Page 66 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
“Well, they concern the Marquess of Pemberton. How did you come to meet him and speak with him?”
She quirked an eyebrow in surprise. “Well, he came up to me and apologized for speaking to me without being introduced. Then he told me he had newly arrived from the continent, and everyone looked strange, but I had a friendly face, so would I take pity on him?”
Edward could veritably see the stars in her eyes.
“And what did you say?”
“I said I would be glad to keep him company, and he kept talking to me, and we danced…” Her eyes shone with remembered enjoyment.
“What did he talk to you about?”
“Just…” she shrugged, “stories about his adventures. He asked after my family, who they were and such.”
“And you told him?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm, did he seem very interested in your family?”
She frowned. “Not particularly. Why?”
He shook his head. “Well, Ava told me of her misgivings, so I wanted to know more about this man.”
She smiled bashfully, her cheeks reddening. “I see. That is kind of you.”
“Not at all. You are my sister. It is my duty to look out for you. Now, where exactly does the Marquess’ aunt live?”
Margaret hastened to explain, and Edward thanked her before standing up to leave. As he made his way to his study, he pondered on whether he should call on the Marquess right away. He wanted the element of surprise so as to catch the man wrong-footed.
Making up his mind, he nodded with determination and changed direction. After retrieving his coat from the coat room, he made his way to the front door.
“Where are you going?”
He turned to see Ava standing in the corridor, hands on hips, glaring at him. He gave her a serious look. “I am going to see the Marquess.”
“Alone?” she asked in disbelief.
“Of course. I might be able to compel him to speak on my own, but I doubt very much he would do it in front of an audience.”
She wrapped her shawl tighter around herself. “I am coming with you,” she stated.
He opened his mouth to protest, but she narrowed her eyes at him, and he closed it again. He recognized a losing battle when he saw one. With an inclination of his head, he offered Ava his arm.
She took it with a sigh of relief and a grin. “Besides, having the pretext of just being neighborly will work better with both of us,” she said.
“Sure,” he replied noncommittally. He could only hope that the man would not resort to violence.
“Also, I know you will be more careful with me around,” she continued.
He stopped and turned to face her. They were about halfway down the driveway. “Ava this is no joke. We do not know who this man is or what he is really capable of.”
“Exactly. And that is why I am going with you.”
He gave her a look. “This will be dangerous.”
“Yes. And even though you promised me that you would not put yourself in danger, you are still going.”
“This man came to us! He used your sister to garner information. Heaven only knows what he wants. We know he is somehow connected to my brother, and you want me to just… what? Ignore him?”
