Page 14

CHAPTER 14

“ W e should return to the ball,” Edwin said as he held out his hand to her.

Ava took his hand, and he pulled her up. Her face was flushed, and she looked even more radiant. He pulled her closer to him and took her lips in a languorous kiss.

He could never have enough of her. She intoxicated him in the best way possible.

And now, as her lips parted to let his tongue inside, he had half a mind to take her right there and then. To show her even more pleasure until she begged him for more.

Instead, he released her.

“That was simply…” she trailed off, her eyes filled with longing.

“Simply what?” he prompted. “You must tell me how it felt.”

“Like my entire body was on fire,” she whispered. “And yet I did not want it to end. I wanted more of it.”

He knew she was not quite sated. She wanted more.

Maybe another time.

He helped her fix her dress so that she looked prim and proper like she had when they slipped out of the ballroom. After all, he would not want people to speculate about what they had done.

“Let us see the ball to its end, then perhaps we may pick up where we left off.” He took her hand and led her out of the room.

Ava’s face lit up. “We will continue at home?” she asked.

Edwin tapped a finger on his jaw as though deep in thought. “Hmm, I guess we shall see.”

“Just tell me!” she pleaded.

“Then how would I be able to tease you?” he quipped.

Ava groaned in frustration but said nothing.

They had just rounded a corner when Edwin heard a rustling sound behind them. He stopped, and his body went stiff.

“Did you hear that rustling sound?” he asked.

Ava shook her head and pointed to the hallway on the ground floor. “I can see some people in the distance. Perhaps they?—”

Without warning, a figure stepped out of the shadows, making her clam up.

Even though Edwin could not quite see his face due to the darkness, he knew enough to know that a strange man stepping out of the shadows was not good news.

Instinctively, he pushed Ava behind him. “Wh?—”

Before the words could leave his lips, the figure charged at him. Edwin caught a glimpse of the weapon in the man’s hand. It glimmered.

A knife?

Edwin tackled him, careful to avoid the knife in his left hand. With his full weight, he pushed the man away from Ava to a wall at the other end of the hallway.

The man struggled against him. He suddenly feigned to the left, and in a flash, Edwin felt a sharp burn before he saw the knife buried deep in his hand. It was yanked back before he could even say a word.

He staggered backward and gritted his teeth as the pain hit him fully. His attacker took the opportunity to flee, and he could only watch as the man disappeared back into the shadows.

“Edwin! Are you all right?” Ava cried, rushing towards him.

Edwin nodded, not quite looking at her. He continued to stare in the direction the man had escaped. He knew that following an armed man in the dark was a foolhardy mission.

“Let me see,” Ava said.

She peered closely at him, inspecting him for injuries.

“I am fine,” he muttered, pushing her away gently.

Her eyes widened when they landed on his hand.

“Your hand,” she gasped.

Hot red blood was dripping from his hand to the floor beside him, making a small puddle.

“It is not quite as bad as it looks,” he assured her.

He had survived worse in the army.

“Come, you must see the physician at once,” she urged.

She looped her arm through his and led him down to the ground floor.

“I am not certain the physician works at this hour,” Edwin drawled.

Some ladies and gentlemen loitering in the hallway by the entrance of the ballroom looked at them curiously.

Edwin knew they must have made a strange sight—a man holding out a bloody hand and his wife helping him out.

“The physician’s office,” Ava instructed the carriage driver.

“No,” Edwin said, “take us home.”

“But—” Ava protested.

“The physician may have retired for the night. We can summon him in the morning.”

“But your hand…”

“I am certain I can survive before he arrives in the morning,” Edwin insisted.

“Fine!” Ava huffed.

She kept peering at him on the ride home, her brow furrowed with worry.

Edwin was amused. “Are you afraid I will suddenly drop dead?” he asked.

“You should not joke about something so serious,” she admonished.

“Lighten up, Ava,” he told her. “If I can survive the army, then I am certain a knife-wielding man will not kill me.”

It was when the words left his mouth that Edwin fully began to realize the gravity of what had just happened. He had been too shocked to see it properly before.

I have just been stabbed in the hand by a strange man.

“The man who attacked you, do you know him?” Ava asked.

Edwin shook his head. “I did not quite see his face, but I am certain I would recognize him if I knew him.”

A brief silence fell between them, the question hanging in the air.

Who attacked me?

“I did not quite get a good look at him,” Ava said. “However, I noticed that his clothes were filthy. He looked like one of those scoundrels one would see out on the streets.”

“Is that so?” Edwin asked, his brow furrowed. “Perhaps he is a thief.”

Ava shook her head. “A thief would not sneak into Wellington’s estate when a ball is in full swing. Thiefs would simply lurk by the driveway and rob anyone unlucky enough to fall into their trap. They would never risk being caught by coming to what is perhaps the biggest ball of the Season. There is a reason he came, and I can only assume that it was to hurt you.”

“Are you saying he came to the estate specifically because of me?” Edwin asked.

“I know it is quite unlikely, but I must ask, do you perhaps have any business with dangerous people?” Ava asked.

Edwin shook his head fervently. “Never. I only do business with respectable noblemen and merchants. If any o…” he trailed off as he suddenly came to a realization. “What if the man did not attack me because he holds a grudge against me?”

Ava’s brow creased in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“What if he was paid by someone who feels insulted by me?” Edwin asked.

Ava nodded after a pause. “That seems quite plausible. And the man who paid him must have had him stake out the estate, since he knew you would attend the ball.”

Edwin’s earlier confusion morphed into anger.

Who could have paid to have me attacked? And in the presence of my wife, no less.

He could not even bear to think of what might have happened if he had not pushed Ava behind him. His blood boiled as the danger his wife had been in fully sank in. What if it was Ava who was stabbed in the hand? Worse, what if the man had stabbed her fatally?

Edwin was incensed. He winced when he raised his injured hand to rake it through his hair.

“Just stay still,” Ava urged, taking his hand and cradling it in hers.

“Whoever it was, he must pay,” Edwin bit out.

“Do you have an idea who might despise you enough to pay to have you killed?” Ava asked.

“If we are talking about people who despise me, then that might as well be half of the ton,” Edwin scoffed.

The ton had never hidden their dislike of him. It was in the whispers that followed him, in the way they called him a beast when they thought he could not hear, and in the salacious rumors they spread about him.

“No.” Ava shook her head. “No one would pay to have another man killed simply out of hatred. It must be someone who despises you for a graver reason. That is the only reason anyone would do such a thing.”

“I have been a fair businessman. I do not suppose anyone would have a score to settle with me.”

The carriage lurched to a stop.

“Finally! We are home,” Ava sighed.

Edwin got out of the carriage, but not without some difficulty. He had scarcely entered his chamber when his wife followed, a bag in her hand.

She then began to fuss over him.

“Give me your hand,” she instructed.

Edwin pulled his hand behind his back. “It is only a small wound. I am certain it will heal all by itself.”

“Edwin!” Ava hissed.

The severe look on her face told him she would brook no argument, so he obliged.

She pressed a clean cloth against his hand, and he winced.

“We need to stop the bleeding,” she explained.

Soon after, she retrieved more items from the bag and began to clean his wounds.

“I always knew these would come in handy one day,” she muttered to herself.

“How did you learn to do this?” Edwin asked.

Ava looked up at him and shrugged. “When you have to raise two younger sisters all by yourself, you soon learn that they would simply harm themselves if you leave them alone long enough.”

She began to wrap a bandage around his hand.

“When Eveline and Stella would get hurt, I had to take care of them myself because Papa…”

“Was never home?” Edwin finished.

She gave him a rueful smile. “You are right. Moreover, the few times I called the physician, Papa would simply be annoyed that I wasted his morning when the girls had only sustained scratches. So I had no choice but to attend to them myself.”

Edwin’s heart went out to his wife. He could not imagine her, only a girl herself, having to take care of her sisters because their father simply did not bother.

“How old were you when you had to do this?” he asked.

“I was only twelve when Mama died,” she replied as she tied the bandage.

“Twelve?” Edwin echoed in disbelief.

“I know what you must think,” she said, chuckling. “ Twelve? That is far too young .”

“Indeed, it is,” he agreed.

Ava simply shrugged as she patted his bandaged hand. “Good as new. You must keep the wound dry at all times,” she advised.

“Thank you, Ava. Truly,” Edwin said earnestly as he took her hand in his.

“You have nothing to thank me for.” Ava cracked a smile. “I am your wife, after all. It is my duty.”

Edwin shook his head. “No, it is not your duty to dress my wound. You did it only because you care.”

Her eyes softened. “I do care for you.”

“It is for the same reason that you cared for your sisters,” he continued. “It was never your duty.”

“It does not matter,” Ava said. “I could not possibly watch them suffer. And if it meant that I had to care for them every second of the day, then so be it.”

“Your sisters are lucky to have someone like you,” Edwin murmured.

This coaxed a smile from her. “That is quite kind of you, husband.”

“Truly.”

“I still worry about them, you know?” Ava admitted, her voice quivering a bit.

“You do?”

“Even though they are adults now and I am not way older than them, I still cannot help but feel that it is my duty to ensure their safety. They are my babies, after all.”

Edwin could see tears brimming in her eyes as she wiped her face.

“How foolish of me,” she muttered. “Crying for no reason.”

“No,” Edwin whispered, scooting closer to her on the bed. He held her hand and wiped her face with his other hand. “You are not foolish for crying. If anything, you are the bravest, kindest person I know.”

Ava chuckled. “Sometimes, I wonder if I truly did my best for my sisters. You know, what if I did not raise them the right way because I did not quite know what to do?”

Edwin shook his head. “I know your sisters. My friend is even married to one of them. I assure you, you did a great job raising them. Besides, it was never your duty. Your father was simply using you so that he did not have to play his part as a parent.”

“It does not matter,” Ava sighed.

“Your father?—”

“I know,” Ava said. “I assure you. I know he simply used me.”

“You are not angry at him for robbing you of your childhood?” Edwin asked, awed at how calm she was.

“I could never be angry. I love my sisters, and I would do anything for them.”

Edwin felt a pang in his chest. It was quite moving, the way she spoke about her sisters. He had never felt this strongly about someone, and he was certain that even his parents did not feel so passionate about caring for him. And yet this fiery woman sitting in front of him was moved to tears at the mere thought of her sisters.

He stroked his fingers across her cheeks, and her lips quirked up. At that moment, he realized how much she had come to mean to him. If he could have feelings for someone, it would be for her.

And yet, as he caressed her face, fear suddenly began to creep into his heart. Fear of his past.

He caught himself and quickly withdrew his hand. The moment was gone, and she looked rather disappointed.

Edwin cleared his throat. “I was… uh… wiping the dust from your face,” he stammered.

“I should leave,” Ava said, smiling as she rose from the bed.

Edwin wanted to tell her to stay, to spend the night by his side so he would not be alone. But when he opened his mouth, the words refused to come out.

“I shall see you in the morning,” he said instead.

The moment she walked out the door, he regretted not asking her to stay.