Page 23 of The Duke’s Second Bride (Regency Second Chances #4)

“ I want to go into the village,” Ava declared a few days later, standing in the doorway of Christian’s office.

He looked up from his work with a start. It was so early in the morning that he had not expected anyone to be awake yet aside from him. He often liked waking up in the early hours of the morning to look over his books, or else staying up late at night.

There was a peacefulness he found in not having to worry about anyone else being around.

He didn’t need to wear a mask, or force himself to be social, or otherwise find a new and exciting way of letting people down, the way he so often seemed to do at the rare moments he attempted social interaction.

Certainly, he disappointed Ava plenty, which was an impressive feat as any, considering she didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of him—or high expectations for him—to begin with.

And yet the tension that entered the room when he was around her seemed different from the nerves that arose whenever he was socializing with others.

With other people, at parties and business dealings and the like, there was a sense that a single misstep would drive them away, the way he felt he had driven away his parents.

With Ava, the feeling he got was more that he was only ever a few moments away from succumbing to the temptation to kiss her. Whether that stemmed from a desire for her or a desire to get her to stop being so damn stubborn was anyone’s guess.

“What is that?” he asked groggily, running a hand over his eyes as though to wipe away the last remaining layers of sleep. “Why?”

“I am the duchess,” she reminded him, crossing her arms as though she was preparing to fight about this.

And I haven’t even said no ! He thought with exasperation.

“And we have been at the country estate for quite a while now,” she added.

He raised an eyebrow. “I apologize,” he said coolly. “Are the grounds not to your liking, wife?”

She rolled her eyes. “The grounds are beautiful,” she said, clearly choosing her words carefully, “but I am growing a bit … stifled. I don’t wish for much.

Simply an afternoon away. And, as we previously discussed, it is within the duties of the lady of the estate to be aware and active in the issues and business of the estate’s tenants. They are our tenants now, after all.”

Her delicious figure was encased in a pale pink dress of sturdy cotton.

It was a very practical and humble outfit, the kind he had seen her gardening in with Luke.

The color served to bring out the flush in her cheeks, which only led to Christian thinking of how much more strongly he could make her flush …

and how far down her body that flush would extend.

Stop it, you fool.

He waved a hand. “You needn’t worry about any of that,” he said.

Truly, he was already thinking of the disastrous fate that awaited him if he were to be alone with her in a carriage for any more than a few minutes. Particularly while she looked like that.

Particularly while he was inexplicably being burned alive by his lust for her.

“Do you mean me to spend my entire tenure as duchess—my entire life—entirely ignorant of the goings-on on the property?” she inquired, her delicate brow furrowed.

“Of course not,” he said.

He meant it. Christian had given some thought to the matter.

He could not, in fact, spend their entire lives trying to avoid Ava to the degree he was right now.

But surely at some point this fire he felt for her would pass, at which point they would more easily settle into a comfortable routine as arranged husband and wife.

Whether that flame would take weeks or months to burn out was anyone’s guess—though, at the rate things were going, Christian often felt as hopeless as if it were a life sentence.

Instead of saying this, he offered as an explanation: “It has only been a few weeks.” When she frowned, he continued, “You should be enjoying your rest and relaxation, and your honeymoon.”

She raised a brow at that. “I would hardly call this a honeymoon,” she said archly, “considering you seem to be attempting to avoid me at all costs.”

He sighed out through his nose. For once, why couldn’t she just avoid an argument? Did she not know how infinitely more tempting she became as soon as her stubbornness flared up? At this rate, he would end up kissing her within the next few minutes, going against all the promises he had made.

“I simply wished to give you space in your early days as duchess,” he said carefully. “I imagine it is a severe change to adjust to. There are many responsibilities that come with the title.”

“Yes,” she agreed adamantly, “and the sooner I learn the ins and outs of those responsibilities, the sooner I will be able to adjust to them properly. I know you had planned to go into the villages today. I must insist that you bring me along. More so,” she continued, “I think we should bring Luke.”

This caught Christian by surprise. “What? Why is that?”

“He is a little boy. It isn’t right for him to be shut away at home. If you want him to improve his speech, he cannot only have you, me, and the waitstaff for practice.”

“And Pudding,” he observed dryly.

Ava let out a surprised laugh, staring at him in disbelief.

When he said nothing further, she cleared her throat.

“Yes. Well. I think it would be good for him to be able to socialize with some people in the village. You are right, that society can be cruel, but surely this is nothing like London. And people here are familiar with your family. Surely when they meet him, they will be kind.”

Seeing Christian was unconvinced, she uncrossed her arms.

“I think it would be helpful,” she said. “For his progress.”

At that, Christian could not help but think that she might have a point. Luke would have to go out into the wider world at some point. The garden party had done him some good. Perhaps a trip out to the village would help him in a similar way.

And, if nothing else, having him there as a buffer would be a perfect way to douse any ill-advised feelings Christian might have towards Ava.

He sighed and nodded. “Very well,” he said. “We can go. I have some business to attend to there, anyway.”

“I know,” she said, then blushed at his inquisitive expression. “I asked Miss Grant what your usual visiting schedule was,” she admitted. “And I’m glad I did. Tell me, would you have agreed to let me come if I hadn’t asked you again and again?”

He couldn’t help but let out a half-chuckle at that. “You’re right,” he said. “Now go and get ready before I change my mind. We should leave in an hour, if we want to get there before the sun is too high in the sky.”

She nodded. He wished his heart didn’t leap so at the sight of the smile that lit up her face before she left.

Luke was practically bouncing out of the carriage with excitement. Unlike their travel to the manor from the wedding, this time he sat between Christian and Ava. Christian insisted upon it.

The village they arrived at was charming and quaint, comprised of low, simple single-story cottages, fields of crops, and a nearby pasture full of cows and other livestock.

At this hour of the late morning, plenty of people were out and about, working the fields or walking to gather eggs, or bringing goods to a neighbor.

Several people stopped to watch as the carriage approached.

When the carriage stopped, Christian was the first to descend. He helped Luke out and then extended his hand towards Ava. Once again, she tried to mask the jolt that ran through her at the touch of his hand.

She marked how the villagers eyed them warily. Not with fear, but with uncertainty.

“You have been here before, yes?” she murmured to Christian.

“Only the once,” he said, before turning to greet the village man who had come to meet them.

“Your Grace!” The man bowed and then turned to give another bow to Ava. “I presume this is the new duchess?”

Ava smiled at him. “Ava,” she said.

“Lady Ava,” he repeated. “A beautiful name, for a beautiful duchess. You and the duke are the picture of a perfect couple.”

“I’m off to check on the Southingtons,” Christian muttered to himself, and then went off with a few of the local farmers. Ava watched him go, wondering at his sudden departure.

“Ah. Good, he is able to get to his business,” the man said, clearly unsure of what else to say. He turned back to Ava. “We are most pleased to welcome you to town. I am Toby Withers; I run the inn.”

“How wonderful,” Ava said warmly. “I should love to see it. I should like to see as much of the village as possible. I know I am new to the estate, but I want to know how it is run, so that I can make sure we are making your lives as easy as we can.”

The innkeeper smiled. “My wife Bertha should be here somewhere, and I’m certain she would be most pleased to show you around. And who would this strapping young man be?” he asked, smiling down at Luke.

Luke pressed into Ava’s leg, suddenly shy. She patted him on the shoulder in encouragement. Luke made a small sound to himself—recognizable only to Ava as a meow—and then said, “Luke A-Adler.”

“Heir to the estate,” Ava said proudly. Looking down at Luke, she saw that he was smiling, too, undeterred by his small stutter. Indeed, the innkeeper didn’t seem to notice it at all, instead beaming down at the young man. “Luke has been showing me around back at the manor.”

“Ah, is that so?” the innkeeper asked.

Luke nodded vigorously. “Yes. And Ava has b-been teaching me how to r-ride a horse, and she reads w-with me.”

“Reads!” The innkeeper clapped his hands together. “Ah! We have recently built a bookstore in town—the first one. It used to be we had to get our books brought every so often; now that is still the case, but we have more of a collection standing for the villagers to peruse. You must visit.”

Ava looked forward to where Christian had gone. “Yes,” she said, forcing her attention back to the innkeeper. “That would be lovely.