Kate told her, sitting next to her over tea one afternoon. "After all, I found you to be a great friend when I first arrived here, and I know Anthony values you immensely."
"Oh, Kate," Eloise replied, grasping her hand. "You know I am excited for you to marry my brother, and I am truly grateful that you asked me. But I would look a fool next to Francesca and Hyacinth and Edwina- they are all the epitome of grace, and what am I?"
"The epitome of intelligence," Kate responded sternly. "In fact, I have another idea. If you do not want to be a bridesmaid, how about you agree to do one of the readings during the ceremony? You can pick which one, subject to approval of course."
Eloise beamed. "That sounds like a perfect idea."
The couple asked Colin to perform a reading too, to ensure he was not left out. Gregory excitedly agreed to be the ring bearer, walking round as if this responsibility was the greatest ever given to anyone. Anthony was beyond happy that Kate had decided to include all of his siblings in their wedding- it showed how she loved and valued them almost as much as he did, and that was more important to him than words could ever say.
Once everything core had been decided on, Anthony decided to step back and let his wife handle the rest of it. He knew she was in capable hands: his mother had been very upset at not being allowed sufficient time to plan Daphne's wedding, and was running his like a military operation. Kate didn't mind- she enjoyed being able to chip in ideas here and there without the stress of doing everything herself.
The colour scheme was decided on- bridal white and pale gold. Arrangements had already been started with the housekeeper at Aubrey Hall for decorations, and flower orders were placed. One evening, Kate expressed her fears to Anthony about how much this whole thing was going to cost. He merely laughed and kissed her gently. "If it makes your wedding day perfect, no amount is too expensive."
The next thing to sort was the outfits. All the Bridgerton brothers, supervised by their mother, managed to sort their suits in one afternoon. Kate found the experience far more stressful. The selection of the bridesmaid dresses was fairly straightforward. Francesca and Hyacinth looked beautiful in everything they tried on, and totally angelic in the dresses that were finally settled on. Edwina, too, had the gift of making every dress look exquisite, and so she soon found one that was very similar to the younger girls' outfits, with a few added features to make her stand out as maid of honour.
Kate found her own dress to be the biggest challenge. She spent a long time in Madame Delacroix's shop, with a rather large entourage. Her mother and sister, as well as Lady Danbury, Lady Bridgerton and Daphne, had all insisted on coming along to help her choose.
Madame Delacroix showed her a wide range of designs, and she tried on a few example dresses, but she always seemed to find something wrong with them: this one was too puffy, that one was too uncomfortable, that train was too long, that design was too simple. She was starting to worry she would never find the perfect dress. And to be honest, it wasn't really about her. But she didn't want to disappoint Anthony- he had given up marrying the diamond of the season for her, and she wanted to think she could live up to Edwina's beauty at least partially.
Daphne seemed to have a knack for reading Kate, and as she noticed her soon-to-be sister-in-law nervously chewing her bottom lip for the upteenth time that afternoon, she stepped closer to her so no one would overhear. "You do realise Anthony would still think you were the most beautiful woman in the room if you turned up in your nightclothes?"
Kate looked up in shock. "Is my worry that obvious?" she laughed nervously.
"I know it is a big decision," Daphne continued reassuringly, "but you have looked breath-taking in everything you have tried so far. And I know Anthony will agree with me."
Kate squeezed the duchess' hand gratefully, and breathed a sigh of relief when the next dress she tried on was met with gasps of delight from all her attendants, and a feeling inside her that told her that this dress was the one.
Kate was gazing happily out at the street as Lady Bridgerton made the arrangements for the delivery of the dress. She was pulling on her gloves when Violet turned round and said "Where do you think you're going?"
"Home? Are we not finished?" asked Kate, confused.
"No!" Lady Bridgerton exclaimed. "We haven't yet sorted the rest of your trousseau."
Lady Mary and Lady Danbury assured Kate she was in safe hands and they would take a respite at a nearby teashop, dragging a reluctant Edwina behind them. Daphne had a worryingly mischievous look in her eye, and Violet was already talking to Madame Delacroix about their needs.
"My trousseau?" Kate wondered, glancing nervously at Daphne.
"Well, you weren't planning that dress on your wedding night, were you?" Daphne smirked.
Kate blushed as she realised what was now happening. Violet was pulling out various nightgowns and lingerie, discussing in great earnest which colours would best suit Kate, and whether silk or lace was more appropriate.
"I don't know if this is quite necessary," interrupted Kate, as Madame Delacroix pulled out a piece that looked more like a strip of material than any sort of actual garment. "I can assure you, Lady Bridgerton, I have sufficient nightgowns and other items."
"Firstly, call me Violet, dear, you will be my daughter soon," the dowager viscountess said, barely sparing Kate a glance. "And secondly, every new bride must have a new trousseau. Anthony would be devastated if I charged all this money to his account and you didn't even have something he would…appreciate." This time she had the decency to look a little embarrassed.
After what seemed like an age, Violet decided that Kate had sufficient items to last at least until the end of her honeymoon. The weary party made their way back to Bridgerton House, where Kate went in search of her fiancée.
He was in his study, looking rather stressed at the large mountain of paperwork on his desk. But on seeing her at the doorway, he stood and made his way over to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Kate said. "You look rather busy."
"Indeed, there are quite a few things that cropped up today," but I am never too busy for you, my dear. How was the dress search? Have you found something?"
"Indeed," Kate smiled. "I purchased…many things."
"What does that mean?" Anthony asked curiously.
"Well, I got my dress of course," she moved past him, perching precariously upon the edge of his desk. "And then your mother and sister insisted on padding out my trousseau."
"Oh?" Anthony asked, his eyes lighting up. "What exactly did you get?"
"Lord Bridgerton!" she exclaimed, acting scandalised. "How dare you ask about such things before my wedding night."
Anthony rolled his eyes at her fake coyness, leaning forward to kiss her deeply. "Please be aware, Miss Sharma, that as soon as we are wed, everything you own becomes my property. And that includes your trousseau. So it will be my liberty to see such items whenever I deem fit."
Kate smirked. "Is that so, my Lord? Then I dare not mention that these items are, in fact, already your property, given that your mother charged them to your account."
"Well, in that case," Anthony stood to his full height, looking every inch the powerful viscount. "I will be sure to examine them most carefully after we are wed. I wouldn't like to think my funds had been wasted."
Kate laughed, meeting his lips with hers once more.