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“ L ord Penderwick looks positively frozen with terror,” Georgiana observed, peering around the bookshop display. “Poor man’s been holding that same book upside down for five minutes.”

Selina followed her friend’s gaze to where Matthew stood near the poetry section, indeed clutching a volume of Wordsworth the wrong way up while attempting to appear casual.

Across from him, a pretty young lady with chestnut curls browsed the shelves, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

“Should we rescue him?” Selina asked, watching Matthew drop the book entirely in his nervousness.

“Absolutely. The poor dear will spontaneously combust at this rate.” Georgiana straightened her bonnet. “Come, let’s work our magic.”

They approached with carefully orchestrated nonchalance, Georgiana calling out with perfectly feigned surprise, “Lord Penderwick! What a delightful coincidence.”

Matthew spun around so quickly that he knocked another book from the shelf. “Your Graces!” His face flushed crimson as he scrambled to retrieve the fallen volumes. “I was just, ah, examining the poetry selection.”

“So we see,” Selina said kindly, noting how the young lady had glanced up with interest at the mention of his title. “Are you finding anything to your taste?”

“Oh yes, quite.” Matthew held up the book he’d rescued, then realized it was a treatise on animal husbandry. “That is, I meant this one.” He grabbed blindly at another volume, which turned out to be a cookbook.

The young lady barely suppressed a giggle. Matthew looked as if he wished the floor would open and swallow him whole.

“Lord Penderwick is quite the scholar,” Georgiana announced to the young lady with a warm smile. “Though I believe his interests run more toward astronomy than agriculture. Isn’t that right, my lord?”

Matthew seized on this lifeline gratefully. “Yes, precisely. Astronomy. The stars. Celestial bodies and such.”

“How fascinating,” the young lady said, setting down her own book. “I’ve recently begun reading about the constellations myself. Papa brought me a book from London about Greek mythology and the night sky.”

Matthew’s entire demeanor changed. “You’re interested in astronomy? How wonderful! I mean, that is, it’s a worthy pursuit. For anyone. Including ladies. Especially ladies.”

Selina bit back a smile at his flustered enthusiasm. The young lady seemed charmed rather than put off by his stammering.

“Perhaps we should make proper introductions,” Georgiana suggested smoothly. “Lord Penderwick, may I present Miss Amelia Thornton. Miss Thornton, the Viscount Penderwick.”

“Miss Thornton.” Matthew executed a bow that was only slightly too deep, nearly hitting his head on a shelf. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“And mine yours, Lord Penderwick.” Miss Thornton curtsied prettily. “Do you observe the stars often?”

“Whenever the weather permits.” Matthew’s confidence grew visibly as he warmed to his favorite subject. “I’ve recently acquired a new telescope from Germany. The clarity is remarkable. Just last week I observed the rings of Saturn.”

“Saturn has rings?” Miss Thornton’s eyes widened with genuine interest. “How extraordinary. What do they look like?”

“Like perfect circles of light surrounding the planet,” Matthew explained, his hands moving animatedly. “Galileo first thought they were moons, but Christiaan Huygens correctly identified them as rings in 1659.”

Selina and Georgiana exchanged pleased looks as the conversation flowed more naturally. Matthew had forgotten his nervousness entirely, focused on sharing his passion with an appreciative audience.

“I would so love to see them,” Miss Thornton said wistfully. “But I suppose a proper telescope is quite costly.”

“Oh, it’s not about the cost,” Matthew assured her.

“It’s about the quality of the lenses and the stability of the mount.

Actually, if you’d like…” He paused, suddenly remembering propriety.

“That is, with proper chaperonage, of course, perhaps you might visit some evening when the sky is clear. To observe. The stars. Through the telescope.”

“I think that sounds delightful,” Georgiana interjected before Matthew could qualify himself into incoherence. “Perhaps Miss Thornton’s family might join us all for dinner first? I know the Duchess and I would be fascinated to learn more about astronomy.”

“Would you really?” Miss Thornton turned to them with shining eyes. “Oh, that would be wonderful. Papa is always saying I need more intellectual pursuits.”

“Then it’s settled,” Selina said, catching Matthew’s grateful look. “Lord Penderwick, perhaps you could write to Mr. Thornton with a formal invitation?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’ll do that immediately. Today. This afternoon.” Matthew clutched his stack of random books like a life preserver. “I should go do that now, actually.”

“Perhaps purchase the books first?” Georgiana suggested gently.

Matthew looked down at his armload, which included the animal husbandry text, the cookbook, and what appeared to be a manual on millinery. “Ah. Yes. Though perhaps not all of these.”

“Might I suggest this one?” Miss Thornton held out a slim volume. “It’s Ovid’s Metamorphoses . Wonderful stories about the constellations.”

“Perfect,” Matthew breathed, accepting the book as if it were made of gold. “Absolutely perfect.”

After a flurry of farewells and promises to correspond, Matthew departed with his single, carefully chosen purchase. Miss Thornton watched him go with a soft smile before turning back to Selina and Georgiana.

“He’s not at all what I expected,” she confided. “When Mama heard a viscount was interested, she painted a picture of some stuffy, pompous lord. But he’s rather sweet, isn’t he?”

“One of the sweetest men in London,” Selina agreed. “And quite brilliant when you get him talking about his interests.”

“I could tell.” Miss Thornton glanced toward the door again. “Do you think he’ll really write to Papa?”

“I’d wager the letter will arrive before you reach home,” Georgiana predicted. “Matthew is nothing if not prompt when properly motivated.”

As they chatted with Miss Thornton a bit longer, discovering she was indeed the same girl from the park, Selina felt a now-familiar pang.

Young love, so sweet and uncomplicated. No arranged marriages, no abandoned weddings, no mysterious absences.

Just a shy viscount and a kind young lady bonding over the stars.

After Miss Thornton departed with her maid, Georgiana linked arms with Selina. “That went rather well, don’t you think?”

“Brilliantly. Did you see how he lit up when she mentioned astronomy?”

“Like a lamp being turned up. And she seemed genuinely interested, not merely being polite.”

They strolled through the bookshop, Georgiana occasionally pulling volumes from the shelves. “It’s satisfying, playing matchmaker. Perhaps we should make a profession of it.”

“I think we’d better see Matthew safely married first,” Selina laughed. “He still has to survive dinner with her parents. And knowing Matthew, he’ll likely spill soup on someone important.”

“True. Remember the Hendersons’ musicale? When he knocked over the harp trying to turn pages for Miss Henderson?”

“The poor man was mortified. Though Miss Henderson was rather unkind about it.”

“Well, she was hoping to snare the Earl of Westford. A mere viscount breaking her instrument was adding insult to injury.” Georgiana selected another book. “Speaking of marriages, how are things with your duke?”

Selina kept her expression neutral. “Much the same. He’s away on business again.”

“Again? Didn’t he just return from the last trip?”

“Three days ago. This time he took Lord Halston with him.”

Georgiana frowned. “That’s rather odd. Men don’t usually take friends on business trips unless there’s sport involved. Is he hunting?”

“I have no idea.” Selina tried to keep the hurt from her voice. “He tells me very little about his affairs.”

“Hmm.” Georgiana didn’t look convinced. “And how long will he be gone this time?”

“He didn’t say.”

They reached the counter, where Georgiana paid for her selections. As they emerged onto the busy street, she turned to Selina with determination.

“This won’t do. You’re his wife, not his housekeeper. You deserve to know where he goes and why.”

“It’s not that simple,” Selina protested. “Our arrangement…”

“Hang your arrangement,” Georgiana said with uncharacteristic vehemence. “You deserve better, my friend.”

“I… I know that. But he’s my husband. The only way is if I discover why he keeps pushing me away.”

“That is a good place to start. But just so you know, men push us away because they are idiots,” Georgiana declared.

“Robert was the same when we first married. Convinced he was protecting me by keeping his business troubles to himself. It took me threatening to return to my mother before he finally opened up.”

Selina smiled despite herself. “Somehow I can’t see you threatening anything. You’re far too sweet.”

“Sweet, perhaps, but also stubborn. A trait I believe you share.” Georgiana hailed a passing hackney. “Now, let’s stop by Gunther’s for ices. All this matchmaking has given me an appetite.”

As they settled into the carriage, Selina allowed herself a moment of hope.

If shy, bumbling Matthew could find happiness with a few nudges in the right direction, perhaps her own marriage wasn’t beyond salvation.

She just needed to figure out how to nudge a stubborn duke who seemed determined to maintain his distance.

The thought of confronting Rowan about his secrets made her stomach flutter with nervousness, but Georgiana was right. She couldn’t continue living as a stranger in her own marriage. When he returned from this latest mysterious journey, she would demand answers.

Whether he would give them remained to be seen.

They spent the rest of the afternoon shopping, with Georgiana determinedly taking Selina’s mind off her absent husband. By the time they parted ways, Selina felt more cheerful than she had in days.

As her carriage rolled toward home, she thought about Matthew and Miss Thornton, probably both penning letters at this very moment.

Young love, so fresh and hopeful. Had she ever been that innocent?

Her courtship with her first husband had been purely practical, and her correspondence with Rowan had been formal to the point of sterility.

But those moments they’d shared, few as they were, suggested something more was possible. The passion of his kiss at the opera. The tender way he’d cleaned her wounds in the kitchen, followed by… She felt her cheeks heat at the memory.

Somewhere beneath his cold exterior, her husband had depths she’d barely glimpsed. If shy Matthew could find his voice talking about stars, perhaps she could find a way to make Rowan talk about whatever demons drove him to such secrecy.

The challenge was figuring out how to reach him before his walls grew too high to scale.