Page 7

Chapter Four

“ T here was such a stir, Selina! I cannot believe you have not heard it yourself.”

Lydia was going on about the success of the ball which Selina was glad had turned out well, considering that she did not make it down for the rest of it following her encounter with the Duke.

Still, Selina did not wish to partake in a round of trading gossip with her sisters. She simply wanted to enjoy her tea in the garden.

But life was not about what Selina wanted, and she knew that well.

And you require input about the ball, regardless.

“What was said? I will admit to being quite curious about the impression our new Duke left.”

Selina knew how to sound especially intrigued, so she leaned into her performance.

Lydia ate it up, eagerly scooting toward her on the couch so that she might divulge all the details.

Myra, to her credit, was paying attention but not avidly.

She took note of where to inject the right non-committal sound while their mother was as excitable as Lydia.

“Well, as you may have already heard, Hugh Bosley, the new Duke of Soulden, was born into a middle-class family. He is not of the aristocracy and new to the ton entirely.”

Nodding, Selina took a sip of her tea, noting that it was overly sweet this morning. That suggested that Lydia had been responsible for approving how much sugar was added. Selina forced herself to choke it down.

Breakfast had already been quite long, the Duke still taking his meal in the study, and all she had wanted was a peaceful moment with her tea. Selina truly needed to convince herself to abandon those types of hopes while her family still resided with her.

“Yes, Lydia, I am aware of that. Please,” Selina pulled up a smile from the depths and offered it to her sister as she set her cup down, “go on.”

“Well, he is a solicitor’s son, and the Duke has since made a fortune for himself. He is quite the established businessman. Though he has soured nearly every conversation he has been a part of. He might be quite attractive, but his etiquette is sorely lacking.”

Selina nodded along. More about the Duke made sense with that information to provide context.

It was easy to see now why the man would feel more comfortable with his solicitor than with the ton or the residents of the estate.

Still, it did not excuse his rigid behavior—or what he’d done last evening in the library.

Adjusting in her chair, Selina ignored the wave of heat that rushed through her at the thought of those moments pressed to the wall. She cleared her throat and refocused on Lydia.

“He is new money of course. We knew that, child,” her mother scolded. “Go on.”

Lydia made a face, scowling ever so slightly at their mother, and Selina fought the urge to roll her eyes.

Thankfully, a cool breeze filtered through the garden, taking the edge off her growing irritation.

Myra flipped a page in her book as well, the noise of the paper shifting a familiar one to Selina, which provided a glimmer of comfort.

“The man owns four vineyards and three breweries. Can you believe that? He’s involved with the drink from start to finish!

” Lydia laughed at her own joke, grating on Selina’s nerves.

“Exports from them travel around the world, I’ve heard, even the Americas.

Apparently, that’s where he’s been for several years.

So it makes sense why the news of the previous Duke’s demise did not reach him for a time. ”

That did provide context. If the Duke had been living across the ocean, it would take a considerable time for a missive to reach him. It was only slightly odd that he had taken it upon himself to live there. Several businessmen had been known to, but it was uncommon amongst the ton.

“A self-made man for certain,” Mother added. “And to America. That is rather bold. I wonder what the Duke got up to while there?”

“Well,” Lydia leaned in further, her conspiratorial attitude blossoming, “rumor has it that he was quite the rake while there. He remained unmarried, as we know, but the ruthless businessman was not without female companionship.”

The three women listening to the story froze at that point, even Selina, who was drawn into Lydia’s gossip even as she mentally chastized herself for being so wrapped up in the rumors.

“I have heard that he has taken up with a number, but none of them have been ladies of the ton, none married either.”

“Who then?” their mother asked.

“Actresses!” Lydia clapped a hand over her mouth as she beamed, enjoying herself immensely. “And a few singers here and there. And never to the same woman twice. He couldn’t count the number of his conquests on both hands, it seems.”

Selina was genuinely shocked and scandalized by her sister’s words. Still, they faded into the background as she ruminated about what she had heard. At the same time, her mother and sister chattered on endlessly about the Duke, right in the middle of the garden of all places.

Had the Widow Darrington heard something similar? Was she hoping to take advantage of the Duke’s rakish behavior for herself?

The conversation continued while Selina choked down the remainder of her tea. Lydia and Mother were tossing about wild statements at their leisure, and Selina scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Honestly, you two. Do you not hear yourselves?” She turned to her mother. “And did you not say that we are to put our best foot forward to appeal to the Duke? What would he say if he were to hear you?”

“Oh, Selina.” The woman waved her off, sipping at her own tea. “He is nowhere near; he’s cooped up in that study, no doubt.”

“It is best not to bother with them, Sister. You know how they can be.” Myra patted Selina’s hand, offering a small smile, but too quickly she turned to Lydia, and the grin turned mischievous. “Still, I must say. An actress? A singer? I wonder what is next? Is he following a list?”

Laughter erupted, and while Selina might have joined in, for Myra’s joke was rather humorous, she couldn’t find it in herself to do so. Worry dogged her. There was so much going on with the Duke, so many motives left unclear, and she couldn’t help but wonder about Lydia as well.

Her debut is next year. What will happen to her if she is this caught up in the latest on dit ?

But it was not solely her concern that flustered Selina so much. If she were honest with herself, she would admit that what Lydia had said about the Duke got under her skin. She’d been tangled up in the man in the library, and hearing of his rakish behavior made her feel na?ve.

Is that what he wants of me? Another in his long list of conquered women? But then, why demand I marry? Ugh, the man is insufferable!

Tea carried on with Lydia filling the air with her rumors upon rumors heard during the ball. After a time, Selina excused herself, hurrying back inside to her bedroom. The air was thick and humid today, and a quick splash of water on her face was required.

Selina was sure she would feel much better afterward.

That evening, everyone in the house was astonished to find the Duke walking into the dining room to attend dinner with them. He had taken all his meals in the study until this very moment, and Selina’s mind churned with the reason he might grace them with his presence.

“Your Grace,” her mother began, “you have joined us for a meal. How wonderful.”

The woman was excellent at keeping her tone set to the exact right one for any given situation, and if you didn’t know her like Selina did, you would have believed that she was genuinely thrilled to have the Duke at the table.

It was all a ruse of course. Her mother gripped her napkin just a hair tighter as she stood up to greet the Duke, and Selina recognized it as a tell of her less-than-thrilled attitude.

He had been so reclusive that it was clear her mother had come to expect this to be their dynamic.

And Selina understood why it might be desirable.

If he remained closed in, keeping to himself, Bridget could go on about her business as she always had. This was an intrusion that suggested their lives might be changing very soon.

And for once, Selina shared her mother’s concern.

“Good evening. Yes, I thought it time that I joined you all for dinner, seeing as my work to acclimate myself with the estate has progressed well.”

He took his seat at the opposite head of the table across from Selina, and the Duke’s eyes met hers immediately. The intensity there made her shift in her seat, and Selina cleared her throat, reaching for her wine to ease the tightness.

“How lovely. We are honored to have you here,” Bridget added, sitting back down with a performative smile.

As the first course was brought in, a small section of soups for them to choose from, the Duke turned toward Lydia and Myra, who sat along the side of the table at his right.

“I must say, girls, I still know so little about you. Tell me, what do you each enjoy doing during your leisure time?”

Lydia practically screamed excitement, her attention rapt and so focused on the Duke that she nearly put her elbow in her soup bowl.

“Oh, I adore a good stroll outside, Your Grace. It is such a lovely way to speak with friends.”

“She means that she likes to walk about the garden while she gossips.”

Attention flicked to Myra as she bluntly put forth the truth of Lydia’s favorite activity. Their mother glared at her, and it took everything Selina had to keep from laughing.

“What? It is the truth, and we all know it. There is little in this world that Lydia loves more than a piece of juicy gossip.”

“Myra!” Lydia smacked a hand down on the table, shaking the glasses, and Selina had to clamp her own hand over her mouth.

Still, a tiny snort broke free, and Selina caught her mother’s wrath in a withering glare.

“That’s quite enough, girls,” Bridget scolded. “The Duke has asked for your hobbies, not a display of such unladylike behaviors.”

“It’s quite all right.” The Duke smiled, shaking his head gently as he sipped at his goblet. “I hear that a bit of squabbling is very typical for siblings.”

“You do not have siblings, then?”

Selina’s voice rang out as all other noise in the room fell away just when she opened her mouth, and embarrassment flared through her.

To his credit, the Duke didn’t gape at her or comment about her volume. He only nodded, a smile that did not reach his eyes worn on his face.

“I do not. I was the only child my parents conceived.”

“Quite fortunate, I’d say.” Myra had spoken quietly, but they all heard her, and Lydia glared all the harder at her sister.

A light chuckle left the Duke, and he turned to Myra. “And what is it that you enjoy if it is not gossiping alongside your sister?”

From beneath the table, Myra held up a book which she’d snuck into the room with her and hid out of sight so that her mother would not notice.

“I enjoy reading,” she said a bit sheepishly. “But it gets me in trouble occasionally.”

Selina smiled at her sister as Myra glanced back at her. It was a silent moment of connection between the two of them. Still, as her gaze shifted from her sibling to the Duke, Selina’s smile died on her face, replaced by a furious burn in her cheeks, the result of how the man looked at her.

A tension sparked through the air, so taut that Selina was convinced that she would be able to reach out and pluck it like a harp string.

The Duke continued to stare at her until, abruptly, he cleared his throat, seeming to refocus on the previous conversation.

“I enjoy reading quite a bit myself, and the estate has a wonderful library.” His eyes met Selina’s again, holding them captive. “Such a quiet space to enjoy a good book in peace.”

“Exactly!” Myra exclaimed happily. “I love it in there. The previous Duke, dear Easton, had such a wonderful collection. I shall do my best to work my way through each tome.”

God save her, Selina was going to throttle the new Duke. He was blatantly eyeing her, the intensity causing her blood to catch fire, and Selina couldn’t believe that no one else there noticed it.

“Will you now? That shall take some time. Are you certain you can complete a trip through all those books?”

There was something ominous about the way the Duke asked the question. Myra didn’t seem to notice, and besides, she was a quick reader, so Selina could already guess what her response might be.

“It shall be no issue at all. I read at an exemplary speed. I should think that it will only take me a few months.”

“Ahh,” the Duke nodded, smiling neutrally at Myra as he gave a single nod, “that is good then.”

And there it was again, that odd feeling of foreboding beneath the Duke’s tone. It was as if he already believed that Myra’s time was not plentiful. What would make him think such a thing?

He’s up to something.

But conversation continued quietly. The Duke inquired about her sister’s hobbies a bit more, even asking about what they might see for their lives in the future.

Both Myra and Lydia informed the man that their debut would be coming soon.

Lydia was first, hers in less than a year, and Myra was next, sixteen months from today in fact.

Lydia, of course, held her usual air of excitement over the coming debut while Myra remained less than enthusiastic about it. She wouldn’t marry if she had her way, determined to send their mother to an early grave by becoming a bluestocking spinster.

Selina would never tell how much she wished the same for Myra.

“Mmm,” the Duke wiped his mouth with a smooth napkin, smiling appreciatively as he laid the fabric across his plate and looked across the table at all of them, “that was indeed delicious. Now, if you all do not mind…”

He let the words drift there in the air, perched on the edge of some invisible cliff. As he did, the Duke stood from his seat, reclosing the halves of his jacket before eyeing each of the women in the room in turn.

“…would you please come with me to the parlor? I have something important I wish to discuss with you all.”

Selina’s stomach clenched, the heavy weight of her dinner settling uncomfortably. The Duke was up to something, and they were all about to find out what.