Selina stopped short and glanced at Morgan’s hand wrapped around her wrist, then looked up at him. Her face was a blend of anger and confusion.
“Please… stay a moment,” Morgan said quickly. Without saying anything, Selina stopped walking, but kept her face forward.
“I came here to… to uhm… to apologize… Yes. I came here to apologize. To say I was sorry foryelling at you. It was wrong of me to accuse you without asking questions, and for that I am deeply sorry.”
Selina clutched her book to her chest with one hand, the other hand still in Morgan’s gentle grip. Selina sighed deeply and rubbed her forehead. “I would never want any harm to come to Lady Barbara, Your Grace.
“All I wanted to do was respect her wishes. If I felt like she was in any real harm, I’d have been the first to inform you. I care a lot for your family, Your Grace.”
“I know, I know. I just… I was just worried for her. I can’t stand to see her in pain.”
“I understandyour concern for your sister. Regardless,I implore you to be more respectful, your Grace. I will not tolerate such behavior again.I will not be spoken to in that manner again.”
A frown creased Morgan’s face and he raised a brow. While he wasn’t the sort of man to lord his position over others, he was still a duke, and a highly respected one. Selina’s remark had cut his pride.
Here he was apologizing for something he regretted, and with as much grace as he could muster. If one were to walk in, they would think his position with Selina had been flipped, and she was of higher standing than him.
“What? What did you just say to me?”
“I said,” Selina said through clenched teeth, turning to face Morgan. “I said that I would not tolerate such behavior ever again. Not from you, not from anyone else.” Selina stood her ground, her eyes hard as flint.
Morgan could not believe his ears. “What gives you the right to speak to me so? Do you have an inkling of an idea how much it took for me to come here and apologize to you?
“I’m reaching out here and trying to do the right thing by apologizing but you have chosen instead to be difficult.”
“When one is apologizing, there’s no room for pride.”
“Pride?” Morgan asked incredulously. “Any other man of my standing would not have even bothered with an apology in the first place. I made a mistake. I misunderstood the situation, sure. However, it was still a valid misunderstanding.”
“Well, Your Grace. Maybe you’re not as different from the rest of the Ton as you think you are.” Selina stepped forward as she bit off the words.
“You have no right… No right…” Morgan’s hands were clenched to his side. His shoulders shaking.Morgan looked down and saw that he and Selina stood within a hair’s breadth of each other.
He towered over her but she stood tall regardless, staring into his furious eyes and refusing to back down from the confrontation.
And then, without intending to, Morgan got lost in her green eyes. The intensity of her gaze gripped him, swallowing him whole like a hungry, ravenous beast.
It was the same thing he had felt at the ball some nights ago when he had danced with Selina. While he wanted to deny it to himself, the proof was glaring.
Morgan brought his face forward slowly, closing his eyes as he did so.
Selina leaned forward as well, and hesmelled cloves and honey on her breath.
His heart hammered in his chest and his throat squeezed tight in painful anticipation. And then… and then… and then it passed.
Morgan cleared his throat and took a step back. He felt like he had been in a trance, only just regaining consciousness. He took a deep steadying breath, then turned to look at Selina.
To Morgan’s surprise, she had the same dazed look on her face. It was almost as if both had just shared an experience and neither of them could express what had happenedto them.
* * *
Selina’s heart thundered in her chest. All this while, she had successfully managed to avoid Morgan. She had been avoiding him for days, and still, she had carelessly allowed herself to go wandering around in the manor.
She thought she could avoid him by spending time with the Dowager Duchess and Barbara. Her plan had worked for her so far until she went into the library. She had no idea how he had found her in the first place.
The almost-kiss moment between them confused Selina greatly. It was because of moments like this that she had started avoiding him in the first place.
She didn’t understand the feelings of yearning she had for Morgan, and they scared her a great deal, ever since their dance at the ball.
