Page 38 of The Duke’s Second Bride (Regency Second Chances #4)

A t first, Ava was inclined to dismiss what happened at Edith’s party as simply a result of the sun and overexertion.

But as the week went on, she found herself having similar incidents with increased frequency.

For example, on the first day of the week, she was so fatigued that she slept hours later than usual. Even with the nightly exertions she and Christian had been engaging in, she wasn’t usually the kind of woman who would habitually stay in bed until noon.

Then, barely a day later, she found she barely had any stomach at all for her breakfast.

Luke, who was breaking fast with her while Christian worked in his study, looked at her face with concern etched into his own tiny features.

“A-are you feeling a-a-all right, Ava?” he asked, his worry bringing back his stammer a bit. Ava smiled at him as kindly as she could, trying to hide her grimace.

“Yes,” she said. She squeezed the edge of the chair below the table, where he could not see how her knuckles went white with the effort to ground herself against the nausea. “Yes, Luke, I am quite all right. I think I am simply overtired.”

“You w-were tired yesterday, t-too,” he observed, pushing the last few bites of his own breakfast around on his plate.

Ava had no response to that. She could hardly tell the child of her suspicions. She was barely letting herself hope. She hadn’t even missed her cycle yet.

“I believe that we have all had a long week,” she said, deflecting. Then she decided to change the subject. “I had better catch up on rest soon, though! That garden is not going to finish planting itself.”

“More gardening?” Christian said from the door.

“Father!” Luke exclaimed in delight. Even though they dined nightly as a family now, it was still rare for Christian to join them for breakfast.

Christian smiled as Luke ran over to hug him. There was almost a hint of surprise on his face that both made Ava happy and broke her heart.

Christian had opened up his heart so much over these past few weeks, but it was a slow process. She could tell that he was not accustomed to open affection, almost as though there was something holding him back.

Still, she tried to be grateful for the parts of himself he was able to give her.

For instance, he returned Luke’s embrace with enthusiasm, pushing past his natural stiffness, and even giving the boy a pat on the head.

“If I knew I would be greeted with such aplomb, I would have broken fast with you two much sooner,” he exclaimed.

Ava flushed. In the mornings, she found Christian’s voice often took on an even lower bass tone, which she could not help but find reminded her of his voice in bed.

“You were welcome to at any time,” she said, covering up her inner thoughts with as business-like a tone as she could manage. “In fact, Luke and I were just about to finish, but I thought I might take a promenade about the estate grounds, if you both would like to join?”

Christian smiled, but shook his head. “As tempting as that sounds, I have already brushed off enough work to come see you for these few minutes.”

Luke pouted. “You don’t want to come on a walk with us?” he cried.

Christian chuckled. “More than anything,” he promised. “I shall join another time, I swear it.” There was a twinkle in his eye as he looked over at Ava. “I am most determined to spend quite a bit less time locked in my office.”

Ava felt another blush rise to her cheeks.

“I shall believe it when I see it,” she retorted cheekily, and was rewarded with smiles and chuckles from father and son alike.

After greeting Ava and Luke at breakfast, Christian returned to his office. The trading company expansion had been going swimmingly, but it did mean quite a lot of paperwork.

Luckily, all his experience with the business so far meant he was able to make quick work of it. And yet, somehow, it seemed there was always more piling up. He sighed, looking out the window.

Immediately, his stress faded away as he saw Ava and Luke taking a walk across the grounds.

Christian couldn’t help but smile at the sight of them.

Luke was chattering up a storm, tugging Ava’s sleeve every now and then to point at something, and Ava responded to each one of his thoughts attentively.

It was remarkable how much progress the boy had made in just a few weeks.

And, more so, Christian realized, he had been opening up so much more, too. Where he used to almost avoid talking to his son for fear of saying the wrong thing, now it felt more and more natural every day.

He looked back down at his paperwork, then up at the window, and stood.

Work could wait. He was going to go for a walk with his family.

The weather was beautiful outside as he briskly walked towards his wife and son.

Suddenly, Ava put her hand on Luke’s shoulder. Christian assumed she was going to point out something interesting, the way the boy had been.

But then, she stumbled.

Without even thinking about it, Christian took off running across the field.

“Ava!” he shouted.

Ava soon righted herself, not falling entirely. Christian didn’t slow his pace. It only took him a few seconds to reach them.

“Are you all right?” he demanded, taking Ava by the arms. Luke looked up at Ava with matching concern in his eyes.

Ava pressed a hand to her forehead. “Yes,” she said, though her voice bore a breathlessness that suggested otherwise. “I simply felt a bit dizzy. There is nothing to be overly concerned about.”

“I should beg to differ!” Christian said sharply. “I will call for the doctor at once. You should rest.”

“What?” Ava asked. But before she could say anything else, Christian had already picked her up and had begun carrying her back towards the house. “Christian, don’t be ridiculous.”

“Father is right, Ava,” Luke piped up, practically running on his little legs in order to keep up with Christian’s strides across the field.

“Christian, this is silly.” Ava patted his arm, and then, in a hushed tone, whispered, “You’re frightening Luke.”

“I should think I am frightening him no more than he was frightened by you nearly fainting on top of him,” Christian said firmly.

Ava had to admit that he had a point there, but she continued to protest the entire way he carried her to her room.

“Don’t call the physician,” she insisted once more.

Christian paused. His jaw clenched so hard that a vein stood out. “Fine,” he said brusquely. “So long as you rest.”

“Yes,” she agreed, though somewhat exasperatedly. “I shall lie in bed all day if it keeps you from starting a fuss over nothing. I’m certain it’s nothing but exhaustion.”

A series of thoughts fluttered through Christian’s head. Ava was a strong, healthy woman. It wasn’t like her to faint, especially from something like exhaustion.

Unless…

He shook his head.

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.

Christian’s head snapped to look at her, concern blooming in his stomach.

Ava’s hand was clapped to her mouth, and her skin had gotten paler than usual. Her eyebrows were drawn together, eyes squinted as if in disgust.

“What’s the matter?” Luke asked, clearly also noticing her reaction.

Ava shook her head. Standing, she rose from the dining table and ran to the window.

Christian’s heart sank to his stomach as he realized what was happening. It all happened so quickly. Ava stuck her head through the window, and he heard heaving sounds within a matter of seconds.

When Ava pulled her head back from the window, her face looked drawn and almost a bit green. Christian rose to his feet.

“You were sick,” he said flatly, making the inquiry into a statement, rather than a question. Ava nodded. Christian felt his jaw clench. “I’m calling a doctor,” he said.