Selina shook her head. “I don’t think I can. Not here.”
Before Christine could reply, Dominic approached them. He held out his hand to Selina. “May I have the next dance?” he asked. “I should dance at least once with my betrothed.”
She shook her head, feeling a flash of anger at him. “There’s no need to pretend, Your Grace,” she said. “We both know you don’t want to dance.”
His expression darkened, and Selina prepared herself for an argument. But before he could get a single word out, the dowager grabbed his arm. Her face was pale with terror. “Come quick, Dominic! It’s Percy.”
“Where is he?” Dominic demanded.
“He’s in his bedroom.”
Dominic immediately took off running out of the ballroom. His heart thudded in his chest as he imagined a dozen scenarios, each more horrible than the last. What could have sent his grandmother into a panic like that?
When he got to Percy’s bedroom, the door was open. Dominic froze. His son stood on the balcony ledge.No.
The rapid clicks of high heels told him that Selina had followed him. She gasped softly at the sight of the boy.
Half a dozen servants surrounded Percy. “Please, Percy,” said his nanny. “Just step down, sweetheart.”
“I know where the cook keeps the chocolate,” said one of the maids. Her voice was shaking. “Do you want some chocolate? We can go get some right now.”
Percy shook his head, frowning. He covered his face with his arms, and he lost his footing for a moment. Everyone gasped, and Dominic swore his heart stopped beating until his son regained his balance.
“Everyone, get back!” Dominic growled. “Stop crowding him.” He looked at Selina, whose face was as pale as a ghost. “Talk to him.”
“Me?” She looked shocked. “What am I supposed to say?”
“Talk to him like you did with that spaniel in the woods. Please.” He didn’t know how, but he knew somewhere in the pit of his stomach that Selina was the only one who would be able to talk him down.
She nodded. “Okay.”
The servants parted the way for her to get close to the boy. As she moved forward, a hand grasped Dominic’s. He looked to see his grandmother there, her eyes fixed on Percy and Selina.
Selina smiled at Percy as she slowly approached. “Good evening, Percy,” she said softly. “Do you remember me? You told me about the constellations.”
He stared at her for a moment before nodding.
“Good,” she said. “It’s too bad it’s a little cloudy tonight. It makes it harder to see them, doesn’t it?” She leaned against the railing and looked up at the sky. “Were you trying to get a better look at the stars? Is that why you climbed up here?”
Percy didn’t respond. Instead, he looked at Dominic, who wished he could understand what his son was trying to tell him.
Selina followed his gaze for a moment before looking back at Percy. “It’s all right. You’re not in trouble. You must have had quite a fright when all of these people came in here. But you just wanted to see the stars, didn’t you?”
He looked at her and nodded.
She smiled. “That’s what I thought. How about we go into the garden together? I’m sure there must be some place in the garden where we can get a good view of them. Would you like that, Percy?”
He hesitated for a moment and nodded.
“Good,” Selina said. She held out her hand for him. “I’ll help you down.”
How did she do that? How is it so easy for her?
Percy grabbed her hand and came down from the ledge. Dominic breathed a sigh of relief as soon as he was down. He walked over to his son and dropped to one knee. He wanted to pull his son into a hug, but it felt like his arms were frozen at his side as he looked at the boy. Finally, Dominic managed to speak. “Did you truly just want to see the stars?”
Percy stared at him, his face expressionless.
Dominic bowed his head, feeling utterly defeated. It was only when he ran a hand through his hair that he realized his hands were shaking.
