Page 23

CHAPTER 23

A va was still dazed when she entered the drawing room and sat down on one of the sofas. She ran her hand over the soft cushion beneath her and managed a smile.

It was one of the sofas she had imported from France, and even now, despite her dejection, it still brought her some comfort. It was far softer than the ones she had removed.

She looked around the drawing room and nodded. She could not help but be proud of the effort she had put into making the house more homely one room at a time. And yet, despite being surrounded by such beauty, she was still disturbed.

Any woman would be if her husband walked out on her right when they were about to make love.

Instinctively, Ava wrapped her arms around herself. If there was a sign that she had been abandoned by her husband, it was the fact that she was all alone in his rather huge house, safe for the servants.

The previous day had passed in a daze. One moment her husband had been all too eager to make love to her, and the next he had all but run out of the room just because she reached for his mask.

She hated to admit it, but she felt rather lonely.

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away.

Ava rose to her feet and looked around, hoping to find something she could busy herself with.

For a moment, she wished she were back in Notley Manor, unpleasant as her father was. If she were back in her childhood home, she would at least have novels to while away the time.

However, here, all she could do was manage the household and take walks through the grounds. And now that her husband had all but disappeared, the estate seemed rather dull, as much as she hated to admit it.

She was stepping out of the drawing room to inspect the garden when she heard a carriage roll up the drive. Her heart leaped with joy.

Without giving it a second thought, she ran to the front door. She was eager to see if it was her husband. She had not even gotten to the foyer when he strode in.

Edwin looked rather disheveled. The dark circles under his eyes told her that he had not had much sleep. His hair was mussed, and she could not help but notice that he had missed a button on his shirt.

Her heart went out to him.

“Welcome,” Ava greeted as she approached him.

His eyes widened when he saw her, and then they softened. He looked almost relieved to see her.

“Ava,” he said, stepping towards her.

When they finally stopped before each other, Ava reached out her arms to hug him. She had missed him terribly.

He, on the other hand, was peering closely at her, as though he wanted to make sure that she was safe.

She realized then that he had not been trying to hug her. Therefore, she lowered her arms awkwardly to her sides, disappointed.

She waited, expecting him to say something, to acknowledge what he had done the previous night. Perhaps even apologize. However, he did nothing of the sort. He simply continued peering at her.

“You look tired,” she noted.

It was true. Upon closer inspection, she even noted the heaviness of his eyelids.

“I did not sleep well,” he said simply.

Ava nodded. “Are you back to… stay, or will you be returning to…”

“I am back home now.” He swallowed. “I…”

Ava waited for him to apologize, to say that he was sorry for abandoning her.

“I… uh…”

Is he finding it hard to say the words?

“I was wondering, can I see the drawing room now?” he asked.

Ava blinked rapidly. “The drawing room?”

“Yes. You have been working on it for so long, and I just realized I have not seen how it looks like with the new decor and furniture yet.”

“Oh!” Ava nodded slowly. “Then follow me.”

She led the way to the drawing room, her mind in turmoil.

The least she deserved was an apology or perhaps an explanation for the way he had left her. And now, he was offering none of that.

She did not even know where he had spent the night. If she hadn’t erroneously assumed that he had gone to see his mistress and followed him to that house all those days ago, she would have thought he had spent the night with a lover.

However, she knew now that he was not that kind of man.

She entered the drawing room and turned to face him.

“Wow!” He looked rather impressed, and that pleased her.

Edwin walked around, touching the furniture and taking in the paintings and drapes.

“You have quite the taste for decor,” he praised.

Ava could not help but smile. Seeing him admire her work made her rather happy.

Her father rarely commented on her work. And on the rare occasion he did, it was to complain about the money she had wasted on “frivolous things.”

“I must say, the sofa is quite comfortable,” Edwin said as he sat down. “And it supports my back just fine.”

“I am glad you approve of it.”

“Now, you must decorate my study too,” he requested.

Ava’s eyes widened in surprise. “You truly want me to decorate your study?”

“I would be a fool not to. You have transformed the drawing room from dreary and gloomy to airy and pleasant. Now, what do you say about decorating my study? It has been the same since my grandfather’s days. It is about time I changed certain things, don’t you agree?”

Ava’s heart warmed, and she shrugged. “I suppose I can do that.”

“Now, if you can just tell me how much the renovations will cost,” he continued as he rose and headed for the door, “then I can write to the accountant.”

“I shall inform the contractor, I suppose.”

There was a moment of silence as he lingered by the door.

“I was wondering, do you have any plans to go into town soon?” he finally asked.

Ava frowned. He had never asked her about her whereabouts before.

“I don’t. Stella and I already finished shopping for her wedding trousseau.”

He looked relieved. “Alright.”

“Why do you ask?” she inquired.

“Oh!” The relieved look suddenly vanished. “Nothing. I simply wanted to know. I shall leave you to it, then.”

With that, he was gone, leaving her staring after him.

Edwin sighed as he closed his ledger. He had spent all day working—or at least pretending to.

The truth was, he had not been able to get much work done, especially not when he knew that his wife might be in danger if she stepped out of the house.

He was relieved when she confirmed that she had nothing to do in town. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before the urge struck her.

Suddenly, the dinner gong sounded. Great, he needed a distraction from the storm raging inside him anyway.

He went down to the dining room and found his wife already seated. She looked rather regal in her red dress, and she beamed at him as soon as he entered.

“Edwin. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to join me for dinner after all,” she said, a sweet smile on her face.

“Is that so?” Edwin grunted as he took his seat on the other end of the table.

Two footmen served their food, and he immediately tucked in.

“The food is rather delicious, don’t you agree?” Ava asked, breaking the silence that had stretched on for long.

Edwin gave a brief nod. His mouth was full of vegetables, so he could not speak.

Ava heaved a weary sigh and lowered her cutlery to her plate, looking rather downcast.

Edwin quickly chewed on his food and swallowed. “What is the matter?” he asked.

Ava shook her head. “Nothing. I am quite fine, thank you.”

However, Edwin could tell that she was not fine.

“I suppose I don’t know. You left the house, spent the night outside, then returned, and now you have been rather cold,” she remarked.

Now it was Edwin’s turn to set down his cutlery.

“You are right, Ava,” he conceded. “I should have at least told you where I was going. You are my wife, after all.”

Ava’s eyes lit up, and she even smiled. “I was worried when you left and you did not return home. It was even more terrifying because the madman who attacked you at the ball is still out there.”

Edwin understood now. She had been worried for him in the same way he was now worried for her.

“I spent the night with Magnus. I only needed to clear my head.”

Edwin had not lied—not exactly. He had indeed spent the night with Magnus. He simply left out the fact that he had spent it at the gambling hell and not Magnus’s home.

Most members of the ton would not react kindly to Magnus operating a gambling hell, and Edwin simply did not want his wife to know about it.

Ava gave a little smile, and he sighed in relief. His explanation seemed to have eased her mind, at least for the time being.

“Could you please let me know of your whereabouts next time?” she asked.

Edwin nodded somberly. “Certainly.”

“Because when I don’t know where you are, I worry that you may have been attacked or…” she trailed off, looking away.

“That I may have taken a mistress?” he ventured.

“Not quite. I suppose if taking a mistress makes you happy, then I simply cannot stop you.”

He could tell that she was lying.

“Ava, you must know that I would never take a mistress,” he said earnestly, holding her gaze.

She nodded, her face blank. But then a reluctant smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

He continued to stare at her, watched as her blue eyes swam with emotions and?—

Someone cleared their throat nearby. It was the butler.

“You have a letter, Your Grace,” he announced, handing Ava the letter.

“Who would send a letter at this hour?” Ava muttered as she opened the envelope. “Ah, it is from Lily!” She beamed.

Lily?

The wheels in Edwin’s brain began to turn. He knew that Ava and Lily often had tea together in London. Therefore, it would not be a surprise if the letter was an invitation to tea.

Ava cannot leave the house. Not until Wilbury is put behind bars.

“What does the letter say?” he asked lazily as he bit into the cake.

He was careful to sound as uninterested as possible, or else his wife might start asking questions he was not ready to answer.

“She wants me to promenade with her in the Park the day after tomorrow,” she replied.

Edwin’s heart sank.

Promenade?

Promenading in the Park was easily one of the most popular activities among the ton, as it presented an opportunity to see and be seen. Ava would certainly be exposed to danger if she were to go out, especially since it could get very crowded. And since there were usually so many people, it would be easy for anyone with nefarious intentions to attack her from the shrubs or even when she stepped out of the carriage.

“Do you want to go?” he asked.

“Of course.” Ava nodded enthusiastically. “I have not seen Lily in a while.”

“Hmm.”

“Is there a problem?” Ava asked.

Edwin fumbled for the right words for a moment, before giving up and simply saying the first thing that came to mind.

“I suppose I was expecting that we would spend the day after tomorrow together.”

Ava brightened up. “You want us to spend the day together?”

She looked happy beyond words, and Edwin could not help but feel a pang of guilt for lying to her.

“Indeed. Perhaps, you could write back to Lady Lily that you are too busy to go on a promenade.”

She nodded. “Certainly, I shall do that.”

He knew how much Ava loved being around her friend, and seeing her so easily give that up just to spend the day with him did not make him feel any better.

As they continued to eat, Edwin could not help but steal glances at her. Her eyes twinkled, and a smile tugged at her lips between bites. He knew the reason, of course—because he had promised they would spend a day together.

He felt as though there was a wrench in his heart.

It is for her own good.

Even though Edwin knew he was doing the right thing for his wife, he still could not help but feel guilty. His lies were eating at him.