“I have been away for five years. I truly didn’t know.”
He frowned. “You don’t know about my late wife?”
“I knew you had a wife who passed away. That is all I knew. I am sorry for your loss.”
“Don’t be,” he said through gritted teeth, turning away from her. He was tired of false sympathies from the ton because the people who spoke them were the same people who whispered about him behind his back.
But Selina seemed sincere in her condolences, which didn’t make sense. They barely knew each other, and their interactions had been marked by nothing but hostility so far. He didn’t know what to do with her. “Why are you here, Lady Selina?”
“In the garden? I wanted some fresh air. I was not in the mood for dancing.”
“No, I mean, why are youhere?At the manor? What is your motivation?”
Her jaw clenched. “Your grandmother invited me here, and I accepted the invitation so I could support my sister. I have no hidden motives, Your Grace. I am not running a confidence game like my brother did.”
He was surprised. He had forgotten about her brother. “I didn’t mean?—”
“And no, before you ask, I did not know what his plans were, I don’t have a share of the money hidden away, and I do not know where he is. He might have been my confidante, but I clearly wasn’t his.” She shook her head, anger flashing in her eyes.
“I didn’t mean to imply that you are a con woman,” he said. “I just want to know why you accepted the invitation to a gathering whose main goal is making love matches, if you yourself are not interested in a husband.”
She took a deep breath, appearing to calm down. “I am here for my sister,” she said. “I feel like I’ve had to tell everybody that. Why is that so difficult for people to comprehend?”
“You have traveled a long way just to spend time with your sister,” he remarked, though he admired her fierce protectiveness. It felt familiar.
She turned toward him, arms crossing tightly over her chest. The gesture only drew his gaze to the curve of her neck. “I haven’t seen her in five years. My godmother wouldn’t let me come home from finishing school. The Duke Hunt was an opportunity to see her again and to help her while she looks for a husband who can take her away from Lady Gillray.”
“That’s admirable,” he said sincerely. “I’m sorry you two were apart for so long.” His own sister was sent away to live with their aunt in Paris. She had only been gone for a few months, and he missed her. He couldn’t imagine being separated for five years.
She shrugged. “I suppose I did have a second motive. I also want to find a position as a lady’s companion or a governess, and I hoped that coming here and reacquainting myself with the ladies of the ton could help me with that. I need to find employment, Your Grace, because I have nothing.”
He could see she was being sincere. Even if she hadn’t said anything, it was unfortunately quite obvious that she was penniless. She looked less like an earl’s daughter and more like a pauper in a stolen ball gown that didn’t fit her correctly. “And yet the party has barely begun, and you have already snared yourself a duke,” he said.
She glowered at him. “We both know I did not ensnare you! I do not trap men into marriage! I would choose the fate of a maid a hundred times before being married to you.”
Heat surged through him, anger, yes, but a familiar desire too. She claimed not to have heard the rumors about what happened with his late wife, and yet this was how she acted.
He stepped closer, unable to stop himself. “Do not pretend that being married to me is a fate worse than death, my lady.”
“And do not pretend that you want to marry me! You could not possibly want that!” She turned away, hugging her arms to herself, as if she were cold despite the warm weather. “Perhaps we can avoid this.”
“I can control my grandmother,” Dominic said, “but have you ever witnessed how quickly gossip travels among servants?”
She spun around to look at him, as if a thought had struck her. There was some hope in her eyes. “I can disappear as soon as the Duke Hunt is over. You’ll never have to see me again.” She smiled. “Christine and Lady Gillray can tell everyone that I became a governess for a wealthy family in the country. And perhaps I will!” She giggled.
Would she really choose self-inflicted exile over sharing my name?
Dominic could not comprehend how a lady of the ton would go to such lengthsnotto marry a duke. But then again, as he gazed her up and down, Lady Selina was not exactly a typical lady of the ton. His mood darkened.
“What makes you think I would let you?” he said.
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean? I thought this would be happy news for both of us.”
“You would rather be on the run without a penny to your name than marry me? Don’t you understand how insulting that is?”
“Please, Your Grace, I didn’t mean?—”
“It doesn’t matter what you meant,” he said. Dominic had made up his mind. He had compromised Selina and would accept responsibility for that. Besides, he would rather have Selina for a wife than one of the timid debutantes.
