Page 27 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
He pretended to peer closely at them, examining Ava’s handiwork with admiration. The wings were made of satin and shaped with whalebone then gaily painted in greens and blues to resemble butterfly wings. He straightened up, flicking an impressed glance at Ava before nodding solemnly to Lily. “I see. They are still quite lovely as are you.”
Lily turned back around, beaming at him. She took hold of his hand, looking up into his face with no sign of distress. “Mama is clever with clothes.”
“Is she? Well, then aren’t you lucky to have her as your mother?”
“Yes! I am. And now you are my papa!” she seemed excited by the fact. Edward kept waiting for her to react to his face, but she seemed to have taken his looks in stride. The urge to correct her was strong, but he refrained. He was, after all, her de jure father.
To his relief, Notley took the opportunity to announce dinner, and with his hand in Lily’s, Ava and his aunt following behind, they adjourned to the dining room.
Lily was a gregarious child, and Edward found himself relaxing as she put herself out to entertain him with endless stories about the most mundane things.
“Have you seen how the petals on the daffodils have been blown off by the wind?” she asked him with wide earnest eyes.
He smiled indulgently, “Unfortunately, I haven’t. Are there any left?”
Lily frowned worriedly. “They’re not all gone yet, but what if the wind is so strong it takes all the petals?”
“I don’t think that’s possible, but I shall look into it and report back to you soon. Is that all right?”
She beamed at him as if he’d made the sun rise. “Yes, thank you, Papa.”
He felt a lump in his throat and swallowed it. “You are very welcome my dear.”
He could feel Ava’s eyes on her as he conversed with her daughter. He dared not look in her direction. Lily was not the only one looking quite lovely tonight.
Ava was wearing a light pink gown as well, probably to match her daughter. The gown was figure-hugging with tight sleeves that flared just below the elbow but were slit so as to reveal her delicate wrists.
Her breasts were looking particularly irresistible, gently supported by the solid silk of her gown. He had to keep reminding himself not to stare. He could see his aunt out of the corner of his eye, a smug smile on her face, acting as if she was oblivious.
In retrospect, he was grateful for Lily’s endless chatter. It covered a multitude of sins.
“Lily dear, you have barely eaten. You have been talking so much,” Ava pointed out with a nervous smile.
“Oh, let her speak. It is you who said that that is what children do,” his aunt replied, prompting both Ava and Edward to stare ather in surprise. She looked at them both challengingly. “What is it?”
“I thought her gregariousness irritated you,” Ava said baldly.
“No such thing,” his aunt denied placidly. Edward blinked at her, quite impressed at her cheek. He supposed that whatever tests she had set for Ava and Lily, they had passed.
“I don’t mind her stories. They are quite interesting,” Edward said stoutly before smiling at Lily, who grinned back. She did take a large bite of her roast turkey as if to show her mother that she was eating. Edward could not help but laugh.
He felt a tremendous amount of relief that their meeting was going so well.
Ava took Lily to bed after a long evening, marveling at the completely new side of Edward she had seen. He had evenlaughed. She was quite impressed with Lily for making him do that.
“Mama, I like your new husband. He is kind.”
Ava looked down at Lily at a loss for words. That is not how she would have chosen to describe Edward, but she supposed her relationship with him was rather different from the one he had initiated with Lily. If she was being honest with herself, hiscamaraderie with her daughter had made her see him in a new light.
She had liked him before, but now, she was most definitely drawn to his charisma as he’d displayed it with her daughter. Of course, just the fact that he had made an effort with Lily would have made him more appealing, but his genuine connection with her was not something that Ava had been expecting.
I am in deep trouble.She sighed, shaking her head before turning her attention back to Lily.
Chapter Twelve
When Ava went to wake her daughter the next morning, she found the schoolroom empty and her governess curled on the comfortable sofa, reading. She straightened up quite quickly as soon as Ava entered the room and smiled. Ava looked around. “Where’s Lily?”
“Oh, well, His Grace came and got her, and I believe they went for a walk.”
