Page 65 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
Leo had not been so fond of his brother, either. He would never get over the fact that Robert had taken his wife’s side, even when every sign pointed to her lies.
The other men came up to the constables, one at a time. They were taking statements and notes as quickly as they could on the parchment that they pulled from their breast pockets. Even the quietest men among them, the ones who had held back, could not refrain from weighing in.
“I think it is time that we leave,” Leo said to Margaret softly. “I believe that the constables have enough evidence that you do not need to worry about your grandfather getting his hands on you ever again.”
“Where will we go?” She looked at him as if she were puzzled, a crease forming between her brows.
He ran a thumb over the lines and smiled at her, but she did not smile back.
“Devishire Mansion,” he said, leading her outside the door. “You are to be my bride. You aremine, or have you not heard?”
“I was yours when you thought my grandfather would harm me. But now that he has been arrested, he poses no threat to me,” she said very seriously.
“Do you still not understand?” Leo kept his voice low, but there was no mistaking the authority in his words. “I have told you all week that you aremine. I am merely here to claim what you have already promised.”
“Fine,” Margaret said. “We can discuss this elsewhere.”
She led the way through the dusty stone hallways of Riley Manor, and out to the stables. Leo’s carriage and his driver were ready, his horse nickering softly as they approached.
Margaret reached out and petted the horse’s velvet nose before she took Leo’s hand and hoisted herself up into the carriage. She fell into her seat and looked out the window, never making eye contact with him.
As for Leo, he could not help but look at her. His eyes were drawn to her as the moon drew the waves to the shore. He watched her so intently that he was certain she could feel his stare, a physical presence in the carriage with them.
“Shall we talk about it now?” Margaret did not even look at him as she asked the question.
“I do not know what there is to discuss. I have made my position quite clear. You are to be my wife. You would not refuse a duke’scommand, would you?” Leo looked out the window beside him, feigning boredom with the conversation.
Margaret let out a breath but said nothing. He watched her tap her foot on the carriage floor, as if she were nervous or upset. He had seen her at Olympus. Surely, she could not be upset over getting married to him.
He knew that he was looking forward to some of the perks of marriage, even if his bride was more hesitant.
“I could return to the convent,” she said suddenly. “You do not have to take responsibility for me. You did not ruin me.”
“You will not return to that cursed place,” he vowed.
He did not even want to entertain the idea of her returning to the convent. Ever since she told him about the sisters’ harsh treatment of her, he knew he would never be able to live with himself if she went back.
He thought about the word he had used to describe her when he spoke with Aaron about her that first time.Defiant.
She would always have that spirit in her. No matter how hard the nuns tried to beat it out of her and to punish her for her defiance, it would only make her more likely to lean into it.
He almost laughed to himself. He had been attracted to her first because she was defiant. And it was now that same trait that hadthem at odds in his carriage. How fitting that they would end up the same way they had begun—with Margaret claiming some grievance that he did not understand.
Leo let the rest of the ride lapse into a tense silence. They were not so far from the Earl’s estate, and the ride passed without any further hiccups. Margaret practically leaped to her feet as soon as the carriage drew to a halt before the stables.
She did not want to wait for Leo’s help, but he grabbed her and held her back. Once she ran away from him, who knew when he would see her again?
Perhaps not until the wedding.
He needed to make sure she was alright with everything that had just happened. After all, she had watched him break her grandfather’s frail bones, and he had him arrested after he confessed to murder.
Surely, that would unsettle even the boldest of women.
“Are you alright?” Leo asked, before he lent her a hand to step out of the carriage and onto the path that led to Devishire Mansion.
Margaret refused to look at him, and he could not help but assume the worst.
Margaret had no idea how to respond.
