Chapter Text
"Lady Sharma?" the youngest, and latest addition to the staff introduced himself after a hesitant knock on the door, "I am here to inform you your sister has arrived."
Kate looked up from her ledgers, she forced herself to smile politely to the young man for he did not know yet she hated to be interrupted like this.
"Thank you Fred," she said softly, "you can tell her I will be in the drawing room momentarily."
"Of course," the valet bowed, turned around and left so fast Kate felt sorry for him.
He would come around, just like the others did. Recent experiences told her this much. Ever since she took over from her father, people (often men) expected her to be a cruel, non forgiving kind of Viscountess. She couldn't blame them, it was exceptional for a woman to take over as explicitly as she did. Therefore, no one really knew what was to be expected, and biased as the brains of men seemed to work, they all thought she did not earn the title because she was good and deserving. No, at first each and everyone she had met was convinced she must have somehow tricked her belated father into making her the Viscountess Suo jure.
It couldn't be further from the truth, this was her father's wish all along. Ever since he realised he wasn't going to have a Male heir he prepared Kate to be the best successor there was, because in the eyes of Milan Sharma she was capable of doing so, much more suitable than any distant relative would ever be.
Kate was raised with pride, knowledge and order, but most of all with love. Her father and his wife, the woman that was her mother in every way that counted, believed that was the foundation for every life. Without love there couldn't be triumph. Without love victory felt numb and without love there was no need to celebrate.
For 19 years Kate believed all of this to be true, she wholeheartedly tried to live by her parents example. She was excited for the future, her debut season was filled with hope and high expectations. Kate was ready to find a proper husband to share her life with.
Then her Appa died and the downside of the most important lesson her parents tried to teach her showed. Her mother was devastated beyond description, some would say mental even. After the funeral Mary didn't leave the bed for months. It took her weeks to utter words.
So much for love , because ever since her Appa died, Kate had no one to share things with, there wasn't much to celebrate nor did any real triumphs happen, but Kate soon understood that after losing a person you'd loved, you would be alone.
As a result of this epiphany, at first, Kate closed off. It worked for a brief period of time, but Kate was a caring person who needed to be around her loved ones. Slowly but surely she opened up again, embraced the company and presence of her family, almost like she used to do.
Her Appa's death caused a big hole in her heart, probably never to be filled. In a way his passing took away her future. But in order for her to function properly, she had to be herself. Kate had always loved who she was, and now, after all these years she could honestly say she was back .
Kate was again a loving sister, a good daughter, one hell of a Viscountess, and soon she would be a perfect wife.
Kate wasn't known for making concessions, she was determined and headstrong. Once she had set her mind on something; it was going to happen.
Last year when Edwina wanted to marry, she made sure her sister chose with her heart. And this year Kate was going to do the same, but with her head. It wouldn't be too hard of a job to find someone willing, of that Kate was sure. Kate was well aware she was admirable, good looking and marrying her would secure the man a title. That was where the difficulty of her situation unfolded, because it could easily attract the wrong sort of suitors.
Kate's eyes looked at the list that she had written down seconds ago. All qualities her husband should possess in order to prevent any problems that could potentially come with choosing the wrong husband.
Lady Sharma, reigning Viscountess' list of requirements:
- Good father
- Not ambitious (or looking for power)
- Tolerable
Handsome
She put her desire to find a man that would be a good father first , because that was the main reason why she did this, right? To make sure the title stays within the family. And, to be entirely honest, Kate had always wanted to be a mother. It was selfish, because what if her child had to live through the same experiences as she did? That's why the potential husband must be good, good and steady enough to raise their child alone if history repeated itself.
The wish for her future husband to lack any form of ambition was tricky, because Kate was well aware she could never be with a man that was a pushover. But it was of the utmost importance he wasn't looking to be the reigning Viscount himself. Kate figured some kind of artistic person would do, since they tend to be dismissive of power. Preferably a painter, because Kate could admire a good painting, and in her youth she turned out to be quite talented herself. If she was in luck; he would be aspiring, but on another level.
The tolerable one was easy and made the most sense, because if she was to spend the rest of her life with him, she should at least like the man.
That was it, she crossed out the requirement of him being Handsome , because that was just asking for too much. If her husband possessed the three other things listed, she would be satisfied enough.
With a loud sigh, Kate closed her ledgers. Her list of requirements hidden between the pages. She wasn't going to share this with anyone, knowing perfectly well her mother and sister would disapprove of its existence. Both Mary and Edwina were over the moon when she announced her intentions for this year's social season.
Her mother beamed with pride, saying how much Kate was going to enjoy it.
Edwina was overly excited too, she cheered loudly how much she longed to share stories with her.
All Kate did was nod and laugh, ignoring how much of a liar her little head gesture made her feel. She forced herself to remember this was for their benefit, they wouldn't understand her true motivations.
It would be alright. She could do this. This wasn't a betrayal, this was for them too. If she married she secured the family's legacy.
Kate stood up straight, took a few deep breaths and straightened her dress.
When she felt ready for what was going to be her future she stepped out of her study and set pace to the drawing room to meet her sister.