Page 65 of A Duchess Untouched

“Oh, Selina. Did this marriage ever mean anything to you in earnest? I heard you talk with your grandmother and sisters the day you left, and I could not believe you did everything only to secure your position. I just refuse to believe it.”

Selina pulled back a little to meet his eyes and said, “I did it to secure my position as your duchess, that I can admit. But… I fell in love with you. I was terrified that you could never love me in return. After all, you married me, took one look at me, and disappeared for four years.”

“Never love you?” Matthew said with a relieved laugh.

He cradled her face in his large hands and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss was sweet and desperate, breaking through the distance and silence that had grown between them. Selina parted her lips for him and let herself be lost in the kiss.

After a while, Matthew pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

“I would die if I could not touch you again, Selina,” he rasped. “I swear it on my life, I will never let you go again.”

“And you will not,” Selina murmured, taking his hand and resting it over her still-flat stomach, where their child was growing. “Or our child. I will make sure to hunt you down and bring you back.”

His hand trembled as he finally allowed himself to caress her belly, gazing at his wife with profound reverence.

“Our child,” Matthew whispered.

“We have to return home,” Selina said. “But first, we have something important to do. We must speak with Mary Wills together.”

Chapter 31

Even though Mary Wills had changed her mind about speaking with Matthew on the day Selina had fainted, she had agreed to grant Harrison an audience just two days earlier. Harrison had not explained everything to her, but he had informed her that there was a very important matter regarding Robert, and she had finally accepted Matthew and Selina’s invitation to meet.

At first, Matthew and Selina had expected to meet at Mary’s rented apartment or in public, but Mary had preferred not to let the six women she was sharing a roof with know anything about it, and she would not agree to be seen in public with members of the peerage. Therefore, they had agreed to meet at Essex House with her employer’s permission.

When Matthew and Selina arrived, they had to pass through a side entrance.

“Good morning, Your Graces. Please come in. May I bring you anything to drink?” Mary kept her gaze downcast as she spoke.

Although Selina and Matthew took their seats, Mary did not dare sit down or even relax around them. Selina studied the woman she had believed her husband loved and immediately felt guilty for ever thinking ill of her. It was clear Mary had endured many hard years: her brown hair was already graying, and deep, dark lines lay beneath her eyes. She looked so much older than her age, but Selina could still see the beauty that had captured Robert.

“Please, Miss Wills. Do have a seat. We have come to have a somewhat important conversation with you, and you will need to be seated for it.” Selina gestured toward one of the chairs.

“I… I could not possibly, Your Grace.”

“Please, Miss Wills. I promise we mean you no harm. I am glad that you decided to finally speak with us, so do join us,” Matthew said, keeping his voice low and gentle, as if dealing with a skittish cat.

Mary reluctantly took a seat as far from them as she could. She looked ready to jump to her feet at any moment.

“I… I apologize for the trouble, Your Grace, but a woman like me getting the attention of a man of your station is never a good thing if you get my meaning.”

“I assure you that this has nothing to do with anything like this.”

“Of course, Your Grace. I did not mean to imply… You said this is about Robert?” Something like hurt and anger passed over her face.

“Yes, I am Robert’s brother. He is the reason I have been looking for you and your boy all those years.” Matthew stared right at Mary, who was now indignant.

“Please forgive me for speaking out of turn, Your Grace, but Robert lost his right to me and his son the day he disappeared, days after he heard I was with child. He abandoned us to suffer. And we have suffered, Your Grace, I assure you.” Mary’s tone was as bitter as the hard lines on her face.

“Robert did not abandon you, Miss Wills,” Selina said, as gently as she could. Her heart ached for the woman. She had also been abandoned by her husband once, and even in her opulent reality, she knew how terrible that felt. She could not imagine having to struggle for her and her son’s survival along with that.

“Then… why did he disappear? Why did he leave us all alone after he had promised…” Mary narrowed her eyes at Selina, suspicion in her gaze. Selina understood. Though she had never lived that life herself, she could feel her pain.

Selina did not know how the woman would react to such devastating news, so she tried her best to tread carefully.

“Robert cared for you and your boy, Miss Wills. Unfortunately, he…”

“I know what you are about to say, Your Grace. But I know better than to believe his excuses now. Men of his kind do that all the time. They know how to say the sweetest things and get what they want from us. I was young and naive, and I thought a handsome nobleman had noticed me. I have no need to hear anything from him now. I raised my boy on a meager salary, washing bedsheets and cleaning rooms. We live a decent life; I have a roof over my head, even if it is shared with six women like me. I am aware of the possible reasons a gentleman might have for stopping his visits, but I am not sure what you or he wants from me after all this time.”