Page 116 of Stolen and Seduced By the Duke

Margaret looked towards Hugh, who was now happily playing beside Bethany, and felt a reluctant pang of understanding.

"Perhaps, Camelia, you are right. Maybe Pierce's absence is not a rejection of me, she said.

Yet Margaret could not entirely silence the question that had been haunting her since dawn.

If he cares for me as much I hope—or at all—why is it so hard for him to tell me where he is going?

CHAPTER 30

An hour in the sunlight with Hugh almost eased Margaret’s worries. Almost. She sat in the gardens with Hugh nestled against her, allowing the warm sunshine to fall across them both while he played with a ribbon tied around her sleeve. The air smelled of roses and freshly cut grass, and for once Margaret was not thinking about where Pierce had gone or how many days had passed since his departure.

She smiled down at Hugh as he babbled happily, and then, quite suddenly, he looked directly at her. "Mama!"

Margaret went utterly still. For one extraordinary moment she wondered whether she had imagined it, but Hugh reached for her with both hands and repeated, "Mama," his little face brightening with delight.

"Oh, my darling," Margaret whispered, tears immediately filling her eyes as she gathered him against her.

She kissed his soft cheek again and again, laughing through the tears that slipped down her face. He had said it. Her little boy had actually called her Mama. The word seemed to reach somewhere inside her that she had not even known was aching, filling her with such fierce love that everything else disappeared.

She barely noticed the footsteps approaching across the lawn, too absorbed in Hugh to recognize that someone had entered the garden. It was only when a cold voice interrupted her happiness that she finally looked up.

"How touching," Harrowby said, standing several yards away with a sneer upon his face.

Margaret's blood turned cold. She immediately pulled Hugh tighter against her chest.

"How did you get onto the estate?" she demanded, her voice sharp despite the fear suddenly tightening her throat.

Harrowby gave a humorless laugh and gestured towards the distant boundary. "I climbed the fence."

Margaret stared at him in disbelief.

"Leave," she ordered, holding Hugh securely against her. "You have no business being here."

Harrowby's expression hardened as he looked at her, and Margaret saw the fury beneath his contempt.

"You really believe he has won, don't you?" Harrowby asked, taking a step towards her. "Pierce stole my rights," he continued, his voice thick with bitterness. "He stole my bride, my future, my life. Everything that should have belonged to me."

His gaze shifted towards Hugh, and something inside Margaret screamed a warning before he even spoke again. "Since the duke stole something from me, I shall steal something in return."

Margaret's arms tightened around Hugh. She knew immediately what he meant, and terror surged through her so violently that she could scarcely breathe.

She did not waste another second. Margaret stood up and ran. She clutched Hugh against her with one arm while gathering her skirts with the other, racing towards the house as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Help!" she screamed, her voice breaking across the gardens. "Help me!"

Hugh began to cry, and Margaret's heart pounded as she glanced over her shoulder.

Harrowby was coming after them. He was faster.

"Please!" she cried, pushing herself harder. She could hear his footsteps drawing nearer, and panic threatened to overwhelm her. She had to get Hugh inside. She had to get him somewhere safe.

Harrowby caught her before she reached the house. His hand seized her arm, wrenching her backwards, and Margaret cried out as she twisted desperately to keep Hugh away from him.

"Give me the child!" he snarled, reaching for Hugh.

"No!" Margaret screamed, turning her body so that she became a shield between them.

She held Hugh against her chest and curled herself around him, taking every grasping hand against her shoulders rather than allowing Harrowby to touch the child.