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Chapter Ten

Selina

M ay I see you when I return ?

They were such innocuous words, and yet, the way Mr. Drake had looked at Selina as he said them—and the way it had snatched her breath like a thief—had been anything but innocuous.

Her heartbeat quickened even now, remembering the moment—and the one after when she had barely managed to eke out an agreement. An agreement that should never have been given.

This game she was playing was beginning to feel more dangerous.

Had she truly learned nothing? Was she so vulnerable to flattery and a charming smile that she could ignore that she was mere prey to a fortune hunter?

That she was no better than a fox running to the hounds hunting it, submitting itself for ravaging?

Of course not. She would never allow herself to be used in such a way again. Never would she allow herself to believe a man cared for her, only to be forced to face that she was but a means to an end.

Before the game was up, Mr. Drake must face humiliation. He must be made to admit that his charm and his acts of service had not been motivated by love for her but by love of the money she possessed.

She must hit upon a way to test the limits of his conniving—something that would test his resolve in new ways. There must be some point at which he would admit the truth of his intentions—or simply leave her be and make someone else his target.

With more force than was merited, she set down the correspondence of George’s that she had been sorting through.

She was tired to death of trying to determine what merited keeping.

She would happily throw it all away, and yet her conscience would not allow it.

Much as she might resent George, she owed all of her current comforts to him.

Comforts Mr. Drake intended to make his own.

A commotion in the entry hall brought her across the room and to the door of the study. She had just opened the door when her brows drew together at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Where is Aunt Selina?”

There was no doubting that sweet, high-pitched tone, and Selina hurried toward it with a mixture of concern and anticipation.

“Is that my little Kitty I hear?” Selina asked, coming round to a view that had her stopping short, her eyes wide.

In the entryway stood her brother, Richard, her sister-in-law, Jane, and all four of their small children. Phoebe held the youngest, Lou, in her arms, while various portmanteaux and valises had been and were continuing to be stacked around the group by the servants.

Selina blinked.

“Oh, dear,” Jane said at the sight of her. “You do not look as though you were expecting us.” She turned to her husband. “You promised you had sent the letter, my love.”

“I did!” he insisted with all the defensiveness of someone who had not sent the letter.

Jane looked at Selina with a grimace full of shared understanding. Richard was absent-minded on the best of days .

“We had hoped to spend a bit of time with you and Phoebe,” Jane said, “but if it is inconvenient, we will leave immediately.”

The resounding chorus of all four children rejecting this offer outright brought a gurgle of laughter from Selina.

“Do not be ridiculous,” she said. “You are always welcome here. But not, mind you”—she gave all four children a stern look—“if I have to wait even one more second for the proper greeting from my little troublemakers.”

In one motion, the four of them—from seven-year-old Arthur down to two-year-old Lou, who squirmed down from Phoebe’s arms—ran over to Selina. She crouched to receive them.

The warmth and vivacity of their embraces nearly made her lose her balance, but she managed to stay upright. The feel of their arms around her brought a strange lump to her throat.

Why couldn’t everyone’s affection be as trustworthy and reliable as those of children?

Arthur, who was the eldest, pulled back, his eyes intent. “Aunt Phoebe says you have a monkey.”

“And that his name is Pip!” five-year-old Teddy added.

Selina laughed and stood. “Aunt Phoebe has told the truth, but unfortunately, Pip is not here.”

The look of disappointment that met this information would have been comical had it not been so genuinely crushing.

“He is being taken care of by…a friend.” The last word came out strangled, and the explanation did nothing to temper the blow she had dealt them.

“But,” she said, watching their ears perk up, “perhaps we can arrange for him to visit?” She had no desire to have Pip back from Mr. Drake.

Was there a way that she could persuade him to leave the creature for an hour or two, then take the monkey home with him again?

The shift to elation was instantaneous, and again, Selina was swarmed with little arms eager to thank her. Had she not been accustomed to the clamor of her nieces and nephews, it would have been utterly overwhelming.

And that was when the idea occurred to her .

How would Mr. Drake fare under such an energetic entourage? How would his cool, collected charm endure such an assault, under the sometimes-brutal frankness of four opinionated children?

Selina smiled.

May I see you when I return ?

Oh, he would certainly see her. Whether he would enjoy it was another matter, however.

Her pulse fluttered when the note arrived from Mr. Drake the following day, asking if it would be convenient for him to call upon her in the late morning hours.

Unable to suppress her smile, she responded quickly in the affirmative, then went off to encourage Jane, Richard, and Phoebe to leave the children with her for a few hours while they enjoyed a day on the Town.

Their resistance was short-lived and feeble, for that was precisely what they had come to Town hoping for: time with Phoebe without the constant tumult of children to interrupt conversation. They wished to hear of her time in Society, and Phoebe was undoubtedly anxious to recount it to them.

The children, for their part, were more than happy to wave farewell to their dear parents for a few hours with the prospect of spending time with Selina, who had happily taken on the role of indulgent aunt, for there was no prospect of having children of her own now that she had settled upon life as a widow.

As the indulgent aunt, it was only fitting that she offer them an entire platter of marzipan and sugar plums shortly before Mr. Drake’s anticipated arrival.

The four of them munched on the sweets, Lou making a terrible mess of the marzipan, which ended up soiling both face and clothing. Kitty did not manage much better, but rather than cleaning them up, Selina allowed them to remain in all their glory .

The sudden influx of sugar into their small bodies produced the anticipated effect, and soon all four of them were speaking over one another and moving about in the most comically haphazard manner.

“You mustn’t bounce on the chaise, Teddy,” Selina said with ill-concealed delight, “and those pillows are not for throwing, Arthur.”

The bell rang out, and the children went still and quiet, looking at her with a question in their eyes.

“That will be Mr. Drake, who asked to call upon me,” she said, her body trembling with nearly as much energy as little Lou’s. “Now, I must tell you one or two things about Mr. Drake. Firstly, he loves nothing more than to be climbed upon.”

“Like a tree?” Teddy asked, his brows bunched together, no doubt because his father was always telling him not to hang upon him like a branch.

“ Just like a tree,” Selina confirmed. “He is very strong and claims he can lift anyone.”

Kitty’s eyes widened, her cheeks smeared generously with marzipan paste. “Could he lift us all?”

“Oh, most certainly. Another thing he loves is questions. All manner of questions! And being tickled.”

The children had never known such a person existed and looked as though they were on the cusp of meeting true greatness.

A final thought occurred to Selina. “His favorite question of all is about whether he intends to marry me. Now, just a moment, and I will return with him. You must be sure to give him the warmest welcome you can manage when I give you the nod. Like this…” She demonstrated it. “Yes?”

They all agreed eagerly, impatient to meet the impossibly perfect specimen.

Normally, Selina would have waited for a servant to show Mr. Drake in, but she had realized that one element of her plan was missing—one which required her to provide him with a bit of context before he was subjected to the children .

When Mr. Drake came into Selina’s view, he was in conversation with the butler in the entry hall.

Her heart somersaulted at the sight of his handsome face, and she clenched her teeth.

Mr. Drake’s gaze swept to her, and he smiled.

Oh, that cursed smile of his and the things it did to her!

Well, he would not be smiling for long.

Pip was nowhere in sight, and Selina realized with a sinking of the stomach that he had never stated his intention to bring the creature. She had simply assumed he would because he always had. The children would be murderous.

The butler moved out of the way, and Mr. Drake came toward her. “You are at home to visitors. Your butler was not certain.”

“Ah, yes. Well, I suppose you must be the one to decide whether you wish to remain. My brother and his family arrived in Town unexpectedly yesterday, and I suggested they take Phoebe out and leave the four children with me. I should have written you a note to inform you, but I have been so very needed by them.”

He grinned. “I can imagine! I have no wish to intrude…”

“Not at all! They were very eager when they heard the bell ring, in fact, and demanded an introduction to Mr. Drake.”

“Then I would not for the world dream of denying them such a thing.”

She smiled, almost feeling pity for him. Almost. “I admit I am happy to hear you say that, for they are very dear to me and visit often. Come, I will take you to them.”