Page 16 of Stolen and Seduced By the Duke

Bernard sighed. "I remain suspicious of your motives."

"That is reasonable."

"But this is my daughter's decision," Bernard continued firmly. "I will not compel her to marry you merely because you are a duke."

Pierce's respect for the man increased.

"If Margaret wishes to marry you," Bernard said, "then you have my blessing."

Pierce inclined his head. "I find that honourable."

He rose and adjusted his coat. His decision had seemed straightforward when he entered the house, yet now, with Bernard's blessing resting upon the matter, Pierce felt something unexpectedly heavier settle upon his shoulders. He had come intending to secure an arrangement. He had not anticipated that the woman herself would make the arrangement feel rather less simple.

"Well then," he said, turning towards the door, "I should speak with her."

Bernard nodded. Pierce reached the parlour door and paused.

He already knew Margaret would have demands.

What troubled him was the growing suspicion that he might have demands of his own.

* * *

What is the meaning of this?

Margaret had been pacing the library for so long that she had worn an invisible path into the carpet. She had tried sitting, then reading, then staring out of the window, but none of those activities had managed to quiet her thoughts. Pierce had gone to speak with her father, and that fact alone had filled her with such dreadful curiosity that she had scarcely been able to remain still.

When the door finally clicked behind her, she turned sharply and found the Duke of Ravenfield standing there, watching her with that unnerving calmness of his.

"You cannot be losing your wit now," Pierce observed, his gaze travelling over her distressed expression.

"Of course not," Margaret replied, drawing herself upright. "Though I am certainly losing something, and I suspect it may be my patience."

She refused to allow him to dictate the conversation, particularly when he possessed the irritating habit of making her feel as though he knew precisely what she was thinking. She folded her arms and lifted her chin.

"You could have ruined me at your ball, you know. Instead, you interrupted my wedding. I suppose the outcome is much the same, although your method was considerably more dramatic."

Pierce's mouth twitched, though she could not determine whether it was amusement or irritation. "That was merely the first step."

Margaret's stomach tightened. "First step?"

"As long as you remain unmarried, Harrowby will continue pursuing his claim," he explained, walking farther into the library. "Yesterday's interruption bought you time. It did not solve the problem."

Her suspicions were confirmed with brutal simplicity. Margaret stared at him, her heart sinking as she realized that his intervention at the church had never been an act of spontaneous gallantry.

He had not simply seen a woman in distress and decided to rescue her. He has arrived with a purpose, but what?

"So you truly meant it," she said slowly. "When you told the vicar that I was promised to you."

"I did," he said bluntly.

"You obtained that licence before yesterday?"

"Yes," again his answer was blunt and cold.

Margaret stared at him in disbelief. "Are you mad?"

Pierce's expression remained infuriatingly composed. "Perhaps. But I am not uncertain."