Page 10 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity (Ton’s Beasts #2)
He offered his arm to her. Margaret hesitated to place her hand on his arm, but resolved that it was deemed appropriate by the ton. She was in no danger of sinning simply for walking with a man among the trees.
If she was being honest with herself, she liked the way his strong body felt at her side. She pictured what it would be like to lean into him and allow him to support her weight. To feel his lips on hers, on her neck, on the most sensitive parts of her.
The pictures in that book were getting to her. She sent up a quick prayer for forgiveness for her impure thoughts, hoping that the very act of praying would act as a talisman.
“You are quiet this morning, My Lady,” Leo said as they stepped into the gardens. “Does this mean you have reconsidered our deal?”
Theresa looked back at them, but she and Aaron were engrossed in conversation. Margaret was grateful that they were once again in view of their friends, where she did not have to worry about untoward behavior.
“I will not reconsider it,” she said with resolve. “You offered your protection while I am here in London, and that is a commodity I am very much in need of at the moment.”
Leo seemed to mull over her words as they ducked into the first row of orange trees. The trees were smaller than the oaks and pines that surrounded the forest beyond the nunnery. Their leaves were a deep green, almost the same color as the dress Margaret was wearing.
But what drew her attention was the fruit on the branches. The plump oranges stood out against the foliage.
The fruit reminded her that the Lord also wanted his saints to bear good fruit, to have self-control. Margaret wondered if this was an answered prayer, a reminder to control her thoughts.
She deeply inhaled the fresh air, hoping that it would soothe her nerves. To her surprise, she did not catch the bright scent of citrus as she would have expected. Instead, she smelled something lightly floral.
“The trees do not smell of citrus,” she noted, surprised.
“Have you never been in an orangery, My Lady?”
She shook her head and paused to take another deep breath. The result was the same: she could not smell the fruit itself, but only the blooms on the trees. Each one was small and white, tiny stars among the dark leaves.
Leo reached up and plucked an orange off the tree. He handed it to her, and she pressed it to her nose. This was the citrus scent she had been anticipating, but the floral scent was just as lovely in its own way.
“If you ask nicely, the cook will make fresh juice for you.”
Margaret kept the orange in her hand as they resumed their walk through the gardens. Theresa and Aaron had wandered deeper into the field of trees, leaving Margaret and Leo behind. Perhaps her intrigue was not so obvious as she had thought.
Theresa would never leave her alone with a man she did not trust. Margaret was sure of that. Theresa would not risk that her friend would not be able to take her vows in a week.
As Margaret walked along, she wondered what she would do at this estate all day long. Theresa and Aaron had granted her leave to explore the estate, the gardens, and even the city. Here, she had no idea whether she might wander into another one of Leo’s parties.
“Will there be book club meetings during your house party?”
The question had been burning the back of her throat for some time. She was not surprised that it made its way to her tongue.
Margaret was always in trouble for saying the things that popped into her mind. It was one of the main reasons she was frequently disciplined by Mother Superior.
Leo halted beside her and turned to look her in the eye. His mouth hung open, and his eyes were wide in shock. She could not tell if it was real or make-believe, but he did look surprised she would ask such a thing.
“A little nun should not be asking such questions,” he chastised her.
Margaret jutted her chin. “You did not answer my question, Your Grace.”
“Nor will I, for you have no right to ask about something you know nothing about.”
Leo continued walking, dragging Margaret along with him. It seemed that he was eager to catch up with their friends. She wondered whether he was eager to put this conversation behind them.
Had she misread the moment?
“You know, I am to take my vows in less than a week. Maybe I just want one last adventure,” she whispered.
Her eyes were fixed on the grass as she spoke, not daring to look up at him. Tears stung the back of her eyes, embarrassed at her openness with a man she barely knew.
He grabbed her chin and lifted her face to his. He looked her right in the eye, which sent a thrill through her. Perhaps he did not find her so unattractive, after all.
“The problem is that I do not think you will be able to take it. You would have to obey.”
At the mere thought of having to obey someone, Margaret let a giggle escape her lips. Soon, her giggle turned into a full laugh, causing her to clutch her belly with one hand. Leo did not smile in return.
“I have never been good at obeying,” she said when she could finally catch her breath.
She thought of the times she and Theresa had scurried away from the convent toward the lake, urging their horses forward at a rapid clip. And she thought of the way they had ultimately been punished for those excursions: extra prayers, kitchen duty, and more chores than usual.
No, she had never been one for simple obedience.
Leo cocked an eyebrow at her as her laughter subsided. His mouth quirked upward, hinting at a smile. “I can show you the pleasures of obedience.”
Margaret flushed bright pink, and her throat went dry. She swallowed hard and shook her head. “I do not think you would be able to teach me anything that the nuns have not already tried.”
“I wager I could have you begging me to tame you by the end of the week,” Leo said smoothly.
He touched the tip of her chin with his finger, and she wondered—just for a moment—if he might kiss her. Part of her was tempted to lean into him, to encourage it. Part of her refused to let him win the fight so easily.
“You think too highly of yourself,” she scoffed. “Perhaps I was interested in another member of your book club.”
“I have seen the way you look at me, little nun. It is no secret that you are interested in learning what I have to teach.”
“I will not feed this idea that you have of yourself,” Margaret said.
Her blush crept further up her face until she could feel every inch of her skin burning. She hoped that he could not hear her heart pounding in her chest.
He had read her intentions more clearly than she had anticipated.
She dropped her hand from his arm and turned on her heel to go back the way they had come.
“You do not know the way,” he called after her.
“I will ask the servants to show me to my chambers then.”
She cast a glance over her shoulder and found Aaron and Theresa close by in the grove of trees. Theresa had a half-peeled orange in her hands, a smile on her face from something her husband was telling her—a loving husband, something neither she nor Theresa had ever hoped to find.
Something Margaret would never find.
She was to be married to the church in a few days. Nothing from this trip would matter to her then. This entire ordeal would be nothing more than an adventure she once had. Perhaps a sad adventure, but an adventure nonetheless.
“Are you going inside?” Theresa called. “I need to find our rooms as well. I need to sit for a while after such a walk.”
Margaret waited for Theresa to catch up to her.
“Will you be content to spend time with your friend without me?” Theresa asked Aaron with a smile. “I fear I spend more time sitting down these days than I would like. Perhaps we will squeeze in a dance at the party.”
“Go rest, my love,” Aaron said. “We will have a drink.”
“Let me at least order the maids to show you to your rooms,” Leo said. “Then Aaron and I will be in the study, should either of you need us.”
He looked pointedly at Margaret. She tried to avoid looking him in the eye and kept her chin jutted.
“We do not require anything of you at the moment,” she said. “If you would be so kind as to take us in, we would be much obliged.”
Leo smiled, but it came off as wolfish rather than helpful.
Her heart stuttered in her chest. Would he have that hungry expression on his face if he were to take her to one of his parties, or would he prefer to have another woman on his arm?
It does not matter who he would prefer to have on his arm.
She threaded her arm through Theresa’s and stepped back into the mansion, away from the one person who might have understood her better than anyone she knew.