The Viscount Who Loved Me

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2000

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapters 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12-14

Chapters 15-17

Chapters 18-20

Chapters 21-22

Epilogues

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

EpiloguesChapter Summaries & Analyses

First Epilogue Summary

Lady Whistledown reports on the celebration of Anthony’s 39th birthday. Anthony jokes that Lady Whistledown must have a spy in their family. He disagrees with her report on their dismal concert, but Kate says they are always dreadful musicians. Anthony reflects on his birthday: He spent most of the afternoon in his study, talking to his father’s portrait. He told Edmund’s image about his three children, about how Violet is doing, and about how much he loves Kate. Anthony realizes his life now is what his father always wanted for him.

At midnight, Kate and Anthony retire to bed. Kate asks if Anthony saw what Whistledown wrote about Colin, and she suspects the writer has feelings for him. Anthony replies that he does not wish to discuss Whistledown when he has “much better things to do,” and he kisses Kate. In a small but elegant house nearby the Bridgertons’ residence, Lady Whistledown begins drafting her next issue.

Second Epilogue Summary

Kate and Anthony have been married for 15 years, and she is confident she can distract him long enough to secure the mallet of death for the day’s game of Pall Mall. Anthony surprises her, revealing that he already claimed the black mallet. The next day, Anthony reflects on the first game Kate ever played, where she claimed the mallet of death and hit his ball into the lake. He did not realize it at the time, but he knows now that that afternoon was the day that he fell in love with her. Every year since, the same players gather at Aubrey Hall to play Pall Mall: Simon, Daphne, Edwina, Colin, Kate, and Anthony.

Later, Kate sits by herself, lost in her book. Anthony storms into the room and demands to know what she has done with the mallet of death. As Anthony tries to coax the truth out of her, Colin enters the room and reveals that he now possesses the mallet. On the day of the Pall Mall game, Anthony sets up the course to deliberately frustrate the other players. Penelope, now married to Colin, joins them on the field. When Anthony hits his ball quite far down the field, Kate tells them there is a large puddle down the field, despite it being the driest spring in recent memory. Later into the game, Anthony trips her with his mallet, making her fall into the puddle. Kate is determined to not let him win, despite being in last place. Kate announces that since there is no way she can win now, she has decided to play as unfairly as possible. She first hits her ball up the hill towards Anthony, and on her next turn she hits her ball into Anthony’s, sending his rolling up the hill and down the other side. Anthony declares he does not care who wins or what the rules are anymore, and he hits Kate’s ball into the lake. The rest of the group move further down the course, leaving Kate and Anthony behind. Since neither of them can possibly win now, Kate and Anthony congratulate one another on their impressive endeavors to sabotage each other. As they walk together, they devise a plan to reclaim the mallet of death from Colin, so he does not steal it from Aubrey Hall.

Epilogues Analysis

Anthony’s 39th birthday celebration is a momentous occasion for several reasons, as it is not just another birthday party—this birthday marks his being a year older than Edmund ever was. The occasion itself centers on love, joy, and family. Anthony’s theory that Lady Whistledown has a spy in their family suggests that the author reported details she could only have learned from someone who attended the party. His speculation stems from how protective he is of his family. Anthony knows what it means to have one’s deeds reported in a Whistledown column, and how easily one’s reputation can be formed and perpetuated by those reports, true or false. Kate views the column more lightheartedly, as she jokes that the author might have a crush on Colin. She and Anthony’s different views indicate how well they balance one another: Anthony’s instincts gravitate towards the serious, while Kate brings humor to a situation.

The second epilogue is set five years later, as Kate and Anthony near their 15th anniversary. They prepare for a game of Pall Mall at Aubrey Hall, and it has become a family activity. Though they are all now 15 years older, the game brings out their youthful exuberance and competitive spirits. In the days preceding the game, Kate and Anthony’s efforts to sabotage one another by stealing the mallet of death indicate that they are still very much in love. They anticipate one another in an expert way that shows how well they know each other; they do not just know the other will try to steal the mallet, but they can also predict precisely how and when they will do so.

The game itself mirrors previous events in the novel in amusing ways. Years ago, Newton knocked Edwina in the lake and Anthony ruined his boots in the mud. Now, Anthony hits Kate’s ball first into a muddy patch, where she ruins her dress, and then into the lake just like she did to him in the past. Once again, the rest of the group leaves Kate and Anthony behind to walk alone together. In the past, their walk after the game was the first moment Anthony realized how enchanting Kate was, but they were not in love yet. Now, the two are a unified team, not just in their marriage or as parents, but also as spirited competitors determined to keep Colin from stealing their mallet again. They are two people on the same team, instead of opponents.