Selena was not amused and couldn’t resist a riposte. “Yes. You are here—forced to learn yours. So you see, it all comes to the same thing. If you know what you want, you must apply yourself to gain it. Come, let us stop and have some tea.”

Chapter Nineteen

Lucius paced before the window, a sign of agitation he permitted himself when he was alone. His servants likely suspected something was amiss, since he had responded to Finn with impatience when the groom brought news that his gelding had contracted mud fever.

No, he was not his usual complacent self. But tonight was the night of Maria's dinner party, and George had not returned, and Lucius could not move forward with pursuing Selena until he had set everything to rights at Harrowden. He owed it to Lady Harrowden to make good on his promise to her husband, and he owed it to Selena to offer her a marriage that would not come at the expense of others. Lucius had even gone so far as to inquire after a suitable replacement for Rebecca’s governess from chance words that Maria had let fall. He would waste no time in suggesting the candidate to Lady Harrowden, once he had secured Selena’s hand.

Lucius trusted his brother would come without fail and hoped he would bring news of Lord Harrowden that could shed light on his situation. How ironic it would be if the earl had gambled away his fortune and the cavalier treatment which he had shown to Selena would be brought down upon his own head. That was what came of all the criticism and prejudice Harrowden had thrown Selena's way—it would come back to haunt him.

Lucius sat in his armchair and looked at the empty one to his right. He leaned his chin in his hand. She had looked back at him at the ball, when he had been talking to Philippa. She had smiled at him from across the room, and their gazes had held, and when he could not resist looking back, her eyes were still on him. That’s when he had known she felt something for him. The next morning, he’d kissed her hand in the drawing room, and her hand fit perfectly in his. But it wasn’t enough. He wanted more than anything to pull Selena into his arms.

He looked at the empty chair again, a smile hovering on his lips. When she was Lady Clavering, she would not be sitting in that chair. She would be sitting in his. On his lap and in his arms.

He leapt to his feet and began pacing again. He needed to be moving but refused to go riding, although he had an ardent desire to see Selena. He wanted to be sure she would be present this evening. But he couldn’t leave when he knew George would come. And sure enough, he was just crossing over to the shelves to find some book to read—whose pages he would likely stare at with his mind far away—when the sound of the front door opening reached his ears. George. No one else would come in unannounced and without knocking.