Page 10

Chapter Seven

“ O ne night of rest. Is that too much to ask?”

Selina threw off the covers, hanging her feet over the side of her bed as she grumbled to herself. It had been at least a couple of hours since she’d lain down with the intent of sleeping. Instead, she had spent the entire time tossing and turning.

Her legs felt strange, as if she needed to move them, so rather than continue to fight it as she had, Selina stood up and retrieved her robe, heading to the door. She crept through the house quietly, sneaking her way down to the main level and out the door at the rear that led to the gardens.

The crisp night air was refreshing, and even being outside for only a few minutes was enough to ease the tension that had been dogging her.

What am I to do about the Duke’s command? Am I to find Magnus and fulfil his desire for a wife?

Selina didn’t mind Magnus. He was a stubborn, rather unapproachable type of fellow, but he’d never come across as cruel.

Still, the idea of marrying him turned her stomach.

She didn’t wish to marry anyone, and the longer Selina thought about it, the more that applied to Magnus.

He just wasn’t right for her, and she’d already spent several years of her life in a loveless marriage.

She didn’t want that again, even though Easton had been kind.

Being alone honestly sounded like the best possible future for her, and that damned Duke was taking that chance to be happy away from her.

Strolling along the manicured paths of the lawn that stretched out behind the estate, Selina dragged her fingers across the tops of bushes and along the rough bark of the purposefully placed trees. Wind rustled by her, and she sighed, still at a loss for what to do.

“It should not matter to him if I am wed or how quickly my sisters find husbands. Ugh.” She kicked a stray rock, regretting the choice immediately as pain burst through her toe. “Blast!”

Just as her voice rang out, a twig snapped a few paces ahead of her, and Selina froze. Coming from around the corner of a tall hedge was the Duke. In a flash, she crouched down, attempting to hide herself from his eyes so that she could continue her evening walk or escape back inside.

Silence hung around her like a piece of washing pulled tight against a line, and her breathing was hurried and shallow. Selina tried her best to keep it as quiet as possible.

One, two, three seconds passed, and she was beginning to think that she’d avoided running into that foul man.

“You should stand up, Selina. You’ll ruin that lovely robe.”

Cursing under her breath, Selina sighed and slowly stood. When she took a step past the hedge, the Duke was standing right before her. She took a moment to straighten her robe, pulling the halves closer together so that the Duke would not see anything that wasn’t meant for him.

“What are you doing outside, roaming the grounds?” The Duke sounded as standoffish and snobby as ever, cocking a brow.

She narrowed her eyes at him, sneering at him. “I imagine the same thing you were doing. I could not sleep, so I came outside for some fresh air and quiet .”

A light chuckle rumbled out of him, and the Duke crossed his arms over his muscular chest, smirking at her.

It was only now that Selina realized the man wore nothing but his thin shirt and a pair of breeks.

There was no waistcoat or jacket in sight, and he’d left his shirt untucked from his bottoms.

“Couldn’t sleep, hmm. And why is that?”

Glaring back at him, the careful choosing of her words that had been instilled in her since birth evaporated, her annoyance and anger too much to deny.

“Because someone decided to upend my life and completely disregard my wishes, even though there is no formal reason to do so.”

That chuckle sounded again, and the irritation flared brighter beneath her skin, making Selina warm with seething loathing.

“Someday, you will understand my request, and should you actually do as told, you’ll be glad for it.”

“Ugh,” she scoffed, staring daggers at the man who was so flippant about destroying her happiness, “I highly doubt that. You know nothing about me or my desires, so I could hardly think you would be able to predict how I might feel in the future.”

“My, my.” The Duke shook his head, his brows raising as he turned the corners of his mouth down and leaned back against a tree trunk.

“You are quite obstinate, aren’t you? Need I remind you that I am your senior in age and experience?

I have seen much, and one of the things that I do understand intimately is myself.

I assure you that this is for the best.”

“For you perhaps.” Selina stifled a chill as another gust of wind rushed by.

She could smell the night-blooming jasmine on the breeze and the scent of water from the pond not far from where she stood.

“And I am unsurprised that it is your only concern. You clearly do not have the best interests of the household in mind, so do not pretend to.”

“You assume much for someone who doesn’t know me. Quite hypocritical of you, isn’t it?”

Selina yanked herself backward, reeling as if his words had gained physical strength and struck her. The Duke was a scoundrel, no matter what he said. She would not allow herself to be demeaned by someone who did not know all that she had sacrificed to keep her mother and sisters well cared for.

“Says the rake who accosts innocence as if it is a new fashion trend.”

The Duke froze, and the air was so still around them that Selina was sure she would have heard a pin drop. From the casual smirk he always wore, the man’s expression darkened, his countenance so full of restrained fury that Selina couldn’t help but swallow hard, her eyes fixed on him.

“I have never taken advantage of innocence, Selina. Of that you can be absolutely positive.”

As he bit out the words, venom laced through his tone that made Selina’s skin tingle and the need to flee rush up in her blood. The Duke took two steps toward her, and she couldn’t stop herself from ducking her chin in an effort to put more distance between them.

“You will not accuse me of such heinous acts so flippantly.”

Selina could feel her confidence cracking, but she straightened her spine, digging deep within herself. This man was ruining her life, preventing her from a happy future, and she would not be intimidated by him.

“So what then, pray tell, was that in the library just a few evenings ago?”

A hearty laugh cut from the Duke, and he threw his head back, a hand landing on his chest.

“It is positively hilarious that you consider the Widow Darrington an innocent. I can assure you she is anything but. No different than the handful of women who have been throwing themselves at me ever since I got here.”

Heat warmed Selina’s cheeks as his misunderstanding was made clear. He did not realize that she had meant herself, and how could he? The Duke was unaware that she was as yet unclaimed. Everyone was, and Selina had made a grave mistake in hinting at the truth.

She chewed on her lip, hoping that the Duke would move on with the conversation and simply allow her to leave. Her bed sounded like the best place for her right now.

“Now, wait just a minute.” The Duke stepped closer again, and Selina instinctively backed up, landing against the sharp surface of the hedge which halted any further retreat. “I believe I am understanding now. You didn’t mean the Widow at all, did you?”

She would not answer him.

Attempting to flee, Selina turned to the left and began to hurry away.

She needed to be back inside—now. But the Duke’s arm shot out, his fingers entwining in the hedge and blocking off her path of escape.

She tried to do the same in the opposite direction, but again, the man cut her off with his arm.

She was now firmly trapped between them.

“Well, well. So that is why there was never an heir produced. You were never claimed by your husband. In all his years with you, he never touched you. How could that be so?”

“Get away. I wish to return to my room.” Selina shoved at his arm, but it wouldn’t budge. The flames beneath her skin doubled, tripled , and she was furious that he was this close to her. “Move.”

“How on earth did your husband restrain himself so well? I know that he was much older, but to be in the same room with you day in and day out and not claim you? His will must have been that of iron.”

She didn’t know how to feel. The Duke was refusing to let her leave, he was being entirely inappropriate, and yet, he was complimenting her. He professed how hard it would be to keep her intact, and Selina hated that she was fascinated by the desperate sound of his voice.

There were too many thoughts swirling about in her head, and Selina was furious with herself for all of them.

She must have lost her mind. It was the only thing that could explain her curiosity, the interest she had in the proximity of the Duke, the soft curves of his lips that seemed to beckon her closer…

No, this is ridiculous! Get a hold of yourself!

“Unless, of course, this is all a ploy. Some way to make me more amenable to your wishes? A vixen’s false claims that might persuade me to be more lenient.”

“How dare you question my veracity. I do not lie. I would never.” She pushed against his arm again before ducking to sneak beneath it all to no avail. “Let me go. You have no right to keep me here.”

He craned closer, his face inches from hers so that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her mouth. Selina’s heart was going to burst from her rib cage, and she spun, unable to tell what she wanted and what she should run from.

“But, of course not. How could I be so foolish? You respond to my teasing with such a lackluster expression of emotion. I am confident you would not be able to lead a man on that way. And since you will not play along because of your innocence …”

He let the word hang in the air, and something snapped inside Selina. The Duke was baiting her, insulting her, and Selina had had enough. She was not a pawn, and she made her own decisions. She was not a fainting waif who couldn’t stand the very fundamentals of life, and she would prove it.

Grabbing the Duke’s arm, Selina yanked him around to face her. His eyes widened, a hint of curiosity, and then she took his face in her hands and pulled him down to her lips, sealing them together in a kiss.

Selina had never kissed anyone, not like this at any rate. There were chaste kisses for the public when she was married to Easton, but this was not that. The heat that had been growing within her magnified, and her head spun all the harder, like she was intoxicated.

It only took a few seconds for the Duke to take over. He swept her against his chest, his hand wrapping around the back of her neck. Selina had no idea what she was doing, and she easily relinquished control of the embrace to him.

To Hugh .

It was the first time she’d thought about him as anything but “the Duke,” and Selina felt a stirring in her low abdomen, a buzzing that spread to the most intimate parts of her.

Something rigid at his hips pressed into her, and Selina abruptly realized that Hugh was aroused. Was that what she was feeling? It had to be. It was alien and addictive. She swept her tongue against Hugh’s as he had been doing, and oh, the thrill of tasting him.

Hugh pulled back, looking down at her with an unreadable expression.

“You are innocent,” he whispered, his breath strained. “My God.”

Confirmation of her truth from his lips yanked Selina out of her fantasy. She was standing in the garden, entangled with the new Duke, when she was supposed to be sleeping. When she was supposed to be finding a husband at his command. This was wrong.

God, what have I done?

“I-I can’t.”

Unable to stop her this time, the Duke was forced to watch as Selina extracted herself from his arms and sprinted back for the house.

She did not stop until she reached her room, diving into the bed and burying herself in the blankets, silently praying that it would make the last few moments disappear, even as she knew that was utterly impossible.