Page 59 of A Duchess Untouched

“I…” Harleigh looked left and right, meeting his daughters’ eyes, and flushing a deep red.

“He is here now, and I believe this is enough to show his intentions,” Antoinette insisted, standing quite close to Selina’s father. Too close, she thought.

“Will you stop shouting above her head?” Portia said. “Do you all not see this is not about you, but about our dear sister? What if she worsens?”

“The noise has nothing to do with her condition,” Cathy muttered, “but I understand what you mean. At least, the noise coming from these three can wake the dead.”

“I am not dead,” Selina croaked.

“Of course, you are not,” soothed Madeline, massaging her hands. “You are perfectly fine.”

“I will ask the kitchens to prepare some soup for her, and she will be back on her feet in less than a day. Just do not scare us like that again, my girl, all right?” said Harleigh as he made for the door.

“I have to admit, you sound… disturbingly sober today, Harleigh,” Lady Marlow said.

“He does not drink anymore,” Antoinette replied.

“Oh, I never expected to hear you of all people coming to his defense, Your Grace,” the Baroness replied, raising an eyebrow.

Portia started laughing loudly and got slapped on the arm by Cathy. Selina could only sigh. This was not the time for her to explain to her family exactly what was going on between her father and her mother-in-law.

“Has my husband been informed about my little accident?” Selina asked to change the subject. She had to know when she would have to face him.

“No, Matthew had been out all morning, and he came and locked himself in his study right before they brought you in. I will send Dawson to inform him—”

“There is no need,” Selina interrupted her mother-in-law. “I… I do not wish to upset him over nothing. I only need to rest a little, and I will tell him later myself, all right?”

“As you wish, my dear,” her father murmured. “I believe it is best that Her Grace and I should leave now so you can get your rest.”

“Thank you, Papa,” she said.

So, the two left the room, as Selina’s sisters continued to fuss over her.

Meanwhile, Lady Marlow made her way to the foot of the four-poster bed, leaning on her cane as she studied her granddaughter. Selina wondered why her grandmother was watching her so intently until the physician walked back into the room, and she turned to him.

“Now, Dr. Howard. Do tell us what caused our dear Selina to faint like that.”

“Perhaps if I have Harrison follow her back home…”

Matthew sat behind his desk in his study, ready for another afternoon of working on his estate accounts. His mind was still reeling from all his futile attempts to speak with Mary Wills.

Every attempt to request an audience with her had been met with a slammed door in his face by the butler, which was preposterous given his position in society. No man or woman would dare refuse him, yet Mary had done her best to avoid speaking with him. Harrison had had the same luck so far, and Matthew was at his wit’s end over the matter. He was exhausted. All he wanted was to put this matter to rest and spend all his time with his wife.

“What do you think we should do, Maximus?” Matthew turned to his loyal mastiff, who sat beside his chair. Maximus’s relaxed expression shifted to alertness as he turned toward the door.

Barely two seconds later, the door burst open without so much as a knock. His annoyance shifted to concern when he saw Harrison panting in the doorway.

“Your Grace! It is your wife. Her Grace collapsed near the parish hall. The physician has just finished examining her in her bedchamber!”

Matthew’s heart stopped. His thoughts went to Robert and the accident. The quill fell onto the ledger’s white page, spreading ink across it.

“Selina,” he breathed, terror clutching at him. “When did this happen? Why did no one inform me about this?”

“I… I do not know, Your Grace. I only overheard this from the other servants.”

Matthew did not have time to process Harrison’s words. He bolted from his room, running through the corridor and up the grand staircase. He was taking three steps at a time. His heart hammered in his chest, his eyes stinging.

Selina. God above, not Selina.