Page 4 of The Duke's Second Bride
Ava felt the heat rise to her cheeks. But she bit her tongue against a retort. It certainly wouldn’t help her reputation to be heard trading insults at the hot balloon fair.
Edith, luckily, held no such reservations. “I imagine it may be lonely for those without other interests to occupy their time. You might offer some tips, Lady Reginald; your husband is certainly out of the house often enough. How is it you manage the loneliness?”
As Lady Reginald’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head, Lady Southington tried to regain control of the conversation.
“It is quite generous of the new Lord Dunfair to keep you in the townhouse as well as the countryside,” Lady Southington said, her sweet smile poorly covering up the viscousness of her tone.
“Keep? What an odd choice of words,” Edith remarked. “You may consider yourself a kept woman, Lady Southington, but I’d hardly use the term to describe Ava. For starters, she’s a lady,not a pony. And secondly, the estates are hers to manage. She isn’t renting the place, as I know your family has done for years.”
Edith had always been witty. She also had a reputation for being lighthearted with her jests—a reputation which protected her in the instances she wasn’t. Ava thanked her lucky stars every day that Edith had seen fit to befriend her, and for the fact that she had somehow managed to remain on the petite, fiery brunette’s good side.
Lady Southington sputtered for a few moments, but ultimately decided to hold her tongue.
Gripping her parasol more tightly, she gave a polite nod to them both. “So delightful to see you,” she repeated, though her voice suggested she felt anything but.
The other ladies in her gaggle echoed the sentiment in similarly frosty tones.
Ava merely smiled tightly, returning the nod without adding a verbal reply. Even if she knew she could come up with a scathing retort to any of the ton’s insults, she knew it was better and cleaner in the long run to simply hold her tongue.
“Really, don’t listen to a word they say, Ava,” Edith murmured once the other ladies were a safe distance away.
“I don’t. Truly,” Ava reassured her.
Next, they passed a group of gentlemen, including none other than Brandon Warren.
Ava would have gladly ignored this new group, if only to avoid Brandon’s gaze. However, that would be impossible, since he was not only her brother-in-law but the newest Earl of Dunfair, after William’s unfortunate demise. It was due to Brandon’s generosity that she still had her small estates in the town and the country, and enough of an allowance to live on.
Though perhaps ‘generosity’ wasn’t the right word.
“Ladies.” He tipped his hat, and the rest of the gentlemen followed suit. “Such a pleasure to see you both.” His eyes skimmed over Edith before settling firmly on Ava. She fixed a polite smile to her face, refusing to react to the way his gaze raked over her body. “You know, my dear Ava, it has been so long since we have had a proper chat. How are you faring with your new living situation?”
“Quite well, thank you, my lord.”
“You know it is, of course, my responsibility to look after you in my elder brother William’s stead. If I know anything about my brother, God rest his soul, it is that he would want his bride well taken care of.”
“You have been most kind to me, my lord,” she said. Ava had never liked the comments Brandon made to her since they met, which had always seemed flirtatious, bordering on inappropriate, even when she was married.
He had only gotten worse since the death of her husband.
“Yes, well. Perhaps we should have a chat to check in. You must indulge me. It has been too long since I’ve had the pleasure of your company. Join me for tea this Thursday, and we can go over some figures.”
“Thursday—oh, Ava, weren’t we having tea this Thursday? I must apologize, Lord Dunfair. Though you are, of course, welcome to join us. It would be a great blessing to my household to have you set foot under my roof,” Edith said smoothly, squeezing Ava’s arm. Ava squeezed back in gratitude.
Brandon’s smile tightened. “Far be it from me to interrupt the plans of two ladies. I imagine widowhood must be so very lonely. I am glad to see you have found some company with which to pass the painful hours, Ava. We will find some other time to converse. Know that I am always here if you are in need of guidance from a more masculine hand. I certainly hope I have been generous enough in my provisions for you after my brother’s death. I would hate to see a lady such as yourself without a place to go.”
Ava fought back a shudder. “Thank you, my lord. As I said, your generosity is much appreciated.” She forced sweetness into her expression and her voice as she continued, “I could not have asked for a better brother.”
Brandon’s face soured further. “Quite,” he said tightly.
“You know, Ava,” Edith said, cutting in before Brandon could say anything further, “you promised my mother you would speak to her this afternoon about her gardening, didn’t you? I see her just over there. We really ought to catch her before she tires of the festivities and heads home. A pleasure to see you, my lord.”
With a quick curtsy to Brandon, she all but dragged Ava off in the opposite direction.
Once they were out of earshot, Edith leaned back in. “I really don’t know why you put up with him,” she whispered. “It is positively vile, some of the things he says to you. And so brazenly! In public, and in broad daylight, no less!”
“If you don’t know why I put up with him, you must have missed the news for the past year or so,” Ava said dryly. “Did I neglect to tell you of my husband’s passing? It happened right around the same time as yours, as I recall.”
Edith waved a hand. “Yes, you recall correctly, which means I am in the same position as you, which makes me uniquely qualified to express confusion at your decision to let that man speak to you that way.”
