Page 43 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“I don’t mind,” said the duke.

Margaret opened the door to find the duke looking as handsome as ever, even if he did reek of smoke from playing cards all day.

“Where’s Parker?” she asked.

“He is still playing cards, but I wanted to come home to hear how it went with your mother. I thought you might need someone to talk to.”

“No, I am fine,” maintained Margaret. “If you want to go back and play cards, please don’t stay here on my account.”

“The staff mentioned that they heard crying coming from your room,” said the duke.

“Well, they must be imagining things,” said Margaret. “Perhaps you should find new staff.” She looked the duke in the eye and knew she could not lie to him. “It was horrible, and yes, I have been crying about it all afternoon.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked the duke.

“I wanted to talk about it earlier, but you were not here,” said Margaret.

“Well, I am here now,” he said. “Come on, sit down with me.” He moved over to the bed, sat down on it, and patted the blankets beside him.

Margaret was reluctant, but she went over and sat with the duke.

“It was horrible,” she admitted. “My mother was horrible. All she could focus on was getting money from me.”

“I still think we should give them the money so they will leave you alone,” said the duke.

“No. I won’t do it, and I am not going to change my mind. They came here hoping to get money that is not theirs, and I would rather die than give it to them.”

“Then we will die together before they get my money,” said the duke, taking Margaret’s hand. “You can change your mind at any time, but know that I will back you with whatever you want to do.”

“Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me. My mother has done exactly what my father has told her to do for the entire time they have been married, and I am not sure if my mother has had an original thought in her life. I hate to see her like she is, but I don’t think she will ever change, and it scares me.”

“It scares you that she will never change?”

“No, it scares me that I might end up like her. I mean, she must have been her own person before she met my father, but then she changed. I see some of myself in my mother, so what if I end up like that?”

“I don’t think you could if you tried. You can ask Parker about this,but when I set out to find a mother to my heir, I wanted someone with a mind of their own. When I met you, I knew I had found that person. I don’t ever want to change you, and I don’t think I would be able to force you to do exactly what I wanted even if it is tempting at times.”

Margaret laughed.

“You are a stubborn, brilliant woman, Margaret. I don’t know a lot about your mother, but I do know that you are nothing like her. I know you would never take orders from a man, and I know you are generous and kind and good. I want to give you money, but I know you would never ask for it, and that makes me want to give you it more. And, you don’t have to worry about me trying to control you as your father does to your mother. You are nothing like either of them, and you never will be. I know that to be a fact.”

“See, where were you earlier,” said Margaret. “I spent all afternoon crying about this and scared that I was going to turn into my mother, and you talked me out of it in a few minutes. I blame you for how much I cried into my pillow.”

“You can blame me all you want, but I won’t admit to doing anything wrong,” said Arthur with a chuckle.

Margaret liked having her hand held by the duke. She leaned her head to the side, resting it on his shoulder. She felt that she could talk to him about anything, and she knew that she should not wait for this next discussion. He lifted her head almost as soon as she had rested it on his shoulder.

“I am worried about something else,” said Margaret. “I know we have not been trying for long, but what if we never get pregnant?”

“I have been thinking about that too,” said Arthur. “And, before you say anything else, know that I am not going to leave you in the lurch. I made a commitment to you, and I want you to be taken care of, no matter how this ends up. If we can’t have a child, we will deal with that when we come to it, but I won’t blame you.”

“I already blame myself,” said Margaret. “And I know I should not let her get in my head, but I blame myself more after talking with my mother. I can’t help but think that there is something wrong with me.”

“That makes two of us,” said Arthur. He laughed quickly. “I don’t mean you. I have been thinking the same thing about myself. What if I am the one who can’t have a child? I’m not so young anymore. Perhaps I should not have waited for so long.”

“Nonsense, you are still a young man,” said Margaret.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” admitted Arthur. “If I can’t blame it on age, then I have to admit that I am broken.”

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