Page 23 of The Devil's Accidental Duchess
Oh, what a vexing man he truly is!
Lizzy had failed to mention this particular detail of his character. Selina made an effort to remind herself to have a very long, very serious talk with her best friend later.
Preferably before she had any more interactions with Ashbrook.
“Why, though?” she asked, her wayward thoughts intruded upon by something altogether more confounding. “Why did you do it?”
He swept up a loose lock of her hair and started twirling it around his finger. “Do what?”
“You know what,” she huffed. Only, it came out as little more than a gasp. “Why did you just accept my father’s demands? He does not like you one bit, and you clearly do not care for him.”
Indeed, he could have shot her father right there if he had insisted on a duel. She was quite sure he possessed the skill and the ruthlessness to achieve it.
Was it because he meant to protect her friendship with Lizzy? Ashbrook was neither blind nor stupid—he should already have grasped everything.
She peered up into his eyes, hoping to see something.Anything. But the teasing glint in them had flickered out, replaced by a shuttered look. A cold distance that stretched between them.
“You should head back to your rooms and ready yourself for dinner,” he said in a low voice edged with warning. “You will be the Duchess of Ashbrook in a fortnight. It would be best for you to get accustomed to our ways as soon as possible.”
Selina stiffened. “Very well,” she replied in the coldest, politest tone she could manage. “I shall do as you say.”
For now, she added silently as she whirled on her feet and walked out of the study.
Her mother would have been appalled at her rudeness, but Selina did not care. Ashbrook had to be the most vexing man she had ever encountered.
For a moment, she believed she had finally found himlikeable. But in the end, he was just like any other man who wouldsummarily dismiss her, as if she were incapable of intelligent thought.
Well, if he thought that he was marrying a pliant, biddable wife who depended on him at every turn, he was soon going to find out how gravely mistaken he was!
“I do hope that dinner is to your liking, my dear. We do not keep country hours here at Ashbrook Manor, I’m afraid. Do not hesitate to call the servants if you need to have some refreshments before dinner.”
“Oh, no, Your Grace. This is just perfect, thank you.”
The soft, feminine voices drifted to Philip’s ears as he strode into the dining room at a quarter past seven. He had sent word through Perkins that he intended to finish some business before heading down, but the truth was that he found himself trying to settle down before he even dared appear.
In the end, he had even summoned his valet to make sure he appeared… less daunting.
As it turned out, his presence was not so sorely missed after all, for the ladies were happily entertaining themselves in the candlelight when he finally came to the table.
“Philip, we were just talking about you!”
He eyed his grandmother pointedly.No, you were just happily asking Lady Selina if she liked dinner.
“I certainly hope you did not, or Lady Selina would be running out the door by now,” he remarked. “If you were being truthful, at least.”
“Oh, dear me,no. I would never do that,” his grandmother laughed. “But since you are here, I think that we should set about planning the ball. Two weeks is hardly enough time, but not entirely impossible.”
He noted how Selina’s cutlery hovered briefly over the roast beef before she sweetly countered, “A ball might be a little too much, Your Grace. Perhaps a more intimate gathering of acquaintances would be more appropriate?”
“Nonsense!” His grandmother looked aghast at the suggestion. “The Duke of Ashbrook will be marrying the daughter of the Duke of Barlow. It is not a simple announcement to be made over dinner.”
“Grandmama has been waiting for this moment foryears,” Lizzy interjected from across the table.
“Not to mention that old harridan insinuated I would only be met with failure this Season!”
Selina looked a little confused. “Old harridan?”
“The Dowager Countess of Connington,” Lizzy explained. “She and Grandmama had been at odds forages. Earlier this Season, Lady Connington declared that her grandson is in search of a wife.”
