Page 28 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
“I believe the game is over, now that I have caught you,” he murmured against her ear. “Until tonight, My Lady.”
Margaret took the dismissal as an opportunity to get ready for the opera. After Leo left, she led the girls inside, and they quickly ran to the kitchen. Stifling a laugh, she shook out the skirts of her dress and decided that she would change before a night out in London.
As the maids scurried about the stairs, no doubt preparing for the house party, Margaret tried to stay out of their way. She found her way to the front sitting room and, to her relief, Theresa was already there.
“I feared we would not see you today after your absence during breakfast,” Theresa called when she saw her in the doorway.
“I was not hungry,” Margaret lied. “Morning prayers take some time, as I’m sure you remember.”
“And you would say your prayers even here?” Theresa raised an eyebrow. “Perhaps you have grown more devout since the last time we were together.”
“I will be a nun soon. I must practice every day of my life.” Margaret sighed and sat down beside her friend, all too aware that what she said was true.
It would be a lifetime of saying morning prayers—or pretending to, at least. She could not think of a duller existence.
Aaron sat beside them, reading the newspaper. He ignored their conversation and turned the page when Margaret caught a glimpse of the title of the article he had just finished reading.
Ice ran through her veins, and her heart started to pound in her ears. Her stomach lurched unpleasantly at the thought of the Earl showing up on the page.
“The Earl of Riley has announced an auction?” she asked, looking at Aaron.
“It seems that he has found his granddaughter, who had been lost for some time. Now, he is trying to auction off her hand. No doubt to try to restore some of his fortune and build more connections in the ton. The man does nothing without an ulterior motive.”
“I think I might be—” Margaret started to speak, but she choked on the words.
She ran out of the room and heaved in the hallway. Fortunately, the servants had left a bucket of water there. Margaret bent down and retched violently into it. At least she had not had breakfast.
“Margaret!” Theresa followed her out and found her hunched over the bucket, unsure whether she had anything left inside her to throw up. Her eyes narrowed. “What exactly has happened?”
“Nothing. It’s nothing,” Margaret said, more to herself than to Theresa. She tried to steady her breathing, her hands. “It will all be fine. I’m taking my vows soon, and no one can hurt me.”
“No one except Mother Superior,” Theresa corrected.
“Who cares about Mother Superior?” Margaret shrugged. She rolled her shoulders back and straightened to her full height. Just the thought of taking her vows made her feel more at ease. “I will do it. I will take my vows. I will not let my parents down.”
“You are not making sense,” Theresa said, reaching for her and resting a hand on her shoulder. “But if you wish to talk to someone, you know you can trust me. Please tell me you know that.”
“You are like my sister,” Margaret assured, gripping Theresa’s hand in her own. “I trust no one more.”
But she trusted no one enough with her secret. She loved Theresa, but she did not know how to tell her the secret she had been keeping all this time. The mistake she made in coming to London.
She opened her mouth and tried to explain to Theresa as best she could. “It’s just… You know I joined the convent to hide. The person I was hiding from—well, he found me.”
“How would you know that he found you?” Theresa tilted her head to the side as she considered the possibilities. Then, realization seemed to dawn on her.
Margaret nodded. “Because he is holding an auction for my hand. But I am safe here. And once I take my vows next week, he will not be able to touch me. Not anymore.”
Her voice was little more than a whisper. She knew that the walls of large estates had ears.
“An auction?” Theresa tapped her chin thoughtfully. “And you would not consider it? A marriage of convenience might be a better choice than spending the rest of your life in a convent, Margaret.”
“Not all arranged marriages are as good a match as yours.”
“But we both know that you are the least fit person for the life of a nun. Look how much mischief you have caused. How manytimes they have punished you over the years. Is this truly what you want?”
Theresa looked like she was on the verge of tears at the thought of Margaret taking her vows. Her eyes were red-rimmed, and her cheeks were flushed. She was more emotional now that she was with child.
“I cannot entertain the thought of marriage. I promised my father I would not allow him to get to me,” Margaret said.
