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“No, I am afraid I do not, Your Grace.”

“I suppose you will do,” she said.

Stephen’s jaw worked as he gritted his teeth.

Oblivious, the Dowager Duchess continued, “I do not really have a say in this matter. I am sure you know the state of my relationship with my son?”

Not knowing how best to answer that question, Selina kept quiet and retook her seat.

They sat in silence for some time before her siblings opted to leave to give her the chance to ‘bond’ with her mother-in-law.

Selina panicked, doing her best to convey with her eyes her need for their support, but they ignored her and left.

The silence after they left was deafening, and she could feel herself perspiring with anxiety. It was uncanny how easily the woman opposite her could reduce her from her bold-speaking ways to the timid person she now embodied.

“Tea?” the Dowager Duchess asked, startling her out of her reverie.

“Yes, thank you,” Selina said, rising to pour herself some tea and adding a spoon of sugar to sweeten it. She stirred it and then took a sip, sighing at how relaxing it was.

“Chamomile tea,” the Dowager Duchess explained. “It is quite refreshing, isn’t it?”

Selina nodded.

“It is my favorite tea.”

“I do not recall coming across it here in England,” Selina said.

“It is not quite as popular, my dear,” the Dowager Duchess replied.

And so the conversation began as she told Selina about her travels and all the things she had discovered on the way.

The Dowager Duchess had definitely led a colorful life, and she was proud of it.

When Richard came home from his errand, he was surprised to see them deep in conversation. Greeting his mother offhandedly, he walked straight to where Selina sat on a separate settee. He sat beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulders.

“So, tell me what you ladies were discussing.”

“Nothing that concerns you, I’m sure,” Selina answered, giggling.

“Impossible. I am sure that my mother must have regaled you with tales of my sillier moments as a child by now.”

“You? Silly?” Selina teased. “I would never have guessed it. I was under the notion that you were born serious and unyielding, hanging onto propriety with your tiny fists.”

“That would be you. With your logic, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were lecturing the midwives the moment you were born.”

“But babies do not talk, Richard,” Selina protested between bouts of laughter.

“You don’t say,” Richard said with an exaggerated gasp. “I never would have guessed so.”

In the following moments, Johanna sat watching her rigid, unyielding son flirt with his betrothed, his face glowing with happiness.

Her son was stubborn and rigid at times, but at this moment, he was the most relaxed he had ever been. It was so obvious he was in love with the young lady beside him. He kept giving her fond looks as she talked. She loved it for him, and for his sake, the Dowager Duchess hoped they had a happy, long-lasting marriage because Richard looked his best when he was happy, and she wanted him to remain that way.

EPILOGUE

“You may now kiss your bride,” the bishop intoned.

Finally, Richard could give in to the urges he had been fighting since he saw Selina approaching him, looking beautiful and delectable. He had always wanted to ravish her, her mere presence stirring his lust.