Page 17 of His Ruined Duchess

Strolling along the manicured paths of the lawn that stretched out behind the estate, Selina dragged her fingers across the tops of bushes and along the rough bark of the purposefully placed trees. Wind rustled by her, and she sighed, still at a loss for what to do.

“It should not matter to him if I am wed or how quickly my sisters find husbands. Ugh.” She kicked a stray rock, regretting the choice immediately as pain burst through her toe. “Blast!”

Just as her voice rang out, a twig snapped a few paces ahead of her, and Selina froze. Coming from around the corner of a tall hedge was the Duke. In a flash, she crouched down, attempting to hide herself from his eyes so that she could continue her evening walk or escape back inside.

Silence hung around her like a piece of washing pulled tight against a line, and her breathing was hurried and shallow. Selina tried her best to keep it as quiet as possible.

One, two, three seconds passed, and she was beginning to think that she’d avoided running into that foul man.

“You should stand up, Selina. You’ll ruin that lovely robe.”

Cursing under her breath, Selina sighed and slowly stood. When she took a step past the hedge, the Duke was standing right before her. She took a moment to straighten her robe, pulling the halves closer together so that the Duke would not see anything that wasn’t meant for him.

“What are you doing outside, roaming the grounds?” The Duke sounded as standoffish and snobby as ever, cocking a brow.

She narrowed her eyes at him, sneering at him. “I imagine the same thing you were doing. I could not sleep, so I came outside for some fresh air andquiet.”

A light chuckle rumbled out of him, and the Duke crossed his arms over his muscular chest, smirking at her. It was only now that Selina realized the man wore nothing but his thin shirt and a pair of breeks. There was no waistcoat or jacket in sight, and he’d left his shirt untucked from his bottoms.

“Couldn’t sleep, hmm. And why is that?”

Glaring back at him, the careful choosing of her words that had been instilled in her since birth evaporated, her annoyance and anger too much to deny.

“Becausesomeonedecided to upend my life and completely disregard my wishes, even though there is no formal reason to do so.”

That chuckle sounded again, and the irritation flared brighter beneath her skin, making Selina warm with seething loathing.

“Someday, you will understand my request, and should you actually do as told, you’ll be glad for it.”

“Ugh,” she scoffed, staring daggers at the man who was so flippant about destroying her happiness, “I highly doubt that. You know nothing about me or my desires, so I could hardly think you would be able to predict how I might feel in the future.”

“My, my.” The Duke shook his head, his brows raising as he turned the corners of his mouth down and leaned back against a tree trunk. “You arequiteobstinate, aren’t you? Need I remind you that I am your senior in age and experience? I have seen much, and one of the things that Idounderstand intimately is myself. I assure you that this is for the best.”

“For you perhaps.” Selina stifled a chill as another gust of wind rushed by. She could smell the night-blooming jasmine on the breeze and the scent of water from the pond not far from where she stood. “And I am unsurprised that it is your only concern.You clearly do not have the best interests of the household in mind, so do not pretend to.”

“You assume much for someone who doesn’t know me. Quite hypocritical of you, isn’t it?”

Selina yanked herself backward, reeling as if his words had gained physical strength and struck her. The Duke was a scoundrel, no matter what he said. She would not allow herself to be demeaned by someone who did not know all that she had sacrificed to keep her mother and sisters well cared for.

“Says therakewho accosts innocence as if it is a new fashion trend.”

The Duke froze, and the air was so still around them that Selina was sure she would have heard a pin drop. From the casual smirk he always wore, the man’s expression darkened, his countenance so full of restrained fury that Selina couldn’t help but swallow hard, her eyes fixed on him.

“I havenevertaken advantage of innocence, Selina. Of that you can be absolutely positive.”

As he bit out the words, venom laced through his tone that made Selina’s skin tingle and the need to flee rush up in her blood. The Duke took two steps toward her, and she couldn’t stop herself from ducking her chin in an effort to put more distance between them.

“You will not accuse me of such heinous acts so flippantly.”

Selina could feel her confidence cracking, but she straightened her spine, digging deep within herself. This man was ruining her life, preventing her from a happy future, and she would not be intimidated by him.

“So what then, pray tell, was that in the library just a few evenings ago?”

A hearty laugh cut from the Duke, and he threw his head back, a hand landing on his chest.

“It is positively hilarious that you consider the Widow Darrington an innocent. I can assure you she is anything but. No different than the handful of women who have been throwing themselves at me ever since I got here.”

Heat warmed Selina’s cheeks as his misunderstanding was made clear. He did not realize that she had meant herself, and how could he? The Duke was unaware that she was as yet unclaimed. Everyone was, and Selina had made a grave mistake in hinting at the truth.

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