Page 81 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“I only want what is best for you, my love.”

“I know. I have always known that, but I know it more so after what you have done for me. We have our child to think about too. We will move back down to York, and we will be away from them, but we will never really be away from them unless we do this. They might not have believed we have a child, but they will soon know the truth. I don’t want them anywhere near my child. They treated me poorly and I can’t put our son or daughter through that. They are dangerous people, and they deserve all that is coming to them.”

“So, it is decided,” said Arthur.

“It is. I have no doubt that this is the right thing to do.”

Arthur took a deep breath and smiled. He placed a finger again on the bruise on Margaret’s cheek. He could not believe that a mother or father would allow someone to do that to their daughter. Or that they would willingly give away their daughter to a man like that.

He placed his other hand on his wife’s stomach. She would not show for a while, but there was life growing inside of her. He would not treat his child anything like her parents had treated her. He could not conceive of a parent wanting to treat a child like that—it was baffling.

“I am sorry that I did not tell you how I felt sooner. Perhaps we could have avoided all of this,” said Arthur.

“You have nothing to apologize for. You did not know how you felt until that morning, and you had to get there first. I always knew that we would have a future together, and I would have waited forever to be with you. Though, I don’t know if we could have gotten here without the help of the staff.”

“Yes, I must thank Victoria when we return home. I thought her wicked at the time, but she knew better than I what was best for me.”

“They all knew,” said Margaret. “And Aunt Bertha too. I believe she is going to be the happiest of all. She cares for you a lot, and she only wants you to be happy.”

“And, Parker tried to blackmail me, but it worked out for the best,” said Arthur.

“Blackmail you?”

Arthur chuckled. “In a way. So much has happened in only the space of a few days. Parker and Elspeth are to be married. I don’t know when, but Parker wants to commit to her.”

“Finally,” said Margaret. “It certainly takes you men a long time to realize when the right woman is right in front of you.”

“But we get there in the end,” said Arthur. “And that is not the best part. He has as much as said that he and Elspeth will move down to York when they are wed. They want to be close to us.”

“That is fantastic news.” Margaret placed her hands over the hand that was resting on her stomach. “I hope that Cynthia will come down to York with us too. This case will be dropped soon, won’t it?”

“Your parents agreed to it. As soon as they drop it, we can go to the constabulary. And, she is more than welcome to come and stay with us until she sets herself up down there.”

“Oh, and the maid too,” gasped Margaret. “Lucy has been through enough and she has helped me to escape from the clutches of my parents twice. Is there room for her in the mansion?”

“Even if there was not, I would make sure she could move there. She will join our staff and she will be paid handsomely. In fact, I think all of the staff are in line for a pay rise after what we have been through. But, you have to be sure, my love. We are still talking about your family.”

“I have no doubts. And they are not my family anymore. I have a family in York now. With Parker and Elspeth there, and Cynthia, and Aunt Bertha, I have more family than I have ever dreamed of. And, we have a child growing inside of me to add to that family. And….”

Arthur smiled and nodded. “No matter if they are boy or girl, we will have more. If you will have them with me. I want more than just one child with you, Margaret. I want to fill our mansion with love.”

“I am so glad to hear you say that, my love. Pinch me, please. I still can’t believe that I am dreaming.”

“You are not dreaming,” said Arthur. “Though, it does feel as if we are in a dream. The most wonderful dream I have ever had.”

He leaned forward and kissed Margaret. The kiss was the same as the last one, but different from the rest. Ever since he had found out that she was pregnant, he had been more careful with how he touched her—more tender.

But, underneath the tenderness, his passion was waiting to burst out. He knew that he would not have to wait very long now. They would share a bed tonight, and they both knew that they would do more than just sleep. But it would be more than it was before. Just as the child had caused him to be more tender, he knew that realizing his love would change how he made love to his wife. It would change everything with his wife.

He did not press his tongue into her mouth this time, savoring her soft lips instead. There was a warmth to Margaret that had come when she had become pregnant. And her smell had changed too. Arthur had always been intoxicated by her aroma, but he was more so now. It was a smell he could not describe. The floral aroma was still there, but there was also the smell of a new life—a smell that he would be unable to describe to anyone else.

Margaret’s hand came up to his cheek, and he leaned into it. He had her back, and he would not let her go again. The pain of losing her for a few hours was much worse than any pain he could experience because of his relationship with her.

As he kissed his wife, he knew that there would be pain and sacrifice in the relationship, but the good that would come from it would far outweigh any of the bad. Finally, he pushed his tongue forth, tasting her once more, but the kiss was rudely shortened by the knock at the door.

Arthur turned to the butler, annoyed for the briefest moment before he realized the staff had saved his marriage. He smiled at the butler and gestured for him to continue.

“Your Grace, Miss Lucy is here. We have also received the letter from Bessel Law House to inform us that all charges have been dropped against Miss Cynthia and that there had been a mistake with the money. It would turn out that there was no theft in the first place.”

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