Page 79 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“She will be,” said Arthur. “I am going now to bring her home.”

“I will come with you,” said Parker.

“Thank you,” said Arthur. “But, we can’t go straight there. We have to be ready to fight them in the only way we know how for now. All they want is money, and I will give them as much as they want to let Margaret go unharmed. They don’t deserve it, but my love for Margaret is stronger than my hate for them.”

Arthur knocked on the door. He wanted nothing more than to rush inside and demand that Margaret be set free, but he was worried for her safety. If her parents had kidnapped her, there was no telling what they might do to her, or what they had already done. Arthur knocked again, and the door was eventually opened by Margaret’s mother.

“Oh,” she said when she saw Arthur and Parker standing there. “I mean, what can I do for you, Your Grace?”

“Don’t give me that,” said Arthur. “I know you have Margaret here, and I demand to see her now.”

“I don’t know what—”

“Now!” boomed the duke.

“I—James! James, the duke is here!”

Arthur held his nerve. He did not want to become like them and barge in past Eleanor, no matter how much he wanted to do it.

“If you have harmed her, you will be sorry,” said Arthur. “Just tell me that she is well, and this can end peacefully.”

Eleanor looked into the house, waiting for her husband to arrive, but he was taking his time. She looked back to Arthur. “She is fine,” whimpered Eleanor.

Arthur nodded and let out the breath he was holding. A moment later, James appeared at the door, followed slightly after by Gerald.

“You!” spat Arthur. “I thought it was one or the other, but you are all conspiring together.”

“You are too late,” said Gerald, taking the lead. “Your marriage will be annulled and she will marry me. You have no more business here, Duke.”

“You lack respect, sir, but that is by the by, right now. The marriage will not be annulled.”

“We have all the paperwork ready. The lawyer is coming soon to settle it all, and then she will wed me.” Gerald spoke while the other two remained silent.

“Did she tell you she was pregnant?” asked Arthur. “You can’t annul the marriage.”

“She tried that with us, but we know it is not true,” said James, jumping into to try and take some control.

“Is it true?” asked Eleanor, the only one of the three who seemed to care.

“Don’t listen to any of them,” spat Gerald before Arthur could answer. “They have tried to con you out of the money you deserve, James. I’m the only one who has followed through on my promises, and it is time for you to follow through too.”

Parker gave Arthur a slight nudge as Gerald became more animated, and he could see it too—the pistol attached to his belt. They would have to be careful not to antagonize a man who already seemed unhinged. When he thought about it, he realized that all three of them were unhinged in their own ways.

“Look,” said the duke. “I am a reasonable man, and I would have given you the money a long time ago, but Margaret did not want me to. We all know that this has nothing to do with Margaret, or Cynthia, or even me. This has nothing to do with what you want for your daughter’s future. And, I don’t believe it even has anything to do with pride. We are far beyond pride now. This is about money.”

“You can leave,” said Gerald. “We have heard enough.”

No one else spoke. There was a glint in James’ eyes that told the duke everything he needed to know. And, from the way Eleanor was looking at her husband, the duke knew she would go along with whatever her husband wanted. All he had to do now was drive a wedge between them and Gerald. All he had to do was get Margaret out of there safely.

“I brought money,” said the duke.

“Are you going to let him dishonor you like that?” asked Gerald. “I have your money ready to go, and you already made a deal with me. Besides, I paid for the lawyer too.”

“I will refund the money for the lawyer too,” stated Arthur. “And, we know this has nothing to do with your honor, sir, so let us do away with pretenses. Your only decision now is how much money you want.”

James opened his mouth slightly, but no words yet came out.

“James, he is bluffing. He is going to ask for the release of your daughter, and then he is never going to give you the money. He is taking you for a fool.”

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