Page 13

CHAPTER 13

A va was grateful when she was finally able to escape the clutches of the older women. They had been so enthralled by her that they had taken her with them as they toured the ballroom. She had only been able to escape when they stopped at the refreshments table for drinks.

She certainly enjoyed their presence. However, she needed to find her sisters and friend.

She had not quite realized just how hard it would be to find her sisters until she stood in the middle of the ballroom, staring at a sea of masked figures.

How am I to find them in this crowd?

She started when suddenly, someone bumped into her. She turned to see two ladies walking away as they whispered under their breath.

However, she caught a few words.

“… married the beast… how…”

“… cannot believe it…”

There was no doubt they were talking about her.

Ava suddenly felt small and alone. Did the ton despise her now for marrying Edwin?

She heard more whispers and turned around only to see a group of four ladies pointing at her. She felt a pang in her chest.

I must leave this ball.

“Her dress is dazzling,” she heard one of the ladies say.

Ava felt a rush of relief. They did not despise her, after all. They simply loved her dress.

“I imagine it is expensive,” another one remarked.

I suppose the modiste was not wrong, after all. I am certainly the cynosure of all eyes.

“It certainly is,” another lady agreed. “It is made of Dhaka muslin, after all.”

Ava allowed herself to soak in the compliment before leaving in search of her sisters.

“Do not be so impressed by mere display of wealth,” a more mature feminine voice said.

Ava frowned.

This lady certainly sounds jealous.

“You do not know how she has come to afford such frivolity,” the older woman continued.

Ava shook her head in disbelief.

“She is the new Duchess of Gillingham. I saw her arrive with him. Her husband is quite wealthy.”

“Isn’t he the same one who sold his soul to the devil?” the older lady countered.

Ava gasped.

How rude!

It took everything in her not to walk up to the woman and defend her husband.

“His wife is only able to spend so much on clothing because he has partnered with the devil. Do you not see his eyes? How cold and unfeeling they are?” the older woman continued.

Ava could feel the anger bubble up inside her. She could not take it anymore. She stomped towards the group, determined to put the older woman in her place.

She had scarcely taken two steps when she felt a familiar hand on her shoulder.

“Let them be,” Eveline murmured.

It was then that Ava came back to her senses. Walking over to the group and condemning their words might not reflect well on her and her husband.

“They are simply jealous of your fortune,” Eveline added.

Ava could not see her sister, but she felt a rush of gratitude for her at that moment.

It was true. Her husband was lucky in business, and many in the ton despised him for it.

“I have been searching for you and Stella,” she said to her sister. “I did not quite realize how difficult it would be to search for people when everyone has their masks on,” she complained.

“Isn’t that the appeal of masquerade balls? That you can do whatever you please without anyone being able to put a name to your face,” Eveline pointed out.

“I suppose this is why those ladies felt bold enough to say what they wished about my husband,” Ava huffed.

“Don’t pay them any mind. Now, hurry, we must speak to Papa about Stella and her beloved,” Eveline said. “Papa has only just arrived with Stella. We must speak to him before he disappears into the crowd.”

With that, Ava followed her sister closely as they navigated the crowd, until Eveline stopped by a pillar where their father was standing, with Stella several feet away from him.

It was not so surprising that he looked so unhappy at having to chaperone his own daughter. After all, he was used to having Ava perform that duty for him.

“Now, what is the matter that is so important that you must speak with me here?” he asked, disgruntled.

“It is lovely to see you too, Father,” Ava drawled.

“Your husband is not here?” the Viscount asked, peering behind her as though a man as huge as her husband would somehow be hiding behind her.

“He is speaking with some of his business partners,” Ava said.

“Ah!” The Viscount nodded in satisfaction as he turned to face Stella. “This is what you must do. Find a man with a pedigree and you shall have a beautiful life. Do you not want to be as happy as your sisters?”

“Father, you must let Stella marry the man she loves,” Ava insisted.

The Viscount scoffed. “If she marries a titled man, then she will grow to love him. Just as you and Eveline have grown to love your husbands.”

“But Papa, I only married William because I wanted to. He would never have married me if I did not want to,” Eveline argued. “Stella and the young Baron are truly in love.”

“I only want what is best for her,” their father uttered firmly.

Ava almost rolled her eyes. The Viscount had never done anything simply out of the goodness of his heart.

“If you want what is best for me, then you will let me marry Thomas,” Stella pressed, growing frantic.

“Finally, I found you,” Ava heard before she felt her husband’s shoulder brush hers.

“Ah, Your Grace,” the Viscount greeted, bowing his head. “It is a pleasure to finally have you with us.”

Ava rolled her eyes. Her father had not even greeted her, and yet there he was, excited to see her husband.

“Is anything the matter?” Edwin asked. “You all seem rather solemn.”

“Father does not want me to marry Thomas because he is a baron!” Stella blurted.

“Is that so, Notley?” Edwin turned to his father-in-law.

“The girl does not know what is good for her.” The Viscount waved a dismissive hand. “A baron could not possibly make a good husband.”

“I say you let the girl marry who she truly wants,” Edwin said. “I know many dukes who have wasted their families’ fortunes, and I know barons who have built beautiful lives for their families. Your title does not matter. It is what is in the heart of a man that matters the most.”

“Fine!” The Viscount threw his hands up in the air. “Tell the boy to pay me another visit, Stella. You can marry the Baron, but it is only because of what the Duke said.”

Stella’s whole face lit up, and she squealed. “I will, Father. Thank you! Thank you!”

Ava threw her arms around her husband in excitement. She caught herself a moment later, and she quickly released him from her embrace.

“Now, if you will excuse me, Your Grace,” the Viscount said, before walking away.

“Thank you so much, Your Grace,” Stella said, hopping up and down with excitement. “Now, I must look for Thomas and deliver this good news to him.”

With that, she left.

“Isn’t that Lily?” Eveline asked, pointing somewhere in the crowd before leaving in search of their friend.

Ava was finally left alone with her husband for the first time since their arrival at the ball.

“How was your discussion with the Italians?” she asked.

Edwin regarded her for a moment. “If you could see my face now, you would see me grinning happily.”

“I am glad it went well.”

“And it is all thanks to you,” he said. “Any reservations they had were forgotten the moment their wives took to you. We have struck a deal. Business will commence soon.”

“You do not have to thank me. It is why you married me, after all,” Ava reminded him, before turning on her heel and walking away.

She had barely taken a step when he grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

“What is the matter?” she gasped, startled.

“You have been acting quite strange all evening,” he remarked.

“Is that so?” Ava feigned ignorance.

Of course, she was cold when they were alone, and she did not have to help him impress his business partners. She did not have to pretend that they held any affection for one another.

“Ava, do not play coy with me,” he said in a dangerously low voice. “You know you have been acting strange.”

Ava sighed. “I suppose I have been acting strange. But isn’t this what you would prefer?” Her heart ached.

“What do you mean, Ava? How could I possibly want you to be cold towards me?”

“I am simply following your lead.” Now, she was trying to keep her voice level.

“I have never treated you cruelly,” he insisted. “I have been kind to you.”

“I suppose I must thank you for treating me like a human,” Ava shot back.

She watched him pace around in what was undoubtedly frustration.

“You know I did not mean it like that,” he said.

“It does not matter. I cannot possibly ask for more.” She felt tears well up in her eyes, and she turned away. “Ours is only a marriage of convenience, after all.”

She felt his hands on her shoulders, and he turned her around moments later.

“Our marriage may have started as one of convenience, but you know you mean more to me now,” he murmured.

Ava itched to remove the mask from his face, to see his emotions, raw as they were, to know if she could indeed trust him.

“I thought the same, but how wrong I was.” Her shoulders slumped.

“You are most certainly not wrong,” he maintained. “How could you ever think so?”

“The day we took a walk through the grounds, the moment we shared… I thought it meant something more.” She was frustrated by the sheer weight of the emotions coursing through her.

How could he not see?

“It is, in fact, one of my fondest memories of you,” he admitted in a soft voice.

“Then why did you tell me we had to pretend to be in love in front of the Italian dignitaries?”

“That was not quite what I?—”

“And yet that was what you said. Truly, you only care about me as long as I make you look good. I have made my peace with that. But you must not pretend otherwise. You must not pretend that you hold any affection for me.”

She tried and failed to blink back the tears that now brimmed in her eyes.

“But I care for you!” Edwin shouted.

Several eyes swiveled towards them. It was then that Ava realized they had been arguing so loudly in public, where hundreds of people could see them.

“People can hear us,” she hissed.

“I do not care!” he declared. “I will shout from the rooftop how much I care for you.”

Ava could not help but smile. She got an idea then. “You do not have to shout it from the rooftop.”

With that, she took his hand and led him out of one of the side doors of the ballroom. She heaved a sigh of relief as they stepped into the quiet corridor.

“What are you doing?” Edwin asked.

“Looking for somewhere private for us to discuss.”

“I could have simply asked Wellington for the key to a room,” he complained.

“Then where is the fun if we do not sneak around?” Ava teased.

Her husband glanced at her, and even though she could not completely see his face, she knew he was amused.

Soon enough, they came upon a chamber. Ava tried the door and found it was not locked.

“Seems this is our lucky day,” she quipped as she slipped into the room, with her husband in tow.

Once they were safely inside, she took off her mask. Edwin, who had his back turned to her, also seemed to have done the same. Ava was excited to finally be able to see his face, only for her to see his half mask firmly in place when he turned around to face her.

“Oh!”

She was taken aback by the look on his face. His eyes were clouded by desire that stirred something within her.

“We are alone,” he whispered, walking slowly towards her.

Ava’s body came alive. The hairs on her arms stood on end as she watched him approach her, his eyes hungry.

He closed the distance between them in no time, and as he stood in front of her and reached his hand out to caress her face, she suddenly felt bold.

She was not quite certain if it was the fact that they were in an empty room, in another man’s home, or the fact that he had just shouted to the whole ton how much he cared for her. She just felt daring.

He tilted her face up to his, and the strain in his features was evident.

“Ava, you matter to me. And not only because your presence helps my business.”

Ava felt something unfurl in her chest.

“I want you for you . Not for how you impress my business partners. But I must say that is an advantage.”

Ava chuckled. It was a marvel how he was able to make her laugh despite the circumstances.

“I truly, deeply care for you, Ava. And knowing that I have made you feel otherwise breaks my heart.”

Ava’s heart soared. Nothing else mattered at that moment, except for them.

She stood on her tiptoes and pulled his face down.

Edwin hesitated for a moment. “Are you certain about this, Ava?” he breathed, his voice strained.

“Yes, I do.”

The words barely left her mouth before he captured her lips with his.

Ava gasped.

He hungrily kissed her. She responded slowly at first, but soon enough, she was kissing him back with equal fervor.

The world around them had melted away. Only this moment mattered—her in his arms, their kiss deepening.

His hand rose to cradle her head, his fingers slipping in her hair. He groaned against her mouth, and she sighed.

It was thrilling, knowing that it was his desire for her that made him groan.

He broke the kiss suddenly, and she was rudely jolted back to the present, disappointed but wanting more.

His eyes searched hers, curious. She nodded, knowing that he only wanted confirmation that she needed him just as much as he needed her.

He backed her up against the wall, slowly so that she did not feel the impact.

She unconsciously bit her lower lip, and her body grew warm as her eyes drifted to his lips, tracing the seam. How they curved just at the right place, and how they were presently leaning towards her.

She closed her eyes and kissed him more passionately this time.

“I want you, Ava,” Edwin groaned.

His hands roamed over her body as his lips moved from her mouth to her jaw and then her neck. He pressed a featherlight kiss to the side of her neck, making her back arch, then a wet kiss that made her entire body shiver.

“Edwin!” she moaned.

Her body tingled, racked with sensations she had never experienced before. His lips moved from her neck to her collarbone, trailing kisses across it.

Ava shivered. She pressed herself against him. She needed to be closer to him.

She raised her leg and wrapped it around his hip, pulling him closer.

As though he had been expecting this, Edwin placed his hand on her bared thigh, caressing it as he trailed kisses from her collarbone to her shoulder.

Her thighs were aflame as he traced his fingers lazily across them and made his way up.

When his fingers finally found her folds, she gasped.

Her sex pulsed in anticipation. She could no longer take it; her senses were heightened. She wanted him to touch her there.

Ava bucked her hips, thrusting them towards his hand.

“Hush,” he murmured. “Don’t be so eager.”

“Edwin, please,” she cried.

“Since you ask so nicely, I may grant your wish,” he said, chuckling.

She could tell that he was enjoying this—enjoying making her beg.

He suddenly got down on his knees and pushed her skirts up to her hips. “Beautiful,” he breathed.

Then, he planted a light kiss on her thigh, making her squirm.

He kissed upward ever so slowly until he stopped at her mound. It was torture. Ava wanted him to bring her relief, and yet he seemed to relish bringing her so close to the edge.

She cried with relief when his mouth finally closed around her bud.

He licked and sucked on her with such enthusiasm that her body pulsed with need. He was slow at first, and it felt rather good. Soon enough, however, he picked up pace, and her pleasure heightened.

Ava arched her back and groaned.

The pleasure was becoming far too much, far too intense. She squirmed away, trying to escape, but he pinned her hips in place.

She had never known pleasure like this. It built up inside her ever so slowly until it reached a precipice, then it crashed over her in waves.

“Edwin,” she moaned as she bucked her hips one last time.

Her body trembled, before Edwin finally released her. Her legs could not quite hold her up, and she slid down the wall. She breathed heavily, her chest rising and falling as she tried to compose herself.

Edwin planted kisses on her forehead, and when she finally looked up at him, he had a proud smile on his face.

It was strange. She had seen him laugh quite many times, but this time his smile reached his eyes. It seemed genuine.

For the first time, she did not see the cold, unfeeling monster. Rather, she saw Edwin, her husband, beaming at her, pride evident in his eyes.