Pocket Watch

The pocket watch is a symbol of Anthony's relationship with Edmund, his father. Edmund gives Anthony the Bridgerton pocket watch on Anthony’s eighth birthday, just like Edmund’s father passed the watch on to him on his eighth birthday. Because Anthony is the oldest son, Anthony tells himself that he has the closest relationship with his father because Edmund has known Anthony longer than the other children.

Bee

The bee is a symbol of the mistaken perception of insignificance. When Anthony learns that his father was killed by a bee, he does not understand how his healthy, young father could be killed by such an insignificant insect. Later, it is because of a bee sting that Kate and Anthony are forced to marry. Kate tells the women who caught them in the garden together that it was just a bee sting and that something...