Page 16

CHAPTER 16

A va headed for her husband’s chambers as soon as she woke up. She had slept in because she could not quite drift off until the early hours of the morning. She had been tossing and turning in bed as the events of the previous night played in her mind for what might as well be the umpteenth time.

Aside from the attack on her husband—which had disturbed her greatly—she also could not quite take her mind off the moment they had shared in that room at Wellington’s mansion.

Flashes of the previous night had kept her awake. How amazing it had felt when she finally kissed him. How she had melted into him. And how much pleasure she had experienced when he had finally dropped to his knees. It had simply been explosive.

She pulled the door to his chamber open, prepared to greet him with a smile, only to be met with an empty bed. She felt a pang of disappointment.

Shouldn’t he still be in bed?

She had been hoping they might continue where they had left off at the masquerade ball—while keeping his injured hand out of the way, of course.

His injured hand was far from healed. Why, then, was he up so early?

Or perhaps I am the one who had woken up so late.

She was on her way to the breakfast room when she heard loud laughter.

Edwin must have guests.

Ava could already guess who they were. Her husband only had three close friends, and the loud laughter told her that they must be in his study.

Therefore, she made a detour to the study. By then, she could already hear their loud voices.

“Gentlemen!” she boomed as she entered.

They scrambled to their feet to greet her.

Magnus was the first to approach her. “It is lovely to meet you again, Duchess,” he said, before planting a chaste kiss on her hand.

Ava was familiar with her husband’s friends. After all, William was married to her sister, and they had attended several gatherings together.

“It is lovely to meet you, too, Duke,” she returned.

“Duchess!” Theo greeted as he rushed forward. “I must say, I am rather cross that you and your husband did not invite me to your wedding. I understand why you would not want to invite Blackmore. He is no fun and a spoilsport, after all. But me? Everybody knows I am a jolly fellow. You can ask the Duchess of Mayfield.”

Ava chuckled. “I apologize. The wedding had happened rather fast; we simply did not have time to send out proper invitations.”

“Oh, leave poor Ava be,” William chided as he gently shouldered Theo out of the way.

“Duke.” Ava smiled at her brother-in-law. “I suppose Eveline and Henry are well.”

William nodded effusively. “And the little man says hello to his favorite aunt.”

Ava laughed. “Eveline must bring him around soon. I have missed seeing his angelic face.”

“I still cannot believe Gillingham is married,” Magnus blurted, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Why?” Theo asked. “I reckon you will be the next to marry, what with your obsession with propriety.”

William cleared his throat as though warning the two men to behave.

“Do you know what would be lovely?” he interjected. “If you both had a son. Then, he and Henry shall grow up together and be like brothers.”

“And you can name him Harry,” Theo chipped in. “Henry and Harry. They would be just like twins.”

Ava felt rather uncomfortable as they continued prattling on about her having a child. However, she managed a grin.

“Harry is far too common a name for an heir,” Magnus remarked, shaking his head. “Besides, do you not think that Edwin and his Duchess are the best people to choose the name of their child?”

William nodded. “Thank you, Magnus.”

“Do you truly have no sense of humor?” Theo scoffed rather dramatically.

“When it is a matter as serious as having an heir, I do not. Moreover, what we should do is encourage Edwin and the Duchess to produce an heir as soon as possible.”

Ava’s heart rate quickened as she glanced briefly at her husband. He gave her a reassuring nod, but she was still quite unsettled.

She had never fully realized how unusual her decision not to have a child was. However, now that the Dukes were discussing children, she knew that it was only a matter of time before the ton began to gossip about her failure to produce an heir.

“I must tell you, then.” Edwin smiled at her as he spoke. “Ava and I are not having children.”

Theo gasped. Magnus looked like he had eaten something sour. While William simply smiled, shaking his head.

Ava’s heart beat even faster. Would Edwin change his mind, seeing how scandalized his friends were?

“I see that Theo’s jesting has begun to rub off on you, Edwin,” William said drily.

Magnus had now turned fully towards Ava. “Is this true?”

She nodded.

“You must direct all your questions to me,” Edwin warned. “As to your question, it is true.”

Ava felt the tension ease. She had been unaware of how overwhelmed she had been until he spoke up. She felt a rush of gratitude for her husband for protecting her from his friends’ inquisitions.

“Edwin, you must tell us if you have a problem in, uh…” Magnus cleared his throat. “A problem in the bedroom. A physician may help.”

Ava watched, amused, as her husband’s mouth dropped open at his friend’s question.

“Whatever happens in our bedroom is none of your business, Magnus.”

“But I am afraid it is if you cannot produce an heir,” Magnus insisted. “Would you rather a distant cousin—who knows nothing of all the efforts you have put into increasing your wealth and expanding your estate—inherit your title?”

Edwin nodded. “Indeed, yes. I would prefer that.”

“I worry for you, Gillingham,” William said gravely.

“I assure you, I am quite fine and well,” Edwin responded.

“It seems you are set on your decision,” William noted.

“Indeed, I am.” Edwin nodded once.

“Then you must know that people in the ton will talk. And it will not be kind. In fact, they may accuse you of sacrificing your offspring to the devil,” William cautioned.

Ava’s heart clenched at that. She had not quite imagined what this would mean for her husband. People have already spread ridiculous rumors about him for his business prowess and wealth. However, now that they would not have children, people would grow even more cruel.

“You must be ready for the consequences,” William continued.

Edwin nodded rather too enthusiastically, considering the topic. “Indeed, I have already anticipated the consequences, and I am ready to deal with them.”

“I know how much ladies dream of having children,” Magnus said. “Do you think it is fair to subject your wife to such a decision?”

Ava knew she could no longer keep quiet while her husband fielded questions from his friends.

“You must know, I am?—”

“My wife is quite happy about my decision,” Edwin cut in.

Ava realized what he was doing then. He was protecting her so his friends would not blame her for not producing heirs, when, in fact, it was her decision.

“Now, speaking of heirs, Emerton, are you quite certain you have not produced ten heirs by mistake?” Edwin drawled.

Magnus and William sputtered and burst into laughter.

Ava was relieved that her husband had expertly changed the subject.

Theo, on the other hand, shook his head incredulously. “Now, why would you say such a thing, Gillingham? Do you want your Duchess to assume the worst of me?”

“Assume the worst of you?” Magnus looked amused. “She can only do such a thing if she thought the best of you. Everybody in the ton knows you are an unrepentant rake.”

“Oh, I am certain the sweet Duchess knows that could not be further from the truth.” Theo turned to Ava and raised a questioning eyebrow.

She chuckled as she considered his statement.

Indeed, everyone in the ton knew that he was a rake. In fact, she had once or twice heard that he was having affairs with many ladies at the same time. But, of course, they were only rumors.

“I suppose they are only rumors,” she reassured him.

He sighed in relief. “I am pleased to know that you are not prejudiced against me. After all, I may require your help when I decide to take a wife.”

“My help?” Ava was confused.

“Ladies are known to speak amongst themselves and ask questions about men who court them,” Theo explained. “I would want you to give only good reports if anyone were to ask about me.”

Ava smiled. “You do not have to worry. I shall be sure to speak only the truth.”

“The truth? No!” Theo exclaimed. “The truth may not be so flattering.”

“Are you asking the Duchess to lie on your behalf?” Magnus tutted.

Theo shrugged. “What is so scandalous about my simple request? We are friends, after all.”

“If you must lie to secure a wife, then I would argue that you do not deserve a wife at all,” Magnus said.

“Now that I think about it, you and Theo are the only ones yet to be married,” William noted.

“Indeed,” Edwin chimed in, “you two must consider getting married now.”

“I cannot help but think that this is aimed at Blackmore,” Theo snorted. “After all, he is the Duke of Propriety . How are you so proper yet still unmarried at this age?”

“I may be unmarried, but I assure you, my reputation is far more pristine than yours could ever be,” Magnus shot back, a little too fervently.

As the atmosphere grew tense, Ava could not help but wonder if it was all jokes and banter. The Dukes seemed to have a rather peculiar sense of humor.

“Now, I must check your hand to see whether it’s healing properly,” she said to her husband as she finally stepped up to him.

“Do you truly need to do that?” Edwin complained. “The dressing should hold up for a day or two, don’t you think?”

Ava shook her head. “I must check the dressing. You do not want the wound to get infected now, do you?”

“Your wife is quite nurturing, Gillingham,” Magnus called. “You are lucky, indeed.”

Edwin laughed. “You may also have a wife who would care for you like this, but you have chosen to remain unmarried instead.”

“I would not get my hopes up if I were you,” Theo said drily. “Even if you and Mayfield were able to get married despite your lack of charm, grace, and amiability, Blackmore simply cannot pull off such magic.”

Ava was confused, unsure whether she should laugh or feel offended on her husband’s behalf.

“I consider my husband quite charming and graceful,” she said quietly. “If he were not, I would not have married him.”

The room fell quiet, and the Dukes exchanged quick glances as though terrified.

Ava was beginning to feel uncomfortable when her husband let out a laugh.

“What more could a man want when he has a wife who would defend him in the presence of his friends?” Edwin flashed her a beaming smile.

“She certainly sees something in you,” Magnus quipped, “while the rest of us don’t.”

The room erupted in laughter.

Ava could not quite understand why they were laughing. They seemed to find joy and humor in poking fun at each other and saying unkind things.

“It is no wonder they say that love is blind,” Theo snorted.

Ava pressed her lips into a tight line. She could not help but feel insulted by his words.

“What do you mean, love is blind?” she asked.

He shrugged. “It is only a jest. I am simply saying that Gillingham does not deserve you due to his lack of charm and grace, and you are only with him because you truly love him.”

“I suppose we have different ideas of what jesting means,” Ava muttered, furrowing her brow. Then, she turned to her husband. “I suppose I will come back when your guests have left, so I can dress your wound.”

William quickly stood up. “Duchess, I hope you are not offended by Blackmore and Emerton’s words.”

Ava gave a polite smile. “It truly is all right. I have duties to attend to anyway.”

With that, she left the study.