Page 18 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“We?” clamored Margaret.

“We will have separate rooms,” assured the duke. “And, don’t worry, I will pay for them both.” The duke did not move from his seat. He stared at Margaret, deep in thought. “I wanted to get to know you better,” he continued, his voice changed and intimidating. He took a deep breath, and the look in his eyes changed. “I have a proposition for you, one that will benefit us both.”

CHAPTER8

The Decisions Of a Homeless Woman

“Marriage!” blurted Margaret, unable to contain herself. She let out a ferocious giggle as she stared down the duke, but he did not think it was as humorous as she did. “I can’t even tell if you are joking or not.”

“I am not joking,” claimed the duke.

Margaret laughed again and shook her head. “Now, I know you are teasing me. You do know that I am running aw—leaving London because I don’t want to get married. You really really are a hoot, Arthur.”

“Two glasses of wine,” ordered the duke when the barmaid came over. “Do you know, I might need more than that. Can you bring a carafe of wine and two glasses?”

The barmaid nodded and left.

“Don’t worry,” said the duke. “I will take more of the share. I am not trying to get you drunk.”

“Do you always mess around like this?” asked Margaret.

The duke did not say a word. He stared her down and tried to convey his seriousness in this matter. Margaret looked him in the eye. She managed to control her laughter, but there was a smile on her face—a smile that lit up her features. The duke did not care for a moment whether she thought him ridiculous or not, she was happy for the first time since they had started this journey, and with her turbulent past, he was happy to give her that.

Eventually, the smile started to slip away, and Margaret realized that the duke was not, in fact, joking.

“You are serious, aren’t you? You are really asking me to marry you. After everything I just told you in the carriage, you think this is the best thing to do? You think we should be married? I mean, do we even know each other? Do we even like each other?”

“I don’t believe that matters in this situation.”

“It doesn’t matter? The not knowing each other or the not liking each other?”

“Both,” replied the duke.

“Wait, is this some way of you trying to save my life?” asked Margaret. “That is your thing, isn’t it?”

“Partly,” admitted the duke. “But there is also some selfishness on my part too.”

“This might be the weirdest marriage proposal I have ever heard, and my father wanted to sell me. Please, go on. I want to hear why you want to marry me.”

“It would be beneficial to both of us.”

“Beneficial to both of us,” repeated Margaret. “Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm, go on, sir.”

“Now you are teasing me,” Arthur complained. The wine was brought to the table, and Arthur poured two glasses. “Two bowls of stew also.” He turned back to Margaret. “Are you hungry? Would you like some stew?”

“Only if it is beneficial to both of us,” she replied, which elicited a confused look from the barmaid.

“Two bowls of stew, please,” said Arthur.

“Yes, sir,” replied the barmaid before going off again.

“I can’t convey enough how serious I am,” said Arthur. “Will you please just listen to what I have to say before you make your judgment?”

“All right,” said Margaret. “I shall listen to what you say, but only because you have helped me out. But, be careful what comes out of those lips, or I might be leaving you here.”

“Be my guest,” warned Arthur. He was starting to think that this was a bad idea, but he was in too deep now. She had a mind of her own, and that was exactly what he wanted, but she could be insufferable too. He took a moment to sip some of the wine as Margaret did the same.

The two footmen were tending to the horses and carriage, and then they would come in for some food and lodging. Arthur had to admit that he liked staying in places like this. It was quaint, and the people seemed more real. He was used to dealing with people as a duke, and while the people here knew he was a gentleman by his clothing, they did not know how wealthy he was.

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