Page 69 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

Cynthia looked quickly at Margaret and Arthur, and they both nodded in agreement.

“And, what are our chances?” asked Arthur.

“Unless more evidence comes to light, which we both do not believe will happen, then we have a good chance of winning this in court, but there is always a chance that it will not go the way we would like. There is still the offer on the table for the money to be repaid and forgotten about.”

“No,” said Cynthia quickly. “I have spoken to Margaret about this, and we have agreed that the money is not to be paid to her parents.”

“The offer still stands from me,” reminded Arthur. “I will gladly pay the money if it means you will not go to prison again.”

“I am willing to take the risk,” said Cynthia. “I will fight this through to the end.”

“Then I will pay the amount ten times over in lawyer’s fees to ensure that you are a free woman for the rest of your life.” Arthur looked over to the two lawyers and nodded his head. He had hired two of the best lawyers in London to fight for them.

“So, do we have all we need to fight this in court?” asked Margaret.

“I believe that we do,” said Mr. Rickard. “We will continue to collect evidence and monitor the situation, but there is not much more we can do for now.”

“Then, please keep going over what you have, and make sure we have the best case to present.”

“Of course, Your Grace,” said Mr. Rickard. “On that note, we should return to the office and check in with our secretaries. I have another lead for a witness to follow up on, and Mr. Bessel has more bank statements to go over.”

“Thank you again,” said Arthur. “Allow me to show you two gentlemen out.”

“It is a pleasure, Your Grace,” said Mr. Rickard.

The three men stood up from the desk and left the room.

“I am scared,” admitted Cynthia. “I know we are doing the right thing, but I am scared that I am still going to go to prison even with all the evidence they have collected.”

“I won’t let you go to jail,” said Margaret. “Whatever it takes to keep you out of there is what we will do.”

“I know, but no one is above the law. What if they find me guilty and order me to pay the money back and send me to jail. There will be nothing that you can do about it.”

“I know my parents, and they will do all they can to get their hands on the money. We are going to fight this, and we are going to win, but if it is ever in doubt, we will pay them off to ensure you don’t go to jail. They don’t care about you and they don’t care about me. They just care about money. But I have a feeling that this is not going to end in a courtroom. When they realize they can’t win, they are going to make a last-ditch attempt to get some money and save face, and they are going to realize that they are going to get nothing.”

“Oh, I do hope you are right,” said Cynthia.

“Do you hear that?” asked Margaret.

The two women sat in silence for a moment, trying to listen to the commotion that was coming from downstairs.

“Oh, please tell me he is not here,” said Margaret.

“Who is it?” asked Cynthia.

They both got up from their chairs, and Margaret led them toward the source of the noise. When Margaret got to the top of the stairs and could look down into the main entranceway, she could see her father in a heated argument with Arthur.

“You can’t come bounding in here,” stated Arthur. “Please stay away from my family and me, and Cynthia too, and we will see you in court. And believe me, sir; this is not going to end well for you.”

“I demand that you bring my daughter out to me!” shouted James.

“You will leave this instant, sir. You have shown no respect for me, my staff, or my home. Leave before I call the constables.”

“Let him in,” said Margaret. “I will speak with him.”

“You don’t have to,” said Arthur.

“I know, but I want to hear what he has to say. I will hear him out and then he can leave.” Margaret stared down at her father.

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