Page 46 of His Ruined Duchess

Dearest Ethel,

Matters here have not improved, and I have just caught Lydia attempting to run away from the estate. I write to you now, having just left her room. I have no idea of the hour, but I am certain it must be after two o’clock. Each day feels as if it is getting worse, with more and more things going wrong.

Lydia is terrified of marrying someone fiendish, and unsurprisingly, it appears that Hugh has been extremely rigid with his demands that she find a husband quickly. I had not known that she continued to speak to him about the matter though I should not be surprised, considering I have done the same.

I wish I knew what you were doing. How is your life? Haveyoubeen away for your health? Is it because of some relationship issue? You leave me nothing to go on, and my mind whirls with speculation. I don’t genuinely suspect that of course. However,a bit of gossip from you might very well ease the tension we’re all feeling back home.

I could start a terrible rumor for you. You could detail what you would like me to tell our friends. It will be a delightful joke.

I act as if I can gain a response from you now, but I know I won’t. Although I wish you might finally write back to me, I fear I am terribly lonely in this house full of people.

Regardless of all that, I will speak to Hugh tomorrow. It shall be uncomfortable, to say the least.At the theater, he

Selina scratched through the last few words so that Ethel would not be able to read them. She would not bring up that terrible business. It was not essential and better left ignored.

But I will persist as always. I will do what is best for my family and protect my sisters to the best of my ability. I do hope to hear from you someday. You have all my love.

Your friend,

Selina

Chapter Twenty-One

That morning at breakfast, Selina noticed that Lydia was especially quiet. She hardly touched her food, and even their mother turned to Selina as if she might be able to do something. She had promised Lydia that she would speak to Hugh, and she would.

But he’d not come to the table for breakfast. No one had seen him at all today, and Selina had to assume that he was holed up in his study—Easton’s study—once more. The stays beneath her dress pinched her side when she adjusted in her chair, her own appetite failing.

I need to speak with him. This cannot continue. I must do whatever I can to protect my sisters.

The world felt so distant, as if it existed beyond an invisible barrier that kept her from interacting with it as she might normally. Her pulse was too noticeable in her ears and chest, and Selina’s stomach was tight, refusing to take in any morefood. It had gone so far, in fact, that the once delightful smells were nauseating, too abundant, and discordant among the several other smells wafting through the house.

There was no use in putting this all off. The longer Selina waited to speak with Hugh about what she intended to do about Lydia, the worse it would be. It was better to go now and face the Duke with this new plan that might actually work.

She stood up from the table. “Excuse me, but I must speak with our Duke about an urgent matter.” Selina glanced at Lydia, offering a small smile. “I will come find you after, Sister.”

Lydia nodded back, her expression one of worry and anticipation that made her brows knit together as she rolled her lips between her teeth. Looking briefly at Myra, Selina offered her youngest sister a reassuring grin and exited the dining room, heading straight to the study. When she arrived at the door, she knocked firmly on the wood, noting the way it vibrated through her knuckles.

“Your Grace, if I can, I would like to have a word with you.”

There was a moment of pause that sat as heavy on Selina’s shoulders as a rain-soaked fur rug. She sucked in a breath through her nose, counting in her head to distract herself from waiting.One, two, three, four. One, two, three?—

“Come in, Selina.”

Her fingers trembled as she reached for the door, but Selina pushed on. She had taught herself how to be the picture of a lady, and she would not let that hard work fail her now when she needed it most.

The Duke sat at the desk near the back of the room, silhouetted by the window behind him. The morning light that bled through it made Hugh look all the darker in her chair, almost as if he were made of solid night. He did not look up right away as she entered, and Selina closed the door behind her.

This was a private conversation, and she did not wish for Lydia or Myra to overhear before Selina had acquired an answer from the Duke.

“I do apologize for interrupting you, Your Grace. I am sure that you have?—”

“Out with it, Selina. Why have you come to me so early in the morning?”

It was unclear why precisely, but the Duke was in a foul mood. They had not spoken to each other, had not discussed the events of the theater, and his sour countenance made Selina wonder if she should have come to talk to him sooner. Still, on Hugh’s desk, Selina could see many papers, including one that resembled the dowry and pre-marriage contracts that had been arranged for her marriage to Easton.

“Firstly, I wish to thank you for bringing Lydia back into the estate last night. I know that she attempted to run away, and I am glad that you were able to convince her to come back inside.”

At that, Hugh glanced up at her, his brow furrowed. “And how do you know of that?”

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