Page 56 of A Virgin for the Ruthless Duke

“Perhaps,” Eli relented, shrugging his shoulders. “But you might arrive at the same conclusion if you consider some things. You feel jealous when you see her in a man’s arms. You want to beat him up, even against your better judgment. You always want to protect her and keep her safe from harm. If you had your way, she would always be by your side, where you can guarantee her safety. If your answers to these questions are in the affirmative, then I am afraid that you are in love with the lady. Irrevocably, I might add,” he said, patting Richard on the shoulder before leaning against the wall of the balcony and folding his arms as he waited for him to realize this new truth.

“If I am in love with her,” Richard said in a resigned tone after a long pause, “I think the best course of action will be to let her go.”

To say that Eli was astonished would have been an understatement. He stared at Richard for some time, his mouth hanging slightly open in his surprise.

“Please do close your mouth, Eli,” Richard said dryly, turning to stare off into the darkness beyond the balcony.

“I am almost afraid to ask how you came to that conclusion. Perhaps it is the drink. Are you deep in your cups?”

“I am perfectly sober, Eli. I do not speak under the influence of whiskey. You know me. I am hardly the type to overindulge.”

It was a long time ago when he had thrown himself headlong into a life of hedonism. But since he returned to England, hehad led a life of discipline and kept away from overindulgence in spirits.

“No, you are not. Perhaps you might have to explain why your reaction to finding out that you are in love is to run, when it is something that many people struggle to find. Hell, the lady in question wants a love match. Why can’t you marry her when it is so obvious that you are both in love with each other? Why are you making the whole thing more complicated?”

“Because I want to protect her from the disaster that would come from her marrying me,” Richard spat. When the puzzled look on Eli’s face did not go away, he continued, “Love matches are doomed. I will protect her from that.”

“Love matches are not doomed,” Eli said softly, coming to stand nearer to him. “You just think that your parents’ marriage was doomed.”

“Eli, don’t…” Richard warned.

“Sorry, my friend, but we have to speak about this. I am tired of watching you and Lady Selina suffer simply because you decided to use your parents’ marriage as a yardstick for all love matches. Your parents were not a love match.”

That last statement earned Eli a sharp glance from Richard.

Richard was gearing up to counter it but stopped when Eli placed a hand on his shoulder. “Please let me finish.”

With a nod of assent from his friend, Eli continued.

“They are simply two people who did not understand what love means, and when they realized that what they had was not love, they set fire to their home with no thought to your well-being. They were two incompetent people who should never have been allowed to procreate.

“This was why I used to be skeptical about matrimony. Helen saved me from ruining my only chance at happiness and I am glad to have taken that bold step with her and I am all the better for it. I know that such a union is rare, especially in the cynical society that we are part of. That is why I would be very vexed with you if you throw away what you have with Lady Selina simply because of your parents’ mistake. Consider her brother’s marriage also. There are far too many good examples for you to hurt both of you in this manner. You are not your parents. You have much more knowledge than they had at that age. The least you could do is apply it.”

“Perhaps you are right, Eli,” Richard said after a long pause. His tone turned reflective.

“My parents might not have been a love match, but they had passion between them. It was that passion that fueled their shouting matches. I have seen what an excess of emotion can cause—the damage, the chaos. The feelings I have for Selina are dangerous, uncontrollable even. They scare me sometimes.”

“Trust me, Seymour, you are nothing like your parents. You and Lady Selina would do well together. Sometimes in life, you haveto take risks, and trust me when I say that this one would be worthwhile.”

CHAPTER 19

“You look positively radiant, dear sister,” Diana complimented as Selina added a final pin to her hair.

Selina couldn’t help but agree as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing the burnt orange dress—a favorite among her new commissions. She had been saving the dress for the final ball, but needing to recover from how soundly the Duke had shattered her heart yet again, she needed some armor that would guarantee she stood proudly in the hall.

Then again, she had worn it while hoping that he would see her and regret his actions.

The dress gave a creamy glow to her skin and brought out the golden highlights in her hair. Even her green eyes sparkled like jewels. She frowned, remembering that he had complimented her eyes once.

She squared her shoulders and put on the gloves that he had bought for her, reminding herself not to waste a single minute of her night thinking about him.

“Thank you, Sister.” She smiled, rising from the bench. “You look marvelous as well. Your beau is going to have a hard time keeping his eyes off you.”

She smiled as her sister blushed and dipped her head with an undeniably guilty smile.

“You exaggerate, Selina,” Diana retorted.

“I do not,” Selina rebuffed with a raised eyebrow and a wink. “Do not think that your long absences have gone unnoticed.”

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