He looked over the room again and held Selene’s hand up. “Lady Selene is now my wife.”

At the word wife, eyes widened and hurried whispers spread across the dining hall. It sounded more like shock than excitement, although some people seemed to already know, probably from the gossip around the castle. Not the reception he was hoping for, but not surprising. There were some who had made known their own thoughts on whom he should marry.

“I will be making an official announcement tomorrow. Thank you.”

Damien ignored the conversation around him as he pulled out the chair on his right for Selene. “You look lovely,” he whispered as she sat down.

She stared up him, her look unreadable. “Thank you.”

Was she discomfited by his words? Or was it the whispers around them?

“My maidservant, Essa, and the seamstress found the gown for me.” Her face softened as she dipped her fingers in the washbowl. “They were very thoughtful to have found something for me to wear this evening.”

Damien took in the gown again, his mouth dry. It wasn’t just any gown—it brought out every beautiful thing about Selene. She looked even more stunning than she did at the gala back at Rook Castle.

She glanced at him while she dried her fingers. “Is everything all right?”

“Yes.” He fought the urge to tug at the collar of his tunic. He took his seat instead and reached for the closest goblet. Their fingers met at the stem and both drew their fingers back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t realize you wanted to take a sip first,” Selene said.

“No, that is . . .” His lips quirked upward, and he laughed. “I believe we ran into the same situation when we first met.”

“We did?”

“Yes. It was the first time we ever spoke, during the first dinner at Rook Castle. We both reached for the goblet at the same time.”

Selene tilted her head in thought. “I believe you’re right. That was only a few weeks ago.” She placed her hands in her lap and stared at the plate before her. “So much has happened since then.”

Yes, so much had. More than he could have ever imagined. He glanced around the room from the corner of his eye, trying to gauge what the other diners were thinking, but everyone had fallen into quiet, guarded conversation.

At that moment, servants began to bring out platters of seafood, ranging from cod and herring to mussels and crab, each served with sauce and spices. Damien helped himself to the platters using his two-prong fork, then realized Selene had not moved.

“Are you not hungry?” he asked as he glanced over.

Her eyes were wide as she looked over the table. “I don’t recognize anything here, except maybe that fish.”

Of course. She probably had very little experience with food from the sea. “Here, try this,” he said and placed a piece of cod as well as two mussels in the shell onto her plate.