Page 24 of Stolen and Seduced By the Duke

"I am being entirely reasonable," Nathaniel countered. "You have spent the past two years insisting that you would never marry again, and now, without so much as a warning, you announce that you have proposed to a woman." He stared at Pierce. "Lady Margaret?"

"Yes."

Nathaniel pushed himself upright. "The same Lady Margaret who attended your masquerade dressed as Flora?"

"The very same."

Nathaniel looked towards the ceiling as though asking heaven for patience. "You discover that your late wife left you a living son, and then decide to acquire a wife. Pierce, what happened to you?"

Pierce ignored the question and walked around the table. "After the masquerade, I had my men search the grounds thoroughly. I wanted to know whether the woman who left Hugh had remained nearby or departed immediately after handing him over."

He paused, his expression darkening. "She had gone. No carriage could be identified, no servant saw where she went, and there was no useful description beyond what the household remembered."

"And you simply let her disappear?"

"No." Pierce's voice hardened. "I have employed a private investigator. He is searching for her now."

Nathaniel nodded slowly. "And Lady Margaret?"

Pierce rested the cue against his shoulder. "She asked for my help. She was bound by an old marriage contract to Lord Harrowby, and the man intended to enforce it. Margaret wanted out."

Pierce's expression became faintly amused as he remembered the masquerade. "She had a rather unconventional solution."

"I believe I can imagine," Nathaniel said.

"She intended to ruin herself publicly, and I tell you that in confidence, though she announced such a thing to all the men in this very room that night."

Nathaniel's eyebrows rose. "My, what a bold gesture. Where was I during this plan of hers?"

Pierce gazed at him. "That is my future wife you speak of in such a manner."

"Right. Apologies. But it is intriguing. I am assuming you prevented her from doing just that, as we did not get such a show at the ball?"

"I did."

"And then you proposed?" Nathaniel asked in confusion.

Pierce gave him a measured look. "Eventually."

Nathaniel stared at him. "You vowed never to marry."

"That was before Hugh," Pierce said.

He lowered the cue and looked towards the window, his thoughts briefly returning to the nursery and the tiny boy who had transformed his entire existence in a matter of days.

"Things changed when my son came into my life. He needs a proper mother. Someone who will care for him, educate him, protect him, and provide him with the stability he deserves."

Nathaniel was quiet for a moment. "And you believe Lady Margaret will do that?"

"She is spirited. She is of good stock and needed a solution, as did I."

"That was not precisely what I asked."

Pierce's mouth tightened. "She is kind. She is courageous. She has a strong sense of loyalty towards her family, and despite her foolishness, she has compassion." He paused. "She will do."

Nathaniel studied him with growing suspicion. "You make her sound like you are selecting a governess."

"This is not a love match."