Page 53 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“He does not believe in love?” asked Margaret.

“I do not think so, and that is his father’s fault. I had hoped I would not lead Arthur deeper down that hole, but I have failed him.”

“You have not,” stated Margaret. “You have failed yourself.”

“What?” asked Bertha, astonished.

“You can’t keep your feelings bottled up. It is not healthy. You deserve to live however you like, not for Arthur but for yourself.”

“I don’t….”

“You know it is true,” said Margaret. She was being too forceful, she knew that, but she was angry too. Angry that Arthur had been so deeply affected by his father. Angry that his aunt had lived her life a certain way to try and soothe Arthur’s soul. Angry that it had not worked. Angry that she had not gotten pregnant. And, angry that she would have to separate from Arthur soon.

She did not know what she felt for him, but she knew she liked him more than she would a friend. But, the damage had already been done to Arthur. His issues had started long before she had entered the scene. She would not be the one to step into the midst of everything and change that—no matter how much she wanted to.

“I am sorry,” said Margaret. “I did not mean to bring all of this up, but I am angry at myself for many things, and I feel as if I am taking that out on you.”

“You are not, my dear. You are only telling me things I already know, things that any good friend would have told me years ago, things I should have told myself but I was too afraid to. You are right. I have been living a lie for a long time, and I should have dealt with this sooner.”

“I am sorry that your husband left you,” said Margaret. “I have only known you for a short time, Aunt Bertha, but I know you are a good woman.”

The two women finally came apart. Bertha changed her mind about leaving and slumped back down into the chair.

“I might be a good woman,” she said with some pride and a smile, “but I can also be a nightmare at times.”

Margaret let out a chuckle.

“My husband was a rogue, that much is true. He found another woman while we were still married, and his infidelity knew no bounds, but we were doomed almost from the start. I don’t believe we were a good match in any way, and perhaps it was a blessing that he found someone else. The marriage would have ended anyway, but he saved us a year or two.”

“That is certainly one way to look at it,” said Margaret.

“Do not get me wrong, he is an awful man for what he did, and it ripped me apart, but I believe it was my social standing taking a hit—my reputation more than losing my husband. He took something from me that I have never been able to regain. I will always be the woman whose husband cheated on her. I hate him so much for that, but I am also glad that he is gone. Yet, I still can’t make sense of it. I can’t make sense of why he would do that to me instead of talking with me.”

“Have you ever told Arthur about any of this?”

“No,” said Bertha. “And I am not sure that I will. Perhaps I will tell him some of it. I thought that by hiding my feelings from him, he might see that someone could love and lose, but he saw through me, and I have only made him worse.”

“You have not,” assured Margaret. “You are not responsible for Arthur’s life, and if he is making decisions based on what happened to you, then he is an idiot.”

“Men often are,” said Bertha. “That is why the Lord put women in this world—to stop men from being so idiotic. I have already seen you work wonders with my nephew.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Margaret. It was her turn for her face to turn red.

“You would have to be blind not to see it. A woman can change a man in amazing ways. When Arthur’s mother passed, his father was changed forever, and for the worse. But, since you have come into Arthur’s life, he has only changed for the better. he has always been a good man, sometimes a little too gruff, but he was never truly happy until you came along. You might not see that because you didn’t really know him before you were married to him, but he is a much better man with you around than he ever was without.”

Margaret thought back to her first meeting with the duke and her first impressions of him. She had not liked him at all, but she had thought that was because of the circumstances. Never could she dream that she had made him the man he was now. She knew he was a good and kind man, but that was not her doing.

“Happiness,” said Bertha suddenly.

“Pardon?” asked Margaret.

“He has found happiness,” said Bertha. “I am not sure I have ever seen him happy in his adult years until you came along, my dear.”

CHAPTER25

A Startling Revelation

“Do not worry, my dear, I can show myself out,” said Aunt Bertha. She gave Margaret one more hug. “You have helped me out a lot by just listening to me. Please, stay and finish your breakfast—you have not eaten or drank anything this morning.”

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