Page 44 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
Leo pulled back, the tension that had built between them suddenly broken. His gaze traveled over her body, as if he could pinpoint her scars. As if he could make them go away with a mere look.
“You? Scars? Why?”
“I was never good at following the rules. I bet Theresa has them as well.” Her gaze drifted to the spot where her friend had disappeared on the narrow path to the clearing.
“You mean the nuns…?”
“They do not like it when people think for themselves. At least, that is the case at the convent where I live.” She shrugged.
Margaret had come to terms with the way the nuns punished her for her headstrong ways a long time ago. She and Theresa were always up to something, but now it was just her.
Alone, the punishment meted out by Mother Superior felt so much worse. She had no one to help her apply a poultice to her wounds and no one to tell her that things would be alright. It was a lonely life ahead of her, which brought tears to her eyes.
Unable to think about a lifetime of discipline in the convent, she turned away from Leo and headed back to the path.
He did not follow her, but reached out and grabbed her hand to stop her from getting too far away from him. Seeing that he would not allow the moment to pass, she met his gaze.
Leo’s expression was serious. Anger clouded his features and deepened the lines on his face. She remembered the stern expression he had on his face when she stumbled upon his book club, and this expression mirrored it.
Only this time, his sternness was not aimed at her.
“Why would you want to go back there then?”
“It is safer for me in the convent,” she replied.
Leo was getting close to the core of her problem. She did not wish to tell him exactly what she was running from, but he would not drop the issue.
“Safer than where? Here in London?” His brow creased as his eyes searched her face for the answer that she would not disclose. He stared into her eyes, daring her to tell him the truth. “I cannot help you if I do not know what the problem is.”
Margaret opened her mouth to object, to tell him that he did not need to worry about her safety. After all, she would return to the convent in a matter of days, and he would no longer be responsible for her.
But she could not force the words out of her mouth before she heard the voice behind her.
“If it is not my lovely granddaughter.”
Margaret froze, ice running through her veins.
How long had he been there, watching them in the park? Was she too far from the carriage to run, to escape the old man? She knew she could outrun him, but he now knew she was with the Duke of Devishire. It would take him no time at all to find her.
Leo looked between Margaret and the Earl, realization dawning on his features. He stepped between them , a man of action even in the midst of duress.
He must have been an excellent soldier.
Margaret’s gaze flicked back to the Earl.
What should she do to preserve her freedom, to convince him that he had the wrong person? There was only so much she could do in public. Frozen, she looked away from the old man and found some comfort in Leo.
The look in his eyes told her that he would protect her, even if he did not know what he was shielding her from.
Margaret would have to tell him the full story now. But first, she had to think of a way out of this situation.
CHAPTER 12
“Iam afraid you are mistaken, My Lord,” Margaret said.
Leo looked to her for answers, but he would find none. She wiped all emotion from her face, hoping that her grandfather would not glimpse her fear.
This was a familiar expression for her, one she employed when Mother Superior caught her in sin and rebellion. She would never let them see how much she dreaded the discipline. She would not give them the satisfaction, just as she would not give it to her grandfather now.
