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“No, I don’t,” he admitted freely.
Selina’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Here, she’d thought that Thomas was going to be on her side! To find out that he disagreed! This had never happened before.
* * *
By the time the carriage had arrived in front of Kirby Hall, Leah had dried her tears. She wouldn’t panic—not until she had proven to herself that Selina had been meeting with a gentleman, one who was not the Duke. It had to be—the Duke meeting secretly with Selina would be tantamount to infidelity. He was too honorable for that.
Leah got out of the carriage, walking up the steps of Kirby Hall, right to the door, where Mr. Wickes met her. She stopped in front of him, looking him right in the eyes.
“Welcome home, My Lady,” he said, smiling.
“Do you know something, Wickes?” she asked, looking at him, closely. “Has there been…something?”
“What do you mean, My Lady?” he asked, swallowing nervously.
“Tell me, who has been sending letters to my cousin, Mr. Wickes?” she asked, whispering so that passersby couldn’t hear. Wickes glanced at Maria, who was standing just behind Leah.
He sighed, sadly. “My Lady, I’m sorry to tell you this, but there have been letters in the Duke’s hand…”
“Sent to Selina?” Leah was shaking. It felt like her whole world was falling to pieces. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
“Yes,” Mr. Wickes confirmed. “I told your father that she was going out, alone, and I thought that would be the end of it. As far as I can tell, it might have been…”
Leah saw red, as rage filled her. She didn’t deserve this. Leah deserved to be the Duchess. It was hers. The Duke was hers. Gillingham Manor was hers. She turned and ran up the stairs, holding her skirts so she didn’t trip. She could hear Maria, right behind her.
She went into Selina’s room, where she went straight to the writing-table, opening the drawer. If she had to tear the room apart, so be it.
There was a pile of letters—on top, she recognized Aunt Araminta’s handwriting. At the bottom, she noticed the two with the Duke’s handwriting. Her hands shook as she unfolded the one that was on top.
Her mouth hung open. There was a ringing in her ears, and it seemed to grow louder. Her whole world shrunk down to that letter, and what it said:
Darling, I can barely stand being apart from you. Come meet me by the tree? All my love,
J.
Leah’s marriage, her entire life, ruined. By Selina. She wondered how it had happened. It seemed that it had been going on for a long time. All of a sudden, she was recalling the way that Selina had looked at the Duke. How he’d looked at her.
“How did I not see this coming?” she whispered to herself.
“My Lady,” Maria said, drawing her from her thoughts with a jolt. Leah slowly turned around to face her maid, who was standing by the door. “What if she returns? Are you ready to face her?”
“You’re right,” Leah mumbled. “I need to think.”
Rage flashed through her as she walked over to the desk. When she saw that there was another letter, just like the one she held, Leah tore them both to pieces, then left them in the drawer, closing it and then turning and walking out of the room, her back straight, holding back the tears that were threatening.
A Duchess would never make a scene.
Leah returned to her bedroom, where she knelt down on the floor beside her bed. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She couldn’t stop thinking about the letter.Darling, I can barely stand being apart from you.Followed by the way they’d looked, riding off side-by-side. Suddenly, a long inhuman wail came from her clenched teeth. Quickly, before anyone heard, she grabbed her pillow, screaming into it.
* * *
“How can you not like him?” Selina demanded. “Don’t you trust my judgement?”
“He’s a complete blunderbuss,” Thomas replied. “I’m only being nice to him for your sake.”
“But…you’re making me leave,” she said, suddenly realizing her brother’s plan. She glared at him. “You’re going to try to have Father keep me away from him.”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “Of course, I am. It’s for your own good. Why would you want to be married to someone like that? I thought we were better than simple country folk, Selina. He’s one step up from a horse farmer.”
