Page 49 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“My goodness!” gasped Margaret. “But it looks so real. I am half afraid that he is going to reach out and grab me.”

“I will ensure your safety,” said Arthur. “Besides, a figure carved from wax can barely do you any harm.”

“Yes, but that is just it. He does not look like he is carved from wax. If I had not known that he was a wax figure, I might have sworn that Voltaire was standing perfectly still in front of me.”

“And, why would he be doing that, my dear?” asked Arthur. “I am sure that he has better things to do than stand still while we gawk at him. Besides, he is dead, so he might find it hard to stand up like he is.”

“Do not joke about such things,” said Margaret. “You have not read some of the books I have read. There is more out there than we know or can see and touch.”

“I will have to take your word for it,” claimed Arthur.

“Yes, you will,” said Margaret with a nod of her head. “Now, where have Elspeth and Parker got to?”

“I believe they are over by Benjamin Franklin.”

“Oh, let’s go and join them. I have no idea what Benjamin Franklin is supposed to look like, but if they did this good of a job with Voltaire, then I am sure Mr. Franklin is exquisite too.”

“Come on,” said Arthur.

He took Margaret’s hand and led her over to the other couple. He was still thinking about the kiss, even though it had been five days since the whist game. Between then and now, they had made love twice, but the kiss had been much more intimate than that. It was a kiss a husband might give a wife out of love, but they did not love each other. They were only together because—

Arthur was disturbed from his thoughts by a hand slapping his shoulder. He looked up to see Parker in front of him. Behind Parker was Benjamin Franklin, and Arthur only recognized the man because he had read about him in the past year. It was amazing to see the man in the flesh. Or, in the… wax.

“Pretty spectacular, right?” asked Parker.

“Even more spectacular now that I do not have to use my own money to pay to see it.”

“Oh, come on,” said Parker. “You have no worries about money.”

“Neither do you, my friend.”

“That is very true. I can see by your smile that you are relishing every moment of this. You are going to have to give us a chance to win back some pride. When are we going to play again? I have to go back to London soon.”

“You have been down here a long time now, and I don’t think it is because of me,” noted Arthur. “Are you sure that you are going back?”

Parker did not respond, but he did turn to look at Elspeth, who was looking at Benjamin Franklin with Margaret.

“It is complicated,” he said when he turned back to Arthur. “I have a life back in London—my businesses, my residence, family who I rarely see. But….”

“But?” asked Arthur.

“But, I do not have a best friend down there. I hate to admit it, but I like spending time with you. With the both of you.”

“So, there is a chance you would move up here?” asked Arthur.

“I don’t know. Elspeth has her family here, and I truly do not have anything keeping me in London even though I have strong ties to the city.”

“We do like to tease each other, Parker, but I would be overjoyed if you moved to York. I have grown tired of London, but I have never grown tired of you.”

“I think that is a compliment,” said Parker. “Now, let’s stop with this foolish talk of emotions and feelings and get back to what I am spending my hard-earned money on: this day out.”

“You know, I read a book about Benjamin Franklin,” said Arthur when they properly joined the ladies. “He was a fascinating man.”

“One of the founding fathers of America,” said Parker.

“Not only that, but he was an inventor, politician, scientist, publisher, and much, much more. I have read a great deal about him and some of the other great men and women of the world, though I still feel that women are not written about nearly as often as men,” said Elspeth. “I would love to hear your thoughts on the man some time, Parker.”

Margaret took Elspeth by the arm and led her to the next figure.

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