Page 78 of The Duke's Second Bride
Her gaze drifted unconsciously toward Christian, who was still watching Luke across the lawn. Their eyes met, and he smiled and waved. Ava returned it, her heart lifting.
Did he dream, as she did, of a child of their own someday?
“She’s so adorable,” Edith exclaimed, gently taking the baby’s hand as Iris allowed a tiny peek at her.
The little girl gurgled happily, clasping Edith’s fingers for a brief moment, eliciting delighted laughter from everyone.
Ava smiled, letting herself take a slow, steadying breath. “I think I should take a walk about the grounds,” she said, standing gracefully and inclining her head to both ladies. “I might enjoy a little more lemonade. Would either of you care for some as well?”
Both women shook their heads politely. “You needn’t fetch it yourself,” Edith said kindly. “I can have it brought to you.”
“I would enjoy a quiet stroll through the gardens,” Ava said, inclining her head to the ladies once more.
“Then enjoy the walk, Ava,” Edith said warmly. Years of friendship had taught her when her friend needed a moment to herself.
“Then I shall see you both shortly,” Ava replied before moving across the lawn, her skirts brushing the grass as she began her solitary walk.
The mixture of heaviness and lightness in her chest was a wonder to behold. Why was it that she was grieving the absence of a child she didn’t yet have? Why was she assuming that things wouldn’t turn out for the better?
She arrived at the refreshment table and poured three glasses.
“It is good to see you looking so well, my dear,” the Dowager Duchess of Richmond said, approaching her. “Are you enjoying yourself?”
Ava curtsied to the dowager duchess. “Very much so,” she replied. “And you, Your Grace?”
The dowager duchess nodded. “Indeed,” she said. “Lady Nealton has never once hosted an occasion that was not to my liking. She has very excellent taste in decor and in charity works. And in acquaintances, as well,” she said, with a knowing glance towards Ava. “Though you and I did not know each other well before your engagement to Christian, I was pleased to hear of it.”
“Thank you,” Ava said, surprised and touched. “I am glad to hear you say that.”
“Yes. I trust Lady Nealton’s taste implicitly,” the dowager duchess continued. “Though I do wonder if she wouldn’t be happier to not be all alone in that big house of hers.”
Ava bit back a laugh. It was as though the dowager duchess had somehow telepathically intuited what Edith said barely an hour earlier.
“Perhaps,” she said. “I am certain your friend trusts your taste as much as you do hers. If you have any suitable gentlemen in mind, I am certain she would be open to suggestions.”
The old lady shrugged. “Ah, well. Difficult to find a man worthy of such a fine young lady, hm? Even the best of men these days often require a good bit of patience. You have to wait for them to grow. It requires a special touch not everybody has.” She tilted her head at Ava, then turned to look across the field. “You do.”
Ava followed the older woman’s gaze to where Christian and Luke were, now playing a game of horseshoes. “You are too kind, Duchess.”
“I am merely honest about what I see,” the lady said, in a very no-nonsense tone. “Christian has always been a good lad, but he is very … locked up, sometimes, with his emotions. And Isabel’s death, may God rest her soul, certainly didn’t help. But you have been a great tonic for him, my dear. You seem to have inspired him to become a better version of himself.”
“I feel as though he does the same for me,” Ava said honestly.
It was true—around everyone else, besides maybe Edith, she had always felt shy, out of place, and unable to speak her mind.
But from the moment she had met Christian, even when they were at odds with each other, she had always felt comfortable telling him her true opinions on just about anything.
“I am glad to hear that, too,” the dowager duchess said. She raised her cane towards Ava, as if in salute. “Now. If you don’t mind, I have several outstanding wagers at this party to win.”
Ava chuckled as she watched the old woman walk away.
I hope I can be like her one day, she thought.
Carefully balancing the three cups of lemonade in her two hands, she began to cross back across the garden towards where Edithand Iris sat, still chatting. Iris had the baby once more, who seemed to be fast asleep in her arms.
The sun had been out all day, but Ava hadn’t quite felt it until now. She felt a sudden rush of heat, accompanied by a wave of unexpected nausea. It came on so quickly and so strongly that she stumbled, nearly spilling the lemonade.
She bumped into the Duke of Carridan, playing with his children.
