Page 30 of A Duchess Untouched

But Selina was desperate. Yes, she was under duress and had no choice but to take the path toward Matthew’s study. She moved swiftly and quietly in the eerie silence. It seemed she was breathing too hard. Too loudly.

Finally, she reached the almost formidable doors of his study. She could see a sliver of light through the gap at the bottom of the door.

He is still inside.

Selina had to steady her breath before she opened the door, ever so gently. It still creaked, making the blood drain from her face.

“Matthew, I—”

But it was not Matthew sitting behind the desk. It was Oliver.

Selina was taken aback. She did not expect yet another restless soul to still be awake at midnight. A blush spread across her cheeks as she realized her brother-in-law was seeing her in her current attire.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling the lapels of her robe higher to cover herself.

“Forgive me,” he said. “I felt unusually energized tonight, and I was looking for a specific book. I searched the library high and low for it. Then, I remembered that Matthew brought it with him here. I could not sleep. So, I thought I would retrieve it and read it tonight.”

“Oh, I see,” Selina managed to say. It did not look like fate was going her way at all. “I suppose it is better that I found you here. This way, I can personally beg your pardon for my father’s behavior. He should be separated from any possible droplet of wine and other spirits,” she said.

“You handled the situation well,” Oliver admitted, closing the heavy book he was holding with a soft thud. He looked at her with a gentle, understanding smile. “And with remarkable grace. Mother was ready to faint from rage and humiliation, but you managed to ease Mr. Quinten out of the room before any more damage occurred.”

Selina sighed. She had tried to erase the event from her memory, but she could still see and hear her father in her mind. “I am glad that Papa did not get to recite the rest of his poem. The beginning was already terrible, and I was afraid we both would be cast out into the street for it.”

Oliver chuckled at that, rising from behind the desk. His hand remained resting on the book he had been searching for, but the sudden laugh caused him to begin to cough uncontrollably. He pressed his hands on the desk until the coughing fit subsided.

“Are you quite all right?” Selina asked, frowning. She was on the verge of going over to him and tapping his back.

He nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. Then, he seemed eager to shift her attention to something else, other than his health.

“You truly saved the situation, Selina,” Oliver said, clearing his throat. Then, he focused on her face, worry etched on his. He probably saw her restlessness and discomfort. “But what were you searching for at this hour?”

Selina was ever so tempted to tell Oliver the truth: that she was sneaking through the dark hallways in the middle of the night in a scrap of a nightgown, hoping to seduce her husband before he abandoned her indefinitely again.

“I… I merely wanted to ask Matthew something. I remembered you saying he was working on something important in his study.”

By the sad, knowing smile on Oliver’s face, she knew that he recognized the excuse for what it was.

Before they could both ponder that excuse, the door swung open. A draft from the hallway swept into the room. Both Oliver and Selina turned to see Matthew step over the threshold, with Maximus obediently in tow.

The Duke’s sharp brown eyes quickly swept the room before he asked, “I am here, wife. What did you want to ask me?”

Selina’s breath hitched. Her husband had an intense physical presence. He filled the doorway and shook her soul, even at this late hour. She could still remember his hard body pressing against her, and she had to will herself to stand firm, or she would tremble before him.

Oliver felt the tension tighten. He cleared his throat, keeping the book tucked safely under his arm.

“I… I was just leaving,” Oliver declared quickly. “Goodnight, Matthew. Goodnight, Selina.”

“Take Maximus with you, Oliver,” Matthew commanded.

Oliver did not need to be told twice. He slipped noiselessly out of the room, followed by an intrigued Maximus. All the while, Matthew’s gaze never left Selina’s. His eyes were unfathomable and dark, and when he locked the door behind him, she could not help but gasp.

“W-what are you doing?” she stammered, failing to keep her voice steady.

Selina took an involuntary step backward, the back of her thighs meeting the hard edge of his desk.

“I should be the one asking you that question, wife.”

Chapter 15