Page 30 of Moonstone Angel
The men did not take too kindly to his pronouncement.
“Is this the lady in question?” the first one, a big man with an ugly countenance, asked as his gaze fixed on Cara. “I’m sorry, Your Grace. But we must take her in.”
Rowan blocked them when they tried to reach around him to grab her. “You will not touch her!” he said with a roar. “This is my wife. She is no longer Cara Angel but the Duchess of Strathmore. Even you know that a duchess cannot be put under arrest. Such an order can only come from the Crown, not a common judge such as Lord Fortesque. Begone before I have you hanged for assaulting a duchess. Do you understand me?”
They backed away but did not leave.
The second man, equally large and with a scarred face fierce enough to scare small children, held out his hands in supplication. “Then the matter is easily settled by showing us proof of the marriage. Your Grace, that is all we need, and we shall leave without causing ye any more grief.”
“You need no more proof than my statement uttered here and now. I am the Duke of Strathmore, and I have taken Cara Angel as my wife.”
He stepped on the torn shreds of the warrant, sorry he was not wearing his boots to better grind them into the ground. With a firm hold on Cara’s hand, he stormed into the cottage and latched the door securely behind them.
“Blessed saints, are you all right?” He hugged Cara fiercely to him. “I am never going to let them touch you.”
She looked up at him, her face ashen. “How can we avoid it? They have a signed warrant in hand.”
“Hada signed warrant.”
“Your ripping it to shreds does not change its existence.”
He glanced toward the kitchen. “Go see if Mildred is here yet.”
“Why? I don’t want her to get in trouble for—”
“Have her run to your Uncle Joseph and tell him to meet us at the church right away.”
“The church? To have the minister give me sanctuary until this matter is worked out? What makes you think these men have any respect for the church? What if they burst in and grab me?” She took a deep breath and peeked out the window. “They don’t appear to be pious. But they do look restless. Do you think they will break down the door?”
“They won’t dare. Not while I am standing here to guard it. And just to be clear, my plan is not about providing sanctuary for you. I intend to marry you, but I need your uncle’s consent since he is your guardian.”
She gasped. “Are you mad?”
“Do you want to marry me or not?”
“I dream of it every night, but—”
“Good. Matter resolved. Ah, Mildred,” he said, silently blessing the woman for her promptness as she entered through the back door and scurried into the parlor to see what all the commotion was about.
Rowan quickly explained to her what needed to be done.
“At once, Your Grace.” She hurried off out the back way.
He arched an eyebrow and chided Cara, who still seemed troubled by his idea. Not for herself, but she obviously felt as though she was trapping him into marriage. “You see, she does not waste precious time by asking a thousand questions. Go wake my grandmother. Although how she could still be asleep with all the excitement is beyond me. But I suppose age slows one down.”
“My hearing is still perfect,” Duchess Anne intoned, leaning on her cane as she made her way into the parlor.
Cara ran to her to assist her into a chair.
“My dear, why are you trembling?”
“Those men outside want to take me back to London,” she said, her voice still shaky. “Your granddaughters have filed charges against me for stealing a family necklace, and Lord Fortesque issued a warrant for my arrest.”
“Those horrid creatures! Rowan, what can we do?”
“I am going to marry Cara. It is the only way to protect her. I just—”
“It is the only immediate way to protect me,” Cara interjected. “But I’m sure the odious warrant will be rescinded when your grandson explains the mistake. After all, he is the duke, and it is a Strathmore necklace. If he refuses to bring charges, the matter will be dropped.”
