Page 10 of Taken By the Dangerous Duke

“Everything will be fine,” assured Eleanor. “Mr. Swanson is your father’s cousin.”

“His cousin? He’s family?”

“Distant cousin,” added Eleanor. “And that does not matter. What does matter is that you will have a husband and you can start a family of your own. Is that not what you always dreamed of?”

“No,” stated Margaret.

The two women stood in silence, and a disappointing thought reared its ugly head in Margaret’s mind.

“Mother, how rich is Mr. Swanson?”

“Excuse me?”

“It is a simple question. How wealthy is Mr. Swanson?” asked Margaret again.

Eleanor pondered it for a moment. “He has some wealth, and that means you will be taken care of.”

“It means that Father will be getting a cut for selling me off to the highest bidder.”

“Margaret, your father only wants the best for you.”

“The best for me!” shouted Margaret. “When has Father ever wanted the best for me? When have either of you wanted the best for me?”

“Margaret, that’s not fair.”

“It is entirely fair. Father has treated me like one of his possessions my entire life, and you have stood idly by and let him do whatever he wants. I am not the one who is being unfair, and you know it.”

Once more, her mother stood still and said nothing. Margaret wished that for once in her life, her mother would say something, and display some real emotion instead of wearing the blank expression that was permanently plastered on her face. She wanted to shake her mother until she let out some emotion.

“Come, Margaret,” said her mother plainly. “Mr. Swanson will be waiting to meet you.”

“What if I say no?” asked Margaret.

“You have already been promised to him. Don’t make this worse than it already is. You can go willingly, or….”

Margaret shook her head, the tears coming to her eyes. She had thought she might get married eventually, but it would be out of love, not whatever this was. She wondered how much Mr. Swanson was giving her father in exchange for her dignity.

There was nothing left to say to her mother—it was a lost cause. When her mother opened the bedroom door and walked out, Margaret followed. Perhaps it would not be so bad. She had been mistreated by her parents enough through her life, that at least she would be able to get out. But, the thought of starting a family with a stranger was an abhorrent thought; look how her mother had turned out.

“I hope that was not an outburst from the young lady?” asked Gerald Swanson when Eleanor returned with Margaret. He stared at Margaret, waiting for an answer.

“What?” asked Margaret.

“Pardon,” corrected Gerald.

“Pardon,” said Margaret.

“Better. I was asking if that outburst was because of me.”

Margaret looked from her mother to her father and back to Gerald again. There was no help for her here in this room.

“No,” she managed.

“No,my lord,” he corrected. “Obstinate girl, isn’t she? You should almost be paying me to take her, James.”

“A deal is a deal,” replied James.

Margaret looked over at her mother, who had her head down, with the same expression she always had. Margaret’s father and his cousin were not even attempting to cover the fact that this was a business transaction.

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