Page 35 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
He jerked in startlement and looked back up into her eyes.
“Tell me.”
“I was just thinking about my former fiancée and how much I do not miss her,” he blurted and then flushed with embarrassment. He shook his head inwardly, wondering what sorcery Ava was using on him. He had never felt so out of control in his life.
He took a deep breath, looked up, and met her eyes. She had a fork halfway to her mouth, seemingly frozen mid-action. “I beg your pardon?”
He pursed his lips and shook his head. “I… well, you look lovely tonight—well, every day but especially tonight—and I was just in awe of the fact that you are my wife. And grateful for it. When Ireceived my injury two years ago, I was engaged to be married. I fancied myself in love.”
“What happened?”
He shrugged, indicating his face. “She called me a monster and chased me out of her home.”
Ava made a sympathetic sound. “That is… terrible.”
“It was at the time… but I was just marveling how far away it all seems now.”
She gave him an uncertain look. “Oh? And why is that?”
“Well…” he smiled wryly, “you and Lily can be all-consuming.”
“Not in a bad way, I hope.”
“Absolutely not.” He shook his head emphatically. “In a very surprising and pleasant way.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
Their gazes met and held as the tension ratcheted up in the room. Ava put her fork down and put her hands in her lap. She blinked at him, slowly, lashes sinking to cover her eyes before lifting halfway, so she could stare at him from beneath them.“Does this mean you are reconsidering having a marriage in name only?”
Edward felt a lump in his throat.
Happiness or fear?
Abruptly he got to his feet, feeling as if he could not breathe. “I have… if you will excuse me, there is an urgent errand I need to run.” Even as he bolted from the room, he knew he was simply running away from making a decision.
Even as he called himself a coward, he still marched to his office then closed and locked the door behind him. His eyes fell on his desk where there were several unopened letters. With relief, he grabbed the first one, sat down at his desk, and tore it open.
Ava could feel her heart sinking as she watched Edward run away from her. She had been so sure that their intentions were aligned. She’d hoped that at the end of the night, he’d invite her to his bed. Instead, he’d run away.
She shot to her feet with a sob and hurried away to her room, feeling rejected and humiliated. Diana shot to her feet as she entered, her face expectant. One look at the tear tracks on her cheeks gave the lady’s maid all the answers she sought. Her face fell. “Oh Ma’am…” she said sadly.
Ava could not help herself. She ran toward Diana and buried her head in the lady’s maid’s shoulders, sobbing her heart out. “Why doesn’t he want me?”
Diana patted her on the back. “Hush, Ma’am.Of course, he wants you. I have seen how he looks at you, his eyes filled with admiration and desire. I think he’s just scared.”
Ava gasped, lifting her head from Diana’s shoulder. “Happiness or fear,” she murmured.
“What?” Diana’s brow furrowed in puzzlement.
“The fortune teller. She said we were at a crossroads and had to choose between happiness or fear.” Her mouth turned down. “Did he choose fear?”
“If he did, then you will have to show him he made the wrong choice.”
Ava sniffed, wiping her nose with her hand. “You are right.” She nodded. “This is not the time to give up.”
Diana smiled. “That’s the spirit.”
The letters were from his private investigator who had been tailing several people mentioned by Marcus, trying to findconnections between them. Edward had been interested to note that one of the names on the list was Lord Aaron Fenton.
