“You are not fine.” She took the chair opposite Deena, smoothing her skirts with deliberate calm. “You’ve been staring at doorways as though you expect someone to walk through them and solve your problems. And when Austin finally appears in the room, you look like a woman who’d been handed a loaded pistol instead of a dance card.”
Deena’s cheeks heated. “That’s dramatic.”
“Is it?” Selina tilted her head. “From what I heard…you two were the only pair who ignored the three-minute rule. The entire lawn was noticed. Apparently, all the young ladies nearly fainted from envy.”
“We were… simply discussing something important.”
“Important enough to make you laugh so loudly the dowager dropped her fan?” Selina was unrelenting. “What’s going on, Deena? Truly. I had a strange conversation with Austin earlier, and I’m just worried about both of you.”
Deena frowned. “What did he say?”
“He takes the scandal in the Daily Scribe too lightly, and he wonders why he cannot find therightwife.” Selina rolled her eyes and sat heavily in the opposite armchair.
“He stated that he wants the right wife?”
This was news to her.
“Yes, he very clearly stated that he’s looking for the one. I thought you knew this?”
“I did not.”
Selina grinned at her.
“What are you grinning at?”
“You do know what that means, right?”
“No…I’m afraid I don’t.”
“It means he wantsmore. And he has been spending more time with you so maybe he’s interested in —”
“He’s Dominic’s best friend, Selina. And you know the reputation he carries. There’s no way we could be… something else.”
Selina leaned forward slightly and whispered gently, “Everyone has a past, Deena.”
Deena thought about the time she walked in on Austin talking to her brother in their library about how he was treated like an outsider back at the Windemere estate. That night, she sat in her chamber, remembering Austin’s words and feeling less alone.
“Yes, everyone has a past, but that doesn’t mean you become London’s finest rake because you weren’t treated right. Anyhow, I am assisting him to find a wife.”
Selina sighed, then frowned. “What do you mean you’re finding him a wife?”
Deena’s throat tightened. “I mean exactly that.”
Selina’s eyes narrowed at her. “Do you not like him?”
The question landed like a pebble in still water.
Deena opened her mouth, then closed it and tried again. “No, I don’t.”
Selina waited.
“I mean—” Deena’s voice cracked. “I can never like him. He’s the Velvet Duke. He’s… impossible to love.”
“That’s harsh, Deena. Even the Velvet Duke deserves to be loved,” Selina said kindly.
Deena pressed her lips together.
Selina reached across the small space between the chairs and touched her wrist. “What’s the real problem, dearest?”
