Page 40 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“What are you going to do about her parents?” asked Parker. “You could probably pay them off without Margaret knowing, and they would go away. She would never have to know.”

“It’s possible,” admitted Arthur. “But it is not the right thing to do. Margaret does not want them to get the money; to win. I have heard a little about how they have treated her, and while I wish they were not in her life anymore, I want to respect her wishes. She might not be my wife in the traditional sense, but she is still my wife. And, soon she will be the mother of my children. There are more important things in life than having to deal with annoying parents.”

“It almost sounds as if you like her,” said Parker with a smile. He picked up one of the sandwiches and bit into it.

“I do like her,” said Arthur. “And I respect her. That is why I want to do right by her. But, don’t get the wrong idea. She does not want me for a husband, and I do not want a wife. We are both happy with the agreement as it is.”

“And, how is that agreement going?” asked Parker.

“I don’t know,” said Arthur. “We have, well, you know… done the act.”

“The act?” asked Parker with a grin. “You will have to explain what you mean to me.”

“We have done the act multiple times,” said Arthur, ignoring Parker’s comment. He took up the decanter and poured out two glasses of whisky, leaving Parker’s on the table, but lifting his to his lips for a drink. “And, there has been no news yet.”

“She’s a fine woman,” admitted Parker. “For most men, that would not be a problem.”

“It is not,” said Arthur quickly. “I mean, I enjoy it, of course, but I don’t want to force Margaret to do that if she does not want to. I made an agreement with her, and if we continue on like this, she might become suspicious that something is wrong—that I am messing with her.”

“And are you?” asked Parker.

Arthur shot his friend a look. “Come on, you know me better than that. No, I am not messing with her, but I am starting to get suspicious. What if she can’t have children? What if she knows that and she is the one messing with me? What if I can’t have children? I would not be the first man who can’t impregnate his wife. I don’t know what is going on, but if it keeps going on like this, I am going to have to do something about it. I am nothing if not a man of my word.”

“And what if the two of you can’t have a child? What then?” asked Parker.

“Well,” started Arthur. “If it is because of Margaret, I will have to find another woman. I am not going to throw her out and she will be taken care of, but we might have to plan for that eventuality. And, if it turns out it is me, then I might have to disappoint my dead father, and I don’t know what is worse.”

“You could adopt a child—still give them your name,” suggested Parker.

“I could, but who knows what sort of trouble that could lead to? I would have to vet the child thoroughly, and then what if the child’s parents turn up somehow, and I lose everything, or I pass away and they decide to forget my family name? There are so many things that could go wrong and I don’t want to go down that road if I can help it.”

“Well, you had better hope the two of you can get pregnant then,” said Parker. “Look, let’s not think about that right now. I’m here for a few days, and we are going to play cards and drink some good Scotch, so let’s do that. How about we play some rummy until the sun comes up and finish off this decanter of whisky?”

“I like the sound of that,” said Arthur.

But, he could not shake the thought that he might not be able to have a child. He was not a lot older than Margaret, but age was always a factor. What if he had procrastinated so long that he had lost his chance? He did not want to think about it, but he found it hard not to.

Yet, there was one thing that was not hard—one thing that made the lack of success all the more bearable, and that was making love to his wife. She was not really his wife, but she was there when he needed to touch her body, when he needed a release, and when he needed someone else to touch him.

He enjoyed making love to this woman, and he was sure that she enjoyed it too. He almost laughed to himself. Most men would enjoy the predicament. He got to make love to a beautiful woman. He might not yet have what he wanted, but what he did have could be enjoyed in the meantime. He could make love to Margaret for a few months more before he needed to find an alternative solution.

CHAPTER19

Turning To The Only One Who Might Be Able To Help

Margaret sat in the coach and turned her thoughts over and over in her mind. She had only sent out two letters since she had married the duke: one to Cynthia and one to her mother.

The letter to Cynthia is what had got her caught up in the current mess. Margaret had had no privacy at home, and it would seem that Cynthia did not have any privacy either. Her parents had intercepted the letter and then passed on information to Margaret’s parents. There had been no response from Cynthia, and Margaret doubted that there would be one. Perhaps she had not even received the letter at all.

Margaret did not want to write her another. That one would likely not get to her either, and what would she write in it anyway? She could not vent her frustrations to her friend or tell her anything worth anything. No, the plan now was to see through her deal with the duke and then go to visit her in person. It made it all the worse that Cynthia did not even live at home anymore but still had interfering parents. Margaret could relate to that.

Yet, here she was visiting the person who had caused much of her troubles and the second person she had sent a letter to from the duke’s residence: her mother. Margaret had thought and thought about it, but she had nowhere else to turn. If she had not been told the truth about Aunt Bertha, she might have turned to her, but that would not have helped. So, she was turning to her mother in the hopes that she would actually receive some help.

When she had sent the letter, she had asked to meet her mother alone. The reply had come back two days later. Margaret did not know what her mother had told her father, or if she had even told him that she was meeting her daughter alone, but Margaret doubted that her father would allow it. If she got to the cafe and her mother was there by herself, then it would be something.

When the coach pulled up at the cafe, something inside Margaret told her that she should just turn around and go home. She did not think of her childhood house as her home anymore. The mansion she lived in with the duke was her home now, but would it be her home forever? She and the duke had not really talked about what would come after she gave birth.

Margaret took a deep breath and stepped out of the coach. She gave the two drivers instructions to stay close and remain with the coach. Margaret hoped that she would not have to make a quick escape, but she was ready for her father and Gerald to both be there.

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