The Sinful Kiss • Anthony Bridgerton

• Chapter Forty-Six •

With Katherine gone to get the last of her belongings from Hastings House, Anthony decided to visit his club that night only to pause at the sight of his brother-in-law sitting at one of the tables, drinking.

"Evening, your grace." He greeted, making his way over towards the Duke. "It is funny meeting you here."

Swallowing his sip of bourbon, Simon looked up towards his best friend and new brother-in-law. "I am utterly comical." He responded dryly.

"You've been avoiding me." The Viscount said.

The Duke rolled his eyes as he brought his glass towards his lips. "Now you're being a jester." He replied and took another sip of the dark liquor.

Anthony narrowed his eyes slightly. "If you are not avoiding my company, then you won't mind if I join you for a drink?" He asked as he took a seat, not even waiting for Simon's response.

Silence fell between the two gentleman as Anthony glanced around the room while Simon merely played with the glass in his hand.

One of the waiters approached the table as the Viscount beckoned him over.

"I shall need a large glass." He said and watched the waiter walk off to retrieve his drink.

It was not long before the waiter returned with Anthony's drink in hand and placed it down on the table. With a nod of thanks, the eldest Bridgerton picked up the glass and assessed his drink.

"It is a fine colour." He said. "And the bubbles?" He added and took a sip of the golden brown liquor. "Just right."

Simon sat in silence, clenching his jaw tightly as he listened to Anthony.

"Don't get me wrong, I love a good brandy." The Viscount continued. "But sometimes, nothing will do but a beer--"

"Would you just get to the point?" The Duke snapped, cutting his brother-in-law off in mid-sentence.

Anthony tilted his head to the side slightly. "I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about." He said.

"Yes, you do." Simon responded.

"You're correct." Anthony replied. "I do. Just like I know that you have obviously made a considerable error with my sister."

Simon scoffed lightly. "How, may I ask, could you infer that I was the one to make the error?" He asked and brought his glass back up to his lips to drink the last bit of bourbon that he had left over.

"I know my sister quite well." The Viscount responded.

"Really?" The Duke questioned. "She seemed to be overlooked by you all in my opinion. All eyes seemed to be on Daphne but never her."

The eldest Bridgerton sibling stared at him in silence before he continued. "She is a usually capable woman." He said. "And what I do know about her, is that she is not capable of fucking this up severely."

The Duke stared at his best friend coldly. "Do you lot ever get tired of being so perfect?" He asked, causing for the Viscount to scoff softly. "It is exhausting just watching you."

"We may not be perfect but at least we keep our promises." Anthony answered.

"You know nothing of my commitments!" Simon exclaimed quitely as to not draw attention to them. "I am trying to be a man of my word. I am trying to keep.. I would not expect you to understand." He quickly changed his words.

Anthony narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" He questioned.

"I mean that you leave a litany of broken promises behind you everywhere you go." The Duke answered. "Your duty to protect Daniella from Nigel Berbrooke? Promising to marry my sister only for her to go through with your wedding? Or what about your own reckless affairs? Are you still seeing that Opera singer that no one knows about behind my sister's back?"

"Siena is a thing of the past and you know full well that I am fully commited to your sister and my marriage to her." The Visount responded.

"Are you?" Simon questioned.

"You judge me yet you cannot possibly understand the responsibilties of heading a family because you have never had one." Anthony retorted. "You seem to have forgotten how you had left Katherine alone to endure trauma from that monster."

"Ah, but she is my family." The Duke replied, pointing at him. "Daniella is my family now too, and there is no changing that. Though, it is most unfortunate that I shall never quite reach the lofty ideal you have demonstrated."

"What is most unfortunate, is the fact that your father was so absent that he never gave you a proper example of how to lead a household." The Visount said.

Simon clenched his jaw silently as he slowly lowered his, now, empty glass back onto the table. "Well, you certainly make it look difficult." He said.

"I beg your pardon?" Anthony questioned with an arched brow.

"Not with your constant struggles." The Duke added, staring directly at his brother-in-law. "You cannot manage it, can you?"

"Hastings--"

"Your responsibility.." Simon continued, cutting him off once more. "You fulfilling the promise that every first born son makes to his father before he dies. You think he's looking down on you now? Ashamed, mortified at what you have done, visiting his ex-mistress while courting his lady.. I wonder what the former Viscount would say."

In a sudden burst of rage, Anthony lept up from his seat and grabbed onto Simon's coat, pulling him off the chair before punching him across the face.

But Simon quickly got the upper hand, returning the favour by punching the Viscount across the face as well as in his stomach, knocking the breath from him.

As he swung his fist again, Anthony quickly dodged it, grabbing the Duke from behind before throwing them both back into the table - the glasses shattering and the table crushing under the force of their weight.

Before another hit was taken, the brother-in-laws were quickly separated by two gentlemen.

Anthony fought against the man that held him back, still clearly enraged while Simon merely shoved himself away and smirked humourlessly as he watched his best friend get dragged out.