Page 64 of The Duchess in His Bed
“Boys,” Ettie Trewlove chided. “We have company. Mind your manners.”
Selena imagined the woman had spent a good part of her life telling her boys to mind their manners. Obviously when she spoke, they obeyed because the bread basket made its way around the table.
A footman went about pouring the wine. Selena noted that Gillie, the Duchess of Thornley, already heavy with child, gave a quick shake of her head when the footman offered her the Bordeaux. The gossips tittered that she’d been pregnant when the duke married her, but the deep devotion mirrored in his eyes whenever he looked at his wife told Selena that he hadn’t married her because of her condition, but simply because he loved her so fiercely.
Lady Aslyn sipped tentatively at her wine, and Selena thought she, too, might be in the family way, as her husband was particularly solicitous toward her as though of a sudden she was fragile when Selena knew her to be of firmer stuff. Like Selena, she’d lost both her parents in one fell swoop—a railway accident—although at a much younger age. They’d found comfort in lamenting their losses. Aslyn had become the ward of the wealthy and powerful Duke of Hedley—who very much resembled her husband. It was rumored that Mick Trewlove was the noble’s bastard, although Selena couldn’t envision the duke being unfaithful to his duchess.
Lady Lavinia did indulge in the fine wine, a sign she might not yet be with child, but then she hadn’t been married very long. Based upon the way her husband, Finn, continually reached out to touch her hand, caress her arm, tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Selena was rather certain Lavinia would soon find herself increasing. It was obvious the man adored her, and she him.
These married couples all reflected the sort of devotion she’d hoped to inspire when she married.
Beast smiled indulgently at Fancy, and Selena realized with dawning awareness that his expression of brotherly affection very much mirrored the way Lushing had looked at her. Perhaps the reason he’d apologized when he first came to her bed was because his feelings toward her were more brotherly than husbandly.
She’d not truly understood the intimacy of the act, how it could bind two people. She certainly understood that now as she looked across the table at Aiden, noting the way he watched her as though he were striving to memorize the sight of her dining with his family because it would be a one-time occurrence.
The conversations ebbed and flowed around her, voices louder than she was accustomed to hearing during a meal. When someone laughed, an echo of “What’s so funny?” reverberated through the room, and a story was retold so all could join in on the mirth: an overly drunk patron at the tavern who had decided to shed his clothing, a woman who had locked her husband out of their hotel room because she didn’t like the way he smiled at the maids. Then there were the somber tales of discarded children taken in by Lady Lavinia, the articles she wrote describing the women she met who were shamed for giving in to their passions, who brought her their babes because she would see them well cared for. Selena listened to these women discussing matters that were normally the domain of men, was ever conscious that they lived in a world apart from hers. Two had once resided in it with her, but she couldn’t recall ever seeing them looking so satisfied, so happy. They’d found love and fulfillment, but then neither had siblings for whom they were responsible. They’d been able to put their own wants and needs first. Selena couldn’t imagine being so free.
When the dinner was finished, it appeared that people were going to lounge around and visit a bit more. But darkness had fallen, and Selena had grown weary of the test. Surely by now, Aiden had made his assessment of her sisters. She made their excuses, thanked Aiden’s mother for the lovely meal, wished Fancy success with her business, said her goodbyes to the others, and was grateful when Aiden began leading them back the way they’d come. Through the hotel and across the street. Then around to the back of the corner bookshop, where her coach waited. The footman leaning against it straightened and opened the door, assisting her sisters into the conveyance.
Selena stopped a short distance away in order to have a private word with her escort. Distant light from the streetlamps cast his face in shadows, making it impossible to read his features, to know his decision. She certainly didn’t want to ask outright. “I shall come to the club later, shall I?”
“I want to visit the ducal estate. I want to see what my son would inherit.”
Not the response she’d expected, and she couldn’t prevent her heart from kicking against her ribs or her eyes widening slightly. “We are in a bit of a rush here. To make my claim believable, I must be with child before my next menses and I am already more than a week gone from the ending of my last one.”
“Then we’d best not delay. Have your coach at the club at dawn.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. Why was he being so stubborn, so doggedly determined to make this difficult? Why was she? She could find a willing gentleman elsewhere, one of his red-badged fellows. Only she didn’t want someone else. She wanted to see his features etched into those of her child, be it a girl or a boy. With a sigh, she opened her eyes. “It is one of the grandest estates in all of England.”
“All the more reason it’ll hold sway over my decision.”
Why can’t you simply do it for me?she wanted to ask. But they’d only known each other a handful of days. Why should he feel any allegiance or commitment to her? “Dawn,” she stated flatly.
She turned to the coach, surprised to find him nudging the footman aside and handing her up into the vehicle.
“Thank you, ladies, for helping my sister and for the kindness you showed my mother. I wish you the best.”
He slammed the door closed as though he had no intention of ever seeing any of them again, as though their business was completed, but she’d heard in his voice genuine gratitude, and if she were a wagering woman, she’d wager that her sisters had passed the test. Now if only the estate would.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
As Finn came to stand beside him, Aiden didn’t bother to turn around, but merely crossed his arms over his chest and watched as the carriage disappeared in the distance. “Odd warning from a man who married the daughter of an earl.”
“Lavinia has no interest in moving about within the upper echelons of Society. I have the impression the same can’t be said of your duchess.”
No, the same couldn’t be said of her. Everything Selena was doing was to ensure her place among that Society, to guarantee she maintained power and influence within it. “She’s not my duchess.”
“I’m not blind, Aiden. I saw the way you looked at her.”
“You might not be blind, but you’re obviously in need of spectacles.”
Finn chuckled low. “Just watch yourself, brother. A broken heart never fully mends. It will always have cracks.”
He didn’t doubt Finn’s words because he knew his brother was an expert when it came to shattered hearts. “Is it hard, Finn?” he asked somberly. “Is it hard not telling your daughter you’re her father?”
Finn had only recently learned he had a daughter. “One of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but it helps that the couple raising her are good people and don’t object to my spending time with her. As a matter of fact, of late, I’ve been helping her build a cottage in a tree. She’s an adventurous one, my little sprite.”
In Finn’s voice, Aiden heard all the love he held for the child, and he fully understood it. He himself had met the adorable little girl. All the family had spent time in her company because Finn didn’t have to keep her a secret. He had only to protect her from the knowledge he was her father until she was older and able to fully understand all the circumstances surrounding her birth. But Aiden wouldn’t have that luxury. His child, should he have one by Selena, would have to remain a secret, even from those he loved and trusted. And he could never admit to being the father—not under any circumstances. They might design a scenario where he could spend time with the lad or lass, but it wouldn’t be as open as Finn’s relationship with his daughter. Finn’s child wasn’t being raised among the aristocracy. Aiden’s would be and that made his being in the child’s life in a believable way all the more difficult.
