Chapter Text
The last Friday in August, the countryside buzzed with excitement over Edwina and Friedrich’s wedding. Lady Mary, Edwina, and the prince had left for the queen’s country estate earlier in the week to prepare for the ceremony.
Anthony and Kate followed on Friday afternoon, riding together in a private carriage. Kate would spend the night with her sister and mother, supporting Edwina in the hours before she became a princess.
Anthony had tried to make peace with the idea of sleeping without Kate, but the thought gnawed at him. Every minute spent apart from her was torture. And tonight, knowing she would be mere rooms away but untouchable—he clenched his jaw just thinking about it.
As they pulled away from Aubrey Hall, Kate stared out the window, worry etched into her face.
“Are you alright?” Anthony asked.
She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m excited... and a little nervous.” She sighed. “I just want Edwina to be happy.”
“She will be,” Anthony said, squeezing her hand and brushing his lips over her knuckles. “Friedrich’s a good man.”
Kate lay her head on Anthony’s shoulder with a contented sigh, and Anthony savored the weight of her against him. The heat of the afternoon pressed in through the open carriage windows, but the breeze stirred her hair, carrying her scent—lilies, always lilies. It made his chest ache with want.
“It would have been the perfect day for a ride,” Kate mused.
Anthony chuckled. “I am telling you, the queen would not look kindly on us if we arrived on horseback.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Surely the queen could not like me any less.”
Anthony frowned. “Surely the queen has forgiven everything, since she is hosting Edwina’s nuptials.”
“Again,” Kate said, smirking at Anthony.
Anthony blushed, and Kate laughed at him. “I kept picturing you there that day,” he admitted softly.
She nodded. “Me too.”
For a moment, the past loomed between them—a reminder of how close he had come to making the worst mistake of his life. Then Anthony turned to her and smiled. “You were even more beautiful as my bride than I ever imagined.”
He kissed her then, slow and tender, as if to dissolve the last remnants of those uneasy memories.
“Never again,” he whispered against her lips. “I’ll never make a foolish mistake like that again.”
Kate laughed, her fingers trailing lightly over his jaw. “Don’t make promises we both know you can’t keep.”
Later that evening, after a formal dinner with Edwina, Friedrich, Mary, and the queen, Anthony and Kate retreated to their rooms. Kate changed into her nightdress and robe, tying the sash loosely at her waist as she prepared to leave for Edwina’s room.
Anthony watched her from the bed, propped on one elbow. “Do you have to leave right away?” he asked, catching her wrist and pulling her gently toward him.
Kate gave him a soft smile. “Amma and Edwina are expecting me.”
“I can be quick,” he whispered, kissing the inside of her wrist.
She laughed, brushing her lips across his cheek. “I prefer when you take your time,” she teased, tapping the tip of his nose.
He groaned as she slipped from his grasp, watching helplessly as she left the room. The door clicked shut behind her, and Anthony let out a frustrated sigh.
Sleep eluded him as thoughts of Kate consumed him. He lay awake, his body restless and his mind fixated on her—on the scent of lilies that clung to her skin, on the way her lips parted when he kissed her just right, and the soft, needy sounds she made when she gave herself to him completely.
The longer he lay there, the worse it became. He ran a hand through his hair, then began pacing the room. Every fiber of his being screamed for her, demanded that she be with him now.
I’ll drag her back here, he thought wildly. I’ll burst into Edwina’s room, grab her, and carry her back to bed. I’ll rip that damned nightdress off her. And then I will bend her over this bed and I will...
Good god. He clenched his fists, trying to shake off the images that flooded his mind. He used to think himself a gentleman. But Kate had awoken a beast in him that he could not satiate. As the last few weeks had gone on, he thought his desire for her would wane with each passing day that he had her under him moaning. But if anything it had the opposite effect. The more he had of her, the more he wanted. Needed.
His gaze drifted to the vanity where Kate had left her things. He ran his fingers over the little trinkets she’d placed there—hairpins, a brush, and a tiny glass vial.
“I knew it,” he murmured, laughing softly. Kate had insisted that the floral scent clinging to her skin was just her soap, but Anthony had suspected otherwise. He opened the vial and dabbed a tiny drop of the lily perfume onto his finger.
The scent enveloped him immediately, and a wave of longing crashed over him. His hands ached to touch her, to pull her close and bury his face in the curve of her neck. He stared at the closed door, as if willing her to appear through it.
With a frustrated groan, he fell back onto the bed, closing his eyes as he inhaled the perfume again. His body reacted instinctively, hardening as he imagined Kate beside him—the softness of her skin, the heat of her breath on his neck, the way her body arched under his touch.
Without meaning to, he began touching himself, every thought centered on her. He pictured her gasping his name, her eyebrows lifting in surprise before melting into bliss. He imagined the way her breath hitched when his thumb pressed between her legs, the way she writhed beneath him as she found her release.
His release came fast and hard, shuddering through him before he even realized it was happening. He groaned in frustration, glaring down at the mess on his shirt. What was he—an eager green boy again, driven to ruin by the mere thought of a woman?
But then, Kate wasn’t just any woman. No, she was something else entirely. She was…everything.
Meanwhile, in Edwina’s room, Mary bid the girls goodnight, leaving them alone to share one last evening together. Edwina, buzzing with excitement, could barely sit still.
“You must calm yourself,” Kate teased, laughing at her sister’s jittery energy. “Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”
Edwina smiled. “Oh, surely it will fly by.” She paused, then looked at Kate. “I am…a little nervous for tomorrow night.”
“Oh?” Kate asked. “Did Amma talk to you?”
Edwina grimaced. “Yes. It was awful.”
Kate burst into laughter. “What happened?”
“I’m not sure what she was even trying to say!” Edwina exclaimed. “We started talking about love, and then out of nowhere, she asked if I remembered the animals on the farm.”
Kate laughed until tears streamed down her cheeks, imagining their mother’s awkward attempt at explaining the facts of marriage.
When her laughter subsided, she took Edwina’s hands in her own. “You don’t need to be nervous,” Kate said gently. “Friedrich is a kind man. He will take care of you.”
Edwina nodded, but Kate’s gaze turned serious. “And if he ever doesn’t—if he hurts you or makes you do anything you don’t want—you will leave him. You will come back to me. Always.”
Edwina blinked in surprise. “Leave him?”
Kate nodded firmly. “Yes. You always have a place with me.”
Edwina nodded, holding Kate’s hands tightly. “Thank you, Kate. But I really do not think I will need to take you up on your...generous offer.” She hesitated. “Now, please tell me—what on earth did Amma mean about the farm animals?”