Page 21 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity (Ton’s Beasts #2)

“Iam afraid you are mistaken, My Lord,” Margaret said.

Leo looked to her for answers, but he would find none. She wiped all emotion from her face, hoping that her grandfather would not glimpse her fear.

This was a familiar expression for her, one she employed when Mother Superior caught her in sin and rebellion. She would never let them see how much she dreaded the discipline. She would not give them the satisfaction, just as she would not give it to her grandfather now.

“Nonsense. I know my granddaughter when I see her.” The Earl took another step closer.

Leo took a slight step towards the other man, a solid barrier to prevent him from grabbing at her.

“I am not from around here,” Margaret hedged, hoping he would let it drop.

She hoped that he would not press the issue, not with Leo around. Whatever her grandfather had planned for her, she was almost certain he would not act on it in the presence of others.

If she could buy herself some time, she could return to the convent. He would never find her in time before she took her vows. It was only a few days away.

“I would have found you much sooner if you lived in London,” he said, tapping his cane on the ground. “I have been searching for you for a long time, as I am sure you well know.”

She knew better than to speak. Her voice would be too weak. She would not be able to ward off the man’s advances for much longer. She needed to escape, but she and Leo could hardly leave their friends behind.

She would need to find Theresa and Aaron, round up the girls, and they would all have to make it back to the carriage before her grandfather could follow them.

It was an impossible task.

“There is no denying that you look exactly like your mother. Your red hair, the shape of your eyes. It is clear that you have the family looks.”

Margaret said nothing.

“I do trust that you and I will be closer than your mother and I. You’ll be far more obedient, I am sure,” the Earl added when she did not respond.

“My mother ran away,” Margaret said quietly. Her voice was weak, but it did not waver when she looked up at her grandfather. “She did not want to be near you—and for good reason.”

“Your mother did not run away. She fell in love, my dear. And she caused quite a scandal at that. But she did not run away. She lived a happy life, did she not?”

Margaret did not answer.

Her mother might have lived a somewhat happy life, but the Earl could not say that her life had been full. Not with everything he had done to destroy the family.

Now, he was here to claim Margaret just as he had tried to claim her mother before her. Dread sank into her bones like lead, keeping her from moving away from him.

Leo opened his mouth to protest the man’s advance, but the Earl cut him off.

“I want to give you the happy life you deserve, too.” He tapped his cane on the ground again and then pointed it at Margaret. “I am sure you know of the auction already. Why else would you hide behind the Duke and avoid me at the opera?”

She saw clarity on Leo’s face as he realized that the frail old man was the reason she ran. But confusion contorted his features at the mention of the auction. Clearly, he had not read the papers.

“I will help you find a good match and get away from those evil women at the convent,” the Earl said.

How did he know where she was? And if he knew, why did he not come to claim her sooner, to force her into a marriage she did not want?

“The convent is my home,” she said with more confidence than she felt inside. “I will be taking my vows, so there is no need to trouble yourself with me.”

She said what she had to say, but she could feel that the color did not rise in her cheeks as it so often did. Her skin was cold and clammy. Her hands shook at her sides. She balled her fists to hide the tremors.

Terror overcame her, but she would not let the old man see her shake.

“Please, my darling. You are not fooling anyone.” He took a step away from her and Leo. “I expect you to join me by tomorrow. If you do not, then I will have to come get you myself. Now, I know where you are staying.”

“No one will take away my guest unless that is what she wants,” Leo said, his voice commanding, as he remained between the Earl and Margaret.

“We shall see,” the old man replied.

Leo watched the Earl walk away from them, making sure he was out of earshot before he turned to Margaret. When he turned his attention to her, she realized that she could not bear the future awaiting her.

Her knees buckled at the same time Leo reached for her.

Slowly, he guided her back to the bench. She took a seat and put her head in her hands.

“No, no, no,” she moaned. “Everything I did was for nothing. The years in the convent, the discipline, the rules. He found me. He found me.”

She repeated the words again and again until Leo cupped her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. When she met his eyes, she felt a sense of calm, but could not shake the fear that engulfed her.

How would Leo protect her from her grandfather?

It was impossible. That much she knew for certain.

“I am sorry, Father,” Margaret murmured.

Leo sat on the bench beside her and put a hand on her arm. He gripped her tightly, trying to remind her that he was here, that she was safe with him, no matter where they were.

He no longer cared about propriety or what the others might think of him putting his hand on her arm. He knew that she was terrified of the old man who had just confronted them, but he did not quite understand why.

Leo needed answers if he were to uphold his end of their deal.

“I have failed,” Margaret said, tears leaking from her eyes.

With the back of his hand, he wiped her tears. He moved from sitting beside her on the bench to crouching down in front of her so that his face was the only thing she could see.

“Tell me everything. Now.” His voice was a bark rather than the gentle murmur he had used to try to soothe her earlier.

The shift in his tone seemed to snap Margaret out of the trance she was in.

“My mother fell in love with my father when she was young. They met at a bookstore in London,” she started.

A deep breath shook her body as she shared the story that she had not told anyone for years.

“She was the only daughter of the Earl of Riley, and he would not have approved of the match, so they eloped. Her father never forgave her for bringing shame upon him. For not strengthening his connections through her marriage.”

“Your mother married for love,” Leo said, nodding.

That made sense to him. Her mother was as mischievous and rebellious as she had turned out to be.

“But that does not explain why you are scared of him.”

“The story does not end there.” She paused and took another deep breath.

“He came to visit us in Scotland, wanting to meet his grandchildren. But he showed up with a man he wanted me to marry. My father had an inkling of what he planned, so my parents took me to the convent to hide me away. Of course, my mother was angry when her father showed up with the man. She told him that he never loved her and would never come near me.”

“She loved you more than she loved her father,” Leo guessed.

Margaret nodded and bit her lip, trying to hold back the tears pricking her eyes. “He called on her to apologize, and she agreed to have tea with him. He was her father.”

“I take it the reunion did not go well?”

“She died after their exchange. Before she even left the room.”

“What happened to her?”

“My father found their teacups, but they were both empty. He is convinced that…”

“That your grandfather killed her?” Leo finished, surprised by the sudden turn of events.

He was starting to get a much better idea of why she was so terrified of the Earl, despite how harmless he seemed. He was quite overbearing, certainly. But frightening?

Only if he killed her mother.

“I know it sounds crazy, but…” Margaret trailed off, shaking her head while she thought about what she wanted to say. “Men do many things for money and because of disrespect.”

“And you are worried the same fate will befall you if you do not obey?”

Leo was starting to get a much better idea of her fear. But he needed her to know that she was under his protection now.

“My father made me promise,” she whispered. “I promised I would never let him find me. I failed.”

“The Earl of Riley is a coward and a murderer,” Leo growled.

“He wants to use me just as he wanted to use my mother.” Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks at the prospect of having to go with her grandfather, but Leo could not understand her dilemma.

“Just do not go to him. You are under my protection. He cannot hurt you while you are with me.” He tried to take her hand, but she shrank back from his touch in a way she never had before.

“You do not understand. He is more dangerous than you think. I cannot let him hurt any of you in an attempt to get to me.” A sob wracked her whole body. “My father told me to hide, and I failed, all because I wanted to be free of the convent. I wanted to see the world, and now…”

“And now what?” Leo pressed, refusing to pull away.

“Now, it will cost me my life one way or the other.”

She looked beyond him, and he remembered that they were not alone in Hyde Park. The girls were mere feet away, looking in their direction. Aaron and Theresa were not very far either.

“I cannot do this,” Margaret sobbed.

She rose abruptly from the bench and ran back to the entrance of the park. Leo could not allow her to remain alone in the park, nor could he chase after her.

He resolved to follow behind her at a brisk walk. As long as she did not leave his sight, he could give her some privacy. If anyone thought he was chasing her, they would not stop him. He was a duke, after all. The best he could hope for was that no one would recognize him and stop him to talk.