Page 36 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

Margaret lowered herself to the bed and wrapped her arms around the duke’s, enjoying the warmth of his naked body. She thought that she had felt like a woman when the duke had defended her honor, but she was wrong. It was only now that she truly felt like a woman in every sense of the word.

CHAPTER17

Can You Ever Escape Your Parents?

Margaret patted her stomach. She had no idea what it would feel like to have a child, but she expected that she would know when it happened. It had been three days since the duke had planted his seed, so it was much too soon to know. Margaret hoped that she would know when it happened.

She hoped that there would be a good feeling within—that she would feel like a mother. She was a wife, but she did not feel like one. Yet, she was not supposed to. She had not imagined herself being a mother so soon, and she hoped that she felt like one when the time came. She placed a hand on her stomach again but did not feel anything.

Margaret smiled. That only meant more love-making with the duke, and that was something that she could deal with. In fact, there was a part of her that hoped it would take at least five or six more tries for her to be with child.

The knock at the door disturbed her daydreaming. Margaret looked up to see Victoria at the door with a tray. Victoria had been assigned to Margaret as her lady’s maid, but Margaret did not need someone with her at all hours of the day, so Victoria helped the other maids too in their duties.

Margaret beckoned her in, and the maid brought the tray across to the table.

“I made you some more of my grandmother’s special tea, Your Grace,” said Victoria.

“Thank you,” said Margaret. “I must admit that it is the most delicious tea I have ever had. You do not have to share the family recipe with me.”

“Oh, I can’t share it,” said Victoria with a smile. “You can drink it, but you will never guess all of the ingredients.”

Margaret smiled back and took a sip of the hot liquid that had just been poured into the small teacup.

“I know that there is black tea in there,” stated Margaret. “And one of the flavors must be bergamot, and the other is lavender, but don’t worry, I will get them all, and then I will have your grandmother’s secret life-giving elixir.”

“My grandmother would often tell me that those who know the recipe don’t benefit from it. She claimed it was magic, and the mystery is what boosted your health. But, you can try to work it out if you like. No one ever has.”

Margaret smiled. This had been their game since she had arrived at the estate. Margaret had only wanted regular black tea initially, but the combination of magical health properties and the story about Victoria’s grandmother was too much to pass up, and when she tasted it, she had to admit that it was delicious.

Victoria curtsied to Margaret and was about to leave when Margaret said, “Is it true that the duke has been happier since I have been here?”

“I didn’t say a word to anyone,” said Victoria quickly. “I mean, it is not only me who has said it. Others have been talking too. Please, I don’t want to lose this position.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Margaret. “I am not angry, and I don’t care if people are talking behind my back. Well, perhaps I am, but only if I know they are. Staff always talk about their masters, and that is just how it is. Is the duke really an unhappy man?”

“I don’t want to speak badly about the duke, Your Grace. He is a good man, I know that.”

“Victoria, you can speak honestly with me. This will not get back to the duke. I trust you because you know the inner workings of the estate, and you know the agreement between the duke and I. You have not told anyone, and I thank you for that. If I were to cause you to lose your job, you could easily destroy the reputation of the duke and I.”

“And I never would because I like the duke, and I like you too.”

“So, please just tell me the truth, Victoria.”

Victoria looked around the room. “All right. Yes, the duke has faced some turmoil. I don’t know if he is happier since you arrived, but we have not heard him laugh in a long time. You are the one who has made him laugh, that is all we know.”

“Do you know why the duke is an unhappy man?” asked Margaret.

“I know he lost his mother in childbirth. Then, he lost his father as a young man. That is enough to make anyone unhappy. He is not depressed or anything like that. He functions as anyone else would, and he has friends around him, but he carries some sadness, just as we all do. And, perhaps he is a more serious man than most. I should not say that he is unhappy, it’s just—”

“It is all right, Victoria. Thank you for your honesty. We all have sadness that we carry around inside of us. If I can help him feel a little happier in my time here, then that is what I will do.”

“And surely a child will bring happiness to him too,” said Victoria quickly. “It will, won’t it?”

“I don’t know,” said Margaret. “It is what the duke’s father wanted. He might not be doing it for the right reasons, but… well, children can often bring happiness, and I hope that is the same for the duke.”

“Yes,” pondered Victoria. She was thinking it through, and Margaret did not understand that.

“How about Aunt Bertha?” asked Margaret. “She always seems so happy, but the duke told me that she is not.”

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