Page 43 of Claimed By the Beastly Duke

Finally, after hours at the shop, they bade the modiste farewell and left.

“Now, I absolutely cannot wait for you to dazzle everyone at the masquerade ball.” Lily clapped her hands together as the carriage lurched forward.

Ava smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm.

“At first, they will wonder who the lady in the most elegant dress is,” Lily continued. “After all, it is a masquerade ball, so they may not recognize you.”

Ava nodded. “Indeed, every lady would be gaping at me,” she said drily.

Lily chuckled. “When they finally recognize you, they will be green with envy,” she declared. “You shalldazzle. Even the Duke will be unable to keep his eyes—and perhaps his hands—off you.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “I suppose it is good, then, that I’m not interested in having his hands on me.”

Lily snorted. “We shall see.”

They finally arrived at the estate.

Ava alighted from the carriage eagerly and beckoned to her friend. “Come now, Lily. You must see the water garden.”

“You are so eager—if this water garden of yours does not look like the Garden of Eden, I will be cross,” Lily joked.

Ava laughed as she stepped onto the path that led to the water garden. “Dear Lily, my water garden may not rival the Garden of Eden, but I assure you that it shall be the most peaceful part of the estate.”

“Then I simply cannot wait to see it,” Lily said, just as they came upon wooden crates.

“I must warn you, though,” Ava added, “it is still under construction. Therefore, it may not look like much.”

The smell of mud and earth hit her nose, and she sighed deeply.

Four laborers were hard at work, their backs bent and sweating under the sun. One of them stopped to wipe his brow with the back of his dirt-streaked hand, and that was when he saw her.

“Your Grace!”

The others paused to greet her, and she waved cheerily back at them.

The pond had been deepened and the water refreshed so that it was no longer muddy but clear as crystal. The edges were now lined with evenly cut stone, and the flowers around the banks had already begun to bloom.

The statue would be next, and she had been informed earlier in the day that the bench was aboard the ship to London.

It was only a matter of time before she finally got her dream water garden.

“It is absolutely beautiful,” Lily breathed beside her.

Ava turned and was pleased to see her friend look so impressed.

“I am glad you love it.” She smiled.

“How could I not? You have managed to turn something so ordinary into a safe haven,” Lily said.

“I can already imagine the lilies in the water. That would be absolutely lovely. And then I shall have them hang lanterns on the tree so that it will look ethereal at night. Like a scene right out of a fairytale,” Ava murmured.

“That is quite dreamy and lovely. I am certain the Duke would not mind being seduced—or rather, seducingyou—under the tree,” Lily drawled.

Ava swatted her arm playfully. “No seduction shall be happening,” she asserted.

“Are you quite certain?” Lily asked, a mischievous smile on her face. “Because if I did not know any better, I would think you are building a romantic hideout for you and your husband.”

“There shall not be anything romantic here,” Ava insisted. “However, if my husband were to slip and fall into the pond, then I shall enjoy the sight.”

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