Page 1 of Claimed By the Beastly Duke

CHAPTER 1

“Have you seen Stella?” Ava asked Lady Florence, one of her younger sister’s friends, who had also debuted.

She was not quite sure that the girl had heard her over the din of the ball.

Lady Florence stared at her in confusion for a moment.

Ava was about to repeat the question when the girl finally shook her head. The next moment, she turned around to continue conversing with a gentleman who seemed to be positively enthralled by her.

Ava sighed in frustration. Chaperoning a debutante was an arduous task, even more so when the debutante was her troublemaker of a sister, Stella.

“Ava, you seem worried,” a familiar voice said, before she felt a hand on her shoulder.

Ava whirled around instantly. She could not help the smile on her face as she spotted her sister, Eveline, arm in arm with her husband, William Bolton, the Duke of Mayfield.

“Your Grace, dearest Eveline,” she greeted.

Eveline beamed at her. “I take it that Stella has not made your task easy?” she asked, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Ava shook her head in exhaustion. “I promise you, that is an understatement. I simply have no idea where she has run off to.”

“I would have loved to judge her,” Eveline said, looking up adoringly at her husband. “However, that would only make me a hypocrite. After all, I would not have met my husband if I had not sneaked out of a certain ball.”

The Duke took her hands in his own as he stared at her with love in his eyes. “And every day, I thank my stars that you sneaked out of that ball.”

Ava could not help but feel happy for her sister. Only two Seasons ago, Eveline had met the Duke, and now they were happily married with children. She could only wish Stella the same happy ending.

“I hope that is not what Stella is doing. I still had some trust in you, and even then, your actions almost resulted in a scandal. Knowing just how much of a rebel Stella is, I know she is doing something rather foolish.”

“I am certain Stella would not do anything scandalous,” Eveline reassured her.

However, that did not assuage Ava’s fears.

“You only say that because you have not been around Stella this Season,” Ava snorted. “She has been acting rather oddly ever since she debuted.”

“How so?” Eveline asked.

“For about two months since she debuted, she would disappear for a long while, and sometimes I would find her in the garden or on some balcony alone,” Ava admitted. “That is quite unsafe, and it is unlike Stella.”

Eveline furrowed her brow. “I suppose if you told me that Stella was causing trouble with her friends at every ball, I would not see a cause for concern. However, quietly disappearing is quite the opposite of who she is.”

“I am glad you see reason with me,” Ava said. “I am certain she is up to no good. Stella shall be the end of me.”

Eveline moved closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Do not conclude so soon that Stella is up to no good. She might simply be overwhelmed by the noise and the activities and the crowd.”

Ava shook her head. “That is not the case. Stella is up to something, and I know it is no good.”

“Even if that is true, you have to stop worrying so much,” Eveline persisted.

“How could I stop worrying when I do not know my sister’s whereabouts?”

“You worried about me, too, and it all turned out fine,” Eveline pointed out.

“But you are not Stella. You were reserved, but Stella is simply a wild, adventurous girl.”

“You must stop worrying still. There is only a little you can do to make her stop this.”

Ava sighed. Eveline did not quite understand her. No one ever did.

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