Page 51 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“Should I come back?” asked the server.

That caused most of the table to burst into laughter again.

“No,” said Parker with some mock sadness. “Blast it, bring us a selection of your finest sandwiches and cakes. If I can’t endear myself to this group through my card skills, then I shall have to bribe them.”

“Now we are talking,” said Arthur with another laugh. He could not help but shoot another glance over at Margaret. She was a woman full of surprises, and he found that he was only just getting to know her.

How did regular couples do it, he wondered? Marriages were often arranged, but how did a couple know if they really liked each other before they were wed? He was only now getting to know who Margaret really was, and they had already been married for months.

When the sandwiches came, she surprised him even more. While Arthur, Parker, and Elspeth took a triangle sandwich each and placed them on their plates to eat with a knife and fork, Margaret ate hers with her hand.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” asked Margaret.

“I don’t know what you have been told, but you don’t normally eat a sandwich with your fingers,” said Arthur.

“People can be weird in London,” added Parker.

“I know how to eat a sandwich,” claimed Margaret. “But don’t you find it weirder to eat it with a knife and fork when you can eat it with your fingers and still have no mess at all. It is much easier to do it like this.” She took a small bite of the sandwich and swallowed it. “Besides, I think this will catch on and everyone will be eating sandwiches like this in the future.”

The three stared across at Margaret, knives and forks in hand.

“Well, I am convinced,” said Arthur, placing his knife and fork down beside his plate. He picked up his triangle and bit into it.

“If a duke is doing it, there must be some merit to it,” claimed Parker. He put down his cutlery too and ate the sandwich with his fingers.

And so, a minute after the platter of expensive sandwiches was brought to the table, all four were eating with their hands, much to the confusion of the other patrons in the cafe. But, the four did not care, and it led to much laughing amongst them—especially when Arthur tried to feed Parker a sandwich.

It was nice to let his guard down. For so long, he had not been able, and the focus recently had been on having a child. It was pleasant to forget all about that for a while and enjoy the day with his wife and friends.

The final part of the day was a trip to the theatre to seeThe Country Girl. The play was about an aristocrat and a young girl he falls in love with. It reminded Arthur a little of his own story. He sat with Margaret to his left, and Elspeth and Parker to the left of her. Arthur held his wife’s hand through the entire performance.

He had been to plays before, both by himself and with company, but he had to admit that there was something nice about being there with Margaret. Yet, he still did not know what he felt for her, and that was partly because his vision of the future was obscured by both of their needs. No matter how he looked at it, they would go their separate ways.

“Was that not a brilliant play?” asked Elspeth.

“It certainly was,” agreed Parker.

“Wonderful,” said Margaret.

“You know, I was reading about the play before we came. Did you know thatThe Country Girlis an adaptation ofThe Country Wife?The Country Wifewas thought to be too raunchy for the masses.” Elspeth brought her hand up to her mouth and giggled.

“How do you know so much?” asked Parker in awe.

“I just read a lot is all,” she replied. “Apparently, there was one character in the original play who was cut out of the adapted play. One of the cut characters was a man who pretended to be impotent to seduce the wives of other men. I don’t understand the original, but I am glad that character was cut. And that was not even the worst of it, from what I hear.”

“Are you all right, my good man?” asked Parker. “You have gone as white as a sheet.”

“I am fine, I am fine,” responded Arthur. “I need some fresh air and some rest. I will have them bring our carriages around. Parker, I must thank you for a wonderful day out. You were true to your word.”

“Are you sure you are feeling fine?” asked Parker when he had a chance to speak to Arthur out of earshot of the two women.

“Fine,” answered Arthur. “I will be fine.”

He would be fine, he knew that, but the play, or the original play, was a reminder of his inadequacy. He did not know why he and Margaret could not have a child, but he had become convinced that it was his fault. It was the universe telling him that the bloodline should end with him.

He was starting to make his peace with that. What was becoming increasingly harder though, was having to let Margaret go, but he knew he would have to let her leave soon, even if he did not want to just yet.

CHAPTER24

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