This time neither of them were startled by Beast’s voice. They didn’t jerk, didn’t back away, didn’t try to hide. Aiden merely turned his head to look at his brother, a dark brow winging up in query.
“Mum has supper ready. We’re heading over now.”
Those words caused Selena to start. “Oh. My sisters and I should be on our way then.”
“You’re invited,” Aiden said.
She shook her head. “We couldn’t possibly impose.”
“No imposition. She was counting on you being there and prepared more than enough food. We’re supping in the hotel dining room across the way.”
Panic threaded itself through her. “We can’t eat there. We can’t be seen in public.”
“The room has been closed off for our private gathering. We’ll enter through the back. No one will see you.”
“We can’t possibly—”
“My mum went to a lot of trouble.”
“Well, she shouldn’t have. Our agreement was to help in the shop, not dine with your family.”
“I need more time to observe your sisters.”
Backing away from him, she wanted to pound the shelves, noted that his brother was nowhere to be seen, had no doubt gone down the stairs to prepare for going over to the hotel or perhaps he’d noted the tension and realized a private discourse was needed. “You should have been observing them all afternoon instead of being up here with me.”
She should have thought of that earlier, should have insisted he not assist her. Only she enjoyed his presence so much. Still it had resulted in his not being able to make an assessment.
“Watching them place books on shelves hardly tells me what I need to know. What are you afraid of, Selena?”
That she might come to like him more than she already did, that seeing him with his family might make her reconsider her stupid plan.
Again, he touched his knuckles to her cheek. “It’s only dinner.”
With him, nothing was ever only anything. Still, she disliked leaving knowing his mother had gone to such trouble. Besides she was curious about the woman. Ettie Trewlove had not been in the shop, so she had yet to meet her. She wondered what sort of woman would provide a home for bastards when many considered them not worthy of breath. While her own son would be considered legitimate under the law, in truth his status would mirror his father’s, because she would not be married to his sire.
She nodded. “If you can ensure we will not be seen.”
An edge of triumph made its way into the smile he bestowed upon her. “I am nothing if not a planner.”
Taking her elbow, he escorted her down the stairs and into the main portion of the shop. Her sisters were hovering near the door, looking somewhat concerned and uncertain. Fancy seemed not to know what to do with her guests either.
“We’re dining with them?” Connie asked as soon as she clapped eyes on Selena.
“Yes. They kindly issued an invitation and I thought we should accept.”
“We’re in mourning.” The words were whispered in the same tone one might use to announce one wasn’t fully clothed.
“I’ve been assured we won’t be seen, and it’s not as though it will be a formal dinner with a great many guests.”
“But we’re not dressed for dinner.”
“What you’re wearing is fine,” Aiden announced with authority. “We never dress formally for dinner. Come along.”
It was difficult to argue with a man who was ushering her and her sisters out the door before all his words had reached their ears. She wasn’t accustomed to his impatience, feared he might view Connie’s argumentative nature in a bad light and might decide she wasn’t worth his trouble. “It’ll be lovely,” she assured her sisters, glancing back to see Fancy locking up her shop.
How marvelous it must feel to have such independence, to actually own something of value that simultaneously added to one’s personal worth and esteem. She was suddenly struck with the realization that she didn’t really own anything. Oh, she had her clothes and a few pieces of jewelry, but a home, coaches, horses—she had use of them, but they weren’t hers. Even the dower house was not hers to sell, merely to use.
In silence, they crossed the street. Aiden led them down an alleyway and into some gardens that she thought would soon be bursting with spring colors as it was evident that they were well maintained. Several benches where one could rest lined different pathways. She would have liked to explore the area, but he escorted them to a door—the staff entry—opened it, and shepherded them inside.
Her sisters’ eyes were wide as they traversed through the kitchens, and it occurred to her that they may have never before visited kitchens. Certainly they’d been trained to manage a household and staff, but had they ever seen servants at their labors? Doubtful, because in retrospect, she had to admit that she met with the housekeeper to discuss matters but had never actually visited her below stairs.
People carried on with their work, which most certainly would not have happened if they realized a duchess was walking in their midst. But the Trewloves had no airs about them. Aiden and his sister greeted those they passed, made a few inquiries regarding health and families, and continued on barely breaking their stride. They were comfortable here within their brother’s dominion, and she suspected they were each equally at home within their siblings’ businesses. She recalled Aiden telling her how they all shared everything they learned, all they knew. Each worked to lift the others, and in so doing lifted themselves. Seeing all of this firsthand, she could not help but believe that he could equate what she was doing for her family with measures he’d taken regarding his own siblings. It gave her hope that tonight she would return to the Elysium Club and continue in her efforts, with him being a willing partner in her desire to get with child.
He shoved open a door that servants used to enter the dining room, and she led her sisters through it. A long table with a white tablecloth had been set up on the far side of the grandiose area, away from the door and the wall of windows that looked out into the foyer. She was rather certain the door was locked, but even so a footman stood at attention on the other side of it, no doubt to explain to people that the room had been reserved for private use this evening. The draperies at the windows that faced the street were closed, cocooning them in, creating a rather intimate feel for a gathering of so many.
All the people she’d met earlier and the ones she’d known from before were chatting near the table. Fancy walked toward the group, greeting an older woman who broke away from the others. Her hair was a combination of salt-and-pepper strands pulled back into a simple knot. She was small of stature, well-rounded but not in a plump sort of way. Selena decided hugging her would be very much like wrapping her arms around a soft pillow: comforting.
Which was exactly what Aiden did when the woman was close enough. He bent slightly and embraced her, and something within Selena’s chest tightened with his show of affection. She was accustomed to men holding themselves erect, perfect posture, bowing, sometimes taking a hand, pressing a kiss to knuckles—not welcoming a woman with arms coming around her in a gesture of familiarity that appeared so natural it had to have been done a thousand times. She couldn’t recall ever having seen Winslow hug their mother thus. But it was obvious Mrs. Trewlove greeted her children as though she was truly glad to see them.
She stepped out of Aiden’s embrace. With his arm resting lightly on her shoulders, he steered his mother toward Selena and her sisters, and she realized that this—not working in the bookshop—was the test he’d devised for her sisters. How they received his mother was how he would judge their character and their worth.
Tears stung her eyes with the understanding that the woman who had raised him meant so much to him. He was a man who encouraged sin, who trafficked in vice, who by all accounts was a scoundrel, but he loved his mother, loved his family. And if her sisters were the least bit insulting, all would be lost. But just as she’d had confidence when they’d played billi
ards, she had equal confidence in her sisters’ kindness and knew she would win here as well.
“Mum, I’d like you to meet Selena Sheffield, Duchess of Lushing.”
Proper etiquette dictated that a commoner should be introduced to the noble, but Selena had already dispensed with exhibiting well-bred manners when she’d introduced Aiden to her sisters earlier. Besides, she understood that within this room, there might be titles, but there were no ranks. No doubt at the table, she would find a muddled arrangement of the seating. No orderly procession to the dining area, no chairs assigned based on where one was positioned in the social order. With his introduction, Aiden was making a point: he didn’t give a fig about Debrett’s or Burke’s Peerage; no one rated a place above the saintly woman who had taken him in and raised him as her own. Ah, yes, this was the gauntlet her sisters must pass. Pay attention, girls.
She curtsied, not as deeply as she would to the Queen, but still with a show of deference. “Mrs. Trewlove, I’m honored to make your acquaintance. It was so kind of you to invite us to dine with your family. Allow me the honor of presenting my sisters. Ladies Constance, Florence, and Alice.”
Connie and Flo bobbed respectful curtsies. Alice’s dipping, a bit more enthusiastic, was accompanied with an endearing smile. “A pleasure, Mrs. Trewlove.”
Selena noted the approval in Aiden’s eyes, the triumph within the dark depths, and felt as though his win was hers. Had he felt the same when she’d bested him at billiards? Had he been as glad that she’d won then as she was that he’d won now? Strange, how she never wanted to see him defeated.
“It was kind of you to help Fancy with her bookshop,” Mrs. Trewlove said. “Now come along and eat before the food gets cold.” Turning on her heel, she headed for the table, which seemed to be a signal to everyone else because they scattered, claiming seats—just as Selena had surmised they would—in no particular order.
“Ladies.” Aiden’s voice held a warmth that reached out and wrapped around her.
Once everyone was settled, she found herself sitting beside Lady Aslyn. Her husband had taken his seat at one end of the long table, his mother at the far end. Her sisters sat beside Selena, youngest to oldest. Aiden was across from her. His other two brothers were seated near his mother. Wives sat beside husbands. Mr. Tittlefitz was in attendance, as was the young boy, Robin.
Assorted platters and bowls lined the table. Mick Trewlove stood and began slicing into a rather hefty-looking roast. “Pass your plates!”
“Are there no servants?” Connie whispered.
“Might as well learn how it’s done when there aren’t, as we might be without soon enough,” Flo responded, equally low but still Selena heard her.
It was interesting to watch the china dishes make their way around the table, empty when they were handed to Mick, filled with strips of beef when he passed them on. Once all the plates were resting in front of their proper person, people began reaching for bowls, adding potatoes, peas, and carrots to their meal before handing the pottery off to the next person.
“Bread!” Finn called out.
Aiden plucked a muffin from a wicker basket and tossed it down the length of the table. Finn snatched it from the air.
“Boys,” Ettie Trewlove chided. “We have company. Mind your manners.”
Selena imagined the woman had spent a good part of her life telling her boys to mind their manners. Obviously when she spoke, they obeyed because the bread basket made its way around the table.
A footman went about pouring the wine. Selena noted that Gillie, the Duchess of Thornley, already heavy with child, gave a quick shake of her head when the footman offered her the Bordeaux. The gossips tittered that she’d been pregnant when the duke married her, but the deep devotion mirrored in his eyes whenever he looked at his wife told Selena that he hadn’t married her because of her condition, but simply because he loved her so fiercely.
Lady Aslyn sipped tentatively at her wine, and Selena thought she, too, might be in the family way, as her husband was particularly solicitous toward her as though of a sudden she was fragile when Selena knew her to be of firmer stuff. Like Selena, she’d lost both her parents in one fell swoop—a railway accident—although at a much younger age. They’d found comfort in lamenting their losses. Aslyn had become the ward of the wealthy and powerful Duke of Hedley—who very much resembled her husband. It was rumored that Mick Trewlove was the noble’s bastard, although Selena couldn’t envision the duke being unfaithful to his duchess.
Lady Lavinia did indulge in the fine wine, a sign she might not yet be with child, but then she hadn’t been married very long. Based upon the way her husband, Finn, continually reached out to touch her hand, caress her arm, tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, Selena was rather certain Lavinia would soon find herself increasing. It was obvious the man adored her, and she him.
These married couples all reflected the sort of devotion she’d hoped to inspire when she married.
Beast smiled indulgently at Fancy, and Selena realized with dawning awareness that his expression of brotherly affection very much mirrored the way Lushing had looked at her. Perhaps the reason he’d apologized when he first came to her bed was because his feelings toward her were more brotherly than husbandly.
She’d not truly understood the intimacy of the act, how it could bind two people. She certainly understood that now as she looked across the table at Aiden, noting the way he watched her as though he were striving to memorize the sight of her dining with his family because it would be a one-time occurrence.
The conversations ebbed and flowed around her, voices louder than she was accustomed to hearing during a meal. When someone laughed, an echo of “What’s so funny?” reverberated through the room, and a story was retold so all could join in on the mirth: an overly drunk patron at the tavern who had decided to shed his clothing, a woman who had locked her husband out of their hotel room because she didn’t like the way he smiled at the maids. Then there were the somber tales of discarded children taken in by Lady Lavinia, the articles she wrote describing the women she met who were shamed for giving in to their passions, who brought her their babes because she would see them well cared for. Selena listened to these women discussing matters that were normally the domain of men, was ever conscious that they lived in a world apart from hers. Two had once resided in it with her, but she couldn’t recall ever seeing them looking so satisfied, so happy. They’d found love and fulfillment, but then neither had siblings for whom they were responsible. They’d been able to put their own wants and needs first. Selena couldn’t imagine being so free.
When the dinner was finished, it appeared that people were going to lounge around and visit a bit more. But darkness had fallen, and Selena had grown weary of the test. Surely by now, Aiden had made his assessment of her sisters. She made their excuses, thanked Aiden’s mother for the lovely meal, wished Fancy success with her business, said her goodbyes to the others, and was grateful when Aiden began leading them back the way they’d come. Through the hotel and across the street. Then around to the back of the corner bookshop, where her coach waited. The footman leaning against it straightened and opened the door, assisting her sisters into the conveyance.
Selena stopped a short distance away in order to have a private word with her escort. Distant light from the streetlamps cast his face in shadows, making it impossible to read his features, to know his decision. She certainly didn’t want to ask outright. “I shall come to the club later, shall I?”
“I want to visit the ducal estate. I want to see what my son would inherit.”
Not the response she’d expected, and she couldn’t prevent her heart from kicking against her ribs or her eyes widening slightly. “We are in a bit of a rush here. To make my claim believable, I must be with child before my next menses and I am already more than a week gone from the ending of my last one.”
“Then we’d best not delay. Have your coach at the club at dawn.”
She squeezed
her eyes shut. Why was he being so stubborn, so doggedly determined to make this difficult? Why was she? She could find a willing gentleman elsewhere, one of his red-badged fellows. Only she didn’t want someone else. She wanted to see his features etched into those of her child, be it a girl or a boy. With a sigh, she opened her eyes. “It is one of the grandest estates in all of England.”
“All the more reason it’ll hold sway over my decision.”
Why can’t you simply do it for me? she wanted to ask. But they’d only known each other a handful of days. Why should he feel any allegiance or commitment to her? “Dawn,” she stated flatly.
She turned to the coach, surprised to find him nudging the footman aside and handing her up into the vehicle.
“Thank you, ladies, for helping my sister and for the kindness you showed my mother. I wish you the best.”
He slammed the door closed as though he had no intention of ever seeing any of them again, as though their business was completed, but she’d heard in his voice genuine gratitude, and if she were a wagering woman, she’d wager that her sisters had passed the test. Now if only the estate would.
“I hope you know what you’re doing.”
As Finn came to stand beside him, Aiden didn’t bother to turn around, but merely crossed his arms over his chest and watched as the carriage disappeared in the distance. “Odd warning from a man who married the daughter of an earl.”
“Lavinia has no interest in moving about within the upper echelons of Society. I have the impression the same can’t be said of your duchess.”
No, the same couldn’t be said of her. Everything Selena was doing was to ensure her place among that Society, to guarantee she maintained power and influence within it. “She’s not my duchess.”
“I’m not blind, Aiden. I saw the way you looked at her.”
“You might not be blind, but you’re obviously in need of spectacles.”
Finn chuckled low. “Just watch yourself, brother. A broken heart never fully mends. It will always have cracks.”
The Duchess in His Bed Page 21
