Page 79 of A Virgin for the Ruthless Duke

CHAPTER 28

“You look absolutely ravishing in that dress. I must say that green is your color!” Diana exclaimed as she watched the modiste drape lace over her sister’s body.

In order to make dresses and other pieces of clothing that would make up her wedding trousseau, Selina had been standing on the platform for the better part of the day, being prodded with pins as the modiste worked to get her measurements for the dresses, including her wedding gown.

“Trust me,mademoiselle,” the modiste said in her thick French accent. “I will make sure to make the most beautiful wedding dress, never seen in England. I will make sure they watch you in awe. Trust me, your man will devour you when he sees you in thatlingerie.”

Selina blushed when she remembered the samples the modiste had shown her for what was to be her night rail as a married woman. They were provocative, tiny scraps of lace that left littleto the imagination, even though she would deny it if anyone suggested it.

She accepted in her heart that she did want to see how Richard would react when he saw her in one of those provocative garments. Would he be overcome with desire for her and ravish her hungrily, or would he stalk her across the room, pleasuring her slowly until she lost her mind? Her vivid imagination was raising her body temperature, and she shivered with arousal.

“Are you cold, Selina?” Diana asked.

Selina’s blush only deepened because she knew that her thoughts were far from innocent. With every day she saw Richard, she grew more wanton, her desire growing in leaps and bounds so that they were both looking forward to their wedding night, where they could finally be in each other’s arms and devour each other the way they wanted.

The wedding plans were going quite well, especially since Martha was only too glad to supervise everything and remind everyone who cared to listen how grand it was that her niece was marrying a duke, even if she didn’t like the mother of the said Duke.

Against her nature, Martha had shown maturity in her decision to overlook the age-long feud between her and the Dowager Duchess in the interest of organizing a wedding that she termed to be one for the ages.

Selina did not care so much about how perfect the wedding would be. She just wanted to be joined in holy matrimony with the love of her life and be left to live out the rest of her life loving him and being loved by him.

She was lucky to have an aunt like Martha, who was so genuinely happy for her and was willing to take up the responsibility of planning the wedding. Since her mama was no more, it was a welcome development that allowed her the chance to just focus on personal things, like designing her wedding dress and trousseau and meeting her future mother-in-law.

No matter how she wanted to pretend, Selina was terrified of the possibility that the Dowager Duchess would not like her. She was well aware of the tumultuous relationship that Richard had with his mother, but she believed that in the depths of her heart, the Dowager Duchess still cared about her son. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to be part of his life.

Every parent wanted the best for their child, and Selina wanted the woman to like her because she did not want to live in a house with family members who hated her.

For the first time, she felt genuine empathy for Elizabeth and how she had endured their thinly veiled hostility when she came newly wedded into the family. But in that time, Selina had only seen her as a relic of the family they were at war with—the same family that rendered them orphans—but they eventually thawed towards her when they realized that she was a victim of her own family as well.

Now, at this moment, as Selina contemplated meeting the woman who would become part of her family, she better understood how difficult it must have been for Elizabeth to adjust to a family of three who scorned her because of her lineage. At that moment, Selina’s admiration for the woman reached greater heights.

She left the modiste’s soon after, extracting a promise from the seamstress that their dresses would be available very soon. She boarded the coach and waited outside while her mind ran through different scenarios. It did not help her anxiety that most of the scenarios involved the Dowager Duchess not liking her.

When she got home, she did her best to clear her mind, focusing on the small tasks of doing her toilette with the help of her maid. In no time, she was ready and boarded the family coach, where the rest of her family sat, waiting for her to join them so they could begin their journey to the Seymour estate.

“Well, that took a while,” Herbert said with a yawn. “For a while, I was convinced that you had grown cold feet and did not want to come and see the Dowager Duchess anymore.”

Selina scowled at him, but he only grinned unrepentantly, content to poke at her already frazzled nerves.

“Stop it, Herbert,” Elizabeth said in a chastising tone. “I would not choose this moment to needle your sister if I were you.”

At that, Herbert relaxed in his seat, choosing to stare out the window, since the Duchess had just gotten rid of his recent source of entertainment.

“I am so nervous,” Selina whispered to Elizabeth.

“Do not be. All married women go through those emotions when meeting their new families. You will do well, Selina. Do not worry,” Elizabeth said with a reassuring smile.

“What if she does not like me?” Selina blurted out. “What if she takes one look at me and decides that I am not a good match for her son?”

“No one can make that decision for the Duke. He is a grown man who makes his own decisions, and he has chosen you. His mother will love you for the simple fact that you make him happy. Just be yourself. She will have no choice other than to love you.”

“Or I could bore her to death with my boring topics.”

“You couldn’t be boring even if you tried, Selina,” Elizabeth replied.

“I am so sorry, Beth,” Selina said quietly after a moment.

“What for?” Elizabeth asked, furrowing her brow with confusion.

---