A/N: Thank you all for your love and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 16: When stuff hits the fan

All of them walked around the flea market for the rest of the morning and early afternoon, looking at all the goods being sold at the various stalls. Kate ended up buying a cute salt lamp and a beautiful candle that smelled like balsam, thinking they would go well with the decor in her apartment. Anthony didn't buy anything except for a small jar of calamine lotion from a booth selling homemade skin creams and ointments. He insisted on giving it to Kate for her bee sting, and after some arguing, Kate eventually accepted it, feeling that it was unnecessary but still thoughtful of Anthony to get for her.

Finally, once everyone was done shopping and saddled with their purchases, they decided to head back to Aubrey Hall, tired and hungry for a late lunch. Kate, Eloise, Penelope, and Anthony all headed back to Anthony's car, and once inside, Kate pulled out her phone to text her sister.

"I wonder how Edwina's doing back at Aubrey Hall," she said, typing out a text to her sister to let her know they were done at the flea market and coming back to the house soon. "I feel like I should have gotten her a little something while we were at the market."

"I'm sure she and Tom are doing fine," Anthony shrugged, pulling the car out onto the street and starting the drive back to the house. "They're probably just annoyed we're running late for lunch. I bet Brimsely made us something amazing."

As they drove along, Kate kept glancing at her phone. Edwina hadn't even read her text yet, which was a bit odd. Edwina was usually really good about texting her back right away, but Kate just figured she and Tom were still out walking around the grounds. Reception could be a bit spotty out here in the country, she knew.

They finally pulled into the driveway at Aubrey Hall, and Simon's car pulled in right behind them. Once they parked near the front doors, they all piled out of the cars with their purchases and made their way into the foyer, everyone chatting happily with each other about what Brimsley might have made for lunch.

"…think that's something I should have known about before we all went tramping off in the country together?!"

"I'm sorry, but this isn't my fault!"

Everyone froze the moment they stepped into the foyer: Edwina and Tom were standing at the foot of the grand staircase, several feet apart and clearly in the middle of a huge argument. Tom had an ugly scowl on his face, and Edwina looked utterly distressed as tears ran down her cheeks. Both of them looked over at the others standing in the doorway, and Edwina quickly brushed away at her tears, trying to compose herself.

Concerned, Kate immediately rushed over to her sister. "Oh my God, Edwina – what's going on?"

Instead of allowing her sister to comfort her, however, Edwina took a step away from Kate, glaring at her with tear-filled eyes. "Is it true, Kate? Tom just told me that the two of you were involved around Christmas last year. Tell me you weren't."

Kate froze, her eyes wide as she could only stare at her sister. Immediately, her heart dropped to her stomach as the blood began to pound in her ears. The very thing she had been terrified of her sister knowing was now out in the open, and a part of her hoped this was all just a terrible dream.

"Why on earth would you tell her that?!" Kate rounded on Tom, feeling a sudden intense surge of anger toward him.

Tom gave her a stony glare. "I was tired of lying to her, and I wanted to be honest."

Kate's anger spiked so much she almost saw red. "Seriously?! You've been nothing but a liar and a cheat since the day I met you, and NOW you choose to be honest? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Okay everyone, maybe we should all take a breath and calm down," Daphne hurried over to Kate's side. "We can discuss this somewhere else…"

"No! I want to know the truth!" Edwina snapped, glaring at Kate as tears continued to stream down her face. "No more lies, Kate: were you and Tom involved with each other?"

A heavy silence hung over them for several long, tortuous seconds, and Kate knew she had to tell her sister the truth. "Yes, we were," she confessed, her voice broken. "But it was nothing, I swear Edwina…"

Edwina didn't seem to listen as her face crumpled, and she turned away with a heartbroken sob. She covered her face with her hands, and Kate felt her heart clench with sadness and anxiety.

"Eddie, I'm so sorry…" Kate said helplessly, moving forward and placing a hand on Edwina's shoulder.

Edwina immediately shoved Kate's hand off of her and bolted for the stairs, holding back her sobs as she went. Everyone simply watched her leave, Kate feeling utterly distressed and wishing she could find a magic wand and fix all of this.

"Why the hell did you do that, Tom?" Daphne suddenly snapped, and Kate turned to her friend to see her glaring at Tom.

Tom looked momentarily surprised at Daphne's vitriol, but quickly hid it with a beleaguered expression that didn't fool Kate for a second. "I just wanted to be honest with her. I care about Edwina a lot, and I don't want our relationship to be based on a lie, especially when it involves her sister. She deserved to know the truth, and Kate needed to be held accountable for her role in this lie."

Once again, Kate felt her heart drop to her stomach as she stared at Tom. He was actually pinning the blame on her for this mess when she was the one who initially wanted to tell Edwina the truth?

Is he fucking serious right now?

"Well, you picked a hell of a time to be honest with her, mate, didn't you?" Anthony said coldly, walking toward them while also glaring at Tom. "We're all stuck together in this house for the next few days, and you've pretty much guaranteed things are going to be tense and awkward now."

Tom's sad expression disappeared as he scowled at Anthony. "My relationship with Edwina is none of your business, Bridgerton. I would thank you for not interjecting with your unwarranted opinions about how I handle my affairs."

"You pretty much made it everyone's business by having a screaming row in the middle of my house!" Anthony snapped.

"Okay, both of you need to calm down!" Daphne said angrily, stepping between Tom and Anthony, who looked like they wanted to lunge at each other. "What's done is done – there's no need to fight about it right now. This is an issue between Tom, Edwina, and Kate. Edwina just needs some time to cool down and then I'm sure all of this can be resolved."

Kate hardly heard her, however. Tom was a huge arsehole for telling Edwina, but it was she who had ruined her sister's life with her lies and cowardice. This was no one's fault but her own, and she deserved every bit of anger and hate her sister threw at her from here on out.

I need to get out of here.

Feeling overwhelmed and heartbroken, Kate suddenly turned around and hurried toward the open front doors. She rushed past the others, ignoring their shocked and concerned faces, and she ran out the doors, unsure of where she was headed.

She hurried down the stone steps and ran past the parked cars, toward the gardens near the treeline. She couldn't seem to think of anything as she ran, and tears blurred her vision as she hurried past the flowerbeds and vegetable gardens. Right now, she wished she could just run away and disappear forever, never to see Tom or Edwina again.

"Kate!"

She heard Anthony's voice calling out for her, but she ignored it as she continued to run. He kept calling after her, however, and she eventually slowed to a stop in front of a small gazebo with vines growing over the sides. She was breathing heavily, but she hardly noticed as tears continued to stream down her face; she hung her head, crying in sadness and frustration.

Anthony finally caught up to her, and he stopped a few feet away from her. "Kate," he said, panting. "Please, Kate, it'll be okay. The truth was going to come out eventually."

Kate finally turned to look at him, her eyes still blurred with tears. "He told her," she said, and a sob escaped her lips. "He told her and my sister is never going to speak to me again! How is this ever going to be okay?"

"It will. I know it will," Anthony comforted her, taking a step closer. "And your sister will speak to you again, I'm sure of it."

"She hates me," Kate cried, hiccuping. "And she should. I hate myself."

"She doesn't hate you," Anthony gazed at her sadly. "She's hurt right now, but it'll pass. We'll help her see the truth."

"There's no point," Kate said, wiping her tears away. "She won't be able to move past this. I'll always be her sister who betrayed her, because that's what I did. I betrayed her."

"Tom betrayed her – not you," Anthony moved forward again. He pulled Kate into his arms, and Kate let him, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her tear-stained face into his shoulder. He squeezed her tight, and Kate couldn't help but feel a little better. "He's a piece of shit for trying to place the blame on you for this. I and Daff and everyone else in that house have your back, Kate – we know your heart, and we'll support you through this mess. Edwina knows your heart too, and she'll come around to forgiving you. I know she will."

Kate let out another small sob, but this time she couldn't help but feel a little hopeful. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way she could fix this.

When that would happen, however, she still had no idea.

A/N: And the truth is out! What do you think is going to happen next?

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