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

Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

“ Y ou look absolutely ravishing in that dress. I must say that green is your color!” Diana exclaimed as she watched the modiste drape lace over her sister’s body.

In order to make dresses and other pieces of clothing that would make up her wedding trousseau, Selina had been standing on the platform for the better part of the day, being prodded with pins as the modiste worked to get her measurements for the dresses, including her wedding gown.

“Trust me, mademoiselle ,” the modiste said in her thick French accent. “I will make sure to make the most beautiful wedding dress, never seen in England. I will make sure they watch you in awe. Trust me, your man will devour you when he sees you in that lingerie .”

Selina blushed when she remembered the samples the modiste had shown her for what was to be her night rail as a married woman. They were provocative, tiny scraps of lace that left little to the imagination, even though she would deny it if anyone suggested it.

She accepted in her heart that she did want to see how Richard would react when he saw her in one of those provocative garments. Would he be overcome with desire for her and ravish her hungrily, or would he stalk her across the room, pleasuring her slowly until she lost her mind? Her vivid imagination was raising her body temperature, and she shivered with arousal.

“Are you cold, Selina?” Diana asked.

Selina’s blush only deepened because she knew that her thoughts were far from innocent. With every day she saw Richard, she grew more wanton, her desire growing in leaps and bounds so that they were both looking forward to their wedding night, where they could finally be in each other’s arms and devour each other the way they wanted.

The wedding plans were going quite well, especially since Martha was only too glad to supervise everything and remind everyone who cared to listen how grand it was that her niece was marrying a duke, even if she didn’t like the mother of the said Duke.

Against her nature, Martha had shown maturity in her decision to overlook the age-long feud between her and the Dowager Duchess in the interest of organizing a wedding that she termed to be one for the ages.

Selina did not care so much about how perfect the wedding would be. She just wanted to be joined in holy matrimony with the love of her life and be left to live out the rest of her life loving him and being loved by him.

She was lucky to have an aunt like Martha, who was so genuinely happy for her and was willing to take up the responsibility of planning the wedding. Since her mama was no more, it was a welcome development that allowed her the chance to just focus on personal things, like designing her wedding dress and trousseau and meeting her future mother-in-law.

No matter how she wanted to pretend, Selina was terrified of the possibility that the Dowager Duchess would not like her. She was well aware of the tumultuous relationship that Richard had with his mother, but she believed that in the depths of her heart, the Dowager Duchess still cared about her son. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t be trying so hard to be part of his life.

Every parent wanted the best for their child, and Selina wanted the woman to like her because she did not want to live in a house with family members who hated her.

For the first time, she felt genuine empathy for Elizabeth and how she had endured their thinly veiled hostility when she came newly wedded into the family. But in that time, Selina had only seen her as a relic of the family they were at war with—the same family that rendered them orphans—but they eventually thawed towards her when they realized that she was a victim of her own family as well.

Now, at this moment, as Selina contemplated meeting the woman who would become part of her family, she better understood how difficult it must have been for Elizabeth to adjust to a family of three who scorned her because of her lineage. At that moment, Selina’s admiration for the woman reached greater heights.

She left the modiste’s soon after, extracting a promise from the seamstress that their dresses would be available very soon. She boarded the coach and waited outside while her mind ran through different scenarios. It did not help her anxiety that most of the scenarios involved the Dowager Duchess not liking her.

When she got home, she did her best to clear her mind, focusing on the small tasks of doing her toilette with the help of her maid. In no time, she was ready and boarded the family coach, where the rest of her family sat, waiting for her to join them so they could begin their journey to the Seymour estate.

“Well, that took a while,” Herbert said with a yawn. “For a while, I was convinced that you had grown cold feet and did not want to come and see the Dowager Duchess anymore.”

Selina scowled at him, but he only grinned unrepentantly, content to poke at her already frazzled nerves.

“Stop it, Herbert,” Elizabeth said in a chastising tone. “I would not choose this moment to needle your sister if I were you.”

At that, Herbert relaxed in his seat, choosing to stare out the window, since the Duchess had just gotten rid of his recent source of entertainment.

“I am so nervous,” Selina whispered to Elizabeth.

“Do not be. All married women go through those emotions when meeting their new families. You will do well, Selina. Do not worry,” Elizabeth said with a reassuring smile.

“What if she does not like me?” Selina blurted out. “What if she takes one look at me and decides that I am not a good match for her son?”

“No one can make that decision for the Duke. He is a grown man who makes his own decisions, and he has chosen you. His mother will love you for the simple fact that you make him happy. Just be yourself. She will have no choice other than to love you.”

“Or I could bore her to death with my boring topics.”

“You couldn’t be boring even if you tried, Selina,” Elizabeth replied.

“I am so sorry, Beth,” Selina said quietly after a moment.

“What for?” Elizabeth asked, furrowing her brow with confusion.

“For the way I treated you when you first joined our family. I did not realize how difficult it is to join a new family. I should have been more welcoming.”

“I come from your enemy’s family, Selina. I would have been more wary and afraid if you had embraced me at first sight, especially knowing the bad blood between our families.”

“Thank you for taking a chance on us.”

“Nothing good comes easy,” Elizabeth said, rubbing her growing belly. “I had the chance to meet the love of my life,” she added, staring adoringly at the resting profile of her husband. Turning to Selina, she continued with a smile, “The gift of meeting my Duke and this beautiful family is worth more than a few weeks of discomfort. However badly you thought you treated me, just remember that I was treated ten times worse by my own blood. Family is more than blood ties, my dear, and I know you are about to acquire new family members who will love you wholeheartedly.”

Selina had always dreamed of having an elder sister, and fate had given her Elizabeth. She firmly believed that she could not have asked for better.

In no time, they were at the Seymour estate, and when they stepped down from the coach, Selina took a deep breath to gather her composure. It would not do to appear anxious before the Dowager Duchess.

She walked to the door, matching Elizabeth’s pace. Her sister-in-law walked a little slower because of her delicate state.

By the time they got to the door, Stephen was already annoyed. The short tapping of his shoes on the marble threshold was evidence of his impatience. Nevertheless, he smiled widely when his wife came into view, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her to him.

It was those small movements, those small changes in his expression, that told the story of how in love the Duke of Wilkins was with his Duchess. Selina thanked God every day that he had married Elizabeth; she was the only woman who had smoothened his hard edges.

He was practically putty in the woman’s hands, and he did not care. She was grateful to her friend for the transformation she had wrought in such a rigid man.

Stephen lifted the heavy knocker and rapped two times.

The door was opened by Felix, the elderly butler.

“The Duke of Westall and his family to see the Dowager Duchess,” Stephen announced.

“Right this way, Your Grace,” the butler said, opening the door wider to allow them in.

He led them into a drawing room where the Dowager Duchess sat, sipping her tea. She looked up when she saw them, then stood up to greet them.

The woman was in her fifties, but even Selina could attest to the fact that she looked good for her age, with her high taste in fashion and her natural gracefulness. She was sure the woman still attracted the attention of men.

Seeing her in her home shed light on the rumors that she had many lovers. Selina wondered how on earth she was going to get along with a woman who was from a different league of women and had higher taste than she could hope to acquire.

“Good afternoon, Duke,” the Dowager Duchess greeted, approaching Stephen.

He accepted her handshake with a bow.

“Good morning, Duchess. We are glad you took the time to receive us,” he said, releasing her hand.

A shadow of a frown crossed the older woman’s face, almost like she had expected him to kiss her hand.

But then Stephen was not the sort of charming gentleman who paid attention to all those rules. The only woman who had his attention was his wife, and everyone in the ton knew this, so they didn’t take offense when he acted a little outside the books of etiquette.

“I have been expecting you,” the Dowager Duchess continued, retaking her seat. “Please make yourselves comfortable.” She waited till they were all seated comfortably before she continued. “Perhaps you could introduce your family to me.”

“Forgive my manners, Duchess. May I present my wife, the Duchess of Westall,” Stephen said, gesturing towards his wife. “My brother, Herbert, and my sisters, Diana and Selina,” he continued, waving in their direction as he introduced them.

“Which one is to be my daughter-in-law?” the Dowager Duchess asked, taking a tiny sip of her tea.

“That would be Selina, Duchess,” Stephen replied, tugging his sister forward so she stood before the Dowager Duchess.

Selina bobbed a deep curtsey, then stood still while the Dowager Duchess scrutinized her from head to toe, her eyes remaining uninterested in whatever it was that she saw.

“Do you have any talents, young lady?” the Dowager Duchess asked.

“I’m good at embroidery.”

“Do you play the pianoforte?” she asked hopefully.

“No, I am afraid I do not, Your Grace.”

“I suppose you will do,” she said.

Stephen’s jaw worked as he gritted his teeth.

Oblivious, the Dowager Duchess continued, “I do not really have a say in this matter. I am sure you know the state of my relationship with my son?”

Not knowing how best to answer that question, Selina kept quiet and retook her seat.

They sat in silence for some time before her siblings opted to leave to give her the chance to ‘bond’ with her mother-in-law.

Selina panicked, doing her best to convey with her eyes her need for their support, but they ignored her and left.

The silence after they left was deafening, and she could feel herself perspiring with anxiety. It was uncanny how easily the woman opposite her could reduce her from her bold-speaking ways to the timid person she now embodied.

“Tea?” the Dowager Duchess asked, startling her out of her reverie.

“Yes, thank you,” Selina said, rising to pour herself some tea and adding a spoon of sugar to sweeten it. She stirred it and then took a sip, sighing at how relaxing it was.

“Chamomile tea,” the Dowager Duchess explained. “It is quite refreshing, isn’t it?”

Selina nodded.

“It is my favorite tea.”

“I do not recall coming across it here in England,” Selina said.

“It is not quite as popular, my dear,” the Dowager Duchess replied.

And so the conversation began as she told Selina about her travels and all the things she had discovered on the way.

The Dowager Duchess had definitely led a colorful life, and she was proud of it.

When Richard came home from his errand, he was surprised to see them deep in conversation. Greeting his mother offhandedly, he walked straight to where Selina sat on a separate settee. He sat beside her, throwing an arm over her shoulders.

“So, tell me what you ladies were discussing.”

“Nothing that concerns you, I’m sure,” Selina answered, giggling.

“Impossible. I am sure that my mother must have regaled you with tales of my sillier moments as a child by now.”

“You? Silly?” Selina teased. “I would never have guessed it. I was under the notion that you were born serious and unyielding, hanging onto propriety with your tiny fists.”

“That would be you. With your logic, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were lecturing the midwives the moment you were born.”

“But babies do not talk, Richard,” Selina protested between bouts of laughter.

“You don’t say,” Richard said with an exaggerated gasp. “I never would have guessed so.”

In the following moments, Johanna sat watching her rigid, unyielding son flirt with his betrothed, his face glowing with happiness.

Her son was stubborn and rigid at times, but at this moment, he was the most relaxed he had ever been. It was so obvious he was in love with the young lady beside him. He kept giving her fond looks as she talked. She loved it for him, and for his sake, the Dowager Duchess hoped they had a happy, long-lasting marriage because Richard looked his best when he was happy, and she wanted him to remain that way.