“Excuse me, ladies. My grandmother is not feeling well, and I must see to her immediately. Thank you for your hospitality and your assistance, once again. Good evening.”
Morgan bowed and retreated without another word, rushing out of the almost empty ballroom. He got into the carriage and apologized for the delay, explaining why he was away in a few words.
As the carriage rumbled on towards his manor, he watched his grandmother talking with Selina, and couldn’t help feeling unsettled about what Lady Hamstone had just shared with him.
* * *
“You’re sure of this?”
“Of course I am,” Morgan replied agitatedly, sitting across the desk from Arthur. “Lady Hamstone seemed rather convinced that I had the wrong name, and insisted on her point.”
Arthur reclined in his seat and tapped the arm of the chair pensively. He looked abstractly at a shelf across the room from him, lost in his thoughts.
Although he had left the ball shortly after arriving, Morgan had sent for him in the dead of night immediately his grandmother had been handed into the care of the physician.
Selina had stayed by her side, holding the dowager’s hand and speaking softly with her when Morgan left the room.
In his usual way, Arthur had come calling immediately, ignoring whatever he was doing before he received Morgan’s summons. And now, they say in the dim study, sipping quietly out of an old bottle of scotch.
Morgan had told him all that happened, including what Lady Hamstone had said. However, he had done well to leave out the part where he kissed Selina and professed his deep love for her.
Arthur stopped his tapping abruptly. “What do you think? What do you make of all this? If Lady Hamstone is telling the truth, that means the woman who has been living with your grandmother all this time is an impostor. What could she possibly want?”
“That’s the thing, Arthur. I have no idea what to think. For the life of me, I have no idea why Selina would lie about who she is or where she came from, and that unsettles me the most.”
And then Morgan thought back to the moment just after he had kissed Selina. That part of the night had been buried after the cry of alarm broke out in the ballroom.
Now, he sat back and replayed the whole scene in his mind. Selina’s reaction to the kiss had been positive. To Morgan, she had enjoyed it, wanted it even. However, she had pulled out of it with a guilty look.
He hadn’t been sure at the time, but now he was convinced there were tears in her eyes. And then, she had told him not to trust her and asked him to stay away from her.
Morgan recalled how hurt he had been to see her react the way she had. It had taken a lot for him to open up to Selina about how he felt. He had even spoken about his childhood, something he had never done before, not even to Arthur.
Her reaction had left him scorned and embarrassed, and only his grandmother's collapse had saved him from digging up that painful memory. Now, that was all he could think about.
Why would she ask me not to trust her? What is she hiding? What if she’s not who I thought she was? Who is Selina Kendall, and is she different from the woman I have fallen madly in love with?
The questions ran rampant in Morgan’s mind, and he searched furtively for answers. The first time he opened himself up to a woman, and there were suspicions she wasn’t who she claimed to be?
“I would look into the matter for you, my friend,” Arthur said finally. “I have connections and associates who specialize in uncovering things like this. Give me a little while, and I would get back to you with what’s going on here.”
The idea of going behind Selina to uncover her past was distasteful to Morgan. Regardless, he knew he couldn’t allow himself to be clouded by his judgment. He had to do the best he could to protect his family. That came first to him before all else.
“You do that,” Morgan replied with an air of cold finality. “Look into it and let me know what you find. Immediately.”
Arthur nodded, and together, the two men shared their drink in silence.
* * *
“I assure you, the physician assured me that all is well. You have nothing to worry yourselves with, my dears.”
Barbara exchanged a look with Selina. Her concern was stark on her face and she looked like she was going to cry again.
Selina had informed her about the dowager’s fainting episode during their morning lessons, and now, they were in the dowager’s chambers, keeping her company.
“Oh, come now, child. Don’t look so sad and afraid. Like I said, the physician said that I’m in perfect health. He did ask me to lay off the parties for a while though, sod him. But I tell you, nothing is going to happen to me.
“In fact, after his examinations, he also added that I was a very healthy woman, despite my age. The truth is that I felt a sudden exhaustion during the ball and, before I could sit down, I was unconscious.
