Next morning, Emily arrived at Viscount Chambers, hoping to make use of her mistress after the events of last evening.
A brawl at the ball was the headline of Lady Whistledown, who retold the entire ball, especially the brawl part, with great detail.
Emily shakes her head as she remembers gossip column words. "Was this a misunderstanding or some scandalous secret of the new Viscountess past?"
Emily was so lost in her thoughts that she did not register the loud sound of laughter coming out of the chambers.
"Anthony! Stop it." Viscountess squealed, and Emily moved away from the door when those squealing laughs turned into voices of loud kisses.
Giggling, she ran away, knowing extremely well that her mistress would ring for her when she needed her assistance.
While Emily left, inside the Viscount's chambers, Anthony and Kate broke apart after kissing each other passionately.
Anthony sighed as he kissed his wife again.
Their naked bodies were slick with sweat as his wife moves on top of him in slow swirl of her hips .
Anthony groans as he squeezes her breast while he enjoys the sensation his wife is giving him.
The hard passion of last night was a different experience, and this slow, sensual, fun lovemaking was an entirely different experience as it brought them even closer so they could savour each other completely.
"Viscountess." Anthony groaned huskily as they both swayed in each other's arms.
Finally, Kate's movement becomes desperate as she moves harder on her husband's member, making it touch a special place deep inside her warmth.
They both snapped their hips frantically and then screamed in passion as they reached their pinnacle together.
Anthony strength gave away as both he and his wife toppled on the bed in exhaustion.
For a while, they laid like that and joined together as they stared at each other with love-filled eyes.
Finally, Anthony moved to bring his wife even closer to his body as he asked. "Are you happy, my love?"
His wife smiled and kissed his chest as she replied. "I am deliriously happy. So much that I cannot remember anything from last night but the way you love me."
Smiling, he kissed his wife's lips and ran his hand on her arm. It was then that he remembered something he wanted to ask. "What is this word painted on your arm?"
His wife's eyes widened as she stared down at her arm, especially at that word.
For a while, she kept staring at it as she slowly traced the word. "It's my name." She finally told him, although her voice felt strange to him for some reason.
Anthony traces the word with his finger as he asks curiously. "Is this Hindi spelling for Kate or Katherine?"
His wife's eyes snapped at him as she quickly sat up and covered her body with a blanket. "It's." She fidgeted as she covered her body even more. "It was my mother's idea to have my real name tattooed on my skin. You see, I was quite a handful as a child and tend to get lost sometimes."
Anthony smiled in understanding as he sat up to kiss his wife's shoulder. "There is no need to be embarrassed because I can understand your wild childhood; you know I was quite exploring myself. Finding precious treasures was something I was great at."
Apparently, something he said made his wife smile mischievously at him as she said it in a challenging voice. "Oh, really? you know I was best at hiding things. Sometimes I would hide myself, making my parents go crazy as they searched for me everywhere."
"Well, it's a shame I was not around at that time, or I would have found you a lot sooner."
Kate let out tinkling laughter as she stared at him. 'Alright, my lord, one day we will test your skills. I will hide, and you will seek me."
Anthony smiled and accepted this challenge as he kissed his wife. "You know, I am going to win each and every time."
"And why is that?"
"Because there is no place in this world that could conceal you from me, so darling, hide all you want, but remember this: I will always find you."
The next few days, Anthony and his family tried to keep Kate distracted to the best of their abilities.
His mother and sisters hide away all Lady Whistledown column from Kate because now all she writes about is what happened at the ball.
Anthony was so furious when he read the sheet that he did not know who to murder—the gossip writer or the one who caused it.
Unfortunately, Dorset left the next morning without anyone being aware of his whereabouts.
"He must be feeling guilty for causing this unnecessary misunderstanding that led to this scandal." Simon guesses while Anthony snaps angrily. "He is nothing but a coward; if he realises his mistake, he should have decency to apologise to me and to my wife, but no, he ran away into hiding, and now my wife, who gained so much respect after our wedding, is now left to deal with this scandal alone."
"But she is not alone." Simon reminds him.
It was true; Anthony and their family, including Simon and Daphne, supported his wife to the best of their abilities.
His mother made sure they kept attending the public events, and even though Anthony wanted to protect his wife from Ton's cruel judgement, he knew his mother was right.
Thankfully, his family and even Lady Danbury were always there by Kate's side, so no one dared to bring up the Dorset accusation.
The relief came in the form of the Queen, who invited Hastings and Bridgerton's for a special opera night where artists from Spain are coming to perform.
His wife looks stunning in a velvet green gown, and while they waited for the show to begin, Anthony could not help but leer at his wife's beauty.
"Behave, my love; you are going to cause another scandal if you keep staring at me like that."
Anthony sighed and returned the glass to the server so he could hold his wife closer by his side. "Alright, darling, but I fear we will not be staying long to watch the complete performance; my need for you cannot last that long."
He smirked as his wife's cheek reddened while she looked flustered.
The moment was disrupted when suddenly his mother approached them with someone behind her. "Kate, look who I have found."
His wife turned, and her eyes widened in shock. Anthony frowned as he stared at an old man and a young girl around Eloise's age in a peach-coloured gown who could be this gentleman's daughter or granddaughter.
"I am Viscount Bridgerton, and you are?"
The elderly man shook his hand as he introduced himself. "I am Duke of York Lord Harry Heston, and your mother was just telling me your wife is the daughter of my late friend Albert Ronald."
Anthony was surprised, but it seems his wife was frozen due to shock as she kept staring at them.
He squeezed his wife's shoulder as he replied on her behalf. "Yes, my wife here before becoming my Viscountess was known as Lady Katherine Ronald. I believe you visited her father while he was still alive in India."
The man smiled, and Anthony noticed a few gold teeth shining from his mouth. "Ah, good old Albert, great baron but even more great friend of mine; although your wife and I never crossed paths while I was there, I think you were returning from Jaipur after attending a friend's wedding."
"Yes, Rajkumarri Parvathi and Raja Prathab are married at same time you visited Bombay."
"The very same, I remember now; I remember your father was worried about you travelling alone with your lady maid; what was she called, Kavari, Kanji, Kanti something ?"
"My lord." His wife quickly intervened, his guessing the name as she stepped forward. "I am so glad to finally meet you. My father often spoke highly of you, and since now he is no more, I hope you continue the same acquaintance with me."
"It will be my pleasure and honour to get to know my dearest friend, only child, especially a beauty like yourself. I must say I could not remember your portrait clearly when your father showed me, but I can say the artist did not capture your beauty; otherwise, I would never have forgotten it."
Anthony felt a strange kind of chill as this ancient man praised his wife like that; he especially wanted to gouge the way his eyes were admiring Kate's beauty.
In swift movement, Anthony wrapped his arms around his wife's waist as he politely inquired. "Well, my lord, as Kate's father figure, would you and your granddaughter like to join us in our family box?"
As soon as he said this, two things happened. Lord Heston's face thundered, and the young girl flinched so hard, as if afraid of what was going to happen next.
It seems Lord Heston was ready to call him out, but then the old man took deep breaths as he managed to fake a smile that seemed more like a grimace. "Thank you for your invitation, my lord, but we are going to use my in-laws box to watch the show."
He then turned to Kate as he reached back to drag the young girl by his side. "Dear Lady Bridgerton, allow me to introduce you to my Duchess, Lady Heston."
And no matter what his wife or mother's reaction could be, it seems similar to his as he says it out loud. "I beg your pardon."
"Excuse me." Lord Heston began, but once again his wife intervened as Kate reached out to embrace the young girl, surprising everyone with this gesture of affection. "I am so glad to meet you; I cannot believe how beautiful you are."
The young girl seems stunned, like everyone in their group, as Kate embraces her tightly before moving away, and Anthony has never seen his wife shine with joy like that, not even when he confesses his love.
Before he could dwell on this strange moment, his wife turned to Lord Heston as she pleaded. "Please, my lord, can you both come to my house for tea, or even better, for dinner?"
Anthony gaped at his wife's eagerness. His mother and lady Heston looked so confused but Lord Heston looked bewildered as he stared at his wife. "I will be honoured to accept your hospitality. But sadly My dear lady, I fear we cannot accept your invitation; you see, we are only in London for a few days for urgent matters until we head home to our country state."
"Oh." His wife's face fell, and Anthony quickly squeezed her waist in comfort.
"Maybe some other time." Lady Heston speaks for the first time, and those few words work like charm as Kate reaches out to put her hand on Lady Heston's arms. "Alright, we will definitely meet soon."
Afterwards, the show was announced, and Lord and Lady Heston excused themselves to walk towards their box.
His wife did not move as she keep staring at their retreating figures, she eagerly waved when Lady Heston turned around to stare back at them.
Anthony gently pulls his wife in opposite directions. "Come, darling, the show is about to begin."
His Kate turned around, but it seems something changed—something he could not figure out as Kate looked dazed and completely peaceful for some reason.
The show began, but after an hour or so, he could tell his wife's mind was completely elsewhere as she kept staring, but not really staring at the performance.
"Kate, darling, are you alright?" She eagerly nodded her head and kissed him in gratitude. "Thank you so much for bringing me here; today is the best day of my life, and it's all because of you."
Anthony was not sure what he actually did to achieve this gratitude, but before he could ponder hard, his wife excused herself to use the retiring room.
Anthony waited for a long while once she was gone, but when five minutes turned into fifteen, he began to get worried.
He walked outside to search for his wife, but the maid informed him that no one had arrived at the retiring room since the show began.
Feeling worried, he walked towards the back stage, and when he turned in the deserted corner, he saw his wife speaking with someone shadow.
"Kate."
The shadow disappeared as his wife rushed towards him before falling into his arms. "You find me." She squealed happily.
Anthony's eyes widen as he gapes at her. "Are you out of your mind? You were playing hide and seek now?! And who was that shadow I saw you with?"
"Oh no one, and I was not playing any game. I was walking towards the retiring room but took the wrong turn and ended up here. I was hoping you would come and find me when I asked one of the workers for the right direction, but you came and found me."
She kissed him happily, and Anthony was completely stunned by his wife's antics. "I guess you are every bit wild even now! You will make me crazy if you keep doing this."
His wife's eyes turned darker as she seductively wrapped her arms around his neck as she whispered hoarsely. "Then take me home, my love; you can punish me for my disobedience."
Anthony felt himself becoming something feral as he growled and kissed his wife with hunger he never knew he was capable of.
The night of opera continues, but Viscount Bridgerton and his Viscountess are long gone as the carriage begins to move, and a scream of pleasure reaches the driver's ear as he drives the carriage towards his master's lodgings.