Bewitching the Duke

Kate laughed. “I asked her to retrieve a book for me from Colin’s library. It should take her at least an hour to find the book since I doubt my brother has it in his stacks.”

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; “Devious, Kate.”

“She’s driving me mad! She won’t stop talking about the miscarriage when all I want to do is forget it.”

Selina sat in the chair nearest the bed. “Will you be able to do that?”

Kate shrugged. “I don’t know for certain. But sitting here thinking about it all day isn’t helping me. I want to get out of this bed.”

“If you’re up to it, then go ahead and get out of bed.”

“Are you sure? My mother insists I stay in bed for a fortnight.”

“Kate, you are the best judge of whether or not you should be up. That is where physicians get things all wrong. Your body will tell you what it can and can’t do. You just need to listen.”

Kate nodded. “I will get up later. Now you must tell me what’s wrong.”

Selina frowned slightly. How did Colin’s sister know something was wrong? “Whatever do you mean?”

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head. “You’ve been crying. Did my brother do something to upset you again?”

“Of course not,” she exclaimed quickly. Watching Kate’s disbelieving expression, Selina knew she would have to tell her something. “It’s nothing your brother did.”

“Then what is troubling you?” Kate shifted to her side, allowing her to stare at Selina.

She couldn’t tell Kate the exact truth about what was bothering her. But maybe if she handled her questions just right, she might get the answers she desperately needed. “I have been thinking about something lately.”

“Oh?”

“I am expected to have a child. More specifically, a daughter to carry on the wise woman tradition.”

Kate reached for her teacup on the nightstand. “I’m not sure I understand. Are you thinking of marriage?”

“Not exactly,” Selina whispered. “There is no man interested in marrying me, but there is one I might consider. . . .”

Kate’s blue eyes widened. “A lover?”

Selina nodded as her checks heated with embarrassment. She could not believe she was about to ask a woman five years younger than she about sex. “What is it like?”

“Oh, you want to know about that.” Kate laughed softly.

“Yes.”

Kate leaned closer to her. “We did it three times. The first time wasn’t that wonderful. It hurt but John tried to make me feel good.”

Which was more than her brother had done. “What about the other times?”

“It was the most incredible feeling ever. I felt like I was flying out of my body.” Kate giggled. “But one of my friends told me her new husband was awful in the bedchamber when they first were married. He couldn’t do more than enter her before he was done.”

“What caused that to happen?”

“Inexperience. Once they started to make love on a regular basis, everything worked out perfectly.”

But Selina doubted inexperience was Colin’s issue. After all, he and Mary had been married for over a year before her death. They had plenty of time for the marriage bed. Plus he had a reputation as a rake in town. Feeling as frustrated as when she walked into the room, she only said, “Thank you, Kate.”

“I don’t believe I helped you with your decision.”