Page 76 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity
His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were not as straight and neat as they usually were. He was panting, as if he had sprinted across the entire estate to get to the library.
Margaret could not figure out why he would barge into the library this way. She and Kitty were only looking at the books. Surely, that was allowed?
“Margaret,” he panted. He took a deep breath and looked around the library. “Annie came to get me. She said that you yelled for help.”
“Everything is fine,” Margaret assured him calmly. “It was not me she heard, if she heard yelling. If she heard a scream, we should investigate to ensure the servants are all right.”
“No, she was clear that the yelling came from the library.”
“The girls and I were the only ones in the library. Well, Kitty and I were here anyway. Annie was…”
Margaret realized what had happened and started to laugh. The girls were up to their usual antics again, but this time, she and Leo were the victims of their mischief. She doubled over with laughter, clutching her sides.
How astute the girls were. They not only realized that she and Leo were avoiding each other, but they also knew exactly how to bring them together.
“Annie was busy playing her games,” Margaret finally said, straightening and taking a deep breath. “I dare say that she and Kitty knew exactly what they were doing.”
“What do you mean?” Leo asked, still looking around the library.
His face was pinched, growing more so with every peal of laughter that tore from Margaret’s throat. His eyes were stormy instead of rich and deep, as she usually found them. His breathing was still ragged from exertion.
“I believe you will understand what has happened if you only try to open the library door.” She gestured to him to try the door.
Leo turned toward the door and grabbed the handle before trying to push the door out into the hall. When the door did not budge, he pushed harder. He turned around and looked at Margaret, who simply smiled back at him.
“Girls!” His voice echoed off the walls of the library, but there was no answer from the other side of the door. “Unlock the door this instant, or there will be serious consequences!”
He began to pound on the door with his fists. Margaret watched with mild amusement. But the more insistent he became, the less merriment she felt.
The girls were trying to bring them together, and Leo would stop at nothing to get away from her.
She waited a few moments for him to realize that the door would not magically open. When he continued to jiggle the handle and pound on the wood, she finally decided she could wait no longer.
“Are you really going to break down the door to avoid speaking to me?”
Margaret could not hide the sadness in her voice, and she knew that Leo could hear it.
At the sound of the tremor in her voice, he paused for a moment, and the room fell silent. The tension grew between them, so thick that she could barely breathe.
Leo stared at her, his expression unreadable.
“Annie and Kitty are trying to tell you that they do not like this situation. We must respect what they are trying to say. Theyhave to live with both of us now, no matter how much you might regret marrying me.”
He let out a long breath and leaned against the door for a beat before he stalked closer to her. Margaret had the thought that she should withdraw from him, but she pushed down the urge to pull back. She would not let him know that he had that power over her.
“Is that what you think, wife?”
She was thrilled to hear the endearment in his question, even as he growled at her. For so many years now, she had intended never to marry, to commit her life to the Lord. But now, a whole new world had opened up before her.
She was a duchess.
She was awife.
She crossed her arms over her chest, the only defensive move she could make to put some space between her and Leo. Narrowing her eyes, she glared at him and tried to match his tone when she responded.
“That is what you areshowingme. If there is one thing the sisters taught me, it is that actions speak louder than words.”
“And what actions were those?” He looked at her curiously now.
