Page 63 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“Not yet,” said Margaret begrudgingly. “But, only because we have decided to take it slow and enjoy our time together first. The duke and I have talked about having a large family together. So, yes, you will be a grandmother someday, Mother. Is that what you want to hear?”

“I only want you to be happy, my dear.”

Margaret took a deep breath. This is not why she had come here, but her mother had gotten her talking about things that she did not want to talk about with her mother.

“What have you done to Cynthia?” asked Margaret.

“Oh, that is a nasty business,” said Eleanor. “I simply can’t believe she would do such a thing. A friend of the family, and she steals from us. What is this world coming to?”

“Oh, don’t give me that. You know as well as I do that she did not steal anything from you. You do not have anything to steal. You were in York asking me for money, and when I would not give it to you, you fabricate this lie.”

“I wish that it could be any other way, but it is not.”

“What did she steal, Mother? You forget that I was living here not too long ago. I know that Father is not doing well financially. What will they say when they look into his finances and realize that he has nothing to steal.”

“Who said that it was our own money. It might have been that we were transporting money for someone else. No one ever said that she stole our money.”

“Really?” asked Margaret. “And, whose money were you transporting?”

“You would have to ask your father, but I believe that it was Mr. Swanson’s money bag.”

“Gerald,” spat Margaret. “I knew he was involved in all of this. What does he stand to gain? Does he expect money from the duke? Is that it?”

“I don’t know what you are getting at,” said Eleanor.

“You know exactly what I am getting at, Mother. There was no coin bag, was there? This is all a ruse to get back at me and Cynthia—to get some money from the duke because we refused you. Well, let me tell you now. The duke would have given you money, but I told him not to. You can’t do this to Cynthia just because she helped me get out of London.”

“Look, I don’t know what ideas have gotten into your head while you have been in York, but this city is not what it used to be. Crime is on the up, and I fear that it is going to get out of control unless we do something about it. Now, Cynthia might not be the typical riff-raff that goes around stealing, but we have to send a message that we can’t tolerate behavior like this.”

“What are you planning on doing?” asked Margaret.

“It is not what I am planning on doing, it is what the justice system will do. Cynthia stole from us, and that is a fact. We are going to ask that justice is served, and send a message that we should treat people with decency.”

“You are really going to put her in jail because you are angry that you did not get what you want?”

“You are twisting my words, Margaret. We can all agree that a crime was committed, and someone should be held accountable for that. Now, if you want to talk more about this, you should really come back when your father is home. I fear that I can do nothing to convince you.”

“I don’t know why you are doing this, Mother,” said Margaret, suddenly bursting into tears. “You won’t get away with this. You know that Cynthia is innocent, and she does not deserve any of this. You might have Gerald and his money on your side, but we have the duke. He has more money than Gerald ever will.”

“Yes, that is probably true,” said her mother. Her entire demeanor changed in an instant, and a keen look appeared in her eyes. Margaret worried for a moment that her mother was going to strike her.

“That might not be a bad idea,” said Eleanor.

“What are you talking about?” sobbed Margaret.

“I mean, you are the one who mentioned it,” said her mother. “And, I could talk to Mr. Swanson on your behalf. He might even go for it.”

“Mother, what are you trying to say. Just come out with it.”

“It is only what you were thinking, wasn’t it? Mr. Swanson lost a lot of money, but if he were to get it back, he might not press charges. I mean, if the duke, with all his money, were to visit Cynthia, I am sure that they could figure out where the stolen money was and put this horrible business to bed.”

“Horrible business, indeed,” spat Margaret. “You are despicable.”

“They want your money, that is what this is all about,” said Margaret when she had retired back to the London residence.

“We should give it to them,” said the duke. “This has gone too far. We can give them the money and figure out the rest after. I can’t let your friend stay in jail for much longer. How much do they want?”

“My mother told me that she would ask Gerald how much money he had lost and she would let me know. She is horrible. They all are. They are trying to play this out as if it is real. I fear that we won’t be able to do anything once this is all over. What if they get away with it?”

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