Page 33 of His Ruined Duchess

“All right. Out with it, then. Tell me what has happened that has forced my friend from his bed to my house at so late an hour.”

Hugh rambled off his list of annoyances and concerns that had accumulated since the last time the two of them spoke. It felt like a ratherlonglist of items that revolved strongly around Selina and the responsibilities that weighed on him as Duke. He also mentioned the woman outside the tavern when Jonah had pressured him into revealing why he smelled of ale and damp.

“I do not know what is wrong with me. Why do I see another that I have no interest in when I am meant to be finally enjoying a moment of pleasure where I feel like my true self once more?”

Jonah eyed him skeptically. It was clear that whatever Hugh had been saying, his dear friend didn’t believe a single word of it. Taking a sip of his own tea, Jonah set the cup down on the table and sighed.

“My dearest friend. Is it truly in your mind that you have no interest in the Dowager? You have spoken of her constantly since you have arrived here, and seeing her visage on the face of another outside of the bar should be rather telling.”

Hugh reeled back, the notion utterly preposterous.

“Jonah, how could you think such a thing? I have no interest in the Dowager whatsoever. It is only on my mind to get her married as quickly as possible so that I might go back to business as I know it and no longer be held up by this endless stream of duties that are in my responsibility as Duke.”

“You have much to think of, Your Grace, but it willnotbe done at my table. We both need our rest, and it is best that you return to the estate so that you can draft up your solutions within the privacy of your own study.”

Jonah walked the Duke to the door. Hugh’s steps were still a little less than graceful though the effects of the alcohol were slowly coming to an end. Offering his friend a handshake, Hugh bid Jonah farewell and slipped outside back into the comfort of the carriage. He directed the tiger to carry him home as quickly as possible.

There would be no solutions found this evening. He knew that much, but even worse, Hugh knew without a shadow of a doubt that his dreams this evening would be filled with one particular face.

Chapter Fourteen

The brisk spring air wafted over Selina’s skin as they walked on the promenade through the park. Hugh had joined her at the front so that they might have a serious discussion about her prospects for marriage. While the topic still did not intrigue her, she knew that she had no choice but to pursue this endeavor.

It had been her late husband’s wish that she might remarry, and as much as losing her virginity still terrified her, it appeared as though she had little choice in the matter. As they walked forward, Selina carrying a parasol over her shoulder to block the morning's light, Hugh cleared his throat, clearly ready to broach the conversation.

“So, Your Grace, what prospects have you found during your search for a suitable match?”

Selina sucked in a shaky breath. Hugh had become much better at maintaining a respectable tone with her, and still, it crawledbeneath her skin to be forced to discuss this with him. Selina was a private person, so much more so than people realized, and she could not deny that planning out a marriage arrangement with a man she’d met so recently still made her nervous.

He was trying so fervently to heed her etiquette lessons, however, and it was clear that Hugh sought to do what he believed was in her best interests. She could honor this request of Easton’s, even as her heart was not in it.

After all, Selina wasquitefamiliar with doing so.

“I have a number of prospects in mind, Your Grace. I have kept a watchful eye on the gentlemen who might make for a suitable match. Though, I do believe that Magnus is likely the best suited for the arrangement.”

Hugh’s steps slowed, and she watched him as he turned toward a large oak tree near them, his eyes scanning over the leaves as they rustled in the wind. It was a moment before he turned back to her, a question lingering on his face.

“What is it?” she asked, curious what might be flitting through the man’s mind since he was usually so vocal about his thoughts.

He released a heavy breath and said, “I only wonder, Your Grace, why it is that you still have not married. Remarried, that is. You are familiar with the ways of the ton. You have lived your life within the aristocracy and made yourself a suitable match for anyone. As far as I can tell, you have interest enough in men. So, I find it strange that you still remain unwed.”

The Dowager bristled, pulling back from Hugh slightly as she looked down at her hands, entwining her fingers with each other in an attempt to distract herself from the pound of her blooding through her veins. Selina had not discussed this much with anyone. The only person who understood her true concerns was Ethel, and as of late, letters to her friend had gone unanswered.

Flicking her eyes back up to the Duke, Selina offered a gentle, if stoic smile.

“It is best that you do not ask personal questions as such, Your Grace, particularly when we are out in public as we are.”

“How am I to assist you with this endeavor if I do not understand your feelings toward the matter? This is how I will best be able to aid you.”

Idle laughter sounded behind her as Lydia and Myra continued their conversation. Her sisters and mother had all joined them on promenade this morning. While she and Hugh had maintained their distance from them, nervousness still clung to Selina at the thought that they might overhear her.

She had kept what she was about to say to herself for so long, and she did not wish to upset her family with the truth.

Her mother, in particular, might be downright furious about what she was about to say. Selina had been raised to be the perfect lady, to be the best wife possible to any husband she might marry, but in truth, Selina had no love for the perfection that she had been taught.

“Being a widow provides me with freedoms that I did not have previously.” Selina looked at Hugh as he stopped in his walk, meeting her eyes with curiosity. “My late husband was a good man, but what about the next one? What if the man that I arranged a marriage with revealed himself to be downright cruel? I would be trapped alongside him with little that could be done.”

The Duke pinned her with his stare. Selina sucked in a breath, feeling small beneath the weight of his gaze. She could not understand how it continued to be possible for this man to elicit such a reaction from her. Selina’s pulse hummed beneath the surface of her skin, and she felt warm everywhere his eyes landed on her.

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