Page 34 of Claimed By the Beastly Duke

The moment Eveline took the little boy in her arms, he stopped fussing.

Ava’s heart swelled at the sight. It was quite a marvel.

“He might look adorable now. However, if you have him around every second of the day, you will certainly grow tired,” Eveline said.

“I simply cannot wait for Ava to have a baby,” Stella crooned. “Do you want to have a boy or a girl, Ava?”

Ava laughed, but she could not ignore the flicker of discomfort as the conversation veered in an unwelcome direction.

“I would suppose a girl,” Eveline answered for her. “We need a baby girl in the family.”

“No. Ava must have a boy,” Stella responded. “We are all three girls. We need all the baby boys we can get.”

“What do you think, Ava?” Eveline asked, tapping her sister on the arm.

Ava sighed. “I suppose it would be none of them.”

Eveline’s eyes widened in shock, while Stella chuckled.

“Why? Are you scared that you may not be able to carry a child?” Eveline asked, concern etched on her face.

“Ava is simply jesting. How can you not see it?” Stella scoffed.

Ava shook her head. “I am not jesting. I simply do not want to have a child,” she admitted.

“Does the Duke know?”

“How could you possibly not want to have a child?”

Ava was overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. However, she understood her sisters’ surprise.

She had never told them this. If she was being honest, she had never given it a thought, as she had not received marriage offers since her debut. That was until she married the Duke of Gillingham.

“I do not want to have a child because I do not want to, yet again, dedicate my life to taking care of someone else,” Ava replied.

Eveline and Stella shared a knowing look.

“It is because of us, isn’t it?” Stella asked.

“Not quite.” Ava shook her head. “I would say it is because of Father.”

“He thrust the responsibilities of a parent—two parents, in fact—on you at such a young age,” Eveline said.

She had a sad look on her face, and Ava could tell that her sister’s heart was breaking for her.

“Indeed, he did. All I have known my entire life is taking care of others. I have never known how to live for myself. This is why I shall spend the rest of my life taking care of myself,” Ava said.

Stella nodded. “I certainly understand your reason, and I support you.”

Ava felt her heart swell with joy. She reached over to her sister and squeezed her hand.

“It is not that I do not have the desire,” she continued. “In fact, today, I saw a toy in a vacant chamber, and I was overcome with emotions. However, I know that it is for the best that I do not dedicate the rest of my life to taking care of another person.”

“What does the Duke think?” Stella asked.

Ava shrugged. “He finds my decision… funny. He has made it clear that he will seduce me until I share his bed.”

“You do not share his bed?” Eveline gasped.

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