Page 29 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity (Ton’s Beasts #2)

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 had not done—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 is yours?” 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. You exist 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.

It was as if the Earl did not realize that Leo was a Beast.

But it was not just Leo who heard the admission the man made. He looked to where Christopher stood nearby. Christopher’s jaw had dropped at the confession, making his scar look even more grotesque in its shape.

The other men had paused their conversations at the drama that was playing out between the woman they had hoped to wed and the greedy Earl who had gathered them here.

But Leo had very little opportunity to push the others to take action because the old man tried to reach past him to grab Margaret by the wrist. As he did, he yelled, “I should do the same to you!”

Leo did not have to think twice about what came next. His own arm moved of its own accord, catching the man’s hand mid-air as he grabbed at his granddaughter. Leo gripped it tightly and pushed him back until he heard the snap of bone.

The Earl let out a loud shout and gripped his wrist with his other hand. Leo pushed him back from Margaret to create some space, but the old man stumbled and fell. From his spot on the floor, he was forced to look up at Leo.

“You do not get to say another word,” Leo said, stepping on the man’s good hand and relishing his pained scream.

Margaret came behind him and placed a hand on his arm to stop him from punching her grandfather and doing further damage. “Leo, it is enough.”

He never took his eyes off the old man, whose jaw continued to work, though no sound came out. There were so many things he seemed to want to say. His face was red now, rather than purple. Leo thought that the shade of embarrassment was flattering on him.

“Leo,” Margaret said, finally drawing his attention.

He took her in and gripped her shoulders with his hands. He never wanted to take his eyes off her again. Her skin was still a delicate shade of pink, the color he was starting to think was as beautiful as her red hair.

Still, he could not deny that she was still upset. It was no longer just her hands that shook as he held her. Her shoulders shook as she shed tears for the loss of her mother. She sobbed quietly for the loss of everything she might have had and now would not because she would be Leo’s bride.

At least, that was what he told himself.

Margaret had gone out on a limb, declaring in the midst of some of the more prominent men of the ton that Leo had ruined her. He had no choice now but to make things right. To make her his wife.

Because she had already claimed him, he had no reason not to try to soothe her right now. He pulled her close to him and cradled her head against his strong chest. His arms wrapped around her back and held her tight, the only thing that seemed to stem the tide of tears.

“My mother…”

“His crime will not go unpunished,” Leo whispered to her. He pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, so light that he was unsure if she could even feel it. “You are safe now.”

Then, he turned his attention to the room that was silent save for Margaret’s sobs. All of the men were watching him and Margaret with mild interest. Some of them came closer, caging in the Earl so that he could not stand up or get away.

“This auction is over,” Leo announcedto the remaining few. “I will be taking my bride with me. I’m sorry that you have wasted your time on a fool’s errand.”

Margaret leaned into his touch as he made his announcement. He had every intention of taking her back to his estate, but there was one thing he needed to take care of before they could leave.

He heard the shouts before he saw the men swarming the estate. Margaret looked around, and her eyes went wide. She tensed in his arms, and he pulled back from her. He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear tenderly.

“Nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her.

He led her to the door and threw it open, letting in the constables. Margaret looked at him with wonder.

“How did you know he would confess?” she asked quietly.

The constables were already rounding up the Earl, though it was no difficult feat. He remained on the floor, cradling his broken wrist in his good hand. One of the constables grabbed him by the upper arm and pulled him to his feet.

“You cannot do this to me!” he yelled at the top of his lungs as they hauled him out of the ballroom.

He continued to yell, letting out curses, as they dragged him to their carriage.

“His auction defied the Queen’s Edict,” Leo whispered to Margaret. “And he tried to take away what’s mine. My word will always be above his.”

Christopher was the first to approach the constables to give his statement about what had transpired. “He is a thief, bringing us here and demanding that we pay for the right to bid for his granddaughter’s hand. Not to mention, he confessed to murdering his own daughter.”

Leo could overlook their shared history and tragedy if he did the right thing by Margaret. His brother might have died in that duel with Christopher, but it was because Christopher had his own moral compass. It might have been wrong in the past, but it wasn’t now.

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.”