Page 5 of His Ruined Duchess

The Duke had the gall to scoff at her, rolling his eyes like some common rake as he let out a low chuckle.

“Quite loving, I’m sure. Which is why the man went into the afterlife without securing an heir. Tell me, did you try only a single time? I can imagine it would be difficult to bring yourself to the bedside of one twice your age.”

Selina was outraged. The Duke was lacking in all manners, it seemed, and the foul words he spewed were so at odds with the truth that it made the grief over losing her dear friend burn all the harder. Yes, it was true that her husband had been much older than her, and they had not tried to conceive at all, for that matter, but the man had no right to speak to her like that.

“How dare you.” Selina stepped forward, refusing to make herself small and silent in the face of such a man. “The late Duke might have been a distant relative, but he was your blood. And you insult him so? Insult the woman who has received you into her home with not a beat of disrespect or animosity. I have been as amenable to your arrival as possible, and yet you stand in front of me and reduce me to nothing more than a vessel for an heir to my face.”

Something flickered in the Duke’s eyes. Selina was sure her instincts must be off. She had witnessed similar expressions onthe faces of men she chatted with at balls and Season events, but there was no way that the Duke was looking at her like they had. Those men’s faces had lit with flirtation and intrigue, and this man wasnotinterested in her.

Still, Selina couldn’t deny that the expression he wore now almost resembled those charmed stares, though darker—hungrier.

You are being ridiculous. He is toying with you. Working an angle to get his way. Do not fall for it.

“It is Hugh.”

Selina shook her head, reeling from the abrupt change of subject. “Pardon?”

“My name is Hugh. Hugh Bosley. And you are Se?—”

“I am the Dowager Duchess of Soulden, Your Grace.” He smirked at her as she cut him off, that devious glint in his eyes flaring brighter. “And Selina Arnold, if you must know.”

“Selina.” The word slipped from the Duke’s lips like velvet poison delivered from a cunning snake as he roamed his stare over her.

“It is Your Grace.” She narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to drop her chin.

That smirk didn’t die down. If anything, it only ticked up the corner of the Duke’s mouth higher.

“Call me Hugh, Selina.”

Her stomach twirled inside her, butterflies swooping chaotically at the use of her name like that. She matched his stare, still unwilling to be the first to back down or break, but Selina also shook her head, folding her arms in a mirror of his stance.

“I will be calling you ‘Your Grace,’ and I expect the same treatment.”

Curse the devilish twinkle that remained glowing in the Duke’s eyes like a hungry ember looking for the proper fuel that might allow it to turn into a blazing inferno. And curse the way the man dared to chuckle, the sound low and deep, rumbling from his chest like a dark promise.

“Suit yourself,” he paused, dropping his chin so that his stare could bore into her all the more, “Selina.”

Her irritation took to the sky, a level she’d never reached before. Every word that the man uttered grated on her nerves, raising her hackles like no one ever had. She was ready to snap at him, so on edge that she truly worried she might do something she regretted.

Does he not understand? Can he not see how serious this is for me? How I stand here, my future in the hands of a complete stranger?

“Our names or use thereof is of little consequence of course.” The Duke sucked in a breath, the tension that clung to him evaporating some in exchange for an air of superiority. “You will not disobey me again.”

It took all she had to bite her tongue and keep the fevered words from spilling out. And still, as much as she could keep herself from ruining things much more than she already had, Selina remained tremendously concerned about the fate of her family, of herself.

“Your Grace,” Selina began, flicking her gaze to the floor and then back up once she’d gathered herself, “I wish to speak more about what you intend for the future. It should come as no surprise that I am concerned about the livelihood of my mother and sisters as well as myself.”

The man actually waved his hand at her. “Another time, Selina. I am exhausted from the hours of travel I’ve only just recently finished. We can discuss this when I am better suited for it.”

He’d used her blasted name again, and Selina was ready to blow, pressure building within her like a bottle of champagne that was being furiously shaken.

“Your Grace, I?—”

“You are dismissed. We can discuss this another time. For now, I wish to acquaint myself with this study.” He met her eyes harshly. “In private.”

Do not, Selina. Do not break. Not here. Not now. Just…leave.

Inhaling so that she might find the strength, Selina lowered in her head, offering a pisspoor version of a curtsey. As the silence hung, she straightened and met the Duke’s stare a final time. It was in her best interest to leave, and she turned from him, heading for the door.

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