Page 8 of A Virgin for the Duke of Depravity (Ton’s Beasts #2)

“Hurry,” Margaret urged. “We only have a few minutes before they start looking for us. It would not do for us to be found alone together.”

Leo let out a derisive laugh that made her want to turn back to him, take his hand, and drag him back to the study where he and Aaron had holed up after the women took their leave. She turned when she did not hear his footsteps behind her.

“My little nun,” Leo said mockingly. “Last night, you were eager to explore the pages of my book. Today, you do not want to be alone with a man in your friend’s home.”

“Last night was different. It was unexpected.” Margaret tried not to look at him and kept walking ahead.

“Yes, there were many aspects of the night that were not quite what I expected. You being chief among them.”

“Contrary to what you believe, I was invited to the party last night, even if the invitation did not come from you.” She made a sound in the back of her throat that almost sounded like a laugh. “The King of Olympus is not the only one who could have invited me.”

“But it is the King of Olympus who will save you,” Leo said. He reached out and grabbed her hand, forcing her to turn around and look at him. “You do want my protection, do you not?”

“Hurry along,” Margaret said shortly.

They turned the corner on their way back to the study, just a few feet away from where Aaron had left them to check on Theresa. But it was too late.

Theresa stood on the threshold of her husband’s study, tapping her foot impatiently.

She would not be happy that Margaret had used her to secure an audience with Leo.

While she might be a duchess now, she would still have something to say about spending time alone with a man Margaret was not married to.

“Why did you lie to Aaron?” Theresa did not waste time getting to the heart of what bothered her. She did not look past Margaret to where Leo stood, trying to avoid being dragged into the conversation.

“I know what it—”

“Up to your old tricks again?” Theresa demanded.

“There was no trick involved, dear friend,” Margaret said, trying to keep her voice as even as possible. “It was just a matter of—”

But Leo cut her off and saved her from having to explain herself. “I believe that I must take my leave of you now, ladies. There are many things to be done to prepare for a house party, as I’m sure you know, Theresa.”

“It still perplexes the mind that you are in the mood for a party,” Aaron said, coming up behind his wife.

“I will see you all tomorrow, I presume?” Leo asked as he began to back down the hall toward the front entrance of Blackwell Manor.

“While I may disagree with you, we will be present for such a momentous occasion,” Aaron offered with a stern look in Leo’s direction.

At the mention of a disagreement, Margaret peered at both of the men with curiosity. Perhaps Aaron already knew about Leo’s offer. Perhaps he knew where she had been last night.

She ended up disappointed because the two gentlemen said nothing more about their disagreement. Leo disappeared around the corner and out the front door. There was nobody else around who knew that she was desperately running from something.

“I have not forgotten—” Theresa started.

“Theresa, may I borrow dresses for your friend’s house party? I fear that the dresses I brought with me will not be suitable for such an occasion.”

Theresa looked over the gown she had loaned her friend, focusing on where the fabric was too long and too tight for her frame. She bit her bottom lip and nodded.

“I think I have a few gowns that will fit you quite well,” she said. “Come up to the tower with me, and we shall try them on. Dear husband, will you excuse us for the morning?”

“I will give you ladies your space,” Aaron said with a smile.

He leaned in and kissed Theresa while Margaret looked on, embarrassed at the display of affection.

As Aaron turned to walk back to the breakfast room, Theresa and Margaret headed to the tower at the far end of the mansion. Her friend spoke of different fabrics and cuts that she thought would be flattering, but Margaret heard none of it.

“I fear you have not been listening,” Theresa said as she opened the door to the tower. “I have been boring you with things a nun does not truly care about.”

“It is not that,” Margaret said quickly. “I suppose I have much on my mind this morning. I am only a week away from taking my vows, and I feel like there is so much I have not explored yet.”

“London is so different from the nunnery. Do you have doubts about whether that is what you wish to do with your life?”

“I do not think I have any choice,” Margaret said, her voice more subdued than it had been before.

The words of her father rang in her ears. She certainly would not be able to move to the city, where the old Earl would demand that she do her duty.

“There is always a choice.” Theresa sat down at the small table in the center of the room and gestured for Margaret to sit opposite her. “If you do not think you can take your vows, I would understand.”

“I will wed myself to the Lord. It is just that there is so much I had not thought possible until my visit here. Seeing you so happy in such a different setting—it makes me wonder what could be.”

“I will be the first to admit that life in London was not what I had anticipated. But being with Aaron, and now being with child… It has made me think that this is the only life I could have lived. The Lord works in mysterious ways.”

“Mysterious, indeed,” Margaret agreed.

“But you did not come here so I would make you question such an important decision. You asked to borrow dresses for the party.”

With that, Theresa stood up and crossed to the armoire.

Margaret paused and then followed her, just in time to catch the gowns Theresa tossed over her shoulder.

“These dresses no longer fit me since I am with child,” Theresa said. “I fear that they will never fit me again. And even if they do, they will be out of fashion. You simply must try them on.”

“These dresses are so fine,” Margaret remarked, feeling the fabric and running her fingers along the stitching. “You would discard them simply for being out of fashion?”

“Juliette and Grandmama would never allow me to wear an outdated dress. It would not do for a duchess not to dress well.” Theresa shrugged and turned Margaret around so that she could begin to undo the buttons on her dress.

“Theresa,” Margaret started to say as Theresa helped her into the first gown.

She intended to confess to her dearest and oldest friend what she had agreed to with Leo, but Theresa stopped her when she pulled the dress over her shoulders.

“This dress fits you well,” Theresa said with a smile. The two of them peered in the mirror at Margaret. “You must take it.”

The green fabric brought out the red in Margaret’s hair, making the crown of her head look aflame. The deep neckline revealed the swell of her breasts and curved in at the waist, accentuating her curves and drawing attention to her hips.

Theresa was right—it was the most stunning gown Margaret had worn since she burst into the convent several years ago.

“Were you going to say something?” Theresa asked. Her skilled fingers worked down the laces on the back of the dress to help Margaret out of the restrictive fabric.

But the moment had already passed. Margaret thought better of telling Theresa, knowing that letting her friend in on her secret would mean revealing the full truth about her past.

Do not let him find you, she remembered her father saying.

If Theresa knew that her grandfather was here in London, would she let it slip to someone who knew him? How long would it be before her grandfather found her and forced her to do her duty?

No, it would not do for anyone to know the truth. She would rely on Leo to protect her. It was all she could do in her remaining time here before she took her vows.

She simply had to hope that she would make it one whole week in the city without her past catching up with her.