Page 3

He is a monster…

“Edmund…” The Duke took in the scene and groaned to himself. “I thought we had spoken about this.”

“Brother!” Lord Edmund squeaked as he pulled the sheets up to his chin.

The Duke spared a glance at Selina, barely paying her attention. Like his brother, he most probably thought she was a maid and thus not worth bothering himself with. Which was a good thing, as Selina was still gaping at him.

“What you do in your own time and under your own roof is one thing. But you are a guest here—how do you think Lady Langham would feel if she were to find out that you spent the evening with the help?”

“It was not like that!”

“Oh, was it not?” The Duke turned to Selina, and while she gasped as he fixed his attention on her, thankfully, he did not seem too surprised by her reaction. “Tell me truthfully, did you and my brother sleep together last night?”

Selina could barely look at him. She tried her best, daring to look past the scarring to meet his eyes. But that made things even worse, as beyond the disfigurement she sensed power and strength andangerthe likes of which she had never known.

It struck her, and her knees began to tremble. Thus, she tore her eyes away. Her breathing was ragged, and she struggled to keep herself under control.

“Well?” the Duke barked. “Answer me, woman!”

“Brother!” Lord Edmund scrambled to the edge of the bed. “She is not a maid!”

“What?” The Duke spun back. “What do you mean? Who is she, then?”

“Lady Langham’s daughter,” Lord Edmund explained awkwardly, sucking air through his teeth as he spoke. “Miss Selina Gouldsmith…”

“Miss Selina Gouldsmith?” The Duke looked from his brother to Selina and back again. Lord Edmund had hung his head, properly chastised, while Selina continued to avert her gaze. “Oh, no. Edmund… what have you done?”

“Nothing!” Lord Edmund yelped. “She snuck into my room whilst I slept, I swear it.”

The smart thing to do would have been to use this distraction to sneak out and then put as much distance between herself and this ghastly situation as possible. Indeed, Selina very much wanted to escape the Duke, for whenever she dared to glance up and meet his eyes… she became undone.

But Selina never was much for smart decision-making, and Lord Edmund’s effort to blame her made her common sense take a back seat.

“That is a filthy lie!” Her head snapped up, and she glared daggers at him. “I did no such thing.”

“You did!”

“You are the one who likely snuck in while I was sleeping,” she continued angrily. “I can only be thankful that you were too drunk to do anything else.”

“You were the one who?—”

“Quiet!” The Duke turned to face Selina, and this time she did not look away. She tried to meet his eyes, to stand tall and not cower. But just to look at him filled her with fear. A complete and utter feeling of hopelessness because in this man’s presence, she knew she had no power. “Is this the truth?” he asked.

“That your brother is a sneak?” she somehow managed, her voice quivering. “Yes, it is.”

“She is lying!”

“Quiet!” The Duke snapped at his brother without looking at him. He was studying Selina with a sense of curiosity, as if surprised that she was able to look at him without wincing.

Selina felt her body flush as she dared to hold his gaze. But she would not back down, not now, not when her reputation was at stake. And it was because she refused to look away that she sensed the Duke’s surprise… even excitement, as if he could not believe she would do such a thing.

For a moment, perhaps a second or more, he stared at her, and she stared back, refusing to blink as if she was challenging him. A small smile worked its way up the side of his deformed lips, and his eyes flashed daringly, testing her, seeing if she would back away. And she nearly did—her body began to tremble and burn in a way she did not understand.

“Brother!” Lord Edmund huffed, pulling the Duke’s attention away from her.

The moment his eyes were off Selina, she took her first breath, nearly collapsing as her heart pounded furiously in her chest.

“Do not listen to her. This entire thing is clearly some sort of ploy, orchestrated by the Dowager Viscountess.”