A Virgin for the Ruthless Duke (In War and Love #2)

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 12

“ I thought you wanted us to continue the conversation later tonight?” she asked, frowning as he took her hand and led her along the garden path.

“The weather looked pleasant, and I thought it would be a waste to spend the day indoors.” He smiled.

He had come into the drawing room, where everyone had been recovering after the morning’s activities, and had requested her attention from her aunt, who had been all too willing to give it without even coming to chaperone them.

“I am sure my niece is safe with you, Your Grace.”

Selina hadn’t been able to ignore the knowing look in Diana’s eyes or the angry looks she got from the matrons and their daughters when she placed her hand in his.

“You didn’t have to cause such a scene in there,” Selina scolded. “I will have to answer another barrage of questions for which I am utterly unprepared.”

“Another?”

“My sister interrogated me thoroughly last night,” she said, shuddering. “I barely escaped it unscathed, and now your actions have ruined my efforts. What is the point of a secret pact if you choose to flaunt it? Do not tell me no one has approached you to inquire about our relationship?”

“They have,” he admitted sheepishly. “My mother, in particular.”

“I do not think that is a conversation you are keen to repeat,” Selina stated, reading his mood.

“No, I am not.” He nodded. “I will take better care in concealing our meetings, but we must take care to avoid a scandal we do not need.”

“Indeed. I would hate to imagine being at the mercy of the ton.”

He smiled and led them towards the maze. The Mulford’s really did have a beautiful estate, and the crispness of the air was most welcome.

“It is indeed too lovely a day to waste time indoors,” she admitted, running her fingers over a soft rose petal.

“I am glad you are receptive to the idea.” He looked visibly amused. “We shall begin our lecture.”

“Indeed.”

He straightened his shoulders as though he hadn’t been walking ramrod straight before. Selina took the time to appreciate how well his clothes fitted him. He was dressed in a well-tailored dark coat, a burgundy velvet vest, and a crisp white linen shirt that gave him a distinguished air. She didn’t permit herself to stare for too long at his linen-clad thighs.

“So, where do we begin?” she asked, her eyes trailing back to his face.

There was an amused glint in his eyes, as though he had caught her staring, and she flushed, bowing her head.

“We begin by teaching you what men actually like in a woman.”

“I am curious to hear your opinions on this,” she said with a smile.

“Why? I thought you didn’t value my opinions.”

“I do not, but they amuse me.”

“You wound me, dear lady,” he joked, placing a hand on his heart, feigning hurt. “I am finally acquainted with your famous acid tongue.”

“Acid tongue?” she echoed incredulously.

“You are famed for your barbs and retorts among the gentlemen of the ton.” He smiled. “I see that hearing this surprises you as much as it did me because you seem so shy.”

“I can be confident, just not around certain men.”

He raised an eyebrow and leaned in closer, looking very mischievous. She tried to imagine him as a child, and it was not at all impossible. She saw a little boy with chubby cheeks and floppy chocolate locks making mischief with that amused glint in his blue eyes.

“And what are the criteria for these ‘certain’ men?” he asked.

“They must be handsome,” she teased.

He grinned, shocking her.

He looked beautiful when he smiled, and the action made him appear much younger than the severe man he presented himself as. She was sure his face would haunt her dreams, just as his laugh had for the past few days.

“And…” he said, close enough to be entirely improper.

If anyone were to catch them, rumors would no doubt surround them till they were forced to marry. Knowing how scandals like that angered him, she knew there would be no happiness to be found in that marriage.

“Do you not find me handsome, Lady Selina?”

I do, she wanted to say.

“I would not deny that you are attractive, Your Grace, but you do not intimidate me,” she said instead.

He nodded again, rising to full height. “I am inclined to believe you, although my ego has suffered at your hands. But I will take the assessment in good stride.”

“I thank you, but we really must get back to the topic at hand so our prolonged absence isn’t noticed.”

He nodded. “Alright. I’ll begin by saying that men like a compliant, innocent woman, but they also like a woman who shows her interest in them. It is an ego thing, you see,” he explained.

“But just yesterday, you told me that they wanted a woman that they would not have to educate on matters concerning the marriage bed.”

“Are we on the marriage bed?” he asked pointedly.

Her cheeks turned red, and she looked around, hoping no one had overheard him.

“You confuse me, Your Grace,” she hissed. “And do you have to speak such crass words so loudly? Anyone could have heard you.”

“I will take care with my words then,” he conceded. “But you have to look beyond the surface meaning of my words and see the heart of them. Men want a woman who can strike the perfect balance. Shy, but not easily intimidated. Proper, but not a nun. Interested, but not uncouth. There’s a fine line between the two extremes. You just have to learn to toe it.”

Selina nodded, even though the entire concept seemed hopelessly lost on her.

“But how do I show interest without saying I am interested?” she asked, confused.

“By smiling as though he is the most beautiful creature you’ve ever seen and looking him in the eye as he speaks,” he answered. “It shows that you are not shy and that you are paying attention to what he’s saying, even if it is utter nonsense.”

She shook her head, unable to help herself. “I find myself wondering why I happen to be the only person who hears the folly coming out of your mouth.”

“If everyone knew, then I would not be the revered Duke of Seymour now, would I?” he pointed out.

She withdrew her hand and folded her arms. “But you surely do not mean what you said.”

“Why do you presume so?”

“Because…” she trailed off as though it was obvious.

“Do elaborate.”

“You said men want more than a demure, submissive woman, yet they seem to prefer brazen women with nothing better to do than smile and look pretty and stare them in the eyes. I find the statements contradictory.”

“Yet, it is through the same contradiction that your mother got married and, by extension, almost every other woman in England.”

“It is unfathomable.”

“I assure you it is not,” he said stubbornly. “Do not judge what you haven’t tried.”

“I would not even know where to start.”

“Try looking me in the eye when you speak, for a start,” he suggested.

“I cannot.”

“Why?” he asked, curious. “I can play the part of a dashing suitor if it would make things easier for you.”

“That still doesn’t make things easier, Your Grace.”

“You have done this once before, so surely you can do it again?” he added, trying to encourage her.

“Yes, but it wasn’t on command. I just… did it.”

“Then you have to do it again,” he said with a smile. “Look at me, Selina. Do not hide your beautiful eyes from me.”

She knew he was only pretending with his words, yet they made her heart flutter. Was this how he spoke to Lottie Barnes when they had been courting?

She found herself jealous of the woman who had previously won his affection and had even gotten him to propose to her. Worse still, she was the daughter of her father’s rival, and she had treated her half-sister, Elizabeth, so poorly.

When Selina remembered how reserved Elizabeth had been when she came to live with them after her marriage to Stephen, she hated Lottie Barnes even more, and yet the Duke had decided to propose to her.

Perhaps he had terrible taste in women or was secretly as detestable as the Barnes family. After all, he had been a close friend of theirs before the hunting incident that could have claimed Stephen and Elizabeth’s lives had Lord Dudley had his way.

“Would having a conversation make this easier?” he asked, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Perhaps we could discuss archaeology or horticulture or whatever topics you find interesting. I must admit that my knowledge is rather subpar on those subjects, but I could try to keep up with you…”

She lifted her eyes to his and smiled brightly. He really was doing his best to help her, and it was admirable.

He wants to put on an act, doesn’t he?

She smiled to herself. She would very well beat him at his own game.

“I doubt very much that you will be able to converse as well as me on such subjects, Your Grace,” she stated with a mocking smile.

“Oh? Should we put that to the test?” he asked, not backing down from the challenge.

“A wager might make the challenge all the more tempting , Your Grace?”

Her emphasis on the word had been deliberate, and she saw his eyes flick to her lips and then back to her face.

For a moment, she savored her victory, but all too suddenly, her lips went dry, and her tongue darted out automatically to moisten them. Clearly, that had been the wrong thing to do, as his eyes traced the movement, darkening as they did so.

Her breath caught in her chest, and she was unable to look away from his eyes as she remembered what had happened the last time they had darkened in such a way.

They had been blissfully alone then, and they were alone now, but they were likely to be caught at any time if someone chose to stray this far into the maze.

If not, maybe he would have pulled her into his arms the way her body was begging him to, and he would have ravished her now-stinging lips with his, and perhaps she would taste the punch on his tongue the way she had tasted the alcohol on his tongue that night.

Her body warmed as her heart pounded rapidly in her chest, sending hot blood to her most intimate regions. She felt her nipples stiffen beneath her bodice. The friction made her nearly frantic.

She wanted him to touch her again. To rid her of this incessant craving he had ignited in her since that night. She could tell he wanted her, too. She noticed the tension in his posture and how tightly his hands were clenched into fists at his sides.

If she touched him now, he would lose all restraint. She so desperately wanted to see him come undone as he had before. To see him lose all sense of reason in such a dangerous place.

The thought thrilled her, and she took a step closer to him, watching his nostrils flare as his breathing became labored.

He was right that this kind of power was dangerous, and knowing now that she had such power over him delighted her. She wondered briefly if Lottie Barnes had had such power over him.