Page 81 of The Duke's Second Bride

No.

He wouldn’t think about that. Ava was right. As long as she rested and was sensible, he would do his best to do the same and avoid worrying. It wouldn’t help anything.

But he couldn’t bear to stand and watch her while she was possibly ill. He muttered some excuse, then took off back towards his office.

“Are you feeling better, Ava?” Luke asked. He had brought her books and was seated in a chair at her bedside, reading a book of his own.

Pudding had followed him in and curled up on Ava’s lap over the blankets.

“Yes,” Ava said, stroking the cat, who purred happily in response.

It was true. The dizzy spell out in the fields earlier had been intense, but brief. She would have long since been up and out of bed if it were not for the thought that she would make Christian sick with concern. She couldn’t imagine the storm he would raise.

“Father was w-w-worried,” Luke said. He winced at the stutter, but didn’t apologize for it, which Ava was proud of him for.

“Yes.” Ava sighed. “I didn’t mean to worry him. Or you.”

“Oh, I’m n-not worried,” Luke said. He said it so matter-of-factly that Ava couldn’t help but chuckle. “I knew you would be all right. You’re very strong. You saved me from that horse the first time we met, remember?”

Ava smiled. “I do remember,” she said. It had been so long since she had thought of that day. It was hard to believe how little time had actually passed since then—and how very much had changed.

Christian tried to listen to Ava and temper his fear. After all, it had been a hot day, and they had certainly been exerting themselves in bed this past week.

That night, the cook had prepared a delicious-looking roast partridge, one of Ava’s favorite meals. Christian sat down at the table with Luke.

“Send a tray up to Ava’s room, please,” he told one of the maids.

“That won’t be necessary,” came a voice from the dining room door.

He looked up and saw Ava. He immediately rose to his feet and went to meet her at the door.

“You shouldn’t be up,” he said intently.

She shook her head with a laugh. “Christian, please,” she said dismissively. “I am quite all right. I promise.”

She looked beautiful as always, but he could not deny that there was a fatigue in her eyes that was not usually present.

However, her usual stubbornness danced behind it. Christian sighed. If there was one thing he knew about his brilliant,beautiful wife, it was that she wasn’t going to back down in an argument.

If she had her mind set to take dinner in the dining room, rather than in bed, there would be nothing he could do to convince her otherwise.

He nodded and began to help her to her chair. She tried to shake him off with a chuckle. “I’m not an invalid, you know,” she said teasingly, though she allowed him to pull out her chair for her to sit down.

“Very well,” he said. He longed to kiss her, but resisted the urge with Luke and the waitstaff in the room. He settled for stroking her hair.

She looked up at him as he walked away, as though happily surprised by the affectionate gesture. The sight made his heart sing.

“We told Cook to make your favorite, Ava,” Luke chimed in. “S-so that you can eat and get healthy and strong!”

Ava smiled at him. “That was very thoughtful and considerate of you, Luke,” she said to him.

She took a bite and made a noise of appreciation.

“Well, I do believe this is the best partridge I have ever eaten,” she said. Luke smiled, and so did Christian. The three of them fell back into their usual conversation.

For a moment, Christian’s worries faded away entirely.

However, a few minutes later, Ava fell suddenly silent.