Chapter 10
Ten
It took a fair amount of coaxing to get the cocker spaniel to come out from under the bush he was hiding in, but eventually Selina managed to get him out.
She carried the dog in her arms while Dominic led the horse back to the manor. They didn’t talk the entire time.
Selina felt troubled by Dominic’s dramatic mood swings in the forest. All of a sudden, he was angry at her. And then he was kissing her before abruptly pulling away and saying they needed to go back to the manor.
How was she supposed to be married to a man who changed his mind so quickly about her?
She doubted she could even ask him what made him so angry. Perhaps he would refuse to tell her, or he would tell her that it should be obvious. Maybe he would simply deny it completely.
As soon as they reached the manor, Dominic walked off to the stables, and Selina gave the dog to a waiting footman. She was a little sad to part with the cute little fellow, but she knew she needed to get ready for the evening ball.
However, as soon as she was inside, she was met by Lady Gillray. “Good afternoon, dear,” her godmother said, with forced cheerfulness. “Do you need help getting ready for the ball?”
“Not at all,” she said coolly. “Perhaps you should ask Christine if she needs help.” She tried to walk past her, but Lady Gillray just fell into step with her as she walked to her bedchamber.
“Congratulations on your upcoming marriage,” she said, still radiating false sweetness. “I admit, I am curious. How on earth did you catch his eye?”
“I do not know, godmother. Perhaps unlike you, he does not consider me a headache.”
“He doesn’t know you yet,” she said without missing a beat. “He will learn.”
She winced. Why did her godmother’s words sting so much sometimes? She should be used to her coldness by now.
They reached Selina’s room. She stopped in front of the door. “I would like to rest for a few moments before the ball tonight,” she said. “I will see you there.”
“One more thing,” Lady Gillray said, stepping closer.
She looked around to make sure the hallway was empty before she spoke.
“Since you are going to be a duchess, it is only reasonable that you pay me for all of the trouble I went through making sure you had a proper education. I have kept detailed accounts of all the expenses you have inflicted upon me, and I want them paid in full.”
Selina gritted her teeth. “I will pay you, Godmother. On one condition.”
“You are in no position to negotiate with me, child,” she said furiously.
“I am no child.” Selina kept her voice calm. Then she smiled sweetly. “You might think you can push me around, but please remember that I am marrying the Duke of Greystone.”
Her eyes widened slightly in fear. Then her lips pursed. “Name your condition.”
“You will use that money to get yourself a proper lady’s maid, and you will stop forcing Christine to tend to you. How will she have a proper Season if you are constantly forcing her to be an unpaid servant?”
Her godmother sneered. “Fine,” she said. “But Christine will remain my maid until you give me the money. And I suggest you do not dally. I would hate for you to wait until after you have fallen out of favor with the duke.”
“That won’t happen.” She would have to be in favor with him to fall out of favor.
Her smile turned cruel. “Poor girl,” she said. “You’ve been gone so long. You have no idea what happened with his last wife. No wonder you were foolish enough to accept his proposal.”
Selina took a deep breath. “I must rest. I will see you at the ball, Lady Gillray.”
“Don’t you want to know what happened?”
“Not from you. If the duke wishes to tell me, he may.” Selina opened the door and went inside her room before slamming the door shut in her godmother’s face.
Irritation prickled through her. People kept talking about Dominic as if he had killed his first wife.
Yes, he had a temper. And everyone was afraid of him, even his own son.
But she didn’t think he was a murderer. His grandmother would never have pushed for him to marry again if that were the case. She was sure of it.
Selina laid down on her bed for a few minutes, until she was feeling calmer. After she felt better, she took a deep breath and stood up to get ready for the ball.
She only had one ball gown, so she had to wear it for the second night in a row. People would surely talk about that, but they would talk about her anyway. She wasn’t just the sister of a charlatan anymore. Now, she was also the future Duchess of Greystone.
She got dressed and arranged her wavy hair as neatly as she could. She was just about ready when she heard a knock on the door.
She opened it up to see the dowager duchess standing on the other side. “May I come in, dear?” she said.
Selina nodded. “Of course.” She stepped aside to let her in.
The older woman smiled and glanced at her form.
If she was surprised to see Selina wearing the same gown from the day before, she didn’t show it.
“I have a present for you. Consider it an early wedding present.” She produced a small, black box and opened it up to reveal a diamond choker necklace and matching earrings.
“Diamonds go well with everything, don’t they? ”
She stared at the jewelry, which glittered in the lamplight. “I cannot accept this,” she said. “It is too much.”
“Nonsense,” the dowager said. “I’ve been partial to pearls for years. I cannot even remember the last time I wore this necklace, and there’s no point in letting it gather dust. I want you to have it.”
A lump formed in her throat, taking her by surprise. “It’s too much. I’m not even married to him yet.”
She chuckled. “That’s why I said it’s an early wedding present. Not one that is on time. Besides, this is the least I can do after I misled you yesterday.”
Was it really only yesterday that she found herself in Dominic’s bedroom? It felt like ages ago.
“Turn around,” the dowager said. “I’ll put the necklace on you.”
Selina turned around and faced the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her as the dowager started to put the necklace on her.
“I hope I can help you pick out your wedding dress,” she said.
“We must start planning tomorrow. Dominic will arrange for a special license, of course. And I will send a driver to pick up the rest of your belongings from your godmother’s house.
There’s no need for you to go back there. Besides, we will be busy.”
The diamonds brushed roughly against Selina’s neck as the dowager fastened them in place. It felt like they were choking her. “I won’t be going home with my sister?” she whispered.
The dowager looked surprised at that question. “There will not be a lot of time. Three days will go by so fast, and then you’ll be a duchess. No, I think it’s prudent you stay here. Do you need help with your earrings, dear?”
She shook her head. “N-no, thank you.” Panic was rising inside of her chest, but also twisting in her stomach.
With shaky hands, she put the earrings in place and looked at herself.
Covered in jewels, she looked like a proper noble lady.
A few minutes ago, she loved the jewelry, but now she didn’t even recognize herself.
“Is something wrong, dear?” the dowager asked.
Selina shook her head and managed a smile. “Just nervous, I suppose. Thank you for the gift. It’s beautiful. Really.”
The older lady beamed. “I will leave you to finish getting ready. I’ll see you at the ball!” She left Selina alone.
She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. “Get a hold of yourself,” she muttered. “You didn’t even want to go back to that horrid manor anyway. You have been through worse things than marrying a wealthy duke. You’re stronger than this.”
You won’t be able to survive being this gentle in such a cruel world.
Dominic’s world was cruel. She was trapped in it, and she hadn’t even realized.
She burst out of her room and went to knock on her sister’s door. “Christine! Are you in there?” There was no response.
She wrenched the door open to find it empty. Christine had already gone to the ball. What time was it? Had she spent more time lost in her thoughts than she realized? Selina tugged at the necklace, wishing it were a tad looser.
She hurried down to the ballroom to see the ball in full swing. Couples danced merrily on the floor, but the music felt too loud to her. The room felt too hot.
Someone grabbed her arm, and she flinched.
“It’s just me,” Christine said. “What is wrong? What is happening? We haven’t been able to talk once since the engagement announcement.”
Sorrow filled her. She had just gotten her sister back, only to have her ripped away after a few short days. How often would Dominic let her see Christine after they were married?
“You need to help me,” Selina whispered. “I cannot marry him.”
Her eyes widened. “What? But he said—”
“It’s a misunderstanding!” she said. “I cannot go through with it. I’ll fix it. If he won’t listen to reason, then I need to run away.”
“Why?” her brow furrowed. “What happened? Did he attack you? I’ll kill him.”
Selina shook her head, trying to take in another deep breath, but it did nothing to calm her down. “No, no. I don’t think he would ever be violent towards me.”
“Then what is the problem?” Christine asked. “Marriage will give you security, and you will be fully accepted by the ton as a duchess.”
Selina shook her head and resisted the urge to rip the bloody necklace off.
“No, it’s a loveless marriage. It’s just another prison.
But it’s not too late. I can leave and find employment somewhere.
It might not be ideal, but it will at least be my choice.
” She didn’t need jewels or acceptance from the ton.
All she needed was the ability to make a choice for once in her life.
“Don’t leave,” Christine pleaded. “Please. You can find purpose in marriage even if it’s a loveless one. If anyone can make the best out of any situation, it’s you. Why can’t you find a way to define marriage on your terms?”
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.
Selina and Percy were already walking to the door, no doubt ready to go out and look at the gardens together.
The dowager caught Selina’s hand on the way out. She was smiling, with tears in her eyes. “Welcome to the family,” she said.