27. Chapter 27

A/N: Sorry for no update on Saturday, but this chapter fought me and, for reasons that will quickly become apparent, it needed to be perfect. I hope you enjoy it!

Anthony arrived at Danbury House for dinner three days after the proposal to find the rest of the party in the parlor. He nodded to Morrison and greeted the ladies of the house before moving to the window where Kate stood. She had her back to the room, looking out over Mayfair, so he faced the other way, leaning against the windowsill as he watched Miss Edwina revel in being the center of attention. He reached out and wrapped his pinky around hers and, after a moment, she returned the gesture, squeezing his tightly.

"How was your meeting with the Queen?" he asked softly.

"Long." She replied just as softly. "With much talk of how wonderful a love match is."

"You still doubt it is one?"

Kate sighed.

"They barely know one another. And it has suddenly become apparent to me just how young my sister is. I do not know. I just want her to be happy."

"I know you do, darling." He told her comfortingly. "Perhaps this marriage will be a happy one, even if it not a love match."

"I hope so." She sighed again. "Tell me of your day. What did the great and powerful Lord Bridgerton do while I languished in the Palace?"

"I don't know about Lord Bridgerton, but Anthony's day started with Hyacinth declaring that she would not be debuting in a few years' time but would, in fact, be traveling to India to hunt tigers." He said dryly. "Would you happen to know anything about that?"

Kate laughed for the first time that day.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She told him, still giggling.

"Then shall I also assume you had nothing to do with her sudden desire to import an elephant?"

Kate dissolved into another fit of giggles, making him smile.

"First you bring a dog into my life and now you bring tigers and elephants." He said, shaking his head. "If I am going to wind up the owner of a menagerie, tell me now, I beg of you."

Kate shifted her hand, threading her fingers through his and holding his hand tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"You're welcome." He replied, smiling softly.

Dinner was called and he offered her his arm, leading her into the dinning room.

"So, Bridgerton," the Earl said as the first course was served, "what do you think of your chances of defeating the fertilizer tax are?"

"I am working on it." Anthony replied with a rueful grin. "That tax would severely impact my farmers, so I have a vested interest in seeing it fail."

"If it passes, it will provide an opportunity to raise rents, though." Morrison pointed out.

"Many of my tenants are already paying the most they can afford." Anthony said, frowning. "If they cannot afford the rent, that loss of income will hurt the estate."

"So, evict them and get new blood in." he replied easily, taking a bite. "There's always someone willing to work for cheaper."

"Some of those tenants have lived on that land as long as the Bridgertons have held Aubrey Hall." The Viscount replied stiffly. "What kind of lord would I be if I repaid that loyalty by forcing them out?"

"That kind that wants his estate to survive." The Earl answered. "There will always be people to work the fields, but who will they work for if the Estates fail?"

"I believe there must be a happy medium where our way of life can endure without destroying the people who rely on us."

"Kate, have you heard the latest plans for the engagement ball?" Edwina interjected. "Lady Danbury has agreed to host!"

The men let the women steer the conversation back to safer topics, but Kate caught Anthony frowning at Morrison more than once throughout the meal. After dinner, the party decided there was no need for a separation and Kate resumed her place at the window with Anthony joining her to look out over Mayfair.

"You don't like him either, do you?" she asked softly.

"Our politics differ." he replied. "My father raised me to respect the people who work on my land. Unfortunately, Morrison's view is the more common one."

"I do not like his view." she said heatedly. "I cannot believe Edwina does either."

"Have you told Lady Mary or Lady Danbury what we found?"

Kate shook her head.

"I should have, but I hoped Edwina would listen to reason. Now it is too late."

"I think you should still tell your mama. Your sister may gain a countess's coronet, but I would not rely on Morrison to support her. If nothing else, you should tell her that no matter what Miss Edwina's situation may be, she will always have a place with us."

Kate's eyes were bright when she smiled at him.

"You are a good man, Anthony Bridgerton." She told him. "I am very glad I beat you in that race that first morning."

"Honestly, I am just glad you didn't exit the ballroom five minutes earlier." He told her with a laugh. "You never would have spoken to me if you had heard what an ass I was making of myself."

"What did you do?" she asked curiously, and he ducked his head, smiling ruefully.

"I cannot remember exactly what I said, but I was expounding on my ideas of what made a perfect wife. Had you heard my supposed requirements, I am sure you would have torn me apart and rightfully so."

"Now I must know what you said." She said, grinning wickedly.

"Never." He replied, laughing. "I hope to retain your respect for at least a little while longer."

"Very well." She agreed, turning back to the view of the city. "I shall just have to ask Benedict what you wanted for a wife. I am sure he will tell me."

"You are a menace, Miss Sharma."

Kate just laughed.

"Didi, you must come offer your opinion!" Edwina called. "Stop hiding in the corner with Lord Bridgerton!"

Kate forced a smile as she turned to her sister and Anthony let his face go blank. He offered his arm to her, and they rejoined the group.

Kate was in hell. She was in hell, and nothing could seem to stop her sister from talking as she looked over the fabric being suggested for her wedding gown.

"I do wonder about the trim." Madame Delacroix commented. "Is it too much?"

"Nothing is too much now that the Queen is hosting." Edwina replied and the modiste nodded.

"Let me show you the French tulle."

The other woman disappeared into a back room and Kate took a gulp of her champagne.

"Did I tell you we will be married by the archbishop himself?"

"Several times." Kate replied, resisting the urge to sigh.

"We must find you a dress, too!" Edwina continued, not seeming to notice he sister's tone.

"I have plenty of dresses."

"This one must be special." Her sister replied. "Your new ones are lovely, but I am marrying an earl. We must present an untitled front, family and country."

Kate narrowed her eyes at her sister.

"You do remember that I am not English, do you not?" she said slowly. "Neither was Appa. I enjoy dressing in a more Indian style."

"Yes, but this is my wedding, Didi." She said, turning her pleading eyes on Kate. "This is what you wanted for me. I know you have doubts about Lord Morrison, but we have spoke about what you learned, and he has explained himself to my satisfaction. So, be happy for me, Kate. I will be a countess!"

"I wanted you to find love, Bon, not a title." Kate said softly. "I hoped one would come with the other, but still."

"I am sure I shall love the Earl in due course." Edwina said dismissively. "It will be so exciting to live in London. I hope that, once the Earl and I have children, you will return to visit. I am sure you will be a most favorite aunt!"

"Kent is not that far." Kate said dryly. "I am sure we shall see each other often enough."

"Assuming you do not return to India."

Kate struggled to contain her anger as her sister return to studying herself in the mirror.

"I have made the decision to remain in England, you know this." She said tightly. "When Lord Bridgerton proposes, I will live at Aubrey Hall with him."

"Didi." Edwina stepped off the platform and carefully sat next Kate. "We are several months into your supposed courtship, and, despite his attentions, he has not declared himself. You really should separate yourself from him. When I am married, the Earl and I shall find you an appropriate husband. Perhaps a younger son who likes to travel! You could visit India and then return home to Holkham House!"

Kate had never been so stunned in her life as her younger sister laid out how she thought her life should go. She couldn't speak. She couldn't think.

"You truly believe Lord Bridgerton is, what? Toying with me? Leading me on?" she asked finally with barely contained rage.

"You have never been courted before, Kate." Edwina said comfortingly. "He is taking advantage of that. Everyone knows he is a rake."

Kate had never been this angry with her sister.

"Lord Bridgerton has waited to declare himself because I asked him to." She ground out. "I did not want to distract from your Season. You are correct that I do not trust Lord Morrison, but you have made your choice. Once you are married, I will be free to make my own and it will be Lord Bridgerton. He is one of the finest men I have ever known. He has spoken to mama already and he has made his intentions clear."

"And yet he let you face Miss Russo alone." Edwina replied, annoyance clear in her voice. "What kind of man leaves his intended to face his mistress alone?"

"One who was not give a choice in the matter!" Kate shot back, keeping her voice low with difficulty. "I made the decision to attend the opera alone. And she is not his mistress."

"If you say so." Her sister said dismissively.

"I do say so."

"Here it is, Miss." Madame Delacroix announced, entering the room with the fabric in her arms.

"Excellent."

Edwina got up to inspect it, leaving Kate alone with her champagne.

Mary found Kate sitting in the garden, looking sad.

"It is a lovely spot, is it not?" She commented as she joined her eldest. "It reminds me of the courtyard of the Summer Palace."

Kate murmured her agreement, and they were quite for a while.

"Tell me what troubles you, dearest." Mary said finally. "You have been unsettled since the proposal."

"Oh, mama." Kate sighed. "I fear I have made many mistakes."

"What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath and turned to face Mary.

"I received information about Lord Morrison, and I withheld it from you and Lady Danbury. Instead, I told Edwina, hoping she would see reason, but she accepted his proposal instead."

"Kate, you are worrying me." Mary said warily. "Is Edwina in danger?"

"No, I have no reason to suspect that." She rushed to assure her. "It's just…Lord Morrison is heavily in debt and is friendly with the Sheffields. I believe he pursued Edwina for her potential dowry."

Mary was quiet for a moment.

"How did you come by this information?" she asked finally.

"Anthony." Kate replied simply. "He offered to inquire when Lord Morrison first showed an interest at Aubrey Hall. He counseled me to confess what we knew the other night. He wanted to assure you that you will always have a home with us."

"Your Anthony is an excellent young man." She told her daughter distractedly. "You should have told me all of this, Kate."

"I know." She said, looking down. "I thought if she knew he was only interested in her dowry, she would send him away. I was wrong. I do not understand anything she does anymore. She seems to hate Anthony, despite the fact that he has never been unkind to her. If anything, he has been far kinder than he needs to be. And yet, she accuses him of toying with my affections and doubts his intentions. She went so far as to suggest that she and Lord Morrison would find me an 'appropriate' husband, a second son perhaps. It is as if she believes there is no way Anthony could care for me."

Once the words began, she couldn't seem to stop until she had confessed it all. By the time she was done, she was shaking, and Mary quickly wrapped her arm around her.

"Oh dearest, of course he cares for you." She assured her. "Do not concern yourself over that. I believe this might be a case of jealousy rearing its ugly head."

Kate stared at her.

"Jealous?" she repeated. "Why would she be jealous of me? She is the Diamond of the Season, a favorite of the Queen!"

"You came here and almost immediately caught the attention of a Viscount." Mary said, smiling patiently. "His family welcomed you with open arms and, for the first time I can remember in years, you let yourself begin to have a life outside of us. I believe your sister feels neglected."

"Have I neglected you?" Kate asked, surprised. "I haven't meant to!"

"Of course, you haven't, dearest." She assured her. "But your sister has always been the center of your world. I think she's having a hard time adjusting to having to share you."

"So she ties herself to a man who may have nefarious intentions because I am not paying enough attention to her?" she exclaimed. "That makes no sense, mama."

"We do not know he has nefarious intentions, Kate." Mary sighed. "I confess I do not like that he has connections to my parents, but that does not make him evil. And you told your sister, so we must assume she spoke to him of it."

"She deserves to be loved, mama." The younger woman protested. "Like Appa loved you."

"She has made her choice." Her stepmother told her. "All we can do is support her."

"There you are."

They looked up to see Lady Danbury approaching.

"I have news." She continued, coming to a stop in front of them. "Lord and Lady Sheffield sent word that they are in London."

"They are already in town?" Mary asked softly, a hint of sadness in her voice that made Kate reach over and take her hand.

"They arrived last night, supposedly." Lady Danbury replied. "They are asking to meet Edwina and Lord Morrison."

"They already know Lord Morrison."

Lady Danbury turned her sharp gaze on Kate.

"Explain." She ordered. "Immediately, Miss Sharma."

"Lord Bridgerton found evidence that not only is Lord Morrison in dire need of a wife with a large dowry, he may have learned of Edwina's potential dowry from the Sheffields themselves." Kate told her with a sigh. "Apparently he is friendly with them."

"And you did not think to inform me?" the matron demanded.

"I told my sister, assuming she would see he was only after the money, but I was mistaken. He somehow convinced her it wasn't true."

"Or you are mistaken about your sister's intentions." Lady Danbury shot back. "A title is a powerful incentive. Just because you found the love match that desired, we cannot assume she did not make a more practical choice. Besides, if she marries the Earl, she will out rank you even if you marry Lord Bridgerton."

"You cannot possibly believe that Edwina cares that her title is higher than mine." Kate scoffed.

"I believe that she was declared the Diamond and yet her spinster sister caught a Viscount while she was hunting mere Lords." Lady Danbury said shrewdly. "Miss Edwina is a sweet girl when everything is going her way, but you have also made her quite spoiled. We have yet to see how she reacts to not getting her way."

"You also believe she is jealous of the Viscount's attentions?"

"I believe she is intent on making a match that she considers worthy of Diamond." The matron replied. "The last Diamond almost caught a prince and did marry a duke, after all. You have spent her whole life telling her that she is special and that has left her with a belief that she is entitled to a certain level of status."

"Lady Danbury – " Mary started to say, but she cut her off.

"Oh, she is not like the Miss Cowpers of the ton." She assured her. "As I said, she is a sweet girl, kind and well bred and a credit to both of you. Only time will tell if she holds the principles you tried to instill in her. No matter, what done is done when it comes to her marriage. I shall invite the Sheffields for dinner to celebrate the engagement. I shall also invite Lord Bridgerton."

"Why?" Kate asked, surprised.

"Because your mama has two daughters, no matter what her parents may think." She replied simply. "They shall meet both of their intendeds."

She strode off, leaving mother and daughter alone again.

"No one would blame you if you took sick, mama." Kate assured Mary. "We can send your apologies for missing the dinner."

"I believe Lady Danbury would have something to say about that." She replied dryly. "I will be fine."

They were quiet for a moment.

"When was the last time you saw them?" Kate asked softly.

"The night your dear father asked for my hand in marriage, I believe." She replied. "Lord Sheffield made it clear, in no uncertain terms, that he did not approve of the match. So, I had a choice, between my family and my heart." She smiled at Kate, squeezing her hand. "I believe you can understand what it is like to meet someone and feel that you know them in a way unlike any other."

Kate blushed and ducked her head.

"Anthony understands." She said softly. "What I went through when we lost Appa, what it's like to feel responsible for your family. He understands me…and I understand him."

"I know, my dearest." Mary smiled softly. "I always hoped you and Edwina would be spared the choice between affluence and love and now you shall. I am ashamed to admit that I thought all you wanted was your freedom, but it has been a joy and a privilege to watch you find your happiness with your Anthony. Only time will tell if Edwina has also found hers."

Kate nodded and she rested her head on Mary's shoulder as they sat in silence, watching the fountain and lost in their own thoughts about the coming dinner.

Anthony considered the invitation in front of him, wondering if there was any way he could spare Kathani from it.

"Anthony?"

He looked up to see his mother in the doorway.

"Is that the invitation to Danbury House?" she asked, approaching the desk. "I would ask Miss Sharma to dinner here, but I doubt Lady Danbury would allow it."

"Kate would never accept anyway." He replied with a sigh. "She will want to support her mama and sister."

"So, you will go to support her."

Anthony nodded and Violet smiled softly.

"You are a good man, Anthony." She told him. "I am so very proud of you."

Anthony cleared his throat.

"What do you know of the Sheffields?" he asked, changing the subject, and his mother smiled, allowing it.

"I know they are not often seen in town and remain mostly in Somerset." She reported. "I remember the Earl as a very stern man. Lady Mary's defection was quite the scandal, as you know. The family never recovered fully."

"I am concerned about their treatment of Kate." He admitted. "They did not approve of her father and they do not seem to approve of her either."

"Well, then it is a good thing you are attending. You can remind them that she may be Miss Sharma for the moment, but she is the future Viscountess Bridgerton. You will ensure they treat her with the proper respect, I am sure."

"I will always protect her." He said softly.

"I have no doubt." She replied. "You are your father's son after all."

She swept out of the room after that, leaving her son with a smile as he rose to get ready.

Kate thought she might throw up.

She stood in the parlor with a nervous Lady Danbury, a pensive Lady Mary, an excited Edwina, and a bored Lord Morrison. The only missing parties were Anthony and the Sheffields. If Anthony arrived after them, she might have hit him for leaving her to face them alone.

She heard the front door close and winced. This was too much. If that wasn't Anthony –

"Lord Bridgerton."

Every muscle in her relaxed as Anthony entered the room behind the footman. He paused only long enough to greet the others briefly before heading straight to Kate.

"I was held up at Parliament." He said softly, kissing her hand before tucking it into his elbow. "My apologies."

"You're here now." She said just as softly. "That's all that matters."

She looked so tense that he had to resist the urge to gather her in his arms and spirit her away.

"My mother wishes me to tell you how disappointed she was we could not join the family for dinner tonight and she expects you for tea tomorrow to make your apology." He told her with a smile.

"Tell her I will be happy to join her for tea." Kate replied with a laugh. "Provided we survive the night."

"Everything will be fine."

She opened her mouth to protest, but she was distracted by a footman announcing Lord and Lady Sheffield.

"My Lord and Lady, welcome." Lady Danbury said, stepping forward to greet them. "May I present Miss Sharma and Miss Edwina?"

Kate stepped away from Anthon and curtsied next to her sister.

"Oh, my dear, look at you." Lady Sheffield gushed over Edwina, ignoring Kate completely. "Isn't she quite as lovely as the report said?"

Kate felt Anthony's hand on her back as he joined her, and she made herself relax.

"You are too kind." Edwina said, smiling brightly. "I am most happy to make you acquaintance!"

"We have been waiting so many years to meet you." Lord Sheffield told her, smiling.

"I wish to know everything about you." Lady Sheffield told her. "Do you enjoy dancing? Music? You must accompany us to the opera!"

"We have a find box which has been gathering dust." Her husband added.

"Indeed, it has been too long since we've seen you in town, Lord and Lady Sheffield." Lord Morrison said, inserting himself into the conversation jovially.

"Yes," Lady Sheffield said, turning frosty as her gaze finally turned to her daughter, "indeed it has."

"Mother." Mary greeted her softly. "Father."

There was a moment of awkwardness.

"I do enjoy the opera." Edwina said finally, distracting her grandparents. "My sister, Kate, is the one who introduced me to it!"

"Ah."

"Shall we go through to dinner?" Lady Danbury interjected brightly.

"Oh, yes." Lady Sheffield agreed, taking Edwina's arm. "Come with me child."

Edwina giggled, happily accompanying the woman. The rest of the party followed, and Anthony let the others go before them so he could press a quick kiss to the side of Kate's head. She closed her eyes briefly before smiling up at him weakly. She took his arm and a deep breath before they followed the others into the dining room.

Anthony was sure he had never been party to a more awkward dinner. Every word spoken by Lord and Lady Sheffield was directed solely at Edwina and Morrison. Kate and Mary were actively ignored while he and Lady Danbury were left to the role of bystanders to a brewing disaster.

"And, of course, you must be our guests at the Sheffield manor." Lady Sheffield said.

"It is nothing compared to Holkham Hall, of course, but I believe you enjoyed times there when you were younger, Morrison." Lord Sheffield added, smirking at the younger man in a way that made Anthony uncomfortable.

He glanced at Kate, but she was staring at her food.

"You must come shooting." The older Earl continued. "I remember how much you enjoy it."

"Really?" Anthony asked, inserting himself into the conversation and making Kate look at him sharply. "You should have joined in at Aubrey Hall. I am sure Miss Sharma and I would have enjoyed your company."

"Miss Sharma joined you on a hunt?" Lady Sheffield asked with sniff. "How unusual."

"Along with my sister, the Duchess of Hastings." Anthony confirmed with a tight smile. "Daphne doesn't shoot, but she enjoys riding and Miss Sharma's company enough to put up with her brothers and husband for an afternoon."

"I suppose they teach women to shoot in India?" the Lady asked with a hint of judgment that made Anthony want to grind his teeth.

"In England, also." He told her. "My other sister, Eloise is a crack shot. Better than any of her brothers, to our eternal shame."

"Lord and Lady Sheffield, how long do you plan to stay in town?" Lady Danbury asked, throwing a brief glare at him, but Anthony didn't care.

All that mattered was the small smile Kate gave him as she took a sip of her wine. He would have done anything to see it, propriety be damned.

"Oh, we shall stay for the wedding." Lord Sheffield confirmed.

"Imagine." His wife cooed. "The Queen herself overseeing my granddaughter's nuptials. Her majesty is kind to be so forgiving after everything that has happened."

"Now, now." Her husband told his wife. "We are all family here."

"Oh, yes, of course we are." She agreed. "Even after our daughter so callously rejected the match we had found for her."

"My dear, we agreed – "

"An Earl, no less," she said over him, "with 12,000 acres. Any other young lady would have fallen to her knees in gratitude that her parents were showing such care!"

"This sauce is delicious, Lady Danbury." Lord Morrison interjected. "I must have your cook give mine the recipe."

"It is the gooseberry, I believe." She replied, grabbing on to his lifeline with both hands. "Lady Sheffield, you've got quite the sweet tooth, I do recall?"

"And all for what?" the other woman continued, ignoring Lady Danbury. "A mere clerk, was he?"

Kate flinched and rage boiled in Anthony's blood.

"And with a child from a previous marriage to god-knows-who." She finished scornfully.

"My mother has a name." Kate hissed.

"Lady Sheffield, I must asked – " Lady Danbury tried again, but was once again ignored.

"We could not show our faces in society for years." Lady Sheffield told her daughter angrily. "Not that she should care. She simply sailed away from all of us with that man, robbing us of our grandchild!"

"Grandchildren."

Silence fell at the table as Lady Mary spoke.

"I have two daughters with who you have had every opportunity to form a connection." She told her mother. "But the choice to shun us was yours alone."

"I beg your pardon – "

"And do not think I took it lightly, being cast out by the only family I had ever known." She said over her father. "I was heartbroken, indeed. But, in time, I came to see that, in your cruelty, you did us all a great service."

"I hardly think this is proper diner discussion." Morrison tried to interject.

"I quite agree." Lady Danbury added. "Please collect – "

"When you cast me out," Mary continued, not seeming to hear her old friend, "what you did was set me free. Free to raise my daughters far from your constant judgment and craven demands that they should chase wealth and titles above all else!"

"You are a fine one to talk." Lord Sheffield scoffed. "You, speaking of scorning riches, and yet you have come crawling back to snatch at our fortune."

"Believe me, I want nothing from you." Mary spat.

"Oh, you may not, but your daughter certainly does."

"It was a mistake."

The table fell silent once more as Kate spoke up.

"I was wrong to ask you to show common decency to your daughter whose only crime was falling in love." She continued in a scornful tone that ignited fierce pride in Anthony's chest. "Say what you want of my family, but not one of my relations turned my father away when he arrived home with an English bride. The Maharaja, who had loved my mother, Nisha, like a sister, welcomed Mary with open arms while you threw her aside."

"How dare you speak to us like that?" Lord Sheffield hissed. "I suppose you learned your disrespect for your betters from your father."

Kate's jaw dropped.

"That is enough." Anthony barked.

"You have no standing in this, Lord Bridgerton." The other man dismissed him.

"I do when you insult the beloved father of my future wife." The Viscount shot back.

Lord Sheffield laughed derisively.

"Everyone knows you haven't proposed."

"Only out of deference to your youngest granddaughter's debut." Anthony told him. "Make no mistake, Lord Sheffield, Miss Sharma will be the Viscountess Bridgerton by the end of the Season and you will afford her and her family the proper respect or we will quickly find out who really holds the power in this city."

"Why you – "

"I can only think you've been exiled from good society because of your deficient manners rather than any other sin." He continued over the other man. "Since the moment you arrived, you have failed to treat the Sharma family with the respect they deserve, and I will stand for it no longer."

"I declare – "

"I will not stand for it." Anthony repeated slowly, menace clear in his voice. "Lady Mary has done admirably in raising her daughters. They are intelligent, kind, loyal women, and a credit to both of their parents. And since you clearly do not wish to jeopardize your social standing by associating with such company, I suggest you do not. You may leave at once."

He surged to his feet, ignoring the Sheffields' protests and pausing only to meet Kate's eye. She stared at him for a moment before giving him a small smile.

"Please send for Lord and Lady Sheffield's carriage." He ordered a footman before looking away from Kate and back to the Earl and Countess. "They can wait outside."

"This is beyond the pale." Lord Sheffield growled, standing and throwing his napkin on the table as he turned to Edwina. "If you think you shall inherit a single sovereign now, you are sorely mistaken."

He and his wife stormed out of the room, leaving silence in their wake.

"Lord Morrison…" Edwina whispered.

"I should take my leave." He interrupted, standing. "Thank you for the evening, Lady Danbury."

He strode out of the room without waiting for a response. Edwina was still for a moment before surging to her feet and round on Kate.

"You will fix this." She ordered a stunned Kate.

"Bon – "

"You will fix this, or I shall never forgive you."

With that, she swept out of the room. Mary sighed and got to her feet.

"I will speak to her."

Kate lasted only a moment longer before running out of the room, leaving Anthony alone with Lady Danbury.

"Well," he said slowly, "no one will ever accuse you of throwing a boring dinner, my Lady."

She just glared at him, so he bowed and took his leave.

Kate sat on the couch with her face buried in her hands.

"This is becoming a familiar theme with us."

She sat up and turned to watch Anthony slip through the open door and shut it behind him. He came over and knelt in front of her.

"Please do not cry, my darling." He said, brushing her tears away. "You know I hate it when you cry."

She gave a watery laugh.

"I think I would like a new theme." She told him.

"I would as well."

Kate sighed, leaning against his hand that cupped her cheek.

"What am I to do, Anthony?" she whispered. "I don't know how to fix this for her. Without the Sheffield dowry, Lord Morrison will certainly break the engagement. If we're lucky, he'll let Edwina claim she cried off, but she'll still bare the stigma of having jilted him." She sighed. "Perhaps everything would have been better if I had remained in India."

"I do not believe that." He told her with a shake of his head. "I know I would not be better. I would have spent my whole life looking for you without knowing it, unable to truly live."

"You would have found a pretty debutante to marry and you would have been perfectly content having never met me."

"Content, maybe." He told her seriously. "But not happy. I could never be happy with anyone else so long as you walked the Earth. Meeting you had nothing to do with it. Had you never come here, I feel certain I would have been compelled to go to India just to find you."

Kate gave him a soft smile.

"You are a ridiculous man." She told him, reaching up to softly caress his cheek. "Thank you for your defense of my family. It means more to me than you could ever know."

"Your family will be my family." He said, leaning into her touch. "I will always defend you and them."

Kate closed her eyes, leaning forward to rest her forehead against his.

"I love you." She whispered.

After a moment, she opened her eyes to find him staring at her.

"You love me?" he asked softly, and she nodded.

She had barely completed the movement before his lips were on hers, kissing her urgently.

"I love you, too." He told her when they finally broke apart to breathe and was rewarded with a bright smile. "I have loved you from that first race in the park. I have loved you at every dance, on every walk, every time we've been together and every time we've been apart. I love you, Kathani Sharma."

He pulled her to her feet, wrapping his arms around her waist as she slid hers around his neck.

"So, I take it you would be against my original plan of returning to India?" she asked with a giggle.

"I believe I have made my feelings on that plan quite clear." He said, tightening his hold on her. "Do you honestly believe there is a corner of this Earth that you could travel to far enough away that I would not follow you? You are the bane of my existence, Kathani, and the object of all my desires." He leaned closer, pressing his forehead to hers. "Night and day, I dream of you. It has been torment, waiting for the day when my last thread of honor snapped, and I did whatever it took to keep you here with me."

"It seems our current situation is insupportable." Kate said softly and Anthony's eyes met hers.

"Impossible." He agreed slowly. "Clearly, something must be done."

"What would you suggest, my Lord?"

"Say you will marry me."

The words hung in the air. Neither one moved as Anthony waited with bated breath to hear what her answer would be finally.

"Yes."

A smile broke across his face, matched only by the one on hers.

"Yes?"

Kate nodded and he picked her up, spinning her around before setting her back down so he could kiss her again.

"I would like to wait to publish the new until we know what is to happen with Edwina." She told him when they broke apart. "I will inform Mary and Lady Danbury, though. It would be nice to receive you as my fiancé for once."

"Of course." He agreed easily. "It would be unkind to flaunt our happiness if her hopes are to be dashed, but I will be informing my mother as well as updating my calling cards to read 'Kathani Sharma's fiancé'."

Kate laughed as the clock in the hall chimed.

"You must go, you ridiculous, lovely man." She told him fondly. "You should have left ages ago. Meet me tomorrow in the park and we'll discuss everything."

Anthony nodded and pulled away to head to the door, but stopped, looking back to her.

"You said yes."

Kate smiled.

"I did."

He crossed the room and gathered her into his arms once more, kissing her swiftly.

"Until tomorrow." He whispered as he pulled back.

"Until tomorrow."

He let her go and quickly exited, leaving a grinning Kate behind. She pulled the ring from beneath her dress and held it tightly.

She needed to find Mary.