Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
Dominic held out hope that Selina was going to come back until the evening. He paced around the main hall, looking out the windows to see if Lady Gillray’s carriage would come ambling up the driveway.
He had learned from one of the servants that Selina had been spotted in town with her sister.
The dowager watched him, looking fretful herself. “She will be back,” she said. “She just needed to spend time with her sister. A young lady cannot spend her days cooped up in a house forever, even one as grand as Greystone Manor.”
“I was harsh with her,” Dominic said. “Too harsh. I made her feel unwanted. Perhaps she is done with me. With Greystone.”
“She loves you,” the dowager said. “She would not have gone through the trouble of procuring the pup for you and Percy if she did not.”
He shut his eyes. “I am not worthy of that. Not after how I have treated her.”
“Nonsense.” The dowager duchess put her hands on her hips. “You are worthy of love, just like anyone else. She will not abandon you, and she will not abandon Percy. Just give her some time. I am sure, after dinner, she will come back home.”
A little reassured by his grandmother’s words, Dominic stopped pacing long enough to eat dinner with her and Percy.
His son frowned as dinner was served. He pointed to Selina’s empty chair.
“The duchess will not be joining us for dinner,” Dominic said gently. “She is with family.”
Percy frowned and pointed to himself and then Dominic.”
“Yes, we are her family too,” Dominic said. His chest tightened, wondering if Selina still saw him as family after his horrible words to her. “But she has other family.”
Percy looked almost distraught from that. But then Duke stopped next to Percy’s chair and barked once. Percy looked down at him, and his expression softened into a smile.
The sight made Dominic relax slightly. His son was still very happy about having a dog, and Dominic had to stop him from feeding half of his dinner to the little pup.
“You do not want to make him sick,” Dominic said.
Percy pouted slightly. “One piece?” He pointed to his chicken.
Dominic chuckled softly. “All right. One piece of chicken. And that is it.”
His son grinned and fed Duke a piece of chicken. The puppy was ecstatic and wiggled around with excitement.
After dinner, Percy and Duke went up to his room to go to sleep. Dominic looked out of the front window, but there was still no sign of Selina. The dowager duchess was looking a little fretful.
“Perhaps she needs a night away and will be back in the morning. We know where she is. It is not like she is lying injured on the side of the road. I am sure there is no need to worry.”
Dominic shook his head. “Why would she leave without telling any of us? Especially if she was planning to spend the night? She could have at least sent a message.”
He felt unsettled not having Selina with him, especially after he had been so cross with her.
“I am not spending a single night with my wife sleeping under a different roof. I must go to her at once.” He gestured for a footman and ordered the carriage to be prepared for him while he grabbed his jacket.
A moment later, he was in the carriage. “Drive as fast as you can, please,” he told the driver. “It is of the utmost urgency.”
His driver nodded and snapped the reins. The horses took off at a fast trot down the driveway.
Dominic drummed his fingers impatiently on his knee. He was not going to let his wife get away. He did not care how long he had to stay at Gillray Manor. He would bring her home.
It was late in the night when his carriage finally pulled up to Lady Gillray’s home. Dominic did not wait for the driver to open the door for him. Instead, he jumped out and jogged up to the front door of Gillray Manor. He knocked, but there was no answer.
It is the middle of the night. They are probably asleep.
He did not care. He needed his wife back. He pounded on the door louder.
It was wrenched open by a frazzled-looking footman, dressed in his nightclothes. “Your Grace,” he said, bowing, before letting him inside.
Lady Gillray was standing right behind him, her arms crossed. She was dressed in a nightgown and a dressing robe. “Your Grace, what is the meaning of this?” she said, sounding indignant. “Do you know what hour it is?”
“Is it midday?” he snarled sarcastically.
“Of course, I know what time of day it is. Where is my wife?” He was in no mood for pleasantries and formalities, especially with the likes of her.
She had mistreated Selina in his presence and then exhorted her for money after all but exiling her for years.
And yet, Selina returned willingly to Gillray Manor to get away from the likes of me.
He pushed that horrible thought away. He knew she had come here to spend time with her sister, not because she considered Lady Gillray the lesser of two evils.
It does not matter either way. I shall convince her to come home.
“I shall fetch the duchess, Your Grace,” Lady Gillray said, curtsying. A pleasant smile stretched across her face, but it rang false because of the malicious gleam in her eye. “I take it that you will be taking her home?”
“Indeed.”
“Excellent! I must say, Your Grace, my goddaughter is a very trying person. I think it is admirable that you can be so patient with her. Out of simple curiosity, how exactly did she anger you?”
Dominic glared at her. “You are the one who is trying, my lady. Not my wife. She is a better person than you could ever hope to be. She is more lovely and compassionate than you could ever imagine with your small, bitter mind. If you are looking for gossip from me, then you will be sorely disappointed. You have hurt her enough with the horrible rumors you encouraged for your own entertainment. I will not allow you to hurt her any longer. Either fetch her for me or get out of my way.”
Lady Gillray looked a little peeved. “No matter. I shall be glad to be rid of her.”
Before Lady Gillray could reach the stairs, a small figure appeared at the top. Dominic’s breath caught in his throat when he saw it was his wife. She must have heard everything they said. “Selina? Please, I just wish to talk,” he called upstairs before he started to walk towards her.
He entered the upstairs hallway to see Selina standing in the doorway of her room with her arms crossed protectively in front of her.
“Perhaps we can talk in the morning,” she said.
“Fine,” he said. “If you do not wish to speak to me, that is all right. But you are coming home with me.”
“I am not going back to Greystone Manor,” she said. “There is no need for me there now that Percy is speaking.”
“That is not true,” Dominic said, stepping forward. He grimaced as he realized that Lady Gillray had followed him and was hanging onto every word with a greedy expression on her face.
She just wants more gossip to spread to her friends.
He glared at the older woman. Can we please have some privacy, my lady?”
She looked a little disappointed, but she nodded. “Of course, Your Grace,” she said. “The two of you may use the drawing room. Shall I ring for some tea?”
“That will not be necessary. We shall not be staying that long,” Dominic said.
Selina jutted her chin out defiantly. “Perhaps you will not be staying that long. I do not know why there is anything you need to say to me that cannot wait until morning.”
He did not say anything, preferring to wait until they had some privacy, away from the prying eyes of Lady Gillray.
They went into the drawing room together, and Dominic shut the door. He turned to Selina, whose arms were crossed protectively in front of herself.
“Percy needs you. I need you.”
“Percy is perfectly happy with his nannies,” Selina said quietly. “He just needed his mother’s bedchamber restored, and now he is doing quite well.”
“I need you too, Selina,” he whispered.
She shook her head. “You made your feelings about me quite clear.”
He gritted his teeth, frustrated with himself. He would forever regret what he said to her that morning. “I apologize for what I said to you after—”
She looked away. “It is all right. You were just setting expectations. You do not want me as a wife, and I understand.”
“You are my wife, Selina. And I do want you.” He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her to him so she could not look away.
He held up the piece of paper that had been tucked into Duke’s collar.
“I am through with being the Misunderstood Duke. I am through with being the Stone Duke. I will not hide behind those titles anymore and use them as excuses and shields.”
Her brow furrowed. “What are you saying?”
“I am saying that I want to be a good husband to you and a good father to Percy. I want to be involved in his life, and I cannot do that without you at my side.”
Tears started to form in her eyes. “Sure, you can. I have done nothing special.”
“You have done everything.” He stepped closer. “Percy called you ‘Mom’ today. He read aloud one of my notes to him.” A lump formed in his throat. “And he asked me to read them aloud to him. I did. I read every single one of them.”
She smiled a shaky smile. “I am sure he enjoyed that greatly.”
“He did. So did I. But you must know that I never would have done it without you. You were the one who gave me the strength to tell him how I feel.” He reached out and cupped her face with his hand, savoring the feeling of her soft skin against his fingers.
“I admit that I am scared. I am scared of failing you, and I am scared of failing Percy. But I will not let that fear hold me back anymore. I love you, Selina. You have made Greystone Manor into a home for all of us. It was merely an empty shell before you walked into our lives. I was cruel to you, but I swear to never be that way again. I want to cherish you as my wife and treat you the way you deserve. Please, if you will have me. I am yours. Always have been. Always will be.”
A tear fell down Selina’s cheek, and Dominic was quick to brush it away, even as his own heart leaped to his throat at the sight of it. He did not know how he would bear it if she decided to reject him.
“You love me?” Selina said, her voice breaking. “Do you truly mean that?”
“Yes,” he said. “It is painful and intense how much I love you. But it is also the best feeling in the world, and I would not trade it for anything.” He poured out his heart to her, desperate for her to believe it, to take him back.
“I love you too,” she said. “I love you, Dominic. So much.”
He breathed out a sigh of relief and pulled her into his arms. He kissed the top of her head, and when she lifted up her face to meet his own, he kissed her there as well. “Let us go home,” he said.
She nodded. “Home,” she whispered, almost as if she was in disbelief. “It is time to go home.”