CHAPTER 4
Stupefied. Dumbstruck. Aghast.
There were so many words that could describe the emotions running through Selina at that moment. But the best, most appropriate one?
Horror.
“B-But?—”
Her mind couldn’t quite catch up to what had just been said. It was impossible.
What sort of lunatic would marry a woman over a letter that he clearly hadn’t written? What sort of madman would accept responsibility for a ‘crime’ he had not committed?
“You had better not be lying to save your sorry hide, Ashbrook!” her father snarled.
His finger loosened on the trigger, the barrel sagging downward. Not that he had managed to cock the hammer anyway. Indeed, that drop of the pistol from the Duke had undoubtedly just saved his life.
“I assure you I have never been as serious in my entire life,” the Duke said, his voice steady and rich, washing over her frayed nerves like a wave of rich, decadent chocolate.
Selina shook her head.
No! You must not be swayed at this moment!
Delicate situations required one to keep a calm head on one’s shoulders. A possible duel was not the time to moon about the nuances of a man’s voice, no matter how much her ears seemed to thrill at the sound.
Besides, thisgentleman was supposed to be cold and callous and not at all appropriate for a husband. She had heard it from a very reliable source.
“I mean to take Lady Selina as my lawfully wedded wife, and it would mean so much to me—tous—if you could give us your blessing.”
Oh, what good was the most wonderful voice in all the world if he was saying all thewrongthings? How could he be so calm?
And surely that solemn expression was a sham. She had never seen the Duke of Ashbrook in her entire life, and she was quite certain he had never laid eyes on her before.
So, why was he looking at her likethat? Like he truly treasured her?
He moved toward her, and her heart seemed to leap out of her chest with every step he took.
If this were one of her beloved books, the heroine would be swooning right now, waiting for him to take her in his arms. But this was not one of her books. This was a living nightmare, and he was trying to write a very sad ending.
You do not know me, Your Grace! What on earth are you doing?
She wanted to shout it at him, but she could not get a single word to leave her tight throat.
“Forgive me, my love, for this was not how I planned for my proposal to go,” he told her with the most contrite expression imaginable. “I had such grand and romantic ideas to show you how cherished you are, but now things have come to this point…”
Selina cast a sharp look at Lizzy. Why had she never mentioned that her brother was such an accomplished liar! Selina would have believed him, too, if she had not been cognizant of how they managed tocome to this point.
“B-But?—”
Once more, words seemed to fail her. Instead of the calm, logical reasoning that might have untangled this whole mess, all she could seem to manage was a rather stellar impression of a freshly landed halibut.
Hardly graceful. Hardly worth listening to. Just a limp, gasping thing who could do nothing to change her fate.
“It seems that you retain a sense of responsibility, at the very least,” her father admitted grudgingly with a snort. “Which is more than I can say for your sire.”
Selina looked fretfully at her father.
We know your disdain for the late Duke goes beyond the afterlife, but should you really be insulting the bloodline of the present Duke at his own doorstep?
