“No, it’s not important.” Whether she was a day, a week, a month, a year, a century a widow, his interest in her wouldn’t diminish. Although it appeared another billiards game was in order, only this time he’d be the one posing the questions.

“Do you still want the wine?” Gillie asked, breaking into his thoughts.

“If you don’t mind.” He could always put fine wine to good use.

“I’ll write a missive to the butler and tell him which vintage to pour into a bottle for you.”

“I’ll paint you another unicorn for your tavern walls.” They were decorated with his artwork, as were those of the lodgings above where she’d once lived.

With a joyous grin, she patted his shoulder. “Paint one for the nursery.”

“I was going to do that anyway. Better yet, maybe I’ll paint the entire wall with unicorns.”

“I daresay, Aiden, there is a whimsical bent to you.”

He winked at her. “Keep it between us.”

With the rag she’d been using to wipe her counter, she teasingly slapped his arm. “Wait there while I go pen a missive for you to take with you to hand over to the butler.”

While she walked off, he took a long, slow swallow of his beer, already envisioning how he would seduce Selena until she lowered all her defenses and became an open book, confessing all her secrets and all her sins.

Sitting in the front parlor, Selena found herself surrounded by the well-meaning ladies of the ton who looked at her with unbridled sympathy and sorrow as though she were on the verge of following her husband into the grave. She rather wished she’d insisted on attending the funeral. The somber affair that included morbid mutes in tall black silk hats had to be far jollier than being in the center of all these black-clad women who reminded her of ravens eyeing their prey. What they were awaiting were her tears, but she’d released them all the night before, sheltered within Aiden Trewlove’s strong arms.

So in addition to her sadness, she was battling against incredible guilt because she’d drawn such comfort from another man’s tenderness. Although she suspected Lushing would forgive her for that slight. After all, he’d never purposefully sought to make her unhappy. He would be appalled by all the mournful looks cast her way at that precise moment. He’d always been one who enjoyed life, looked for the fun to be had, celebrated each day as an opportunity for new adventures.