Page 4 of The Duchess He Couldn’t Resist

Marigold sighed in relief, but it was short-lived. Donny licked his lips, making a disgusting sound, and came closer to her ear. Marigold expected the usual nauseating comments, the ones he reserved just to see her squirm, afraid and disgusted. Again and again before, she had suffered, humiliated like this, disrespected, threatened. But each time she endured. These were only the words of a coward, and as long as his boss did not approve, she was safe.

But this time, she knew instantly that it was different. He was too close, too drunk, too frustrated. Marigold feared that he had reached a point that separated civilized men from animals. The man keeping her caged against the brick wall was reduced to basic instincts. Real panic came over her. She looked at the men behind him, pleading with her eyes for help. But this was no sophisticated company, just a pack of wolves that had found defenseless prey. She was that prey.

“Oh, little rabbit,” he growled in her ear. “It won’t be long now. One of these days, Johnny will decide that it’s high time you paid your debts in a very different way.”

Marigold inhaled in pure shock, hating herself for that little slip in her composure. But Donny saw that, and he chuckled cruelly.

“Yes,” he slurred. “And when that time comes, little rabbit, I will very much enjoy being the first one to take you.”

Every little hair on her body rose with disgust. Her instincts kicked in, and she tried to push him away, but she was no match for him. She looked away, but she could still hear the mirth in his voice as he pulled closer.

“And rest assured, My Lady,” he threatened, “I will not be gentle.”

And to prove his point, he lifted his hand and grabbed her by the waist. She tried to pull away, but he dug deeper, and his hand moved up her ribs. Marigold fought to pry away from his touch, but he hit the brick wall by her head, an open warning. And then his thick, fat fingers gripped her breast, squeezing so tight that she cried out in pain.

But that only seemed to spur him on. He grasped her again, but Marigold had reached a breaking point. She put all her weight behind both arms and pushed him away. Donny was surprised and off balance and still tipsy from that gin. He stumbled backwards and fell on his back, right on the wet cobblestones.

The rest of the hyenas laughed wickedly, making fun of the man who was supposed to be their ringleader. Marigold knew that she had kicked the hornets’ nest, so her instinct was to flee. She never got the chance. Donny was on his feet in no time and grabbed her by the hair as she was running away. The pain made her yell, her hands wrapping around his wrist to free herself.

“You are going to regret that,” he hissed.

He pulled her by the hair, closer to him, forcing her to face him. When Marigold met his eyes, she knew she was not going to leave this alley intact. And her fears were justified when she saw Donny raise his hand.

Her instinct was to close her eyes and endure the pain that was coming. A deeply scared part of herself prayed pathetically that after Donny slapped her, he would be satisfied and let her go. But Marigold, despite everything, was still a lady of the ton, and she would not allow herself to show fear or cower.

Shaking with fear, she still looked him in the eye as he prepared to strike her for ridiculing him in front of his peers. She saw, as if it were happening slowly, his hand drop down. She closed her eyes.

But the strike never came. Marigold opened her eyes and gasped. The strike never landed simply because a large hand was around Donny’s wrist, holding him. Not simply stopping him but really gripping him so tightly that her aggressor almost dangled. For one moment, nobody moved in that alley. She could still hear the movement of the city outside this little universe, drops of rainwater, a horse neighing in the distance, her own pulse echoing in her ears.

But none of this mattered.

Because in that alley, there was a man. Or at least Marigold registered him as a man despite evidence to the contrary. Because the man in question was simply enormous, dwarfing the already small alley, his broad shoulders swallowing it whole. Marigold had to arc her neck to look at the top of his head.

“Christ!” One of the gang members was the first to break the silence.

Although he was not eloquent, Marigold found that his exasperation very accurately described the spectacle before her. The stranger decided that breaking Donny’s wrist was not worth the while and dropped him.

Twice in the same night, Donny found himself on his back. Only this time, anger was not the first sentiment to come over him. Marigold felt a wild satisfaction as Donny looked up at the newcomer with sheer terror.

“You should leave,” the stranger said calmly.

Marigold stood absolutely still upon hearing this voice. It carried the kind of authority that expected obedience and would not take kindly to defiance. Though she was not the target of that unnerving, sharp tone, Marigold’s survival instincts told her that she had better keep silent.

The same instincts came over Donny as he got up, taking a step back from the giant blocking one side of the alley. Upon studying him, Marigold was sure that Donny would have fled as fast as his feet could carry him if it weren’t for his lackeys. Out on these streets, where law was hard to find, all Donny had was his reputation.

So, it came as no surprise when Donny laughed nervously and looked at the man, taking one small step towards him.

“And who are you supposed to be?” Donny demanded.

“I said,” the man repeated, suddenly making the air feel icy, “leave.”

Marigold looked between the four men and this stranger, yet if she were a gambling woman, she would bet all her money on that towering presence in the alley. And yet Donny was either too desperate, too drunk, or simply too imprudent because he made a threatening move against the man.

It happened faster than lightning. One moment, Donny raised his hand as he had done to strike her, and the next, he was lying on his back, holding his nose, blood trickling down. All Marigold managed to notice was a sickening cracking sound and then Donny’s painful howl.

That was enough for the men to finally come to their senses and realize they were overpowered by a single man. They grabbed Donny as fast as they could and dragged him out of the alley and into the busy street.

The stranger turned away immediately, as if this whole incident were just an inconvenience, as unremarkable as trying to avoid a puddle of water. He turned his massive back and made his way to the other side of the alley.