Page 7

CHAPTER 7

I t had been a week since Ava’s scandalous visit to the Duke, and for the first few days, she had been terrified that somehow word about her visit would get out. Thankfully, nothing of the sort had happened, and the Duke had kept his promise by not asking for her sister’s hand in marriage—yet.

However, today she was on a mission.

For the first time since she had started attending balls, she did not fully dedicate herself to chaperoning her sister. Today, she was also looking to fulfill the mission the Duke had given her. However, it had not been quite an easy task, since the mamas all seemed to lose interest once they heard that the suitor she wanted them to approach was the Duke of Gillingham.

Ava spotted another mama entering the ballroom with her two daughters in tow and then turned to Stella, who had not left her side since they had arrived. “You must wait for me here.”

Stella nodded.

Ava was not certain her sister would not disappear once again. Nevertheless, she quickly approached the woman.

“What fine daughters you have, Lady…?” she prompted.

“Becroft. Lady Becroft,” the older woman supplied pleasantly.

“You can call me Ava, Lady Becroft,” Ava offered, before making a show of admiring the woman’s two daughters.

One was young with eager eyes, and the other was far older with a bored expression that told Ava she had probably been to a hundred balls and had still to secure a suitor.

“Now, how is it possible that these two beautiful girls are still unspoken for? Surely the bachelors have gone completely blind these days.”

“Certainly, Ava.” Lady Becroft heaved a beleaguered sigh. “The bachelors who have approached my girls with talks of marriage are far below our station, and the ones who are up to par do not seem interested in marriage.”

Ava let out a dramatic gasp. “Now, Lady Becroft, what if I told you that I know of a duke currently looking for a wife?” she asked.

Lady Becroft’s eyes widened, and she looked around as though searching for the duke in question. “You must tell me who he is,” she hissed.

Ava leaned in and whispered, “That is only if you promise not to tell anyone. His Grace does not want word to get out yet. So if you take your beautiful daughters to see him now, he might take an interest before other mamas catch wind of it.”

“I promise!”

Ava lowered her voice even further. “It is the Duke of Gillingham.”

Lady Becroft recoiled immediately, shaking her head. “I would rather my girls become old spinsters in my house than marry such a monster. Now, girls, follow me.”

With that, she left Ava standing at the entrance of the ballroom.

To make matters even worse, Stella was no longer where she had left her, and as Ava scanned the room, she could not find her either.

She groaned.

“Ava,” a familiar voice called, approaching her.

It was Cecilia, the little sister of the Duke of Blackmore, a man who also happened to be friends with Edwin and William.

“Cecilia. I have not seen you at any balls this Season,” Ava remarked.

Cecilia sighed. “Magnus simply refuses to let me attend any ball if he cannot be there to chaperone me. In fact, Lily had to plead with him before he let her be my chaperone.”

“Did I hear someone mention my name?” another familiar voice piped up.

Ava turned to find Lily approaching with Eveline, beaming at them.

“Now, Ava, do not tell me that Stella is missing yet again.” Eveline tutted.

Ava nodded. “She is. However, that is not as troubling as the fact that I cannot find a single mama who would agree to speak with Edwin.”

“The Duke of Gillingham?” Eveline asked. “I am not quite surprised. He has the reputation of a monster.”

“Why do you need to convince a mama to speak with him anyway?” Lily asked.

Ava hesitated. She just could not admit to her friends and sister what she had gotten herself into.

“It is simply a deal,” she blurted. “Now, I must go. I think I just spotted yet another mama.”

With that, she slipped away before they could ask further questions.

But after accosting more mamas and trying to convince them to no avail, she eventually realized that there was simply not a single lady who was interested in approaching the beast. Not even Lady Algernon, who had more dogs than children, or Lady Sherborne, who had become a social pariah herself after her daughter was found in a compromising position with a footman .

Exhausted by her countless failures, Ava sank into a chair just as the orchestra began playing the song that signaled the end of the ball.

And that was when he appeared before her.

“Would you be so kind as to dance with me?” Edwin asked, extending his hand towards her.

Reluctantly, she took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor. They danced in silence for a while before he finally spoke.

“Since no mama has approached me tonight, I can only imagine that you failed at your task.”

“I tried,” she complained. “I truly did. However, your reputation as a beast precedes you.”

“That is too bad, don’t you think, Miss Jennings?” he said, shaking his head as they swayed. “Now I must marry your sister.”

Ava could not help but feel a pang in her chest.

I have failed. I have failed to protect my sister.

She wondered how she would face her sister and tell her that she must marry the Duke, even though she had promised to prevent that.

He suddenly leaned in. “It is such a shame, since I already imagined having you as my wife. I spent many hours picturing your naked body in my bed.”

Ava gasped. She was positively shocked, but his words also excited her.

How could he?

She quickly looked around to make sure that none of the other dancers had heard what he had just said. Thankfully, they seemed oblivious, too engrossed in the steps.

Ava knew she should slap Edwin for making such scandalous statements, and yet she could not bring herself to do it when, instead of infuriating her, his words made her feel desirable.

She was relieved when the music finally stopped and the dance ended. Not waiting another moment, she turned on her heel and walked away from him. But he followed her.

“Your Grace,” a voice suddenly called.

Ava turned around to see an old matron stepping in Edwin’s path. The woman was smiling kindly at him while her young daughter stood behind her, looking absolutely terrified.

Ava was surprised by the turn of events.

“You must meet my daughter, Beatrice. She has only just debuted,” the matron said.

Ava smiled, relief washing over her. She had not failed in her task, after all.

Therefore, she slowly walked away and joined her friends to let Edwin and the lady speak at length.

“Who would have imagined that a matron would approach the Duke after I wore myself out convincing them?” she said.

Her friends exchanged knowing smiles, and she stared curiously at them.

“Did you all by chance have something to do with this?”

However, she did not get a response because the Duke responded to the matron then.

“I apologize, My Lady, but I am interested in another,” she heard him say.

She spun around, fast .

He was also looking at her, and on his face was a rather cruel smile.

That monster! He still has his mind set on Stella even after I passed his test.

“Is that so?” the matron asked, a hint of disappointment in her tone.

“Indeed,” Edwin replied. “I’m interested in Miss Ava Jennings, daughter of the Viscount Notley.”

Ava’s heart skipped a beat, before leaping to her throat. Her friends gasped beside her.

The matron did not seem to take the news too kindly, for she glared at Ava before dragging her daughter away.

Edwin approached her, a smirk on his face, and her friends scrambled away, leaving her with him. He stopped only a foot away from her and then leaned in.

“Expect my visit soon,” he whispered, before walking out of the ballroom.

Ava was rooted to the spot, all alone in the middle of the ballroom, her world spinning out of control.

She had been so willing to offer herself in exchange for her sister. However, now that Edwin had finally agreed, it suddenly became too real.

Marriage had never held an appeal for her as it had for other girls; hence why it was so easy for her to sequester herself in Notley Manor and take care of her sisters.

But now, everything was about to change.

“Miss,” a voice said from beside her.

She turned to find a man that everyone in the ton knew all too well.

“Lord Wilbury?” She was taken aback.

The man had no reason to approach her. After all, she had only made his acquaintance at a ball and had not spoken with him ever since.

“I must warn you, Miss Jennings,” he continued.

“Warn me?”

“Indeed. About the man you were dancing with.”

“Oh, Edwin?”

Now, Ava was beginning to understand. She was aware that Edwin had cost Lord Wilbury quite a fortune after taking a business deal from him.

“It is indeed interesting that you are now on a first-name basis with him,” Lord Wilbury noted.

“Ah, we… we’ve?—”

“It does not matter,” he cut in. “I only wish to warn you about him. He is a cold and heartless man, and it would be in your interest to put an end to any association you might have with him. You must have heard about what he did to my business. Gillingham is a dangerous man, indeed.”

“I know that you and His Grace were competitors,” she started.

“That is not the reason I have come to warn you. He is a ruthless man, and those close to him seem to share the sentiment.”

“It does not matter. I appreciate your help, but it is none of your business who I decide to associate with. Now, if you will excuse me, I must find my sister.”

With that, Ava hiked up her skirts and walked away.

Lord Wilbury’s warnings had fallen on deaf ears. Even if what he had said was true, it was far too late for her to change her mind. She must marry the Duke if it means giving her sister a chance at happiness.

The ride home was unusually quiet. Ava’s mind was racing, and she simply rejected Stella’s attempts at a conversation.

It was not until the carriage pulled to a stop in front of Notley Manor that she finally decided to share the good news with her sister.

“You no longer have to marry the Duke, Stella,” she announced.

Stella’s eyes lit up, and she threw her arms around her sister. “Oh, Ava! How could I ever thank you?” she cried.

Ava could not help but grin. For a moment, she was happy to sacrifice herself for her sister’s happiness.

Stella suddenly pulled out of the hug, her face grim.

“How did you do it, Ava?” she asked. “The Duke is known for getting his way no matter what.”

Ava shrugged. “You do not have to bother yourself, Stella. Now, you can be with your Thomas.”

Stella shook her head. “Why are you not telling me?” she pressed, suddenly frantic. “What has he done to you?”

Ava swallowed nervously and looked away, unable to hold her sister’s gaze.

She knew she must tell her sister now.

“I offered to marry him instead,” she confessed.

She watched as her little sister’s eyes widened in shock and her mouth dropped open.

“No.” Stella shook her head. “You cannot marry a beast. I simply cannot let you do such a thing.”

“It must be done. That is the only way,” Ava argued.

“There must be another way,” Stella insisted. “You cannot marry a beast when you never even wanted to marry anyway.”

Ava took her sister’s hands in her own and gave them a comforting squeeze. “You do not have to worry about me, Stella.”

“But yo?—”

“Stella, let us go inside.”

With that, she climbed out of the carriage and made for the entrance, her sister begrudgingly following her.

The two sisters had only just started climbing the stairs to their chambers when another carriage pulled up in front of the house.

A moment later, they heard the butler announce, “His Grace, the Duke of Gillingham!”

“He is here to ask for your hand,” Stella whispered.

Ava’s heart thudded loudly in her chest as dread coiled in her gut at the thought of being married to the man. “Indeed, he is.”

The Viscount rose from his chair, grinning in excitement.

“Your Grace,” he greeted, approaching him. “I have been eagerly awaiting your return. In fact, at some point, I thought all was lost. I am pleased to see that you are still interested in my daughter.”

Edwin nodded. “Indeed, I am still interested in marrying your daughter.”

The Viscount nodded once, looking so triumphant he might as well pump his fist in the air. “I suppose you are here to formally ask for Stella’s hand in marriage. You do not have to worry about the proposal; she will certainly say yes.”

“Ah… See, there is one little problem, Lord Notley,” Edwin said. “I am here to ask for Ava’s hand in marriage, not Stella’s.”

The grin on the Viscount’s face immediately vanished.

“I… You must have…” His eyes then lit up, and he forced a smile. “I never knew you were a jester, Your Grace. That was certainly funny. Now, about Stella, you?—”

“This is not a joke,” Edwin cut in, his tone hardening. The Viscount recoiled in fear. “I am marrying Ava.”

The Viscount shook his head in confusion. “But why would you want to do such a thing? Ava is an old spinster. She could n?—”

“Isn’t it for that reason you should be happy that I have chosen to marry her? Would you rather keep your eldest daughter at home instead of marrying her off?” Edwin questioned, arching an eyebrow.

The Viscount was strange, indeed. After all, most fathers would be happy to marry off their eldest daughters, but Lord Notley did not seem too elated by this.

“I suppose I simply did not expect that Ava would leave the house. After all, I have gotten used to having her around,” Lord Notley explained, laughing nervously.

He averted his gaze, and Edwin could tell that the man was not being truthful.

“That is quite interesting, isn’t it?” Edwin remarked. “If you do not want to marry off Ava because you have grown fond of her, then you must not be fond of Stella because you are so excited about marrying her off.”

“It is quite… You must…” Lord Notley knew he had been caught in a lie, and he was now scrambling for an answer.

That irritated Edwin even more.

“It would behoove you to tell me the truth,” he warned.

Lord Notley threw his hands up in surrender. “I suppose I do not want Ava to leave the house because her presence is simply convenient.”

“Convenient?” Edwin did not quite understand the man.

“Ava has managed the household ever since we lost her mother when they were all so young. She has been like a mother to her sisters, and truly, I do not quite know what I would do without her here. She is the reason I can focus on my business without having to worry about her sisters—because I know she will take great care of them. I suppose all these qualities would make her a good wife for you and the best mother for your children. However, her absence shall cost me.”

By the time the man was done speaking, Edwin could not help the disgust he felt towards him.

How could he talk about his own daughter as though she were a governess hired for convenience—or worse, a horse bought to toil without complaint?

“Lord Notley, if I heard you correctly, you do not wish for your eldest daughter to marry so she would simply continue to make your life easier?” Edwin asked, glaring at the man.

The Viscount slowly stepped away from him. “I suppose when you say it like that, I do seem like a terrible father.”

“Indeed, you are,” Edwin agreed.

“But you do not know how hard it was when I lost my wife. I was lost, and I did not quite know how to begin taking care of my daughters. I was so relieved when Ava took over.”

Edwin shook his head. He rarely pitied people, but at that moment, his heart went out to Ava. She must have had a difficult childhood, raising her sisters when she was only just a child herself.