Anthony quickly got dressed as he walked inside the house. It still seems quite early for anyone to wake up, but he could hear a few maids cleaning up hallways and other rooms.

Ignoring their curious stares, he walked straight towards his chambers, hoping to talk with his wife so he could say what he could not last night.

"Kate." He calls her first as he enters their chambers, but to his surprise, he finds them empty.

"Kate, are you in there?" He called as he opened the dressing room door and found it empty too.

Feeling worried, he walked outside, ready to search every room, when he saw Clara stationed outside the nearest guest room to his chambers.

"Lord Bridgerton." The maid bowed as she saw him approaching.

"Clara?" What are you doing here outside this room? Also, have you seen Viscountess?"

"My Lord, Lady Bridgerton is inside this room."

Anthony smiled in relief and was about to open the door when Clara stopped him. "My Lord, please forgive me, but you cannot go inside."

Anthony stilled as a smile dropped from his face. "Can I ask why?"

Clara nervously gulped as she informed him. "Viscountess is not feeling well, and she asks me to take all her things and move them to this room until we sort them out, and she strictly forbids me to not let anyone disturb her as she takes her rest."

Anthony felt his heart failing as he realised what his wife was doing. "Did she tell you when she would join us for breakfast or even lunch?"

Clara's eyes were filled with sympathy as she replied. "I am sorry, my Lord, but Lady Bridgerton did not mention anything about joining the family today."

Anthony could barely manage to nod as he walked away, wondering how things went so wrong that he was left alone again.

It's been two days of pure agony as Anthony waited for only one moment with his wife, but it seems she decided to punish him for some reason because now it's clear to him that Kate is ignoring him completely.

She made sure that they were never alone, always surrounded by his family or staff members.

Last night, he tried to catch her alone in her new temporary room, but to his dismay, he found out that Kate had decided to spend the night at Danbury House to spend some time with her sister.

Feeling at complete loss for what to do, Anthony arrived at Hastings house after he requested another meeting with his siblings.

His family was already there waiting for him when he arrived, and one look at his face was enough to fill their eyes with worry.

"Anthony." Daphne stared at him sympathetically as she offered him a chair. "Tell us what happened between you two. I thought all our hard work was paying off."

"Exactly! Do you know how hard it was to catch that brown mouse and plant it in Kate's room?" Colin points out that made Benedict hit him in the back. "That's not important, Colin."

"What is important is to figure out where we went wrong and what happened that made Kate ignore Anthony like he was contaminated."

At Eloise's question, everyone looked confused, but all of a sudden Anthony and Simon felt nervous, as Anthony admits.

"I may have bungled things up at Fortuna Ball."

His siblings frowned as Anthony began to recall the events from that ball. How he flirted with Isabella to make Kate jealous, how he left the ball after Kate left the ball in anger, went as far as to tell them about their fight and his almost love confession, but stopped about Kate's interruption and distraction because that part was not for his siblings ears.

It seems Simon and his three oldest siblings understood what happened, while the younger lot looked confused. "So what happened next?"

Anthony hesitated a bit before he answered Eloise. "Next morning she moved her things into the spare room, and she has been ignoring me ever since."

"Oh, I wonder why?" An angry voice snaps, making every eye turn towards Daphne, who was glaring at Anthony.

"Daff?" Anthony begins, but he is rudely cut off by his sister.

"First thing first, tell me where you got this brilliant idea to make Kate jealous by flirting with another woman and making her realise her love for you!?"

Anthony gaped at her, dumbfounded, but Daphne was not done. "And then, to ruin things further, you tried to confess your love like that! You imbecilic! Kate, who always thought of herself as the last person to have any happiness, must have heard your lame attempt to love confession and probably thought you meant to tell her you had feelings for Isabella."

Anthony's eyes widen in horror as he tries to remember Kate's reaction and her tears from that night. "She." Anthony tried to gather his wits. "She cannot jump to that conclusion."

"She can when you flirt with another woman and then try to confess your love for another. Poor Kate; she must be so heartbroken and scared. Why did you do this? Why would you ruin all our hard work?"

"Do not put all the blame on me! This brilliant plan was your husband's idea." Anthony finally snapped, and Daphne and his other siblings turned to glare at Simon, who suddenly looked frightened.

"Daphne, my love."

"Simon! How could you give him this kind of advice?"

"I thought it helped me to realise my feelings for you, and maybe making Kate jealous could make her realise her feelings for your brother." He trailed off when his wife shook her head in disappointment.

Eloise scoffs as she stares from one idiot to another. "You men really think of yourself as the most intelligent beings of your species?"

Both men looked away ashamed as Daphne sighed in exhaustion. "You men clearly have to learn much more about us women, and our first lesson is that we do not like to feel jealous."

"Especially if we already doubted our own self-worth." Francesca adds, making Anthony flinch as he realises his mistakes.

"Please tell me how I can fix my mistakes."

"You will do nothing, brother." Colin informed him, while Benedict agreed. "I think Kate's insecurity runs bone deep, something we failed to realise."

"We need to help Kate first." Daphne concluded.

"She needs to understand her own importance first before we try to bring her close to Anthony again."

"Brilliant idea." Eloise exclaimed as she told others. "Let's focus on Kate first; from this moment onwards, all our efforts should be to make Kate believe how much we love and need the real Kate."

"And what am I supposed to do with all this?" Anthony inquires, feeling a little left out while his siblings make plans without him.

They all stared at him awkwardly before Daphne told him gently. "Give Kate the space she needed. I promise, as soon as I get a read on her feelings for you, I will tell you your next step, but until then, for Kate's sake, please show some patience."

Kate was trying her best to keep herself together, but the truth was, she missed her husband desperately.

She missed those flowers that are now left with her maids instead of getting them personally.

She missed Anthony's presence when a swing appeared near the pond, and the footman told her it was a gift from her husband.

She missed him at nights when she aches for his warmth and his strong comforting arms that she was getting used to while sharing his chambers.

The most she missed her husband was when she spent more time with his siblings.

They are all completely different from him, and yet they all shared one quality with their elder brother that made her think of Anthony.

Benedict shared that charming smile as one day he took her to an art gallery to show her display of paintings and statues.

"We should paint sometimes; I am curious about those colours Anthony has gifted you."

Kate could not deny him when he looked so earnestly at her. They painted together, and every once in a while Kate would see Anthony in Benedict's face as he bit the edge of his brush while thinking hard, just like his older brother used to bit the tip of a quill while he was lost in thought or trying to concentrate on work.

She sees her husband in Colin and how he excitedly hears about her country and things she missed from her home.

To Kate's delight, Colin also has Anthony's ability to give best surprise to people he cares for.

Kate's eyes were filled with tears when one day Colin took her to this curry house run by an Indian couple.

"I can see why you miss this food but you have to admit this is too spicy." He complains but still tries everything Kate was eating.

Like Anthony, he also gives beautiful flowers, and often Kate finds herself admiring both bouquets that look beautiful in her room.

The youngest three were her heart. Francesca reminds her of Anthony's togetherness and how she most of the time stays strong like her brother so that other siblings can be what they want to be. Her determination to perfect musical instruments reminds Kate of her husband's perfect work ethic. "Determination is necessary to keep passion up; otherwise, we give up on things before we even begin to give our best."

Kate smiled at her wise sister-in-law as she taught her how to play the flute properly.

Whenever she is around Hyacinth and Gregory, they remind her of the playful, childlike side of her husband, and the more time she spends with them, the more she feels free from all her burdens. "Please teach us your language." Gregory one day requested, and Hyacinth agreed. "Please, Kate, this way we will talk in different languages that will make you feel more at home, and we can also make others mad with wonder about our conversation."

Kate laughed so hard as she agreed to teach them her language. "All right, and once you both learn my language, then we will openly plan to win the next Pall Mall games."

She shook their hands eagerly, and after such a long time, this family felt like a part of her, and suddenly she was not missing her home at all.

The best Bridgerton to bring back old Kate that Anthony was missing dearly was none other than his brilliant sister Eloise, and what she did to achieve that made Anthony forever indebted to her.

It all started when Eloise started courting Lord Morrison, a man no one would ever dream of anywhere near his sister.

Morrison was rich and titled, but his qualities stopped there; he was rude, pompous, rakish, and highly misogynistic.

If it were not Eloise's plan, Anthony and his brother would have beaten him into pulp, but it seems his wife will beat him to it, as she was constantly glaring at that man as they overheard his views on marriage at dinner. Eloise has invited him much to Kate's horror. "If we get married, then our offspring will be famous for carrying the great legacy of our families."

Eloise smirked, while Kate fumed in anger as she inquired. "You mean you want children to be born of two great bloodlines? Are we talking about human children or the breeding of rare horses?"

Anthony choked on his drinks while his family tried to conceal their laughter but were unsuccessful in doing so.

His poor mother looked confused and afraid of Morrison's wellbeing as that idiot continued. "Women, I am sorry, Lady Bridgerton, but I believe you do not understand the value of noble birth lines, not that I can blame you since you are not noble birth yourselves."

The atmosphere suddenly changed as ten Bridgerton and one Hastings glared at Morrison.

"Get up, Morrison." Anthony suddenly spoke up in a quite yet dangerous voice.

"Um, why? It's not like I said something wrong."

Anthony could see his brothers were ready to throw this prick out, but then, to everyone's delight, it was someone else who stood up. "You have heard my husband; get up and get out!"

Anthony watched proudly as Morison sprang on his feet, feeling scared. "Bridgerton, are you not going to stop your wife?"

"He will not, because this is my house, and if you do not leave this house in the next second, I swear! I will let my husband and brothers throw you out!"

At that, all the men stood up at once, and then they all watched as Morrison ran away like he was on fire.

For a while, no one said anything. "Eloise, thank you for indulging me and your mother this season, but I think you should wait for your next courtship unless you find a man whom you seem worthy enough to court."

As his wife resumed her seat, Anthony was beaming with joy as he mouthed her sister. "Thank you."

Two nights after that fiasco dinner, Kate was dressed in dark blue, which she adorned with sapphire jewels and a hair piece that was from her personal collection and was gifted to her by her husband.

Kate admired her look one last time before heading out of her room.

She was descending downstairs when she saw none other than her husband, who stopped midway as his eyes roamed over her attire.

The dress was modestly cut, but her neckline was a little lower, putting quite a bit of skin on display.

By the time she reached one step away, Kate could easily see Anthony's eyes darkening while he licked his lips, making them wet and shiny under candlelight.

For a while, they just stared at each other until his eyes left her covered bosom to admire her face. "My lady, you are looking like a vision tonight."

Kate blushed while pulling a stray curl behind her ear. "Thank you. If my appearance pleases you, then I think other ladies will find me pleasing too."

"Ah!" Anthony's eyes filled with understanding. "You are heading out for Lady Danbury's famous Den of Equity party. I must say I had heard many rumours about that even in the past."

Kate scrunched her nose as she teased. "I did not know your men gossip too."

"Only about interesting things, and trust me, this night made all married men of Ton quite nervous."

Kate smirked as she stepped closer. "Are you nervous too, My Lord?"

Anthony gave her his honest smile as he twirled on her curls. "You know everything about my past and my present, and that's why I will never be nervous in the future whenever you attend this event."

Kate's heart fluttered as he cupped her face before stepping close to kiss her cheek as he whispered. "Go enjoy yourself, darling, but return home soon if you do not like staying there."

A shiver ran through her as he kissed her forehead, and with a quick goodnight, she left her husband to attend this event.

Her thoughts were still plagued by that little encounter, and Kate did not realise how soon the journey had passed.

All that time Kate lived in this house, she never ventured this way where the footman was leading her before he announced her. "Viscountess Kathani Bridgerton."

She entered the room, and her eyes widened as she saw a replica of what she presumed gentlemen's clubs must look like.

There were many round tables set for different kinds of cards and gambling games, while servants were serving drinks to the ladies again and again.

All the ladies were dressed to impress, and suddenly Kate felt conscious of her appearance.

"Lady Bridgerton, I am so happy to see you. Welcome to my Den of Equity."

"Thank you for inviting me, Lady Danbury. Is Mama not in attendance?"

Lady Danbury shook her head as she informed her in a low voice. "Many of these ladies used to envy your mother in her youth, and that has not changed even now, so Mary and Violet sent their apologies, but fret not, we three will have tea tomorrow."

Kate smiled, and it widened even more when a familiar face approached them. "Kate! I am so happy you came. Come, let's me introduce you to my friends."

Both women excused themselves as Daphne led her to the corner table.

"Friends, meet my dearest sister-in-law, Viscountess Kathani Bridgerton, famously known as Kate. These are my friends, Lady Kittage Langham and Duchess Olivia Heston."

Kate greeted the girls as Daphne explained to them how to play this game.

By the time a few hours passed, Kate and Daphne had played and won many games.

"I see Bridgerton's competitive streak has invaded this event too." Lady Danbury teased as everyone cheered Kate for her next win.

"What can I say? Daphne was born into this family, and I was born for this family."

Daphne embraced her sister as they both clicked their glasses on another win.

Kate was thriving, and nothing could turn her mood down, not even the presence of Lady Isabella Fortuna, who arrived sometimes after Kate won her fourth game.

"Daphne, when can we leave? It's getting late, and I am getting tired."

Daphne sighed as she collected their winnings. "As much as I want to win more, I think it's better to not tempt our luck."

They said their goodbyes and moved to leave, but halfway through the room, they heard voices reach their ears. "Its shame he married this season; if only he waited a little while I would offer him a proposal myself."

Daphne stared at her as they overheard Isabella and Lady Trowbridge's conversation, who then asked. "Oh my Bella, I never knew you wanted to marry Viscount."

To Kate's surprise, Isabella laughed as she said. "Married to that rake? Of course not, I was hoping for a discreet affair. You know tales of his exploits were often the talk of the town, and after marrying that miserable old grump, I was hoping to enjoy handsome young and experienced rake like Anthony."

"Well, it's sad indeed that he got married then because everyone says the Viscountess has completely tamed him."

"I do not think so." Isabella says as she smirks. "Once a rake is always a rake, and who knows, maybe he will give in to my seduction."

Both women's laughter is interrupted when an angry voice snaps at them. "Over my dead body!"

"Lady Bridgerton! Both women yelled in shock as Kate towered angrily over them. "How dare you discuss my husband in such a crude manner? No matter what his past deeds were, to your information, he has been faithful to me and to our marriage vows."

"Lady Bridgerton, we were just discussing; there is no need to create such a drama." Isabella told her annoyingly.

"Drama! You wretched home breaker! You have no idea what I am capable of or how far I can go to protect those who matter to me! I should call you out at dawn for dishonouring my husband!"

Isabella paled as her eyes roamed over a room full of audience as they landed on Daphne. "Your Grace, how can you let this woman talk to your family friend?"

"I can when a family friend forgets her manners and says things about my dearest brother and his marriage. Kate, if you need a second at dawn, count me in, but I do not think you need one as our Kate is the best shot."

Isabella stepped back in fear while Lady Trowbridge apologised and left the scene. "Lady Danbury, this is how you let your guests be treated."

"You are right." With a snap of her fingers, a footman appeared. "Please escort this lady to her carriage and make sure she is never invited into my house ever again."

Isabella face fell as the footman led her outside.

Once she was gone, Kate felt a hand on her shoulder, and it was only then that she realised she was shaking in anger.

Edwina could not sleep as her mind kept wandering to the gathering downstairs.

She tried to get an invitation, but Lady Danbury absolutely refused her because she is not married yet.

"Didi, you must be there." She says to herself, and just to catch a glimpse of her sister, she decides to sneak downstairs.

What Edwina could not see coming was to find her distraught sister getting comfort from the Duchess.

"How could they say things like that about him? Your brother is the kindest, most honourable man I have ever known after my Appa, and it saddens me that these women only judge him for one aspect of his past. They could not see how responsibilities fell on Anthony's shoulders from a young age; they did not see how much he loved and cared for his family. These people saw him grow up to be the man he is today, and still he thinks of him as rake!"

Edwina watched as the Duchess let her sister vent as she defended her husband against the mind-set of Ton.

The Duchess was smiling as she inquired. "My brother only cares about the opinions of those he loves, and he could not care about these hypocrites. I am sure he would be delighted to know how passionately you feel about him.

Edwina smiled too, because this was the Didi she was missing—the one who was brave and always protected her loved ones.

To her shock, Didi gasps in horror as she breaks down. "Daphne, promise me your brother will never find out about tonight! If he finds out what I did, then I would not be able to bear it."

Like Edwina, Daphne frowned as she inquired. "Why, why would you not let him know how you feel?"

"Because I made a promise and I cannot and will not break that promise, especially after what Anthony did for me, for my mama, and for Edwina."

Kate shakes her head as she says. "No, I cannot break his trust by revealing these feelings, so please, Daphne, do not say a word to him."

Edwina watched as the Duchess reluctantly agreed, but while they left, Edwina wondered what she had to do with her Didi and Jeju marriage.