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The house, the title, the handsome Duke—it was all supposed to be hers. Who cared for love? Most people married for titles and all the fancy trappings. Marriage was a contract, a business agreement—not a romance story.
They were parting, now—the dance was over. He bowed to her, his eyes on Selina as he kissed her hand. Selina blushed again, then turned and disappeared into the crowd. The Duke watched her go, his eyes wide. It was awful to watch.
Selina didn’t even need to marry. Upon her father’s death, she would be independently wealthy, with ten-thousand pounds a year! She could afford to wait for silly things like love. Not to mention, her older brother doted upon her. He would happily let her live at the estate or their London townhouse for as long as she chose.
Leah, on the other hand—was three-and-twenty. If this didn’t work out, she’d be out on the market again. To be unmarried at four-and-twenty was nearly unheard of! This might be the best that she could hope for.
To become a spinster was out of the question. Leah shuddered.
* * *
As the music ended, Lady Selina curtsied to the Duke and smiled at him.
“I must say, Your Grace, this has been rather diverting,” she said. “I believe your bride-to-be is waiting for you.” She supposed that he’d wake up the next morning and realize that he’d made a mistake.
She looked in Leah’s direction. Her cousin was watching them closely, a look of rage on her face. The Duke of Gillingham looked at her, as though she’d slapped him.
He stepped toward her, taking her hand, leaning down to kiss it. His eyes were on hers.
“Until later, Lady Selina,” he said.
“Certainly, Your Grace,” she replied. She moved off, opening her fan, and waving it in front of her face as she walked toward the punch bowl.
It was a large silver bowl, and a male servant stood on the other side of the table with a ladle. He filled her a cup and handed it to her.
“Thank you,” she murmured, taking a sip. It was cool and sweet, with only the slightest taste of champagne. She walked around the room, watching the goings on. It was certainly a small affair, and almost everyone seemed to know each other.
She saw Leah and the Duke, across the room. His Grace looked miserable, while Leah was smiling widely. Selina worried that he was trying to use her for an excuse to flee a loveless match.
She resolved, then and there, to stay away from him. After all, love and infatuation were two very different things. And Selina meant to remain free unless it was truly love.
She would protect her heart—and her fortune. Not that the Duke of Gillingham was interested in that.
The whole business left her unsettled. After all, a pronounced engagement was a done deal. Calling it off would be a scandal of epic proportions. She doubted sincerely that the Duke was enough of a renegade to call it off over a chance brush with fate.
She laughed to herself. Tomorrow, this would have all faded away, like a strange dream.
When she glanced over at him, the Duke was staring at her. She held his gaze for a moment, feeling her cheeks heat up. In the pit of her belly, she felt a small rush. She was familiar with gentlemen looking at her like that. She’d never felt a response like this to it. She wanted it. She wanted him to look at her like that.
She turned away, walking out onto the terrace, to cool down and think as she sipped her punch, which was going straight to her head. Her cheeks warmed, and she had a light buzz.
No, it would never be. Not without hurting Leah, and Selina just couldn’t betray her cousin like that, whether Leah liked her or not. They were family.
She stared out at the garden, with little tealights all along the paths, then decided to go and find Aunt Georgiana. She finished her punch, then went to find her aunt.
“Aunt Georgiana?” she said, touching her aunt on the elbow.
“Darling! Are you having a good time?” she asked. Once again, Selina was reminded of her mother.
“Yes,” she said, fanning her face a little.
“Let me introduce you to Her Grace, the Dowager Duchess of Gillingham,” Aunt Georgiana said, turning back to the Dowager Duchess that she had been talking with.
“We’ve already had the pleasure,” the Dowager Duchess said.
Selina curtsied low. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Your Grace. Thank you for having me on such short notice,” Selina said. “If I’d known that I was going to be arriving in time for such an elegant party, I’d have brought something finer to wear.”
The Dowager Duchess raised an eyebrow. “Finer than that dress?” She laughed. “Well, I can’t have you upstaging me in my own home, now can I?”
