Dominic’s jaw tightened as he finally looked at Selina; directly, intently. There was something in his eyes she hadn’t seen before, something that made her breath catch. She wasn’t sure why she was so startled.
The dowager approached the table with two slips of blue paper. “My gift to the happy couple,” she said, handing them to Dominic and Selina. “The two of you will lead the hunt.” She smiled and walked away.
Selina looked at her piece of paper. It saidThe Misunderstood Dukeon it. “I don’t know what this means,” she said.
Austin held up his own slip of paper. It saidThe Vain Duke.“I hope this isn’t supposed to mean I’m vain. I think I’m quite modest.”Dominic grunted. “You are certainly not self-aware if you think you are modest.”
Selina smiled while Austin made a sound of mock offense.
“If you two will excuse me, I must go find my partner. Perhaps I will make a love match today as well.” He grinned as he stood up to hunt for the person with the same slip of paper as him.
Selina had a feeling his definition of a love match did not end with an engagement.
She turned to Dominic. “So you really intend to marry me?”
“I thought I made my intentions clear last night,” he said. He still wouldn’t meet her gaze, instead staring off into the distance.
“I had hoped you reconsidered.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I will not. You will marry me in three days’ time, and I suggest you get used to the idea.”
She glared at him. “Then I suggest you at least pretend not to be completely furious with me all the time.”
His brow furrowed. “I am not angry at you. What gave you that impression?”
“You mean aside from the way you glared at everyone as you forced out the engagement announcement through your teeth? How about the way you cannot even look at me right now?”
His striking blue eyes met her own. “Apologies,” he said.
She glared at him, still not satisfied. “If you want me to come to terms with our engagement, then I suggest you do the same. Stop acting like this is the worst day of your life.”
“Believe me, my lady. This is far from the worst day.” He said it softly, with more sincerity than she thought possible from him. She wondered what he was thinking about. What did the Stone Duke consider the worst day of his life?
After a moment of silence, he spoke again. “I meant it when I said I am not angry with you. I was angry with your godmother. I heard what she said to you, loud enough for everyone to hear, too.”
Selina looked down. So that was why he abruptly announced their engagement to everyone. “Yes, we have never seen eye to eye,” she said. “It is not the first time she has spoken to me that way. You didn’t need to come to my rescue.”
“Of course I did. You’re my betrothed.” He stood up and held out his hand to help her to her feet. “I believe everyone has found their partners now. It is time to find out what this mysterious Duke Hunt really is.”
All the guests gathered at one end of the park, near the manor. The tables and canopies were quickly cleared away by a small team of footmen, leaving a wide, open grassy area with some woodland behind it and the gardens on the left and right sides.
“Bring out the dukes!” The dowager duchess called.
Everyone looked at each other, bewildered, until faint barking could be heard in the distance.
A small parade of footmen came out, each of them walking two energetic cocker spaniels.
Everyone laughed at the sight of them, with a few “aws” heard among the crowd as well.
Selina grinned when she saw them. They were so cute! Of course, Dominic appeared unaffected by the sight of them. She wondered if he was even capable of smiling.
All of the dogs had brightly colored pieces of paper tied around their necks, matching the paper they had in their hands. Selina saw the dog with the blue paper at the front of the line. She couldn’t read the writing on the paper from this distance, but she knew it saidThe Misunderstood Duke.
“The Duke of Greystone and Lady Selina will lead the hunt today,” the dowager said, grinning at them. “At their command, the dukes will be released. The first couple to find their duke and bring him back to the manor will get a special prize: the first dance of tonight’s ball!” She looked at Selina and Dominic. “At your command,” she said, grinning, before stepping off to the side.
Selina glanced at Dominic, who nodded at her. She stepped forward, smiling with her head held high. “Release the dukes!” she called, trying to mimic his grandmother’s theatrics.
The footmen all kneeled down and released the dogs. With their newfound freedom, they all started sprinting in every direction, barking. Selina saw their puppy make a beeline for the woods. “Hurry, Your Grace!” she called, starting to jog as much as her shoes would allow. However, when she looked behind her, she just saw Dominic walking toward the manor.
