A Loveless Marriage: A Bridgerton Story

Chapter 1

"Do you, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton take Lady Kathryn Bishop to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the priest asked.

"I do," Anthony replied.

"And do you Lady Kathryn Bishop take Viscount Anthony Bridgerton to be your lawfully wedded husband?" the priest asked.

"I do," Kathryn smiled.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Viscount, you may now kiss your bride," the priest said.

Kathryn smiled wide. This was the moment she'd been waiting for her whole life. Though she found it quite awkward to have to kiss a man in front of her family she knew that this was only the beginning. She and the Viscount would live happily ever after and this would be the first of many kisses they would share over the years.

If only she would have known what would lie ahead. She probably would have turned tail and run far away, never to return.

"How are you this morning Mrs?" Anne, her lady's maid, said walking into the bedroom.

"I'm quite all right," Kathryn replied.

"That is lovely to hear. This letter arrived for you this morning," Anne said handing her a piece of paper.

"Hopefully it is my mother replying back from the letter I sent last week," Kathryn smiled.

She unfolded the letter eagerly. As soon as her eyes landed on the first word she knew exactly who it was from and her smile dropped.

Viscountess Bridgerton,
My travels have been long but I shall arrive at Aubrey Hall in the late afternoon. I hope that I shall find everything well upon my return.
Sincerely,
Viscount Bridgerton

"I take it from the look on your face that it is not from your mother?" Anne asked.

"No unfortunately not," Kathryn replied.

"I am sorry to hear that my lady," Anne said.

"Very well. I must get dressed and make sure the house is ready," Kathryn sighed.

"For what ma'am?" Anne asked.

"Viscount Bridgerton has decided to grace us with his presence," Kathryn said before setting the letter down on the bed and getting up.

After getting dressed Kathryn made fast work of making sure that everything was prepped for the Viscount's return. She wanted to make sure that everything was perfect, for she had not seen her husband in six months. He was a very busy man and traveled a lot. Or so that's what he would always say in the letters she would send.

"Excuse me, my lady," Anne said walking into the drawing-room, "The footman has just informed me that a carriage has arrived outside."

"Just in time. I just finished dusting the last table," Kathryn replied.

Kathryn was tentative about her feelings about the Viscount coming home. Part of her was excited because she had not seen her husband in six months. But the other part of her was nervous because she had not seen him in six months. He had left a week after their wedding to attend to business and had not yet returned. Kathryn was somewhat spiteful as this was not how she had pictured her marriage going. She only hoped that when the Viscount returned he would be more caring and loving, just as her father was to her mother.

Kathryn walked to the foyer of the home waiting for her husband to enter. The door clicked open and she put a smile on her face to welcome him.

"Welcome home," Kathryn smiled.

"Hello," Anthony said.

"How were your travels?" Kathryn asked.

"They were quite long," Anthony said.

"Well I do hope you will be staying a bit longer this time," Kathryn said.

"Actually we will not be," Anthony said.

"We?" Kathryn asked.

"Yes. We are to leave tomorrow to travel back into the ton," Anthony replied, "It is the social season and Daphne is making her debut. I must be there to assist her."

"Oh, I did not realize we would be attending this year," Kathryn smiled.

She was very much excited to go back to the ton and see her mother, father, and sister. She had been quite lonely for the past six months. If it were not for Anne she probably would have gone mad.

"Yes, I apologize for not mentioning it in my letter," Anthony said.

Silence fell over the two as they stared at each other awkwardly. Anthony pressed his lips into a thin line, "Well I will be in my study then."

"Lord Bridgerton I do believe that the cooks have lunch ready," Kathryn said making Anthony stop.

"Please have someone bring it to my study. I have much to do before we depart in the morning," Anthony said.

"Very well," Kathryn said before turning to also walk away.

"Oh and Lady Bridgerton," Anthony said making her stop.

"Yes," she replied turning to face him.

"Could you make sure that dinner is also brought to the study," Anthony said before turning back around to walk to his study.

Kathryn let out a sigh. She blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes before turning to Anne.

"Are you all right Lady Bridgerton?" Anne asked.

"Perfectly well," Kathryn said putting on a fake smile, "Looks like we have some packing to do. Please make sure the Viscount gets his lunch and dinner sent to his study."

"Where would you like to eat your lunch, my lady?" Anne asked.

"I am actually not hungry anymore," Kathryn replied, "Plus we have a lot of packing to do before we leave in the morning."

Before Anne could say anymore Kathryn turned and walked straight to her room. She closed the door behind her and pressed her back firmly against it. She squeezed her eyes shut trying to stop tears from flowing. So much for her marriage getting better.

Kathryn thought that Anthony giving her the cold shoulder, in the beginning, was just because he was nervous about the marriage. They had been pretty much forced to marry one another. She was a fool to think that they would get to know each other and actually fall in love.

After many hours of packing and getting things ready Kathryn sat down at the desk in her room to write to her mother. It did worry her slightly that she had not heard from her in over a week but she probably just got caught up with something.

Papa and Mama,
I should be halfway to the ton by the time you receive this letter but I wanted to let you know that the Viscount and I are heading to the ton in the morning. We are going to be spending the social season there so I will get to see more of you all and Alia. I hope all is well since I have not heard back from you. I'll see you soon, I love you
Love,
Kitty Kat

Kathryn smiled down at the letter. Ever since she was born her parents had called her Kitty Kat. More so just her father now that she was older. She handed the letter to Anne and got ready to sleep. She knew she needed to get rest for they would have a long journey tomorrow.

Ahh welcome to "A Loveless Marriage". If you're reading this thank you so much!

I haven't seen any stories like this on Wattpad so I figured I'd write one. Please don't be a silent reader, comment and vote!
~A