sooni sooni kali kali raton mein tu raushni ho gaya
(in the darkness of night, you illuminate my world)
dil janiye eh mainu ki ho gaya
(oh, what has befallen my heart?)
TOP TEN KATE DYNAMICS (as voted by my followers):
#8: kate & lady danbury
a life of independence is no mere consolation. indeed, many would think it the better prize. after passion cools and fate intervenes, who else is a woman left with but herself?
HOW DEEP IS YOUR LOVE by lauryssamilkshakes
Summary:
In the gazebo, Anthony asks Kate about her given name.
Anthony wondered briefly if Kate was asleep.
He licked his lips and groaned softly; he could still taste her on his tongue, and though Anthony had had more than his fill of Kate, it still did not feel like enough. The hunger he felt in her presence was so very primal, something Anthony could feel warming his blood, settled in every nerve and sinew of his body. And he'd known for a while what Kate did to him, the thought of her, anyway, but actually being with her, kneeling at her feet, being at the mercy of her pleasure – that was something else entirely.
Of course, much of that hunger had been satiated, as had hers – for Anthony had found that his thirst for her was reciprocated in kind. Really, he'd known that for a while too, what he did to Kate, as she had admitted to him: being driven to distraction every time he entered the room … There was something about that confession of hers that somehow still made him blush, even now, even after what they had done together in the gazebo. He cursed his burning cheeks for a moment, grateful that at least Kate's eyes were closed so she could not see them – but then he sighed, contentedly, and it turned into another groan as he twirled a strand of her hair around his finger.
TOP TEN KATE DYNAMICS (as voted by my followers):
#9: kate & daphne
I was told unsportsmanlike conduct was a requirement of this game. a fast learner you are indeed, miss sharma.
THE DUTIES OF A VISCOUNTESS by lauryssamilkshakes
SUMMARY:
As Viscountess Bridgerton, Kate does her best to do her duties to her new family. She finds herself having the most heartfelt conversations along the way. A collection of missing scenes from season 3.
“Kate? You wished to speak with me?”
When Violet knocked on Kate's study door (already ajar), Kate was crouched down beside her desk, picking up the ledgers her husband had rather unceremoniously swept on the floor a few hours ago. Gathering up the last of the papers, Kate got to her feet.
“Yes, I did, Violet.” It still felt strange, addressing her mother-in-law by name – she would not have done so in India. Or she would have been scorned if she did. Kate had been truthful when she told Violet about mothers living with their sons after marriage. But like with many traditions, Kate did not particularly care for the idea in the long term, as fond as she was of Violet – of everyone in her new family.
No, she decided. She had decided, in Anthony's arms, in their bed, in the love they made whilst the sun set. They had decided together, for Anthony to talk to Benedict about him taking over his brother's responsibilities once more. Kate had wanted to speak with Francesca, but Anthony had insisted on talking to her first, asking instead for Kate to broach the subject with Violet. It was not to say that Colin, Eloise, Gregory and Hyacinth were unimportant, of course, but both Kate and Anthony agreed that a sit-down conversation was needed for the other aforementioned Bridgertons.
“Is everything all right?” Violet asked.
Kate nodded, gesturing to the armchairs a little further from the desk. “Please, sit down.”
“Should I be nervous, Kate?” the dowager said uncertainly as she took her seat. Kate sat opposite her.
At this, Kate almost chuckled – for she was surely the one who should be nervous. “No, not at all. I – we, that is, Anthony and I – have something we need to discuss with you. We did not want to say anything at dinner, but…”
I remember the books you used to read to me from appa's library. the stories of true love and happy endings against all odds. did you yourself ever truly believe them? or has everything you told me been a lie?
of course I believe in true love. of course I believe in happy endings.
how could I not?
giving someone a lilac meant that the giver is trying to remind the receiver of a first love.
lilacs are often the first flowers to bloom when temperatures rise and only last a couple of weeks, so lilacs often symbolise spring.
the common lilac produces nectar, favoured by bees and butterflies.
VERY HAPPY by lauryssamilkshakes
Summary:
“Is this the only reason you wish to delay our news, my darling?” he asked, trying and probably failing to keep his voice level. “You are happy, I hope?” “Oh, meri jaan,” Kate murmured, “I am very happy.” Extended scene from 3x05. While they're in bed, Kate asks the staff to take Newton on a walk so she and her husband can resume their... conversation.
Anthony sighed.
It was a blissful, happy sigh, one of being home and in his wife's arms in their bed. He loved Aubrey Hall and had been loath to leave it with Kate, but given the news of Colin's engagement, Anthony rather thought their return was timed perfectly – and now Kate and Anthony were back at Bridgerton House, he was glad he could still have his wife to himself, at least for the moment. Anthony knew that Kate would soon be steeped in planning for Colin's betrothal party, that Anthony himself would need to attend Parliament in a few days’ time… but in this very moment, he was content to just be with his wife.
He shifted, resting his cheek more carefully on her belly. She was not showing – there would not be a visible bump for at least another month, according to the books Anthony had read. But he knew that their child was there, growing in his wife's womb. Their child. The best parts of them both, made with pure love, cherished so much by the both of them already. The thought still made him giddy, even now, and Anthony felt a surge of love for Kate. On impulse, he pressed a kiss on her abdomen, over the fabric of her dress. Then he looked up, met her eyes, smiled, and she smiled back, prompting Anthony to kiss her belly again.
He loved so much that she knew instantly what he was thinking – what he had in mind. Yet the smile did not budge from Kate's face as she shook her head. “Anthony, we cannot.”
Leaning up, Anthony moved towards Kate, about to kiss her lips. “Why not?”
And clearly Kate was just about holding back her laugh. “Because Newton is watching.”
am I your fire?
your one desire?
yes, I know it's too late,
but I want it that way
HUNGER by lauryssamilkshakes
Summary:
“It is like a hunger in me, Anthony. A never ending appetite of mine that cannot be satiated, not truly, not without you.” “But you are not without me,” he reasoned. “So why –” “Because that feeling will not go away!” she burst out. The day before they set sail for their honeymoon trip to India, Kate and Anthony go horseriding. But Kate is grappling with the realities of married life - namely, her hunger for her husband, and how embarrassingly often she feels it. Oh, and Kate's peach garden is blooming.
Kate woke to Anthony kissing her forehead.
This in itself was nothing novel; she had become accustomed in the past few days, since they wed, to her husband waking her with kisses, on her temple, on her forehead, her cheeks, her lips. She would awaken, words slurred with sleep, moaning softly at Anthony's nose nuzzled right into the crook of her neck, his tongue licking at the hollow of her throat, the lazy tap-tap of his fingers as he traced a slow path down her back. It was comforting, to be sure, but it also meant that as Kate woke fully, it would be to the swirl of heat somewhere low in her belly.
Today was no exception. The ache for him settled there firmly, even as Kate stirred, reaching out across the bed and realising the pillow beside her was empty. She realised, too, that his kiss was fleeting, his lips not lingering on her skin as they normally did.
Then she opened her eyes, and Anthony came into view. He was leaning over her, smelling so damn warm and clean and so very Anthony that it made Kate groan aloud.
“Good morning, Kate,” he murmured.
TOP TEN KATE DYNAMICS (as voted by my followers):
#10: kate & edwina & mary
I myself have been absent for far too long. when my husband died, it should've been me taking on my family's burden, not kate. she sacrificed far too much for us, indeed.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED by lauryssamilkshakes
Summary:
Missing scene, set after Kate and Anthony's wedding night. Kate shares one more Indian wedding tradition with Anthony, and it turns into a bit of a game. A race, if you will.
Anthony woke to the smell of lilies.
He inhaled dreamily, pondering as he did so that it was a hot scent, steamy almost. It didn't seem to matter that he'd been obsessed with this heady smell for months now, that he'd had the luxury and liberty of sniffing deeply whenever his then intended (or, as the case may be, unintended) wife was close by. It still awakened something in him, something deep and primal and hungry that scared him sometimes. He was not afraid to admit that to himself, not anymore.
And as he came to that conclusion he realised he was alone in his bed.
He'd woken sleepy, yet the absence of his wife in his bed – their bed, he reminded himself – made him sit bolt upright. Unbidden, he was reminded of their first night together, being woken by raindrops without her by her side. His heart had sank then after awaking with a smile, dread at her absence downturning his brow into a frown, making him feel hollow. He had longed for her soft, warm palms on his bare chest, for her fingers to whisper across his ribs and tap them gently and remind him of his beating heart.