Page 62 of Claimed By the Beastly Duke

Flashes of the previous night had kept her awake. How amazing it had felt when she finally kissed him. How she had melted into him. And how much pleasure she had experienced when he had finally dropped to his knees. It had simply been explosive.

She pulled the door to his chamber open, prepared to greet him with a smile, only to be met with an empty bed. She felt a pang of disappointment.

Shouldn’t he still be in bed?

She had been hoping they might continue where they had left off at the masquerade ball—while keeping his injured hand out of the way, of course.

His injured hand was far from healed. Why, then, was he up so early?

Or perhaps I am the one who had woken up so late.

She was on her way to the breakfast room when she heard loud laughter.

Edwin must have guests.

Ava could already guess who they were. Her husband only had three close friends, and the loud laughter told her that they must be in his study.

Therefore, she made a detour to the study. By then, she could already hear their loud voices.

“Gentlemen!” she boomed as she entered.

They scrambled to their feet to greet her.

Magnus was the first to approach her. “It is lovely to meet you again, Duchess,” he said, before planting a chaste kiss on her hand.

Ava was familiar with her husband’s friends. After all, William was married to her sister, and they had attended several gatherings together.

“It is lovely to meet you, too, Duke,” she returned.

“Duchess!” Theo greeted as he rushed forward. “I must say, I am rather cross that you and your husband did not invite me to your wedding. I understand why you would not want to invite Blackmore. He is no fun and a spoilsport, after all. But me? Everybody knows I am a jolly fellow. You can ask the Duchess of Mayfield.”

Ava chuckled. “I apologize. The wedding had happened rather fast; we simply did not have time to send out proper invitations.”

“Oh, leave poor Ava be,” William chided as he gently shouldered Theo out of the way.

“Duke.” Ava smiled at her brother-in-law. “I suppose Eveline and Henry are well.”

William nodded effusively. “And the little man says hello to his favorite aunt.”

Ava laughed. “Eveline must bring him around soon. I have missed seeing his angelic face.”

“I still cannot believe Gillingham is married,” Magnus blurted, shaking his head in disbelief.

“Why?” Theo asked. “I reckon you will be the next to marry, what with your obsession with propriety.”

William cleared his throat as though warning the two men to behave.

“Do you know what would be lovely?” he interjected. “If you both had a son. Then, he and Henry shall grow up together and be like brothers.”

“And you can name him Harry,” Theo chipped in. “Henry and Harry. They would be just like twins.”

Ava felt rather uncomfortable as they continued prattling on about her having a child. However, she managed a grin.

“Harry is far too common a name for an heir,” Magnus remarked, shaking his head. “Besides, do you not think that Edwin and his Duchess are the best people to choose the name of their child?”

William nodded. “Thank you, Magnus.”

“Do you truly have no sense of humor?” Theo scoffed rather dramatically.

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