Page 89 of A Bride for the Beastly Duke
“I did care, but not enough to make you do something you did not want to do. I felt ever so guilty for so long. That’s why I begged Mama and Papa to visit you at Barrington Castle. I had this strange notion that I might kidnap you and Lily and spirit you away somewhere if you were miserable. I was so happy to be wrong… eventually.”
Ava huffed a laugh. “Yes, Edward and I have been through some ups and downs.” She smiled fondly. “It is the way of marriage. You will find out for yourself after today.”
Margaret jumped a little in her seat. “I cannot wait.”
“Anyway, to go back to my original point, isn’t it ironic that you are marrying Lady Lucy’s cousin after all her bullying of you?”
Margaret gave a dismissive snort. “She’s a silly girl. When I came back from Barrington and rejoined the season, the fire and Lord Fenton’s suicide was all anybody could talk about. So, she really made an effort to be my friend since I had a first-hand account. She even invited me to tea and that is where I met dear Matthew.”
Ava shrugged one shoulder. “As long as everything turned out for the best, I suppose. But if my glass of wine should tip over and stain her gown, I will not be held accountable.”
Margaret threw back her head and laughed. “Oh Ava, you do hold a grudge. I love it.”
“I hold it so that you don’t have to.”
Still smiling, Margaret shook her head. “You are incorrigible. Now come and help me with my hair, or we will be very late to my own wedding!”
Ava glanced towards the bassinet where her three-month-old twins were fast asleep. Living in the country, she saw no need for a wet nurse, but that meant she had to be close when they awoke so as to feed them.
“Why don’t you retain someone, just for the duration of this trip to town, eh?” Edward had cajoled.
But she was loath to relinquish the connection she felt when she fed them, taxing as it was. The boys had large appetites, and she’d almost given in a time or two to temptation. At themoment, their chests rose and fell gently, and they were peaceful in sleep. They were almost like different people while they slumbered.
Devils while they’re awake, angels when they sleep,she thought ruefully.
Edward was a huge help with them, and they certainly had nannies to help. Lily never seemed to tire of playing with them even at their most troublesome. She understood them in a very instinctive way that Ava envied.
She got to her feet and went to help her sister with her hair. The hairdresser was expected momentarily—she’d gone off to attend to their mother. Ava ran her hands through Margaret’s luxuriant brunette curls, so similar to her own.
“We got very lucky with our chosen husbands, did we not?” she said with a smile.
Margaret beamed at her in the looking glass. “Oh, I do hope so. I hope Matthew is as good a husband to me as Edward is to you.”
“He’d better be or else.” Ava gave her a warning glance.
Margaret giggled. “You’ve always been my knight in shining armor.”
Ava tugged her hair slightly, “Of course, I am. What else are big sisters for?”
Edward was sure the bride was lovely, but the only person he had eyes for was her bridesmaid, who stood up beside her, making sure everything went perfectly for her sister.
He and Lily exchanged giddy glances as they watched her. It truly was a lovely ceremony and brought back memories of his own. He had been so terrified then, of rejection, of the future, and of everything, that he was sure he glared at everyone and scared them to death with his scarred demeanor.
He touched his scar, his damaged eye, and shook his head. He barely thought about them anymore. Every now and then, he’d catch a glimpse of himself and be startled by the disfigurement once again but living in the country with a family that only saw his heart, he was able to come to terms with his scars and accept them for what they were.
A symbol of his survival.
He hoped that his brother would be proud of the legacy he was making for both of their sakes.
Before he knew it, the ceremony was over, and they were making their way to Mayfair where Lord Jaxton had laid out a lavish wedding breakfast for the guests. When Edward arrived, he went upstairs immediately with Lily to check on the twins because he knew Ava would be occupied.
He found the nannies sitting on the rocking chairs, knitting while the twins slept. “Oh, I thought they would have woken by now,” he said.
“They did,” one of the nannies replied. “Happily, Her Grace had fed them before she left, so they just needed to be changed and rocked back to sleep.”
Edward nodded. “Good, good. I’m sure Ava will be by soon to see them. We’re off to the wedding breakfast.”
“Papa, can I stay here with William and Jonathan?”
