Page 63 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
If the Queen’s edict was not enough to persuade her grandfather to let her go, then they needed to do something else.
Her grandfather glared at her from where she had left him. From this distance, he did not look like the frightening man she had always thought him to be. He was old and stooped, with a bitof a belly and thinning hair. He looked every bit as old as his years would suggest. He was just a man who could not harm her anymore.
“You can reject the Duke of Devishire,” he said, his voice more commanding than Margaret had ever heard it. “Choose another man. I urge you not to ruin the opportunity I have given you to make a more suitable match.”
Margaret tried to think about how to respond to him. Everything she wanted was within her reach now. She merely had to stretch herself to think about what she could do to leave this ballroom, this estate that was in such a state of disrepair.
Her grandfather somehow expected her to be grateful for this auction. Grateful for the opportunity to marry a man who did not truly want her, but only liked the idea of being married to an earl’s granddaughter.
Even her grandfather could surely see that the Duke was the best match she could make. He would not suggest that she marry someone else if he truly had her best interests in mind.
She smiled sweetly at her grandfather, the answer having come to her.
“Unfortunately, I cannot marry any of the lovely gentlemen you have assembled here. I’m ruined. I respect these men too much to pick any of them to be my husband under such circumstances.”
Smart girl,Leo thought to himself when he heard Margaret’s very pointed reason for denying her grandfather the dowry offered by the Queen.
Nobody in London would want to marry a ruined woman. But he knew the truth about what he had done—and hadnotdone—to her.
Seeing her enthusiasm, he was certain that she had never known a man’s touch until his own. And he was determined to be the last man to ever lay hands on her.
For any reason whatsoever.
When Leo gripped her by the arm and turned to walk out of the ballroom, he noticed that she was shaking despite the demure smile on her face. He wished he could hold her hand, kiss her on those sweet lips and reassure her that all would be well.
One look at the old Earl told him that he wasn’t going to let this moment go without a fight. His icy blue eyes were fixed on his granddaughter. His skin turned a mottled purple that Leo was unsure he had ever seen on a person before. He, too, shook as he raised a finger and pointed it at Margaret.
“You useless thing!”
Leo stepped between them, forcing the old man to lower his arm. “You will say no such thing about my bride,” he bit back, each syllable falling forcefully from his lips. He stood to his full height and looked the Earl in the eye. “She is not your plaything, good just for the money.”
But the Earl continued staring past him at Margaret. He started to address her, as if Leo did not exist.
“Useless, just like your mother. I should have done to you what I did to her when I had the chance.”
A footman walked past carrying a tray of champagne for the men who had come to bid. The Earl reached for the tray and threw every glass to the floor. Champagne made the floor sticky, and it glittered with glass.
It was unbecoming for a man of his station and age, Leo thought. But there was much about this situation that was unbecoming.
“What did you say? Do you mean that you…?” Margaret asked haltingly.
She leaned to the left to look beyond Leo, at her grandfather. Her lips trembled at the mention of her mother. Leo knew they were on precarious ground.
“You know exactly what I mean,” the old man spat out.
“Why did my father tell me to hide from you?” Margaret stood a bit taller at this almost-confession. With her shoulders rolled back, she was finally standing tall instead of curling inward in fear.
“Smart man, that one,” the Earl said with a smile. “My daughter, on the other hand, thought she could talk back. She thought she could keep what is mine from me.”
“And what exactly isyours?” Leo interjected.
He was about to make the case that neither Margaret nor her mother belonged to the Earl. They were women with some sense of agency, however minimal it may have been.
The Earl ignored him, taking a step closer to Margaret. “I gave her life. She exists because of me.Youexist because of me. The only thing I did was take back what I had given, when she proved unworthy of it.”
Margaret looked more frightened than ever—and she should. The old man had essentially just admitted that he had killed her mother. And what sin had her mother committed? Denying her father for love. Protecting her child, for love.
Leo took a deep breath, trying to remain calm amid the chaos. The old man was still foaming at the mouth, struggling to get near his granddaughter. Leo’s presence did not seem to deter him in the slightest.
