Chapter Text
Kate and Anthony had been back in London for all of three days when she received an invitation from the Duchess of Hastings for a private lunch at Hastings House that afternoon. Kate was surprised to hear that her sister-in-law was even in town. There was still more than a month before the London social season would officially commence, and Kate understood from Anthony that Simon historically disliked town even more than Anthony did. Even Kate and Anthony were only planning on staying for a few days, for Anthony to catchup on some professional obligations, before returning to Aubrey Hall for the next several weeks.
When the footman delivered the letter to Kate on their third morning back in town, while she and Anthony sat in the dining room having breakfast, Anthony too seemed surprised.
“Did he just say the invitation came from Hastings House? Goodness. Simon must really be under Daphne’s thumb to be in London so far in advance of the season.”
“Mhhmm. Imagine that, a husband who is so enamored of his wife that he would find himself doing things he used to distain. Like say, I do not know, traipsing around Europe for six months?”
Anthony had the wherewithal to blush. “Well, ahem, I certainly would not know anything about that.”
“Certainly not, my lord.”
He put down his fork and leaned over to pinch her nose, grinning when she grabbed his hand and kissed his palm. “You are finally getting some color back in your cheeks, thank goodness.”
“I know. I am starting to get my appetite back too. If I ever mention wanting to go on another tour, please remind me of our journey back to England. And how many times you had to listen to me empty the contents of my stomach into a pot.”
They had encountered bad weather for what seemed like weeks during their trip back to England, and Kate, who normally did not struggle with seasickness, had essentially spent the entirety of the trek contained to their stateroom. Anthony had gradually scared away the ship doctor and every nurse or maid that tried to help her with his hovering and meddling (and yelling). By the end of the ordeal, he was holding her hair himself, while he rubbed her back and repeatedly assured her they were almost home.
“I did not expect the ‘in sickness and in health’ portion of your vows to come into play so quickly.”
Anthony shook his head at her. “It was nothing. Those morons on the ship did not know what they were doing. I cannot believe that inane doctor had the nerve to tell me to go have a drink to calm down when you were essentially unconscious.”
Kate put her hand over Anthony’s on the table, squeezing it reassuringly. Although he had tried his best to hide it in front of her, he had been a mess while she was unwell. There had been one day when, after days of not being able to keep any food down, she was dangerously weak and had fainted for just a few seconds. She came to as a result of Anthony’s thunderous voice, shouting at the doctor to do something to help her instead of just standing there like a “useless, bloody garden statue.”
Kate had chuckled in her half-conscious state and reached her hand out to him to try and calm him down, causing Anthony to shove the doctor out of the way and pull her into his arms. After that, he had essentially taken care of her himself, occasionally screaming at some unlucky maid or porter to bring him food or water, or clean something up.
By the time they finally disembarked in London, Kate had no doubt she had married the most doting, loving, unhinged man on the planet.
“Well, I feel much better now, so your nursing duties are officially over.”
“Hardly. Keep eating. Your dresses are hanging off of you.” He paused and then added. “You still look beautiful, though.”
To be frank, Kate was surprised the man could look at her and think of anything other than vomit and sickness, so often had she been ill in his presence over the course of the last three weeks. It was hardly the way she wanted to end their honeymoon. They had not even been intimate since the night before she fell sick. As it turns out, the cure for overwhelming lust for your handsome husband was debilitating seasickness and the resulting exhaustion and lethargy.
“I am! This is my second egg.”
He nodded and heavily buttered a piece of bread that he then put on her plate. “Eat that too.”
“Yes, Doctor.”
“I am going to send word to Hastings House that I am inviting myself to lunch. I do not want you venturing off on your own just yet. And I am going to tell Daphne to have her cook prepare something gluttonous for the meal.”
“Anthony, I think we have been out of the country for so long you have forgotten how to exist in polite society. You cannot send orders to a duchess to prepare food to fatten up your wife as if I am some sort of prized hog.”
“She is my sister before she is a duchess. So yes, I can. Besides, Simon is not accustomed to my showing propriety and deference in his home. I do not want to disappoint him.”
Kate chuckled and held her hands up in a show of defeat. “Very well.” She finished the bread he had left on her plate and when he reached into the basket for more, she held up her hands again. “Enough! Come on, you promised me we would go on a walk today.”
Anthony sighed dramatically. “Fine. But at the first hint of a yawn or wobbliness, I cannot promise I will not throw you over my shoulder and carry you back home.”
Kate, who had recognized very early on in her marriage that the tradeoff for Anthony’s seemingly limitless love and devotion was a daily dose of irrationality, nodded. “That seems like a proportional response indeed, darling.”
When they arrived at Hastings House several hours later, Daphne was waiting for them in the entry hall. She was clearly delighted to see them, hugging them both and immediately teasing Anthony about how he was so suntanned he almost looked Greek. Anthony waved off her fussing like the older brother he was, but Kate could tell how thrilled he was to see her.
Kate found herself smiling watching them interact. She was very fond of her sister-in-law. Kate had formed a bond with her from their very first meeting at Aubrey Hall, but it was not until her betrothal period that she began to appreciate how truly wonderful Daphne was. Despite being a Duchess, and quite a prominent one at that, she made it clear that she was still first and foremost a Bridgerton. From the moment Kate and Anthony had announced their engagement, Daphne had treated her with such sincere warmth and familiarity that Kate’s concerns about being a commoner marrying into such an esteemed family had significantly lessened.
On top of all that, Kate genuinely enjoyed her company. Like all of Anthony’s siblings, she was quick-witted and somewhat irreverent, refusing to be contained by societal expectations for female nobility. And she seemed to be as much in love with her husband as Kate was with Anthony, which was hardly the case for many women of their ilk.
Or so she had told Kate during their first lunch just days after she accepted Anthony’s proposal. Much like today, Daphne had invited her for a private lunch. Kate had gone expecting it to be fairly formal and maybe a bit awkward, given that she did not know Daphne very well at the time. And given that just days earlier, Kate had been standing next to Anthony and her own sister at a wedding altar. She had, in fact, been fairly nervous to go to the lunch on her own (but far too prideful to indicate to Anthony that she wished for him to join her). Kate had been hearing rumblings of Daphne and Simon’s love story all summer, so it was hard not to be intimidated by it, especially in light of just how unconventional, bordering on catastrophic, Kate and Anthony’s own story was.
Within seconds of arriving to Hastings House that day, Kate’s mind was put at ease. Daphne had arrived to the door immediately after her arrival, holding her infant son in her arms.
“Kate, I am so glad you are here!”
Kate had awkwardly curtsied while trying to smile at Augie. “Thank you for the invitation, your grace.”
“Oh my goodness please call me Daphne and you never have to curtsy in front of me ever again unless we are in the presence of the actual Queen.”
Kate smiled. “Anthony told me you were not one for formalities but I sometimes question his judgment on such matters.”
At this, Daphne had burst out laughing. “That is because you are an exceedingly wise woman.” She took Kate by the arm and led her into the house. “I hope you do not mind, I arranged for lunch to be served in a smaller breakfast room. The dining room is so vast that when just two people are in it the voices echo and it scares Augie. And me, frankly.”
“I do not mind at all. This is a beautiful home.”
“Is it? It still feels so foreign to me. And much colder than Bridgerton House. I have put in a lot of effort to make Clyvedon feel more homey, but we have spent so little time in town that I have hardly touched this place. And Simon frequently tells me he would be perfectly fine if we burned it to the ground and started over, which is not exactly helpful decorating advice.”
Kate laughed. She had yet to actually meet Simon, but he had quite the reputation. According to the whispers she had heard all summer, he had been the most eligible rake of the prior social season and was now completely devoted and besotted. Not unlike Anthony, except even rakier, it seemed. And far more mysterious. And he was the only person whose mere mention seemed to engender warmth from Lady Danbury. Well, him and Augie of course.
Just as Kate was admiring a wedding portrait of Daphne and Simon in the hallway, the Duke himself appeared before her. He was taller and far more handsome than any likeness she had seen of him. And unlike almost every portrait she had seen, he was not scowling.
“There you are!” Simon was smiling broadly and leaned down to kiss his wife before gently taking Augie from her and snuggling the tiny baby against his large frame.
“Simon! What a surprise. I thought you said you would be gone until after lunch?”
“Ah yes, but the meeting ended earlier than expected, thankfully. You must be Miss Sharma. I am delighted to finally meet you. Your reputation precedes you.”
Kate blushed and curtsied awkwardly, yet again. “Your grace.”
“Simon!” Daphne elbowed her husband in the side. “Kate, please ignore my husband. As you will learn very quickly, he takes pleasure in being a troublemaker.”
Simon laughed. “I can assure you I meant that as a compliment, Miss Sharma. I have been looking forward to meeting the woman who has Anthony tripping over his own feet all over London. You are already a legend in this home.”
“She had him tripping over his feet in the country too, Simon. Literally. He came back from a round of pall mall caked in mud. I have never seen my brother so out of sorts. It was delightful.”
Simon and Daphne shared another laugh and then Simon cleared his throat. “I will not interrupt your lunch. I just wanted to introduce myself and steal my son away.”
“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, your grace.”
“Please, call me Simon. Despite our surroundings, my wife and I loathe formalities. And I can promise you, none of the other Bridgertons bother with titles and curtseys in this home.”
This was the first time Kate heard herself referred to as a Bridgerton and it took her by surprise. She must have done a poor job of hiding it, because Daphne gently patted her arm.
“Do not worry. You will get used to being one of us. We are a bit like ivy. Once we start growing on you, there is really nothing you can do to stop the spread.” She clapped her hands together. “Alright, off we go. Simon, if Augie starts to fuss, his nanny is in the nursery.” Then she grabbed Kate’s arm and they continued down the hall.
“I hope Simon’s joke did not offend you,” she whispered, moments later.
“Not at all. Although I am sure mine and Anthony’s unusual…courtship, if you can even call it that, came as a bit of a surprise to you both.”
Daphne shrugged. “The only part that truly surprised me was who he proposed to the first time around. The rest of it…well, it is rather fitting for my brother. He gets to the right place in the end, he just zigzags quite a bit along the way. Anthony is a complicated person, but I am sure you know that already.”
“I do. Complicated, but worth it.” Kate was happy to share confidences with Daphne, but she did not want there to be any doubt of her devotion to her future husband.
Daphne smiled at her. “Well said. Does my brother know you are here?”
“Yes. Of course. I told him of your invitation yesterday.”
“I am surprised he did not invite himself along.”
Kate chuckled. “He tried to, but I wanted us to have some time to get to know one another. We have not really spoken since that evening at Aubrey Hall.” Kate was of course thinking of Daphne walking in on her and Anthony nearly mid-kiss in his study during the Hearts and Flowers ball. The night before he proposed to Edwina.
Daphne led her into a beautifully appointed room, which despite being described as a more intimate breakfast room, was still quite vast and ornately decorated. The entire house felt like a museum. They took their seats at the table, Daphne at the head and Kate directly to her left.
“Kate, I truly hope you do not think I brought you here to rehash anything that happened that week in the country.”
“I was not sure, your grace.”
“Daphne, please. I insist.” She paused, looking like she was contemplating her choice of phrasing. “Tell me, has my brother told you anything about how I met my husband?”
“Only that he and Simon were schoolmates and close friends, and so it was a bit awkward at first.”
Daphne cackled. “Awkward! Is that the word he used?” She shook her head and paused for a few moments before continuing. “Kate, I am going to tell you a story. But before I do, I want to make sure you understand why I am tell you this story. It is not to talk about my brother behind his back. I am Anthony’s biggest supporter. Well, perhaps now I am his second biggest supporter. He has been my big brother, protector and in many ways, surrogate father, for my entire life. And I am extremely loyal to him.”
Kate nodded solemnly.
“But, you are about to become a Bridgerton. And I imagine that can feel a bit daunting. As can being summoned to this house to meet your future husband’s duchess sister. So the reason I am telling you this story is to assure you that despite all outward appearances, I know what it is like to meet a complicated, arrogant man and fall deeply, recklessly in love with him. And to create a bit of a mess in the process.”
And so Daphne launched into a detailed retelling of the prior social season, complete with a courtship scheme, a duel, a jilted Prussian prince and a hasty, three-day engagement period. Kate, who had heard none of these details, was stunned. If this had been the premise of a novel, she would have stopped reading it halfway through, finding the plot too far-fetched.
“I take it from your expression that you were unaware of all of this.”
“Of the details, yes. I had only heard of the legend of yours and Simon’s love story.”
“Well, that should give you some comfort, I would think. Last season’s messiest gossip is next season’s old news, not even worth chattering about.”
“That is comforting. Although learning that my soon-to-be husband is foolish enough to challenge someone to a duel in this day and age, slightly less so.”
“If it makes you feel any better, Simon’s gun was pointed into the air when I arrived. Anthony’s was not, but luckily he has awful aim.”
“That does not make me feel better at all.” Kate paused. “Daphne, I apologize if I am being nosey, but what I do not understand is why there was a duel at all. If you and Simon were in love, why not just announce your engagement once Anthony found you in the garden? Why wait until the next day to do so at gunpoint?”
“Ah. You are assuming that pre-marriage Simon was any less self-destructive than my brother. You see, Simon did not want to marry me. He did not want to marry anybody. Or have children. Ultimately, he only did so because someone other than Anthony had spotted us in the garden, and Simon chose to protect my honor over his own…plans for his future. The love and devotion you see now only became apparent in the days and weeks after our wedding. And I suspect that had we not been spotted by Cressida in that garden, I would be living in some castle in Prussia right now, a very miserable princess. So you see Kate, being caught by your future sister-in-law in an embrace is hardly the scandal you think it is. And as for the wedding nonsense, you should know that moments before it started, I was pleading with my brother to follow his heart, which I knew full well was in your hands. The way I see it, the Bridgerton name is hearty enough to survive a few scandals, especially when what was at stake was my brother’s happiness.”
Kate exhaled. “Then perhaps I owe you a debt of gratitude.”
Daphne smiled. “I am not so sure about that. I watched Anthony's face as you came down that aisle. I do not think that marriage would have ever happened, stray bracelets or not. But in any event, you certainly do not need to think I am passing judgment on you. And I suspected my brother would be less than forthcoming about some of the…happenings…from last summer. Which is part of the reason I invited you to lunch today. To get to know you, of course, but also to make sure you have all the information you need to feel comfortable as viscountess of this brood. I think a bit of...perspective is important.”
Kate, who rarely found herself speechless, truly did not know what to say. “Daphne, I must thank you. I…getting to know your family feels like a rather large undertaking. So I very much appreciate your frankness today.”
Daphne waved a hand in the air. “I spent for too long in the dark about information I wish I had. When I married Simon and became a mother, I promised myself I would be different.” She cleared her throat. “But that is a story for another day. For now, I just wanted to welcome you to the family.”
“Thank you.” Kate smiled at her, suddenly feeling shy. “Daphne, I hope you know that I love your brother very much.”
Daphne looked at her, nodding. “I think I knew that, but it is good to hear nevertheless. Now, I hope you do not mind, I have ordered us some champagne to accompany our lunch. I do not make it a habit to drink in the middle of the day, but seeing how much joy you have brought Anthony feels like something to celebrate. I had forgotten what his smile even looked like.”
After a team of servants scurried around them to serve them their first courses and pour the champagne, Daphne raised her flute in the air and looked Kate in the eyes. “To loving complicated men.” Kate grinned as she raised her glass.