“Selina?”
She jolted as she realized Katherine had laid a hand on her arm and drawn her back to the situation right in front of her. She pivoted around and found Lady Winford standing before her. The woman was lovely, no one would deny her that. She had thick, rich auburn hair that was done just so, bright green eyes and a wicked sneer on her lips as she glanced up and down Selina’s form.
“May I present our sister, Selina Oliver,” Katherine said, squeezing Selina’s elbow gently in a movement of solidarity.
She needed it, for though the countess gave a polite greeting, it was clear she thought nothing of Selina. Because everyone in Society knew exactly what Selina was. Or at least most of what she was.
The nasty expression on the countess’s face was almost the same as if she had whispered the wordstheyloved to say behind Selina’s back.Bastard. By-blow. Illegitimate. Not our kind.
“Lady Winford,” Selina forced herself to say. “I’ve heard so much about you. What a pleasure to finally meet you.”
She could risk that lie because she doubted this woman remembered the real first time they’d met. In passing at some other party. When Selina had watched her berate a servant until the girl was weeping hysterically. The servant had been sacked, out on the street before the next morning. And Lady Winford had flounced off with a smirk on her face, ready to go back to her damned party and dance the rest of the night away.
She wouldn’t remember Selina. She probably wouldn’t remember the servant. People like her never did.
“Indeed,” Lady Winford said with a sniff.
“And this is Lord Winford,” Katherine said, motioning to the man coming up to stand beside his wife.
The earl was an older man, far older than his wife, with a perpetual scowl and temples that had gone further gray every year of his marriage. The whispers around Town were that the man was miserable, despised his wife and hated that she crowed about inheriting her mother’s necklace. All of which could potentially be used against the couple. Selina would just have to watch how their interactions played out, how they moved together.
“My lord,” she said, smiling at the man. Of course his gaze moved to her breasts. God, these fools were easy to manipulate.
“Come into the house, why don’t you?” Robert said, his voice strained as he motioned the party inside. “I’m sure you’re tired after your long journey. My man Jenner will show you to your chamber and see to any needs you have before tea this afternoon.”
Lady Winford was complaining about something as she followed Robert into the house, all but dragging her husband behind her. As they went in, Selina and Katherine exchanged a look, and Katherine smothered a giggle.
“She is just as pleasant as I recalled,” she whispered conspiratorially. “Perhaps even more so.”
“Yes, she’s…something,” Selina said, forcing herself not to go too far. Temperance was best in these situations, and she had to find it even though she knew her own personality. Restraint had never been one of her virtues. She linked her arm through Katherine’s as they slowly made their way up the stairs to the house. “You and Robert are good to invite her to help your friend.”
“We take care of those we love,” Katherine said, with almost a faraway tone. Then she pivoted and looked Selina full in the face. “Allof them. It’s the best thing we can do, isn’t it?”
Selina was torn by two different emotions. First was a strong pull at the idea that her brother and his remarkable wife…loved her. She’d believed they tolerated her, yes. Felt responsible for her, of course. Even liked her from time to time when she was particularly clever or reminded them of the good parts of Robert’s wild past.
But Katherine was obviously trying to say that it was more than all those things. And that touched Selina’s heart far deeper than perhaps it should have.
The other feeling that clenched in her chest at those words was colder. Sharper. If Katherine was saying that she and Robert loved Selina, that meant the love could be lost. If they knew the truth about her…if they found out she was the Faceless Fox, would they love her anymore? Could they?
Or would they abandon her like the rest of her family had all those years ago?
“Selina?” Katherine said, squeezing her hand gently as they stood in the doorway between the outside and the foyer. “You’ve gone pale. I hope I haven’t upset you.”
“Not at all,” Selina choked as she forced a smile. She refused to lose her new family’s love, for she wasn’t going to get caught. She was the Fox, damn it.
“Oh, it looks like Jenner is glancing my way, with a look of help all over his countenance. I ought to intervene before Lady Winford causes my staff to go on strike.”
Selina released her with a more real smile and watched as she hustled away, that easy expression of calm on her face. Katherine had been through a great deal. Scandal had once followed her. But now she seemed so comfortable in herself. She’d once told Selina that love had helped do that. Robert had allowed her to have faith where once she’d only questioned.
Selina turned away with a wince and found herself facing the parlor where she’d seen Derrick standing a short time ago. Was he still there? She ought not to go find out. Right now she was a bit discombobulated, off her game thanks to the emotional connection Katherine had implied. Selina shouldn’t face an…well, she supposed she had to call Derrick an enemy since he was hunting her.
And yet she couldn’t resist doing just that. She slipped away from the chaos of the foyer and into the room.
He wasn’t standing by the window anymore, but he was in front of the fire. Just standing there, arms folded, gaze focused on the door…as if he were waiting for her. He was not wearing a jacket. She could see it draped across the back of a chair behind him. Just a plain black waistcoat and the sleeves of his linen shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing muscular forearms. One of them had a scar across it.
Behind her, the voices in the foyer faded as Jenner and Katherine finally convinced Lord and Lady Winford to go and see their accommodations. In that moment, Selina and Derrick were alone.
“Mr. Huntington,” she said at last, her voice far softer than it should be. The tremor there was something he would surely mark.
