“Oh, he mentioned something about seeing me here tonight, we ran into him at the ribbon shop only before you came in,” she explained as they went up the dance hall. “He is quite the charming man Mr. Edwards, have you not had the chance to meet him before?” she questioned when the music was low enough to speak over.

  The sureness in her voice about the Duke’s intentions made him look around the room again and again for the remainder of the dance until he could escape the room in case he was spotted. The dance ended and he bowed stiffly, excusing himself for some fresh air.

  Although his instant silence had confused her, Margery continued about the house, happily engaged in exploring so much so that she did not notice the Duke’s tall figure, dressed in black pants and jacket, enter the lobby and pass into the dance hall in search of her.

  She turned and headed for the balcony where she had seen Hugh exit the dance hall to see if everything was all right. He had left her in quite a state of distraction.

  The Duke spotted Charlotte pass towards the terrace from across the room, the woman standing next to Margery a moment ago who he barely had taken any notice of that afternoon but he was sure it had been her, was now standing alone. He approached her quietly and tapped her lightly on the shoulder.

  “Your Grace,” she said as she turned around and dropped into a sweet, low curtsey.

  “Hello, you are acquainted with Miss Margery Fairchild are you not?” he asked her impatiently.

  “I am, Your Grace; she is the kindest, most wonderful creature in the entire world. I was her governess when she was a child and we have been inseparable ever since. Have you seen the lady tonight? She looks quite stunning,” she bragged.

  “I have not had the pleasure of seeing your friend since this afternoon with the lovely blue ribbons in her hand,” he gestured, wishing to continue but had no chance once Charlotte had decided to keep talking about her dear friend.

  “I believe she is wandering the house looking for more beautiful things to stare at, she has such a sweet and innocent heart, Your Grace,” Charlotte continued.

  “Do you know, Miss...” he began in a hurry.

  “Edwards,” she answered.

  “Miss Edwards,” he tried again. “Do you know whether or not Miss Fairchild is employed for the next dances or not?” he asked calmly, looking for any sight of this woman’s abhorrent brother.

  “I am afraid, Your Grace, that I must inform you that my dear Margery is employed for the next two, if not all, of the remaining dances of the evening,” she started.

  His face fell, and he could not catch a glimpse of those pretty blue ribbons anywhere in the room. He suddenly became very anxious to find her, hoping it was not too late to save her from ruin.

  “Are you sure?” he asked her again, to be sure that she knew for certain.

  “Quite, Your Grace, I believe before the evening is over, she will be engaged to my brother Hugh. He has been courting her these past few weeks, and I cannot help but see them grow closer by the day,” she regaled excitedly.

  I must find her, he thought in a panic. Now.

  “Thank you for your time, Miss Edwards,” he said, kissing her hand and turning sharply on one heel.

  He strode about the house for what felt like hours but had only been a matter of minutes with no luck at finding her. Perhaps she has gone to visit the horses, he thought, remembering her enjoyment when they had first met in the woods. Fool! he cursed angrily to himself, she is at a ball, why would she escape to visit the horses? His concern for her was growing and it was making him insane with worry. If that scum of a man had gotten her alone somewhere away from prying eyes...he could not allow himself to think of it and hurried on in his search.

  He spotted her. He was passing by a small open balcony with plants and bushes and things littering the entire surface of it, but her ribbons were shining in the moonlight just above all of that. Then the light glistened on a button next to her, the gold button of a redcoat uniform; she was with him.

  Without thinking, Avery strode onto the balcony in time to hear her say, “Yes, I will marry you,” while Edwards in turn kissed her on the mouth and reached to yank up her skirt but she protested. In four long strides, the Duke reached them and pulled Edwards back by the collar and began shouting as Margery ran inside, covered in tears, to find Charlotte.

  Margery was shocked at this side of Hugh which she had not seen before. He had always been kind and gentle to her. She was thankful that His Grace had come to her rescue; she shuddered to think what might have happened on that balcony as she was not capable of fighting off a strong man such as Hugh.

  She turned to look as the Duke of Dunshire landed a punch to Hugh’s face. That wretched man quite deserves it, she thought wickedly, he deserves everything he gets. How could I have been fooled by him? How has he fooled Charlotte, hiding his true personality from her? From everyone?

  Wiping the tears from her cheeks, Margery realized that Hugh Edwards had apparently fooled a lot of people, except the Duke.

  Chapter 9

  The Duke slammed his fist into the face of Hugh Edwards with a sound that alerted some nearby men who found their way out onto the terrace to see what the matter was. Through his shouting, the men gathered that Mr. Edwards had attempted to assault a young woman who was there as a guest of the Colonel’s. Colonel Bennett was among those men and tore the two apart demanding to know the exact nature of the disturbance but upon realizing who the two men were, the answer was clear enough for him, and he escorted Mr. Edwards out of the building. The Duke had followed in a rage to ensure that the man be dealt with in the most appropriate manner.

  Margery had fled into the arms of her beloved Charlotte, her hair a mess and tears streaming down her face as her body collapsed in shock when she made contact with her friend. Charlotte took her into the parlor where drinks were being served as it contained far fewer guests.

  “My girl! Whatever has happened to you, you look a fright! Where is Hugh? Why has he left you alone in such a state?” she exclaimed as Margery sobbed uncontrollably into her handkerchief.

  “You…Your...sniff…your brother...” she broke off into further sobs of grief and fear trying to explain what had happened to her.

  “Did he stop seeing you?” she asked quietly, “Has he left you alone?” she pressed further, throwing her friend into an even deeper lapse of agitation.

  Avery entered the room, red faced and glossy eyed, his eyes on Margery.

  “Is she all right?” he asked Charlotte, who stood up to bow when he entered.

  “I don’t know, Your Grace; she has not said one sensible word since she came back into the house. Do you know where my brother is? Shall I fetch him?” she asked in a panic.

  “No,” he said coldly, “Your brother has been escorted out of here.” A look of wild confusion spread over her face. “Colonel Bennett!” he called over his shoulder to the host of the evening. “Please take Miss Edwards and explain to her the situation pertaining to her brother. Clearly, he has not even been honest with his family about his whereabouts the past twelvemonth if not even longer.” The Colonel took Charlotte by the hand and led her out of the room where he told her all about her brother’s past troubles, lies, and convictions.

  Avery sat with Margery until her sobbing subsided before asking her what had really happened before he came out onto the terrace to save her.

  “I thought...he…he was a good…a good man,” she stumbled as a few more tears escaped her shining eyes. “He had only just asked me to marry him,” she pleaded as if she would appear to him to be the guilty one.

  He could not bear to have her think such a thing of herself. “You are not to blame for this, Miss Fairchild. I assure you, no one believes such a thing of you. Shall I take you home?” he asked softly. “I cannot bear to see you in this state if there is something I may do to help you.” He touched her cheek lightly to wipe it dry.

  “No,” she sniffled after a few moments in silence. “I’d like to stay and perhaps indulge in a drink before I return. I have not had the enjoyment which one hopes to feel at a ball such as this and it would be a terrible waste of a dress,” she concluded.

  “Here,” he offered, handing her the smallest cup of punch from the table next to them. “I am certain that Mr. Edwards shall not trouble you again, he has been taken away from here and will not be offered the chance of bail again,” he assured her.

  Their silence lasted a little while longer while Margery recovered from her emotional trauma of the early evening.

  “Your Grace? May I ask why Hugh will not be offered bail? Has he…did he…do something before to warrant such harsh treatment?”

  Avery took a deep breath. He knew now was not the place to discuss Hugh Edwards. He also knew that Margery deserved an explanation from him. Charlotte would no doubt tell her later her conversation with the Colonel.

  “Mr. Edwards has, shall we say, a troubled past, Miss Fairchild. He had been tried for…assault…in the past. He served time but was released.”

  Margery gasped. “Charlotte couldn’t have known…she wouldn’t have introduced me to her brother if she had known…”

  Avery shook his head. “Mr. Edwards hid his deeds from his family. I can assure you that Charlotte did not know, Miss Fairchild. But Mr. Edwards will have plenty of time to think about his actions.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace. I…thank you, again.” She took a sip of her punch. “Let us have one dance, Your Grace. I believe that I owe you that much for what you have done for me.”

  “Miss Fairchild, I would be honored, but you are in no state to enjoy a dance,” he began, afraid that she would regret this decision.

  “Afraid you might not be able to keep up?” she teased, sniffing the last of her sorrows back.

  He smiled at her continuous attempt to chastise him for being unable to catch her on the horse all those weeks ago. He admired her perseverance and wit, and its ability to be found even during dark and troubling situations such as these.

  Taking her by the hand he whispered, “I will try harder to keep up with you this time, Miss Fairchild, but I think without our horses I am at a much greater advantage.” He led her onto the dance floor into a less crowded corner where he hoped they would not be disturbed by onlookers or questions about the incident that had just taken place.

  “You may call me Margery if you like, Your Grace, or Marge for short like Charlotte does,” she said to him. After an event such as the one which just passed between them, she felt it necessary to give up the formalities as he had certainly become more than just an acquaintance. His action had earned him the title of friend in her eyes, and he was easily on the way to being overly admired by her.

  “I thank you for the opportunity Margery, and you, of course, must call me Avery if you so desire,” he said in return, hoping that this may be a more obvious statement of his affections.

  “It is nice to see, Avery, that your slow speed on a horse has not so much affected your pace at dancing,” Margery joked as they went through the motions together.

  “It is impossible to be slow when one is dealt with such a quick footed partner such as yourself,” he added admiringly. She really was a splendid dancer, no doubt attributed to her teachings by Miss Charlotte Edwards, he thought. He glanced about hoping to catch sight of Miss Edwards, concerned that she might be in an unpleasant state by now, assuming the Colonel had explained everything to her in full.

  The dance went on, and their chatter ceased to allow their eyes to wander in the world of the other’s. Margery could sense that he had no ulterior motives in mind except to dance with her until the music stopped, and she felt safe in his proximity. The Duke, finally secure in his thoughts of her, understood that he was the reason she was safe, his actions had brought her comfort and relief. They looked into each other’s eyes with a new sense of appreciation, respect, and interest as they continued up and down the dance hall.

  Charlotte and Colonel Bennett looked on from the side of the room nearest the terrace where he confided in her that he had not seen the Duke look so content in a very long time.

  This pleased Charlotte, who had spent the last hour in complete hysteria upon discovering the news regarding her brother and the vile actions he had taken to make himself happy. Perhaps Margery would still be engaged soon, she considered as she watched the way the Duke smiled tenderly at her friend.

  “I am glad that you, Colonel, at any rate, made the attempt to save my brother from himself. I had no idea that any of this had been going on. I simply had not heard from Hugh in quite some time while he must have been imprisoned, and I merely attributed it to his busy schedule in the militia,” she excused herself for her ignorance. The Colonel comforted her as she began to feel ashamed of herself once again and assured her that she could not have known nor ever expected something of this nature if given no reason for suspicion.

  When the ball had come to an end, Avery escorted the ladies to their carriage and ensured they arrived safely at the inn before returning to his own home. He did not sleep that evening. He could not do anything but think of the lovely shade of blue the ribbons had been as they danced among the curls of her soft brown hair in the back of Margery’s head.

  ***

  The next morning when he woke, he ordered for his manservant, Havisham, to go to the jewelers in town and have a sapphire ring fashioned of the same hue as those lovely ribbons. It felt very impulsive, very sudden, and very unlike him but he had never been as desirous of anything or anyone in his entire life as he felt of Miss Margery Fairchild.

  He had tossed and turned all night, thoughts of the beautiful woman not allowing him to sleep. The feelings he felt for Margery were foreign feelings to him. He had never expected to fall for a woman and assumed he would marry to produce an heir, not for love.

  But Margery Fairchild was igniting feelings in him that he never thought he could feel. He was intrigued by her; he wanted to spend more time with her. He knew he did not wish for her to go away.

  ***

  When Margery and Charlotte returned to the inn, Charlotte apologized for the actions of her brother and assured Margery that she had not known of her brother’s actions. “Marge, I would have never introduced you to him if I had known. I am shocked that a brother of mine would do such lecherous deeds.”

  Margery comforted Charlotte as she sobbed. “Charlotte, I do not believe for one minute that you had known of Hugh’s actions. He…is…very troubled, and will now be held accountable for his actions.”

  The two had not spoken of Hugh again.

  Margery tossed and turned in bed. The evening could have taken a horrible turn if His Grace had not intervened. Margery blamed herself for not seeing the devil that lay beneath Hugh’s charming demeanor. She knew she had to stop beating herself up about the incident. Had she known Hugh’s past, she never would have spent time with him.

  His Grace. She couldn’t help but smile when she thought of him. He was so kind to her; a kindness which she believed she didn’t deserve. To him and to society, she was a nobody. She wasn’t a woman of wealth, of standing or of title. She was a simple woman living a simple life; a life that His Grace knew nothing of. And she knew nothing of his life.

  Margery had noticed the admiring glances that the young women had thrown His Grace’s way at the ball. She had seen the flirtatious glances and batting eyelashes as they spoke to him, each woman vying for any speck of attention that the Duke of Dunshire would throw their way.

  Yet, out of all the beautiful women, he lavished attention on her.

  Margery was leaving soon; she wondered what would happen when she was back at the Mason’s and His Grace was back at handling the affairs of the estate. Would he write? Could she write or wouldn’t that be proper? Would they be able to see each other? Would His Grace visit her at the Mason’s, and would the Masons be agreeable to that idea?

  The questions swirling through her mind kept Margery up almost all night. She felt society would shun her if the Duke was to court her, and that would reflect poorly on him. She knew he deserved someone of status; society would be pleased with that. But that thought brought a crushing realization to her; she had fallen hopelessly in love with the Duke. She knew it was foolish but her heart had overpowered her head. And she knew her heart would endure an intense heartbreak soon, but she would rather suffer that heartbreak than not fall in love with him. At least she had experienced love, and she would carry that with her until the day she died. Fleeting happiness was welcomed by Margery, as she had endured much heartache in her young life.

  And while she did not know the feelings that the Duke of Dunshire held for her, she knew that he cared enough to save her from the lewd Hugh Edwards, and that made Margery smile.

  Chapter 10

  The following morning, Colonel Bennett arrived at the inn shortly after sunrise and offered to join the ladies for breakfast at the London S just a little way down the road. Sitting down to a hot cup of tea next to the Colonel, Margery felt refreshed and free from last night’s events. She also felt a sense of regret that she had not the ample opportunity to thank the Duke or to inquire how long he might be staying in town.

  As those thoughts swirled in her mind and the honey swirled in her tea, the door to the London S swung open bringing in the cool breeze of the morning. As the chill ran down her spine she looked up, and a whole new set of goose bumps rose up all over her skin as the Duke walked into the room and headed straight towards her. Her heart pounded in her chest as the wind blew through his dark hair and he wiped it from his face. She had never seen him look so handsome. She blushed as the thoughts of love for him overpowered her. She hoped her face was not displaying the powerful emotions surging through her.

 

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