Page 4 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“Reveries? I don’t know anything about that. Perhaps my father has some friends over at times, but they do not make that much noise.” She was aware that her father would still be listening, and how she dealt with the situation would determine how angry he would be with her for the rest of the evening. “Are you disturbed by what little noise there has been?”

“I am not, but my tenants are,” replied the duke.

“Then why don’t they come and speak to us?”

“They have. Multiple times. Apparently, they spoke to your father and he was rather rude to them. I can see that the apple does not fall far from the tree.”

“If you had not accosted me, perhaps I would be more pleasant. So, why are you here? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I own all of these properties.” The duke waved his hand to indicate the row of houses on the short street. “I did not want to come down here, thinking it was a waste of my time. Your neighbors tried to resolve the issue, and your father was not helpful in any way. Normally, I would send one of my men, but I was visiting the area, so I decided to rectify the issue myself.”

“So, you came all the way down here to tell us to be quiet?” asked Margaret.

“No, I did not come here to ask. I came here to demand,” responded the duke. The number of complaints I am getting is giving me a headache. I don’t relish interactions like this in any way, but this one might give me a little more pleasure. So, if the noise complaints do not stop, you will find yourself evicted.”

“Evicted?” asked Margaret, worry running through her heart.

“Exactly,” replied the duke. “Now, you can pass that onto your father, and he can find me in York if he decides he wants to grace me with his presence. I find most people are good people, but not always. Good day to you, Miss.”

The duke turned and left. Margaret watched him walk away toward the carriage parked a little way down the street.

“Is he gone?” shouted her father.

“Yes,” replied Margaret.

She wished she had not said any of what she had said. She kept telling herself that her father had gotten them into this mess with his late-night drinking sessions with his merchant friends, but it would be her fault if the duke decided to evict them. She had not been able to hold her tongue, and her family may pay the price.

CHAPTER2

Attempted Reparations

Agood night’s sleep had done nothing to improve the duke’s mood, so a walk was in order, to ease his mind and the pain throbbing deep within his heart. It was almost that time of year, but he preferred not to dwell on it if he could, though that often proved to be impossible.

He had a few hours to kill before he was due to meet Parker for the whist tournament, the reason he had come to London in the first place. The hustle and bustle of the town reminded him why he liked to remain in the countryside.

The laughter of a child caught his attention, and he was taken from his stupor. Not far to his left, a young lad was climbing a tree and had gotten himself rather high. This would not normally concern Arthur, but they were in the Botanical Gardens, and he was not sure if such a thing was allowed.

Arthur looked around but could not see a parent nearby. The boy must’ve only been eight or nine, and Arthur could still remember the heights he had gotten to climbing trees in his youth, all while his father cheered him on from below. The duke took another deep breath and released it slowly. It was—

The scream disturbed his depressing train of thought, and he quickly looked back to the tree where the young boy was hanging from a branch, his legs and feet scrambling to try and find his footing. One of his hands slipped, and a woman close by screamed, but the boy harried and grabbed back on. His hands were slipping.

Arthur sprinted toward the tree, his shoes making a clip-clop sound on the paved path. There was a circle of cobbles and two benches below the boy—both would injure him immensely from the height he was hanging.

Arthur kept his eyes on the boy as he swung, quickly losing strength, and then he fell. At least two screams rang out as the boy plummeted toward the ground. Arthur stretched out his arms in a last-ditch attempt, and careened into the boy, grabbing him tightly. His momentum thrust him forward, and he spun around so he fell onto the bench in a sitting position.

There was a flutter of applause from the people who had gathered around.

“Are you all right?” asked the duke.

“Yeah, I fell,” said the boy.

“You certainly did. Maybe practice your climbing a little lower before you go up that high again.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” said the boy, still in shock.

“Billy!” called out a woman, pushing her way through the crowd.

Arthur let go of the boy like a fisher releasing a fish back into the water. He swam through the gathered people and into his mother’s arms.

---