Page 23 of A Duchess Untouched

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, Your Grace. It is nothing. I was just… I was strolling through the gardens when I heard a loud bang. I was so terrified that I almost fainted,” she explained, as she straightened herself and smoothed her skirts. “I… I cannot imagine what could have produced such an atrocious sound.”

So it was Selina who had screamed and sent Maximus tearing through the hedges. It could hardly have been anyone else. The staff and Oliver knew better than to disturb him while he practiced, and his mother would sooner die than be caught walking the gardens without a friend at her side to chatter with.

“I apologize for startling you. I was only shooting my pistol,” Matthew murmured sincerely. “Do you need to go inside to rest? Or would you want someone to bring you some smelling salts while you sit here with Maximus?”

“I will be fine,” she said hastily, glancing at him. She gave him a wide smile as if to reassure him. “Would you teach me how to shoot a pistol? Perhaps by learning how to use one, I would not have to startle next time?”

Matthew was surprised by her request. He shifted his head to one side and looked at her in the corner of his eye.

“I am not certain I should do that, Selina,” he said.

“Why? Is it because you think it is an unladylike exercise?” she asked, batting her eyelashes. This time, it was not done to seduce. It was almost a different kind of teasing. Matthew’s anger rose again, but he kept it at bay.

“It is not that at all,” he said.

He wanted to tell her he had only been trying to improve his aim, expecting he might need it on the road. But saying so would only prompt her to ask why he would be on the road, a question he could not answer.

“What is it, then? What harm could befall me? You will be here to guide me, will you not?” she insisted as she played with a stray lock of hair.

“Let me be clear, Selina. This is not a parlor game. A pistol like mine has a heavy draw. Its trigger is stiff, and you must fight back against its fierce recoil. You are my responsibility. I do not want you to injure yourself. You nearly fainted from the sound of it.”

“Do you think me incapable, Your Grace?” she asked.

“I am merely saying that since you have likely never touched such a weapon before, it might be difficult for you.”

“And that is why you must teach me. Would you want me to be completely ignorant of using such weapons when you are obviously skilled at it? One would say it might be a useful skill.”

Matthew stared at her. She seemed serious about learning to use a pistol. He took a long, deep breath before he urged her to follow him to where the targets were. Maximus followed suit, his tongue lolling on the side of his mouth as he took his seat on the grass to watch.

“Do you see that wooden circle? I used that as my target. There are still some parts that you can aim at,” he instructed. “Come here. Stand right in front of me.”

Selina approached him. This time, he could see her hesitating a little. She might not be trembling, but he could tell that she was finally nervous. It was as if she realized the gravity of what she wanted him to do.

“Did you change your mind?” he asked, trying to keep the amusement from his voice.

“Of course not. I am coming,” she said. “Would you like me to stand here?”

Matthew nodded, then picked up the pistol from where he had rested it and placed it in her hands.

“Feel its weight. Make yourself accustomed to it,” he instructed. Selina reached out and took the weapon. “Then, position it this way.”

Selina slightly stumbled before dragging the heavy pistol up with both her hands. She pointed the barrel at the target.

“Oh, it is quite heavy. Should I hold it like this?” she asked, trying to sound enthusiastic, but Matthew could hear the strain in her voice.

“No.” Matthew watched her from behind, letting her find her own footing before he corrected her. Even from this distance, he was painfully aware of every inch of her glorious body. “Do not hold it like a broomstick, Selina. And that posture will not do at all.”

“I… I am trying to balance it,” Selina explained, her hands starting to lower. “Could you show me how to hold it more steadily?”

Matthew hesitated. He had already warned her of the pistol’s weight, but she did not seem to want to give up. Every rational instinct within him warned him to keep his distance. But she looked at him expectantly. She wanted to learn how to fire his pistol, and who was he to deny her?

Matthew’s restraint crumbled. He then stepped closer. Even closer, until he was right behind her.

“Hold the grip with your right hand first,” he said, lowering his voice. His mouth hovered near her ear as he spoke, and his eyes followed the moment she dropped her left hand, still struggling to balance the weight on her right.

There was no space left between them. He closed his hand over hers, his fingers settling against her knuckles, and guided her grip until her finger rested lightly against the trigger. With his other hand, he adjusted the set of her shoulders and felt the exact moment her body went still beneath his touch. They were too close.