Chapter 15
Fifteen
Selina turned the kitchen back over to the scullery maids and the cook, who had come back from the market and was looking a little miffed. Selina felt a pang of guilt for interrupting their work. She would make a point of finding a way for her to cook and bake without being too intrusive on them.
After cleaning up and changing into a fresh dress, she went to her private sitting room, where a small stack of letters was waiting for her. She had not even been a duchess for a full week, and she was already getting invited to every social gathering of the Season.
The thought of exchanging pleasantries with people who turned their noses up at her only a few days ago did not sit well with her. Luckily, because she and Dominic were supposed to be on their honeymoon, she had a good excuse to politely decline all of the invitations.
As she tended to her correspondence, the door to her sitting room opened slightly and Percy peeked his head inside. He looked at her cautiously. She smiled at him. “You may come in if you wish,” she said to him.
He looked around the room and made a face before shaking his head and running away. Selina tried not to let herself be too disappointed. Small steps. He baked a cake with you and even smiled. That is enough progress for now.
She did not see Percy or Dominic for the rest of the day. When she went down for dinner, she saw Percy’s nanny talking to the dowager duchess. The woman turned to her. “I was just telling Her Grace that Percy will not be attending dinner tonight.”
“Is everything all right?” Selina asked, feeling concerned.
“Yes, Your Grace,” the nanny said. “He was simply tired after such an exciting day. He wanted to go to bed early.”
“Baking a cake tired him out that much?” She wondered if he was falling ill, if that was the case. If so, she would need to arrange for a physician to look at him immediately.
The nanny hesitated before saying. “He spent a good deal of time this afternoon crying.”
A lump rose in Selina’s throat.
Did I upset him somehow?
“I see,” she said. “Is that a common occurrence for him?”
“I only began my employment here a month ago,” she said. “So I cannot tell how common it is. But it has happened before.”
Sorrow filled her at the thought. The poor boy had already been through so much. “Thank you for telling me,” she said.
The nanny curtsied before leaving the dining hall.
Selina sat down at the dining table, feeling perturbed.
The dowager duchess did not take her seat. “I am afraid I am going to dinner with friends tonight,” she said. “Your husband is being stubborn as usual. Dominic told me that he would take dinner in his room, no matter how much I tried to threaten him or coax him out of his room.”
Selina felt a pang of disappointment about the thought of having dinner alone. She had not had dinner alone in years because she always had company at finishing school.
I thought things would be different with Dominic now. After their conversation in the kitchen, she had hoped things would be friendlier between them.
Perhaps hugging him was too much.
The dowager duchess smiled at her. “Perhaps you should have dinner served to you in the west drawing room instead of the dining hall. I think you will find it much more pleasant there.”
Selina frowned, but nodded. The older lady had the same look in her eye that she did right before sending Selina off to Dominic’s bedroom.
As she walked into the west drawing room, delight filled her. Her sister was waiting for her, sitting on the window seat. Christine stood up and smiled at her.
Selina rushed forward and pulled her into a hug. “How… when…” She did not even know what she was trying to say. She was overjoyed to see her sister.
“I arrived only a few minutes ago,” she said. “The dowager duchess told me to wait in here to surprise you.”
“Oh, what a wonderful surprise.” Selina felt tears prick her eyes. “I’m so happy you’re here. You should have sent a message ahead, though. I could have asked the chef to prepare something special.”
“I do not need something special. I only needed to see you.” Christine pulled back to look at her. “Besides, this is more of a spontaneous visit on my part. Lady Gillray is attending a ball, so she does not mind that I took a hackney coach to visit you.”
“Does not mind, or does not know?” Selina arched an eyebrow at her sister.
Christine merely shrugged and smiled.
The duchess also felt a little unsettled at the thought of Lady Gillray going to a ball without Christine. How was her sister supposed to find a husband if she kept being left behind?
But before Selina could raise any objections, her sister grabbed her hands. “How is your family?”
Selina felt a pang of sadness thinking about her so-called family, all of whom were spending dinnertime in separate locations. But she smiled anyway. “I baked a cake with Percy today,” she said. “Let us sit down at the table near the window. I will summon some dinner for us.”
Once dinner was on the way, and Selina and Christine were settled at the table together, Selina started to speak. “I told Dominic about Lady Gillray using you as a maid. He is taking care of it.”
Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“Our dear, generous godmother ordered me to pay her back for finishing school.” Selina could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I told her I would do so if she hired a personal maid instead of making you fulfill that role.”
“You did not have to do that,” Christine said.
“Yes, I did. It is absurd that she treats you as an unpaid servant.” Selina took a deep breath to keep her temper from flaring at the thought of it. “I planned to pay her with my pin money. But the duke insisted on taking care of it himself.”
“That was very thoughtful of him,” Christine said. She offered her sister a cautious smile. “I take it that means the two of you are on friendly terms?”
“I suppose,” she said quietly. “It is complicated. I thought I was making progress with both him and Percy today. Percy and I made lemon cake together, and Dominic watched.”
Christine chuckled. “I am sure you caused quite a stir. Imagine, a duchess baking!”
Selina smiled sheepishly. “I do not feel like a duchess, not yet. But yes, I caused a stir. I will have to make arrangements with the cook so I can bake without getting in her way.”
Servants came in with dinner for the two sisters. Christine remained composed as their plates were filled with roasted pheasant, seasonal vegetables, and dinner rolls. But as soon as they were gone, she dug in, groaning with pleasure.
Concern filled Selina at the sight of her sister. “Are you getting enough to eat at home?”
Christine’s cheeks flushed as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “No, I eat plenty. Just nothing as delicious as this.” She smiled at her sister before taking a much smaller bite of the food. “Anyway, it sounds like things are good with your husband. I am happy.”
“I hope they are. I hugged him, and I might have scared him off.” She had not thought about anything except how grateful she was when she hugged him, that he was willing to spend so much money to help her and Christine.
But when he hugged her back, she couldn’t help but notice his strong, muscular arms and chest.
Even though she had noticed handsome men before, none of them had inspired fantasies within her like Dominic did. She wanted to run her hands down his chest, under his shirt, until she had memorized all of his muscles, before perhaps taking off his trousers to find out what was underneath.
Her face flushed, and she quickly took a sip of water, hoping her sister could not guess what she was thinking. “He is nothing like people say he is,” she said. “I know half the ton is scared of him. But he is actually quite kind when you get to know him.”
“That is difficult to imagine,” Christine said. “His Grace is a terrifying man.”
“Indeed.” Selina smiled. “I do not think he considers himself kind. But he would not have helped us if that was not the case.”
Christine smiled slyly. “He is quite handsome too, is he not?”
Selina’s cheeks warmed, and she ducked her head away.
Christine laughed. “I knew you found him handsome. He is too scary for my tastes, of course, but you have always been bolder than I.”
“I would have to be blind not to notice,” Selina muttered. But even though her sister knew her well, she hoped Christine could not read her more detailed thoughts about Dominic. It was so easy to imagine kissing her way down his body, just to see if she could make him lose control.
“It is more than his handsome face,” Selina said. She stood up and closed the doors to the drawing room to make sure she was not overheard. She felt strangely vulnerable sharing this, as if it were somehow bad. She sat down across from Christine again.
“He also makes me feel safe.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
“He helped me as if it were nothing. He does not even expect anything in return. He just considers it his duty as a husband.” She knew plenty of lesser men would have seen such a thing as an inconvenience if they had helped her at all.
Christine smiled and reached out to grab her hand. “So you do not think…” she bit her lip, suddenly hesitant. “The rumors are not true, then?”
Selina shook her head. “Whatever horrible things the ton believe about him are almost certainly false. I am safe here. I know it.” When was the last time someone felt inclined to take care of me like this? To protect me?
She did not even have to ask herself that question, not really. She knew the answer. The last time someone spared some thought for her was before Charles’ fraud had been discovered.
“That is so wonderful!” Christine said. Selina saw tears in her sister’s eyes before she blinked them away. “I knew you would find a way to make married life suit you, but this is even better than I could have hoped for.”
Selina smiled, but she felt a pang of sadness. She knew she was safe and protected in Greystone Manor, which made her unbelievably lucky, but longing for her husband filled her, no matter how hard she tried to set it aside. They were married in name only. He did not want her that way.
However, she did not yet know how to navigate his unpredictable moods with him.