Page 63 of The Duchess in His Bed
“We’re dining with them?” Connie asked as soon as she clapped eyes on Selena.
“Yes. They kindly issued an invitation and I thought we should accept.”
“We’re in mourning.” The words were whispered in the same tone one might use to announce one wasn’t fully clothed.
“I’ve been assured we won’t be seen, and it’s not as though it will be a formal dinner with a great many guests.”
“But we’re not dressed for dinner.”
“What you’re wearing is fine,” Aiden announced with authority. “We never dress formally for dinner. Come along.”
It was difficult to argue with a man who was ushering her and her sisters out the door before all his words had reached their ears. She wasn’t accustomed to his impatience, feared he might view Connie’s argumentative nature in a bad light and might decide she wasn’t worth his trouble. “It’ll be lovely,” she assured her sisters, glancing back to see Fancy locking up her shop.
How marvelous it must feel to have such independence, to actually own something of value that simultaneously added to one’s personal worth and esteem. She was suddenly struck with the realization that she didn’t reallyownanything. Oh, she had her clothes and a few pieces of jewelry, but a home, coaches, horses—she had use of them, but they weren’t hers. Even the dower house was not hers to sell, merely to use.
In silence, they crossed the street. Aiden led them down an alleyway and into some gardens that she thought would soon be bursting with spring colors as it was evident that they were well maintained. Several benches where one could rest lined different pathways. She would have liked to explore the area, but he escorted them to a door—the staff entry—opened it, and shepherded them inside.
Her sisters’ eyes were wide as they traversed through the kitchens, and it occurred to her that they may have never before visited kitchens. Certainly they’d been trained to manage a household and staff, but had they ever seen servants at their labors? Doubtful, because in retrospect, she had to admit that she met with the housekeeper to discuss matters but had never actually visited her below stairs.
People carried on with their work, which most certainly would not have happened if they realized a duchess was walking in their midst. But the Trewloves had no airs about them. Aiden and his sister greeted those they passed, made a few inquiries regarding health and families, and continued on barely breaking their stride. They were comfortable here within their brother’s dominion, and she suspected they were each equally at home within their siblings’ businesses. She recalled Aiden telling her how they all shared everything they learned, all they knew. Each worked to lift the others, and in so doing lifted themselves. Seeing all of this firsthand, she could not help but believe that he could equate what she was doing for her family with measures he’d taken regarding his own siblings. It gave her hope that tonight she would return to the Elysium Club and continue in her efforts, with him being a willing partner in her desire to get with child.
He shoved open a door that servants used to enter the dining room, and she led her sisters through it. A long table with a white tablecloth had been set up on the far side of the grandiose area, away from the door and the wall of windows that looked out into the foyer. She was rather certain the door was locked, but even so a footman stood at attention on the other side of it, no doubt to explain to people that the room had been reserved for private use this evening. The draperies at the windows that faced the street were closed, cocooning them in, creating a rather intimate feel for a gathering of so many.
All the people she’d met earlier and the ones she’d known from before were chatting near the table. Fancy walked toward the group, greeting an older woman who broke away from the others. Her hair was a combination of salt-and-pepper strands pulled back into a simple knot. She was small of stature, well-rounded but not in a plump sort of way. Selena decided hugging her would be very much like wrapping her arms around a soft pillow: comforting.
Which was exactly what Aiden did when the woman was close enough. He bent slightly and embraced her, and something within Selena’s chest tightened with his show of affection. She was accustomed to men holding themselves erect, perfect posture, bowing, sometimes taking a hand, pressing a kiss to knuckles—not welcoming a woman with arms coming around her in a gesture of familiarity that appeared so natural it had to have been done a thousand times. She couldn’t recall ever having seen Winslow hug their mother thus. But it was obvious Mrs. Trewlove greeted her children as though she was truly glad to see them.
She stepped out of Aiden’s embrace. With his arm resting lightly on her shoulders, he steered his mother toward Selena and her sisters, and she realized that this—not working in the bookshop—was the test he’d devised for her sisters. How they received his mother was how he would judge their character and their worth.
Tears stung her eyes with the understanding that the woman who had raised him meant so much to him. He was a man who encouraged sin, who trafficked in vice, who by all accounts was a scoundrel, but he loved his mother, loved his family. And if her sisters were the least bit insulting, all would be lost. But just as she’d had confidence when they’d played billiards, she had equal confidence in her sisters’ kindness and knew she would win here as well.
“Mum, I’d like you to meet Selena Sheffield, Duchess of Lushing.”
Proper etiquette dictated that a commoner should be introduced to the noble, but Selena had already dispensed with exhibiting well-bred manners when she’d introduced Aiden to her sisters earlier. Besides, she understood that within this room, there might be titles, but there were no ranks. No doubt at the table, she would find a muddled arrangement of the seating. No orderly procession to the dining area, no chairs assigned based on where one was positioned in the social order. With his introduction, Aiden was making a point: he didn’t give a fig aboutDebrett’sorBurke’s Peerage; no one rated a place above the saintly woman who had taken him in and raised him as her own. Ah, yes, this was the gauntlet her sisters must pass.Pay attention, girls.
She curtsied, not as deeply as she would to the Queen, but still with a show of deference. “Mrs. Trewlove, I’m honored to make your acquaintance. It was so kind of you to invite us to dine with your family. Allow me the honor of presenting my sisters. Ladies Constance, Florence, and Alice.”
Connie and Flo bobbed respectful curtsies. Alice’s dipping, a bit more enthusiastic, was accompanied with an endearing smile. “A pleasure, Mrs. Trewlove.”
Selena noted the approval in Aiden’s eyes, the triumph within the dark depths, and felt as though his win was hers. Had he felt the same when she’d bested him at billiards? Had he been as glad that she’d won then as she was that he’d won now? Strange, how she never wanted to see him defeated.
“It was kind of you to help Fancy with her bookshop,” Mrs. Trewlove said. “Now come along and eat before the food gets cold.” Turning on her heel, she headed for the table, which seemed to be a signal to everyone else because they scattered, claiming seats—just as Selena had surmised they would—in no particular order.
“Ladies.” Aiden’s voice held a warmth that reached out and wrapped around her.
Once everyone was settled, she found herself sitting beside Lady Aslyn. Her husband had taken his seat at one end of the long table, his mother at the far end. Her sisters sat beside Selena, youngest to oldest. Aiden was across from her. His other two brothers were seated near his mother. Wives sat beside husbands. Mr. Tittlefitz was in attendance, as was the young boy, Robin.
Assorted platters and bowls lined the table. Mick Trewlove stood and began slicing into a rather hefty-looking roast. “Pass your plates!”
“Are there no servants?” Connie whispered.
“Might as well learn how it’s done when there aren’t, as we might be without soon enough,” Flo responded, equally low but still Selena heard her.
It was interesting to watch the china dishes make their way around the table, empty when they were handed to Mick, filled with strips of beef when he passed them on. Once all the plates were resting in front of their proper person, people began reaching for bowls, adding potatoes, peas, and carrots to their meal before handing the pottery off to the next person.
“Bread!” Finn called out.
Aiden plucked a muffin from a wicker basket and tossed it down the length of the table. Finn snatched it from the air.
