Page 75

“I assure you, your face is not terrifying,” she insisted.

“You say this now because you know me. Anyone from the ton who already thinks me a monster would be terrified if they saw me without my mask on.”

“And yet they are terrified of you even with the mask on.”

“I must confess something to you, though,” he whispered. Ava noticed that his face had softened. “I prefer it when people are terrified of me.”

Ava chuckled. “Why? You enjoy the terror on their faces?”

Edwin shook his head as a smile spread across his face. “Not quite. However, if people think me a monster, they would not bother accosting me with ridiculous chatter and gossip. They would simply let me be.”

Ava studied him. “So you prefer being feared?”

“Hmm…” Edwin considered for a moment. “I would not say that I prefer being feared,” he began. “However, I have found that it can be rather advantageous if everyone deemed me unapproachable.”

“Then I suppose I am grateful I ran into the unapproachable Duke in that dark passageway.”

“Why?” He looked genuinely confused.

“If I did not run into you, I would not be here right now, sitting naked on your lap, in your study. And as unlikely as it may seem, I prefer this to being back in my father’s home, wearing myself out without receiving an ounce of gratitude.”

Edwin smiled brightly. “You know I am grateful to you. How you care for me and my home. And this…” He made a show of raking his eyes over her naked body. “This is my way of showing my gratitude.”

Ava laughed. “Then I must work even harder and not be tardy so I can earn more of your gratitude,” she quipped, winking at him.

Edwin laughed even louder.

Ava’s heart swelled as she watched him. He was a far cry from the cold, emotionless man she had first met. As she watched him laugh at her words, his eyes closed and his head thrown back, she felt such intense affection for him.

CHAPTER 19

Edwin was enveloped by chaos as soon as he pushed open the door with his right hand and stepped into the gambling hell.

Contrary to the bright afternoon he had just stepped out of, the gambling hell was dimly lit, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust and see clearly what was happening around him.

It did not matter the number of times he had spent in the establishment; he could never quite get used to it. This was rather ironic, since he was, in fact, a major investor.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted gentlemen huddled together in corners as they played cards and other games. The tables were littered with beers and whisky, and they indulged as they played.

He carefully made his way through the throngs of men.

It was truly a marvel how the gambling hell never ceased to attract customers. Even though it was early afternoon, it was already packed with patrons.

He had only just gotten to the end of the hall when he heard a loud, gruff voice protest, “Let me be!”

Edwin did not need to see the man’s face to know that he was drunk.

“Do you know who I am?” the man slurred.

When Edwin heard scuffling, he finally gave in to his curiosity and looked at the man.

His fine clothing showed that he was a noble, and yet, in his drunken state, he was no better than any scoundrel on the streets of London.

This was one of the reasons why Edwin made sure to never drink too much outside his home. He would never be able to forgive himself if he ever woke up and found out that he had made a fool of himself because he had gotten drunk on some cheap whisky.

“I am a marquess!”

A burly man he recognized as one of Magnus’s guards pulled the drunkard out of his chair. “You must leave, Sir.”