Page 58 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
“Shall I leave the two of you alone to get to know one another?” The Earl smiled wolfishly at Christopher before his eyes raked over his granddaughter. “I am sure that my granddaughter will please you if you take some time to get to know her.”
“I am not interested in getting to know her.” Christopher did not bother to mask the boredom in his voice. “I would prefer my money, old man.”
Margaret stared dejectedly at the floor, knowing that this was her fate. She would be married—maybe even to Christopher—and there would be no blissful union here.
These men were here for an auction and did not care one iota for her.
Leo had offered her protection. Protection from men like these, protection from the stifling cage she was about to walk into.
What would have happened at this auction had she stayed at Devishire Mansion? Would the Earl still be able to auction offher hand if she were not there to make good on his promises of matrimony?
I should have stayed with Leo.He would have known what to do to help me escape this fate.
Was it too late to run? To turn around, head out the front door, and walk back to Olympus, the last place anyone would ever expect to find her.
Anyone but Leo, at least.
The only problem was that she was here now, and she was very certain that the Earl was not going to let her out of his sight, even for a moment. To let her leave would be to ruin his dastardly plan to increase his wealth and possibly restore his estate.
“If you will excuse me, I must refresh myself after the journey,” she lied.
The ride to the estate had not taken long, but she had to get out of the conversation with Christopher and her grandfather.
“I will show you the way,” the Earl said. The calculating expression on his face confirmed that he would not allow her to leave.
“I wouldn’t dream of taking up your time. I will ask the servants.” She dropped her hand from his arm and turned on her heel to walk back the way she had come.
Her grandfather called after her, but she did not turn around.
When she left the ballroom, she turned right. Instead of locating a servant who could show her the way to her chambers, she opened the first door she found. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, leaned against it, then sank to the floor.
There had to be a way out of this predicament. There had to be a way that she did not have to marry one of the men her grandfather had gathered.
All of them had to be desperate for a wife to agree to such an arrangement. All of them were clearly titled, wealthy, tempting catches for the young ladies of the ton.She dared not wonder why they remained unmarried.
When it came to Christopher, she had her suspicions that he was rude and pompous, the kind of man no woman would willingly wed. He was the opposite of Leo in every way, even if she had not exchanged more than a few words with him.
How would she get back to Devishire Mansion? Was it even possible for her to undo the damage she had done by leaving?
She did not know the answer, and she did not have long to find out. The auction was imminent, and then she would be spoken for.
Think harder,or you will be forever married to one of those dreadful men.
She dropped her head in her hands and tried to think more quickly, but it was of no use. Someone was trying to open the door, but her back was pressed against it.
“Margaret, open the door this instant,” the Earl barked. “The servants saw you come in here, and I know you can hear me.”
Even her brief respite from the old man was ruined by a bunch of nosy servants who were loyal to him. Could none of them see what was happening to her?
She rose to her feet, stepped back from the door, and straightened her spine. She would not allow her grandfather to see that she was bothered, not until she figured out how to get out of this mess.
“Forgive me, Grandfather. I merely needed a moment,” she said smoothly when he pushed open the door.
“We do not have a moment to squander. These men are here to bid for your hand, and we must show them that you are a worthy bride. Why else would I have brought you here?”
Margaret ducked her head so that he would not see the way her anger colored her cheeks.
When she did not respond, the Earl grabbed her roughly by the arm and dragged her back to the ballroom.
