Page 21 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

The duke was standing by the coach, directing the footman as they made the final preparations for another day of travel. She took another deep breath and approached Arthur.

“Your Grace, I want you to know that what happened last night was a mistake and uncharacteristic of who I am, and I had too much wine, and you forced yourself on me—”

“I did no such thing,” interrupted Arthur. “I don’t care if it was a mistake or not, but don’t accuse me of being the one in the wrong. Last night, we both wanted that kiss, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mistake. It didn’t mean anything, and we are done with it now.”

“Good,” replied Margaret. “Then we are in agreement.”

“I believe so,” said the duke. “Now, are you traveling with us today?”

“I am,” confirmed Margaret. “I mean, if that is all right with you, Your Grace.”

“It is fine,” replied Arthur, annoyed at the interaction.

Margaret needed to be more formal with this man. She had become too comfortable and had clung to the first safety net she had found. He was helping her, and she appreciated that, but it was as far as it went. She could not wed the first man she met after running away from the man she was supposed to wed. Perhaps she would never marry, and that way, there would never be any complications.

Arthur held the door to the coach open, and Margaret stepped in. She sat down on the seat and looked the other way, not wanting to meet his eye. She was still embarrassed at her actions.

“Are you leaving Jester behind?” asked Arthur.

“Who?” asked Margaret, turning to look back out the coach.

“Jester,” repeated Arthur, pointing to the cat skulking around the entrance to the pub.

“No,” snapped Margaret. “Of course, I am not. What do you take me for?” She patted the seat once more and held her breath. Thankfully, the cat bounded into the coach and up onto the seat beside her. “You are the only man I need,” she whispered.

Margaret kept her hand on Jester’s back as she waited for the rest of the preparations to be done. When Arthur got into the coach, she did not look at him. She knew it was not his fault, but her embarrassment was overwhelming.

The coach started to move, and Margaret said her goodbyes to the town that she did not know the name of. She was glad to be leaving that behind too, and the further she got from London, the safer she felt. She knew it would be hard, but she would make it on her own, she knew she would.

Arthur tried to make small-talk on the journey, but Margaret gave short answers until he got the hint and did not ask her anything else. He did pass her food every so often when he ate, and she was glad of that. Irrelevant of what had happened between them, Arthur was still a gentleman. She had been worried that he would expect a repeat of the kiss when they were in the coach, but he made no such advances.

And the thing that killed her was that the kiss was good. She regretted it immensely, but she had enjoyed it while it had lasted. As soon as it was over, she had wanted to kiss him again, but she had composed herself and ran straight to her room, and it had taken until the morning for the feeling to go away.

“We will be arriving in Lescott soon,” noted Arthur after they had been on the road for some hours. “We will stop there overnight again, and then travel to York tomorrow. You are welcome to dine with me again if you wish.”

“I don’t think I am as hungry tonight,” replied Margaret. “And, I am tired. I shall retire to my room when we arrive.”

“Of course.”

“Do you know how large of a town Lescott is?” asked Margaret.

“It is sizable,” the duke replied. “Not as large as York or London, but much larger than the town we just left.”

Margaret nodded. She would go to her room once the accommodation was organized, and she could stay there in the morning or slip out and find her own way. She had thought about what the duke had offered, and that was not for her. She was sure he could find someone else to give him a child.

An hour later, they rolled into town, and Margaret was happy with the size of the town. It was certainly much larger than the town they had come from.

“Do you want to come and live with me?” Margaret asked Jester when Arthur had gone to arrange rooms. The cat purred in response. She slung her pack over her shoulder, and left the carriage, following after Arthur. She was a little hungry still, but she would not admit that.

“I have arranged a room for you, and the hand will show you the way. There are a few coins in this purse”—Arthur handed her a small coin purse—“in case you find yourself hungry later. I shall be seeing you.”

He gave a wry smile and left to go back out to the carriage. Margaret followed after the hand as he led the way to her room. She could feel the weight of the coin purse in her hand, and she knew the duke had given her far more than just enough for a meal. He had sensed what she had been thinking, and this was his way of helping her and saying goodbye.

When she was in her room with the door closed behind her, tears rolled down her cheeks. They were not the sort of tears that made her body convulse as they were expelled. They just made their way down her pale skin and fell to the floor. Even in his goodbye, he had been a gentleman and respected her wishes.

It almost caused her to change her mind. Almost.

She had chosen her path, and she had to follow it. Besides, she had Jester—the only man she needed with her. He was respectful and he did not cause her to question herself or her decisions. Margaret looked out of the window as Jester sat by her side. The sun was setting, and she watched as the ball of yellow dipped down beyond the horizon, the sky turning from light blue, to dark blue, and then to black. One by one, the stars came out, twinkling in the obsidian sky.

---