Page 27 of The Duke’s Second Bride (Regency Second Chances #4)

T he carriage ride back to the city was their quietest yet. After a while of Luke fidgeting, Ava had told him a story that had lulled him to sleep, which had led to utter silence between Ava and Christian.

Christian supposed it was better than bickering. Yet he felt the air was still thick with all the things unsaid.

He should apologize to her, he knew. He just … didn’t know how. And now it seemed the moment had surely passed.

Arriving at the Richmond townhouse, he marked how heads on the street turned to look at the arrival of their ornate carriage. Ava gently nudged Luke awake and helped the sleepy boy out of the carriage.

Christian followed at a distance. No need to increase the odds of a spat any more than necessary, especially on their first day in a new home.

Around them, servants brought in their possessions from the car.

The townhouse was a lavishly outfitted home. It was smaller than the country house, of course, but still consisted of several floors. Plenty of space for Luke to run around in.

And Pudding, for that matter. As soon as he was let free to roam, he bolted up the stairs.

Christian bit back a groan. No doubt he would find the damn thing curled up on his desk in this home, too.

Ava looked up at the place with awe. She had already been married and affluent, but she still seemed blown away by the grandiosity of the place.

Christian remembered how he had felt upon seeing the place for the first time after he had inherited it. He wondered if Ava was feeling overwhelmed by the size.

He felt an urge to ask her—and then pushed it back.

Of course, Christian thought that was another benefit of having such a large estate. The size of the place meant they would still have plenty of room for the unhappily married couple to continue to avoid each other, even more so with the palatial dimensions of the country house.

Luke, now fully awake, ran up the stairs to his room with his nursemaid, leaving Ava and Christian alone in the foyer.

He looked at her. God, she looked beautiful. It had been torture to sit in the carriage and not be able to speak to her.

He had to say something, surely. He cleared his throat.

Ava turned to look at him. Her travel dress of deep green perfectly set off the golden hues of her hair and the warm, flushed undertones beneath her skin.

“Yes?” she asked. Her voice carried a melodious tone. He could not help but wonder what that voice would sound like, gasping his name.

But he knew he would never find out.

“I just—” he stopped short. It took a great effort not to trace the contours of her body with his eyes. “I want you to know that I am most pleased to welcome you as the new lady of the house.”

She gave him an odd look, brow furrowed. The air grew heated between them as their eye contact lingered. She opened that plush pink mouth, and he eagerly awaited her response.

But before she could say anything, a small ginger streak came tearing down the stairs, followed by Luke, who was giggling in delight.

The spell was immediately broken. Ava shook her head, as though trying to rid herself of some unwelcome thoughts.

“I ought to go. Make sure they are all right,” she said. “In case Pudding has gotten hold of … um, something he shouldn’t.”

With that, she followed the boy and the cat towards the dining room, calling out both of their names as she went.

Christian let out a long breath.

God, this woman was going to be the death of him.

Ava missed the country as soon as they left. The wide open air, the villagers nearby, and all the animals had been like a balm on her soul. Not to mention the distance from society—and from Brandon in particular.

However, she could not deny that the townhouse was beautiful. And, of course, she had missed Edith dearly. As soon as she, Christian, and Luke were settled in, she sent word to her friend to come visit.

Edith obliged, arriving for a visit hardly a day later.

“The blushing bride,” she said in greeting, looking over Ava with a brilliant smile lighting up her face.

They took tea in the garden. Edith looked splendid in a day dress of pink that made her look like a flower amidst the gardens behind the townhouse estate.

Across the garden, Luke played with Pudding, contentedly dangling a stick with a string and a feather attached. The cat seemed endlessly entertained by the simple toy, and the boy seemed endlessly entertained by the cat.

The two women watched him for a moment, both smiling. “I am glad to see Pudding has settled in well,” Edith remarked.

Ava chuckled. “That would be an understatement,” she said. “The duke has practically been unseated as lord of the house. Pudding is practically royalty.”

Edith laughed. “And does your husband endure this commotion without vexation?”

Ava bit back a small smile, considering. “Luke is very fond of Pudding,” she said finally.

At that moment, Luke looked up from playing with the cat and waved at the two ladies. They both waved back at him.

“The child is fond of you as well, it seems.” Then Edith turned her gaze back upon Ava. “This second marriage suits you, I should think.”

“Really?” Ava asked, trying not to sound incredulous.

Edith nodded decisively. “I cannot remember the last time I saw you looking so well, or with so much color in your cheeks, darling.”

Ava laughed. “That may be the countryside, more than the marriage,” she said, aiming for a lighthearted tone, though a slight pang went through her as she said it.

Edith didn’t miss the slight change in her friend’s demeanor or the implication of her words. “Is that so?” A divot appeared between her brows as she furrowed them. “He is not mistreating you, is he?”

“No!” Ava protested. The idea was laughable. Whatever her qualms with Christian were, she could not imagine him lifting a finger to hurt her. “He has been very … respectful.”

Edith’s brows lifted. “Respectful,” she repeated slowly. “In what way do you mean?”

Immediately, Ava had a flashback to the embarrassment she had felt on her wedding night. She chewed on the side of her cheek. The memory of Christian rejecting her stung so much that she barely wanted to tell Edith of it.

But on the other hand, who could she confide in, if not her best friend?

“He is very respectful of my space, for a start.” She sighed. “He does not seem particularly interested in our marriage being more than an arrangement,” she said carefully.

“An arrangement?” Edith questioned.

“He married me to ward off Brandon’s unsavory behavior, and I have helped Luke find some more of his confidence,” Ava said, nodding. “But the duke only speaks to me at dinner, really, and rarely then. We have not … slept in the same bed once.”

“Oh,” Edith said, blinking. “That is rather surprising.”

“Is it?” Ava asked.

Edith nodded. “I have seen the way you look at each other, my dear,” she said. “That is not the gaze of a man who sees you merely as a nursemaid to his son.”

“You would not think that if you had seen us together as of late,” Ava muttered.

But Edith shook her head, insistent. “Perhaps, as you said, he is merely trying to be respectful?” she questioned.

Ava sighed. “Perhaps,” she said doubtfully, not quite ready yet to reveal her real reason.

The shame at the thought that he might be disgusted by rumors of her infertility was too much to bear.

“Have you made it known that you would like to live as husband and wife?” Edith asked. Then she paused and arched a brow. “ Would you like to live as husband and wife?”

Ava thought of Christian. His height and the breadth of his shoulders as they pressed against the fabric of whatever suit or shirt he wore. She thought of the deep blue of his eyes, and how she could have sworn she had caught them raking up and down her figure.

But unlike when Brandon had done the same, the thought of Christian looking at her like that sent a rush of delicious heat through her, rather than terror or repulsion.

Though she said none of this aloud, the rush of heat to her cheeks made her blush. Edith simply nodded knowingly.

“Of course. That’s no surprise.” Her friend leaned in closer. “He is a rather fine-looking gentleman, after all.”

Ava giggled in spite of herself. “How dare you speak that way about my husband!” she said playfully, spurring a returning laugh from her friend.

“Well, someone ought to!” Edith said. “Now tell me, why don’t you put that poor man out of his misery and tell him that you are his wife and would like to be treated as such?”

Almost immediately, Ava felt herself sober. The question washed over her like a bucket of cold spring water, bringing her back to that terrible night.

With a start, she realized that Edith was still watching her questioningly.

“Well?” Edith asked, not willing to allow her friend to avoid the question so easily.

Ava bit her lower lip. “I did,” she confessed.

The shame washed over her, but it was followed by immense relief at no longer having to keep such a dreadful secret to herself.

“On our wedding night,” she continued. “We arrived at the country house. After dinner, he had made a comment which led me to believe …”

Edith nodded, listening raptly. “Go on,” she urged Ava.

“Well. I went to ready myself for bed, and he didn’t come. So…” She winced. “I went to his room. And he … he rejected me.”

Already just saying the words felt like someone was trying to pull out her teeth, and Edith’s horrified gasp did not help.

“No!” Edith exclaimed. “How could he? Perhaps you were mistaken?” she suggested. That was just like Edith, always the optimist. “Or perhaps?—”

Ava shook her head, not wanting to let this train of speculation go on any further. “He made it quite clear that he wants nothing more from me than a civil arrangement,” she said primly. “It was rather embarrassing.”