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“Am I that transparent?” she sighed, looking up from her plate.

He laughed softly. His kindly face always brought a smile to her lips, and was it not for him, she might have lost her mind.

“I have always been good at reading people,” he explained. “But it does not take a savant to see that something is on your mind.”

“Oh, it is nothing,” she sighed. “I am simply a little bored.”

Is that not the understatement of the century?

For five days now, Selina had been at pains to entertain herself, doing everything within her power to keep her attention fixed on the present while not looking to the future because that two-month deadline that Benedict had set felt like it might never arrive.

She went for a horse ride every morning.

She spent the afternoon reading, as Northwick Estate had a formidable library.

She took up crocheting, became an expert on botany, and was even considering learning another language because, at this point, she would try anything!

She wrote to her sisters also, explaining that she would invite them to visit her soon. A small part of her wondered if she might test the boundaries of Benedict’s wrath and invite them immediately, but she abstained from that because even she was not so foolish.

Not that I do not mind the idea of seeing him angry again…

Five days in, however, and she was finding herself at her wits’ end. Avoiding Benedict had seemed like a good idea at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight and the passage of time, she struggled to justify that decision.

Surely enough time has passed by now that the two of us can be in the same room as one another and remain civil? And surely, like me, he is beginning to realize that living in the same house while avoiding one another is no way to live?

It was on that fifth day that Selina began to wonder. Was it worth paying Benedict a visit? Dipping her toes in the pond, so to speak, to see what the temperature might be. Just a short conversation. Just a test, proof to herself and him that they could have a civil conversation without insulting one another… or having a repeat of the last time they’d been alone.

“May I suggest a new activity?” Mr. Harris asked.

“Truthfully, I do not think that will help. A lady can only engage herself in so many activities before she is stretched thin if you understand my meaning?”

“Ah, so it is a lack of socializing that is the problem?”

“Do not take it personally, Harris,” she joked.

He chuckled. “I assure you that I do not.”

It was subtle, but she could see a shadow pass behind Mr. Harris’ eyes. His expression tightened, concern written all over his face, a sense that a thought had come to him that he wasn’t sure whether or not he should voice.

“It is funny,” he spoke slowly and carefully, as if even he was not sure that he should be speaking. “But His Grace was saying the same thing to me earlier.”

“Really?” She perked up.

She was surprised by her sudden reaction, for that should have told her everything she needed to know.

“Oh yes.” Mr. Harris nodded seriously. “I spoke with him just last evening—he has been so busy with work this past week, and he was complaining to the effect that he has forgotten how to speak with people and worries that soon he might lose the ability to communicate altogether.”

She snorted. “I doubt that.”

“Do not underestimate him, Your Grace. I know that His Grace comes across as a little disinterested at times, but he is human like the rest of us. And humans are social creatures at their core. In fact…” He shrugged casually. “I am sure he would appreciate the chance to take some time off and socialize with someone.”

Selina knew that the butler was lying. And she knew exactly what he was trying to do. Despite this, with how bored she was and how desperate she was to break this silent pact she and her husband had made to avoid one another, she did not care.

“Hhmmm.” She rubbed her chin as if in thought. “Do you think he might mind if I pop up and say hello? Even if it is just for a moment.”

“I am sure he would relish the idea, Your Grace.”

“If that is the case…” She pushed back her chair and stood up. “I best be off, then. Just for a moment, however,” she made sure to add. “Likely, I will be back down here before you can so much as blink.”