Page 11 of His Ruined Duchess

The conversation continued while Selina choked down the remainder of her tea. Lydia and Mother were tossing about wild statements at their leisure, and Selina scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, you two. Do you not hear yourselves?” She turned to her mother. “And did you not say that we are to put our best foot forward to appeal to the Duke? What would he say if he were to hear you?”

“Oh, Selina.” The woman waved her off, sipping at her own tea. “He is nowhere near; he’s cooped up in that study, no doubt.”

“It is best not to bother with them, Sister. You know how they can be.” Myra patted Selina’s hand, offering a small smile, but too quickly she turned to Lydia, and the grin turned mischievous. “Still, I must say. An actress? A singer? I wonder what is next? Is he following a list?”

Laughter erupted, and while Selina might have joined in, for Myra’s joke was rather humorous, she couldn’t find it in herself to do so. Worry dogged her. There was so much going on with the Duke, so many motives left unclear, and she couldn’t help but wonder about Lydia as well.

Her debut is next year. What will happen to her if she is this caught up in the lateston dit?

But it was not solely her concern that flustered Selina so much. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that what Lydia had said about the Duke got under her skin. She’d been tangled up in the man in the library, and hearing of his rakish behavior made her feel naïve.

Is that what he wants of me? Another in his long list of conquered women? But then, why demand I marry? Ugh, the man is insufferable!

Tea carried on with Lydia filling the air with her rumors upon rumors heard during the ball. After a time, Selina excused herself, hurrying back inside to her bedroom. The air was thick and humid today, and a quick splash of water on her face was required.

Selina was sure she would feel much better afterward.

That evening, everyone in the house was astonished to find the Duke walking into the dining room to attend dinner with them. He had taken all his meals in the study until this very moment, and Selina’s mind churned with the reason he might grace them with his presence.

“Your Grace,” her mother began, “you have joined us for a meal. How wonderful.”

The woman was excellent at keeping her tone set to the exact right one for any given situation, and if you didn’t know her like Selina did, you would have believed that she was genuinely thrilled to have the Duke at the table.

It was all a ruse of course. Her mother gripped her napkin just a hair tighter as she stood up to greet the Duke, and Selina recognized it as a tell of her less-than-thrilled attitude. He had been so reclusive that it was clear her mother had come to expect this to be their dynamic. And Selina understood why it might be desirable.

If he remained closed in, keeping to himself, Bridget could go on about her business as she always had. This was an intrusion that suggested their lives might be changing very soon.

And for once, Selina shared her mother’s concern.

“Good evening. Yes, I thought it time that I joined you all for dinner, seeing as my work to acclimate myself with the estate has progressed well.”

He took his seat at the opposite head of the table across from Selina, and the Duke’s eyes met hers immediately. The intensity there made her shift in her seat, and Selina cleared her throat, reaching for her wine to ease the tightness.

“How lovely. We are honored to have you here,” Bridget added, sitting back down with a performative smile.

As the first course was brought in, a small section of soups for them to choose from, the Duke turned toward Lydia and Myra, who sat along the side of the table at his right.

“I must say, girls, I still know so little about you. Tell me, what do you each enjoy doing during your leisure time?”

Lydia practically screamed excitement, her attention rapt and so focused on the Duke that she nearly put her elbow in her soup bowl.

“Oh, I adore a good stroll outside, Your Grace. It is such a lovely way to speak with friends.”

“She means that she likes to walk about the garden while she gossips.”

Attention flicked to Myra as she bluntly put forth the truth of Lydia’s favorite activity. Their mother glared at her, and it took everything Selina had to keep from laughing.

“What? It is the truth, and we all know it. There is little in this world that Lydia loves more than a piece of juicy gossip.”

“Myra!” Lydia smacked a hand down on the table, shaking the glasses, and Selina had to clamp her own hand over her mouth.

Still, a tiny snort broke free, and Selina caught her mother’s wrath in a withering glare.

“That’s quite enough, girls,” Bridget scolded. “The Duke has asked for your hobbies, not a display of such unladylike behaviors.”

“It’s quite all right.” The Duke smiled, shaking his head gently as he sipped at his goblet. “I hear that a bit of squabbling is very typical for siblings.”

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