The Duchess Contract by Samantha Hastings

Author:Samantha Hastings
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samantha Hastings
Published: 2022-09-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Theophilus had come home early from his club to talk to his wife and finish devising their plan only to find that she wasn’t there. He had no idea where or how Selina spent her days. He’d never even bothered to ask. Sighing, he supposed that he had simply assumed that she would be at home, waiting for him. He uncorked the bottle of port and poured himself a small glass. He knew so little about his wife. He had thought he would be content with their original arrangement—to produce heirs and then to separate. But he found himself curious to know more about her. Was she really a businesswoman? Surely, she wasn’t working on her bottles of perfume. A worker or a servant would be doing that.

But then he remembered the first time he’d met her and she’d been drenched in some sort of alcohol. No servant or worker had been employed then.

He entered the conservatory and sat on the bench. The flowers and plants helped him to think. He took another sip of port. Mr. Bird flew by his hair and then perched on his shoulder.

“Buxom wife. Buxom wife.”

Theophilus couldn’t hold in his laughter. Selina must have taught the bird to call her a ‘wife’ instead of wench. It was just the sort of clever and practical solution that she would have come up with.

“Buxom wife. Buxom wife,” the macaw repeated.

He drained the rest of his glass. “I wish she were here too.”

***

Theophilus didn’t see his wife until it was time to leave for the dinner party at the Parnell’s. Breathlessly, he watched her walk down the stairs. On her feet were delicately embroidered heeled shoes with silver buckles. The black skirt was split in the middle and gathered on the sides with dark gray bows, which matched the underskirt. The bodice did not need to be low-cut to show off his wife’s beautiful shape. She wore a cameo at her throat and her glorious brown hair was curled, coiffed, and lightly powdered. He much preferred her real hair to a wig. For a moment, he wondered what it would be like to caress it. To run his fingers through her curls during the daylight.

Clenching his hand, he remembered that he did not have that sort of relationship with his wife. There were no fond kisses or tender caresses between them. They were not a love match.

Selina stood before him. “Is something wrong, Theo?”

Unable to resist any longer, he picked up the curl that was nestled on her shoulder and gently rubbed it with his bare fingers. “You look beautiful tonight.”

Her lips quirked up. “You look beautiful too. But I don’t think the Parnells will let even a duke attend their party without gloves.”

Theophilus instinctively returned her smile before picking his gloves up off the entry table. There was so much he wanted to say to Selina, but he didn’t know how to. She was both a stranger and his wife.

The butler walked into the grand entry and clicked his shoes together before bowing.

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