Chapter Text
Six Months Later
Kate the Menace: Did you see the video I sent?
Anthony: Absolutely not
Kate the Menace: But the two corgis playing were so cute
Kate the Menace: Think of how happy it would make Newton to have a friend
Anthony: Kate
Kate the Menace: And your sister to have a new puppy to play with
Anthony: Think of how unhappy it would make me
Kate the Menace: Counterpoint think how happy I would be
Anthony: No, one furry little rat underway is enough
Kate the Menace: Don’t speak that way about your son!
Anthony: My son? He is firmly all yours
Kate the Menace: He lives with you
Anthony: Which I only tolerate because a beautiful woman told me that way the only way she’d live with me
Kate the Menace: But what if she told you the only way she’d keep living with you is if you got her a second corgi?
Anthony: :-/
Newton’s Fan Club
Kate: Well he said no
Hy: BOOOOOOOO
Greg: Kate if you dated me you could have as many dogs as you want
Hy: Greg, why would anyone ever want to date you
Kate: Hey now be nice
Hy: Fineeeeee
Greg: Offense taken
Kate: But just because he said no doesn’t mean we can’t still get one
Greg: Ant’s gonna explode
Greg: Can I film it
Hy: Ohh let’s think of names
Kate: You leave Anthony to me
B+E
Eloise: do u think kate would come to my gender and sexuality lecture on the influence of women in schooling?
Benedict: Yes but you’d also need to invite Ant
Eloise: …
Benedict: Maybe you could use this opportunity to apologize
Benedict: Because it’s been 6 very long months for the rest of us
Benedict: And you were in the wrong
Eloise: he has never said anything 2 me
Eloise: how do we even know hes hurt
Eloise: i think the 2 of us have both moved on
Benedict: I think you’ve been ignoring it and Ant hasn't wanted to push
Benedict: But you basically called him a bad person in the family group chat
Benedict: He’s still hurt
Benedict: And he thinks about it often
Eloise: how do u know
Benedict: He’s a sad drunk
Benedict: He’ll pull the texts up and be all emo and say he failed you
Eloise: ugh he’s so emo
Benedict: El, please
Benedict: Everyone wants you to fix it
Eloise: then how come no one else has said anything
Benedict: They have.
Benedict: Fix this, it’s been six whole months
Eloise Bridgerton was big enough to admit when she was wrong, mostly, it depended on who you asked. But she knew she had been wrong six months ago when she yelled at her brother via group chat. In her defense, she had incorrect information. Nevertheless, she knew.
It was hard with Anthony, it hadn’t always been. When she was a little girl she adored him, she remembered how they would spend hours together at Aubrey Hall. He was funny, smart, and her hero. But then her dad died. She was too old to fully adopt Ant as her father figure like her younger siblings were, but not old enough to treat him fully like a brother. He still paid her bills, she needed permission to do things from him, unlike Benedict or even Daphne. But she hated it. This man, who was not her father, who could never be her father, acting like that. She knew it wasn’t her fault, but every time she saw him there she was just reminded, her dad was gone, he would always be gone. All she had was Anthony trying to fill the shoes of a man he never could.
Eloise: r u and kate free on the 23rd?
Ant: Probably why?
Eloise: My department is giving a talk i think she’d like
Ant: Yeah I’ll ask her, do you want me to drive her in?
Eloise: no, i thought you could come
Eloise: if u wanted
Ant: Sure I’d love to, maybe we can take you out to dinner before or after if you aren’t too busy
Eloise: Sure
Eloise: also im sorry
Ant: For? If this is about the bookstore charges its fine
Eloise: Oh, yeah that’s it thx
Eloise: love you Ant
Ant: Love you too
Ant: You sure everything is okay?
Eloise: Yesssss. Grrrr.
Eloise: y can’t i just be nice
Ant: Sorry, see you soon.
“Who was that?” Kate asked coming over to him looking like a vision with a bowl of pasta and a glass of wine.
“Just my sister,” he sighed as she handed him the food. God, it had been a long day.
“Doesn’t narrow it down that much sweetheart,” she sat down beside him, he put the food down, distracted by the possibility of being close to her.
“Eloise,” he wrapped his arms around her and he swear he felt half of the frustration of his day just melt away.
“What did she want?”
“Hmm don’t stop,” she had begun to massage his temples. “She wants us to come to talk.”
“Both of us?”
“Yeah, I was surprised too.” He lolled his head back as she moved her hands to his hair.
“This is good Ant, I told you she’d come around. This is a good step.”
“Yeah, I just feel like I always do something wrong, this is just another opportunity for me to fuck it all up.”
“Well you are particularly vexing,” she smiled as she pulled him in for a kiss. “But you’re also one of the best men I’ve ever met. And she’s 19. She can’t appreciate all that you do for her right now, but one day she will, I promise.”
“What did I do to deserve you?” He had never been able to share with anyone before, the stresses of his family. With his siblings, he always felt like he was complaining, with his mom it always ended in arguments, and with previous partners, he felt like he was oversharing. But Kate, ever patient and also overprotective Kate, was always there to soothe and give advice in a way he had never experienced.
“I feel the same way.”
He was overcome with a surge of affection for this wonderful maddening woman who loved him like no other and before he even knew what he was doing he had leaped down off the couch and onto one knee.
“Ant, what are you doing.”
“Kate please marry me, I had a whole big plan involving a picnic, and a hot air balloon, and even Newton, I don’t think I can spend another second waiting. I love you and not to be cheesy but you complete me, and I don’t want to ever spend another day without you. You make me a better man, you’re the first person I want to talk to about everything in my day, and you believe in me in a way no one has. I want to spend the rest of our lives trying to be the man you see in me. Please make me the luckiest man alive and marry me?”
Kate looked down at him with tears in her eyes and grabbed his hands. “Yes yes, but one condition”
“Anything love, literally anything.”
“Can we get another corgi?”
He huffed before kissing her soundly.
“Yes you truly maddening women, we can get another dog”
Bridgerton Family Chat
Anthony Bridgerton added Kate Sharma to the conversation
Anthony: Kate and I are getting married
Kate: And getting another dog!
Kate: It’s an honor to be in the group chat!
Daphne: OH MY GOSH
Daphne: How did you ask? What’s the ring like!
Hyacinth🌺🌺:: DOGGGGGGGGGGGG
Hyacinth🌺🌺:: DOG DOG DOG DOG DOG
Violet: Hyacinth dear please stop screaming we can all hear you
Violet: But congrats! Should I book the church for spring?
Colin: Kate so excited my favorite sister is officially becoming part of the family!
Franny: Hey
Hyacinth🌺🌺:: Heeeey
Daphne: Hurt
Eloise: kate you can have him
Eloise: him being colin
Gregory: congrats I guess
Daphne: Greg!
Benedict: dibs on best man
Hyacinth🌺🌺:: Can we circle back to the dog
“Oh my gosh your family group chat is insane,” Kate looked up at him. “What have I gotten into?”
“Well as the future Lady Bridgerton,” he would never tire of saying that, “ I figured it was time for you to officially join the chat.”
“Lady Bridgerton?” Kate wrinkled her nose. “ Sometimes I forget how privileged your family is.”
“How about Viscountess Bridgerton?” he pulled her into her arms. “ How does that sound?”
“Not going to lie, weirdly hot,” she blushed.
“Is this a thing for you?” He grinned into her neck.
“Maybe?”
“Let’s go find out, the group chat can wait.” He tossed her phone down before leading her upstairs.