“I did call on him. He refuses to see me.”And you are my friend, you must support me without question, Selena answered with a look of her own.
“Is that even possible?”
“Yes, apparently.” It was as though the two kisses they’d shared meant nothing. But for that, she hated to admit, the blame lay on her shoulders.
Do you wish to be ruined? Do you wish to marry me?
Her heart beat a little faster, and then skipped when she thought of how she’d been barred from searching the house for him. She could perhaps slip past one footman but not the seven who had been on guard.
“He shall come around.”
Selena shook her head. “I’m not so certain anymore.” She’d practically pushed him out the library door with her remarks. However, she hadn’t truly believed he would hold such a stubborn stance! How ironic. She finally had the distance she wanted at the start but now all she wanted to do was close it. Even if she couldn’t, even if she failed, she still, had to try. This was one of her last, dramatic resorts.
“You’re not certain that Warrick would forgive you for whatever you did?” Theodosia snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”
“Believe.” Selena forced a light smile. She was starting to believe as well. “There were some things between us,”like hiskisses, his unromantic marriage suggestion, him, “that were worthy of deeper attention, but I pretended otherwise.”
Theodosia arched a brow, but she didn’t question her. “Then drop the pretense.”
Selena peeked through the window again. “Easier said than done.”
“Why? It seems to me that you enjoy the fellow helping you find your club. Just continue to do what you were doing.”
“You seemed to have forgotten about my brother and the duel...”amongst other things. “I fear we have reached a point of no return.”
“And yet we find ourselves in a carriage in the hope that Warrick will appear,” Theodosia pointed out. “Besides, doesn’t coming to a point of no return just mean you have no other choice but to forge onward? See where the path you are on leads you.”
Yes, but, “What if it leads to marriage?”
“So what if it does? What if it doesn’t? There is no use dwelling on such questions since they will answer themselves eventually. You decided to partake in this journey. You decide how it ends. Period.”
Could it be that simple?“See.” She grinned at her friend. “I knew there was a reason I brought you along. You always set my mind at ease.”
Theodosia nodded. “Now it’s your turn to impart some advice.” Her voice turned serious. “What do I need to do to get rid of your brother?”
“Why not see where fate leads you?”
Theodosia gave her a flat look. “Do not make me laugh. Our situations arenotthe same. I have no previous affection to draw from like you. Your brother makes my skin scrawl.”
“Quite frankly, if you want to get rid of him, leave London.”
“That’syour advice?”
“My brother rarely changes his mind once he is set on a task, or mission in this case. And won’t your brothers arrive any day now?”
Theodosia scowled. “Drat them.”
“And if you do decide to retire to the country, take the book with you,” Selena suggested.
“The betting book?”
She nodded.
“Has the Duke of Mortimer paid you a visit?” Theodosia asked. “It seems he’s speaking to the heiresses.”
“No,” Selena murmured. “But I suspect he might be looking for the book for personal reasons.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
