Page 24

“I do not want this marriage any more than you do,” he spoke quickly, a little too honestly. “Which is why I have a proposal for you.”

She hesitated, pushing herself up. Her face was still flushed, her breathing was ragged, and while she told herself that she was not upset about what had just happened, she sensed that the look in her eyes gave it away.

“Speak,” she said carefully.

“As I said, we must present ourselves to the ton as a happily married couple for long enough that it is considered a real marriage and not one brought about by scandal,” he explained quickly, careful not to look her in the eye. “And my brother, he must not be implicated in any of this—as far as anybody is concerned, he is not involved.”

“He should have thought about that before he ran,” Selina said coldly, unable to help herself.

His eyes flashed with anger, but then he closed them and took a deep breath. “That is neither here nor there. What’s done is done, and all we can do now is try and soften the blow. Or better, insist it never occurred in the first place. We are happy, my brother is glad about it, and that is all anybody needs to know.”

“And how do you suppose we do that?”

“Two months,” he repeated. “We must stay together for two months and present a united front. By my reckoning, that should give the rumor-mongering ample time to cease.”

“And then what?”

She could still taste him on her lips, she could still feel him. It might have been a nice sensation was it not for the words tumbling past those very same lips.

“And then, once I am satisfied that this farce of a marriage is no longer the talk of the ton, and once I am certain that my brother’s reputation will not be sullied, you will be free to go wherever you wish.”

Selina balked at the proposal. Truly, she gaped and stared openly, her mind racing as she tried to fathom what on earth he was speaking of. Considering what had just happened, it was hard to believe that he would say such a thing.

She supposed that just spoke to how little he thought of her. His true feelings, that is. A crushing realization that she tried to ignore.

“Free to go. What does that mean?” she asked finally.

“It means that we will be married in name only. Where you choose to go is up to you, but…” He grimaced. “So long as it is nowhere near me.”

Selina did not know what to say. Or what to think, for that matter.

The truth was, she should have been thrilled about the proposal. This marriage was not one she had wished for, it would never be what she truly wanted, and a chance to escape should have made her jump to her feet and cry out with glee. Was this only a few days ago, she might have done so.

But that kiss… it lingered on her lips and in her mind. The heat coursing through her body and the tingling sensation in her inner thighs refused to abate. It made this rather brash proposal seem somewhat ill-timed. Even wrong.

“Well?” he barked.

She gave her head a shake and decided something with finality—the Duke did not care one whit about her, so why would she do the same for him?

“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she said coldly. “Two months, you say?”

“That should do it.”

“I wish it was sooner, but I suppose I can stand to live under your roof for that long. As horrible as it will be.”

“We are in agreement, then.” He nodded once. “Until then, I think it is better if you sleep elsewhere.”

“Good.” She rose from the bed. “My room is far more comfortable, anyhow.”

“I am glad for it. Good night.”

He did not look at her as she stormed past him, and it felt purposeful. As if he needed her to see how little he cared. Although Selina wished that he was looking, so he might see the rueful expression on her face.

She marched out of his room, leaving the door open as she then swept down the hallway, determined to put as much space between herself and Benedict as she could. And as she did so, she worked overtime to convince herself of the merit of his proposal.

A marriage with an end date.

Two months of fakery, and then she could break free from this prison that she had been forced into. It was a perfect scenario, a dream and a blessing, and she could not wait until that day came!