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“This is the reason you wanted to go for a walk?” she asked.

She wanted him to say no, to prove her wrong, even though she already knew the truth.

“You are quite intuitive,” Edwin said. “We must act like we are totally and irrevocably in love with each other at the masquerade ball. Everybody knows that marriages among the ton are mostly loveless and miserable. This is why the image of a lovely couple who love each other so much would impress them.”

Ava nodded as she blinked away the tears welling up in her eyes. She could not trust her voice not to quiver if she spoke.

“I… I… must go,” she eventually muttered, placing a hand on her forehead.

“You have a headache?” Edwin asked, peering closely at her.

She nodded. “I must lie down.”

“But it is time for dinner,” he said.

Ava shook her head. “I can feel a fever coming.”

At that moment, she would say anything if it meant he would leave her be.

“Then we must make haste,” he urged, before he took her hand and led her back to the house.

As soon as they were inside, Ava pulled her hand from his grip and made for the staircase.

“I shall have the maids bring you dinner,” Edwin called after her, “and I may come to check on you.”

She shook her head a little too fervently, refusing to turn back and look him in the eye. “No, you do not have to see me. I must lay my head down until the headache passes.”

With that, she bounded up the staircase and darted into her chamber, where she collapsed on her bed.

She could not help but feel embarrassed by what had just happened.

How could I have been so foolish?

She dropped her face in her hands and groaned.

She was rather foolish to have thought that Edwin simply wanted to get to know her better. How could she have forgotten that he never did anything without a reason? After all, he was only a cold, unfeeling beast.

Granted, he had treated her far better than she had expected. However, that was not enough reason for her to nurse unrealistic expectations.

Theirs was a marriage of convenience. She had married him to protect her sister from a union with a beast, and he had married her to advance his business prospects.

That was all there was to it.

Now, she must play her part by helping him impress his business partners at the masquerade ball.

CHAPTER 12

Edwin stepped in front of the large mirror in his chamber as soon as he donned his new outfit from France. The coat was crimson red, and it fit him just perfectly. It had been hand-stitched by Parisian artisans, the merchant had said.

Tonight was the night that would determine his future, and it was only right that he wore his best attire.

Dignitaries from Italy who owned large businesses would be in attendance. Even though Edwin had done everything he could to make their acquaintance so they would give their business to him—and he knew that the masquerade ball was simply a social event—he was aware that they would take note of his demeanor and actions throughout the ball.

And, of course, he was determined to impress them. After all, the wool and cotton industry in Italy was large, and England was only slowly beginning to realize it. He knew that he must gain exclusive rights to import the materials so that every merchant in England would have no choice but to buy from him.

He smoothed a hand over his hair and donned his hat before stepping out of his chambers and heading downstairs. He was just beginning to tap his staff impatiently on the floor when his wife appeared at the top of the stairs.

Edwin stared, speechless for a moment.