Plain and Proper by M J Marlow (beach read TXT) 📕

even if he could Marianne was not letting go of him. Three hours later, she gave birth to twins, a fine healthy boy and girl. She fell asleep then and Gerard remained at her side. He smiled weakly as the Duke’s children brought him food and checked up on Marianne and the children. He had almost lost her again. It was time he took her someplace no one could harm her or their children again.
“When she’s strong enough,” he told the Duke when the man came to check up on his guests; “we will be going home to Strathmore. The property on the coast will be turned over to the Crown, as it should have been before this all began.”
“I’m afraid we can’t have that,” the Duke said to Gerard ad he raised the gun. “Marianne will believe she was hallucinating you, Strathmore. You are going to some friends of mine. They have a lot of questions they wish to ask you.”
“You can’t do this Ravenhold!’ Gerard protested as he was forced away from his wife. “I must remain with my wife!”
“Don’t worry about your pretty wife,” Ravenhold smiled at him nastily. “My son will take good care of her for you.” He looked over to the corner of the room to where Robert as tied into a chair with a gun to his head. He was gagged as well and struggling to free himself. “Won’t you, Robert?” Robert pulled at his bonds and cursed his father for a black-hearted villain. “He’s always admired Marianne. Once he’s undergone a little behavior adjustment, he will be quite happy to take her as his wife once you are gone.” He looked at his men in the doorway. “Take our lord Strathmore and turn him over to our friends. They are to use whatever methods they will to loosen his tongue.”
Gerard was forced downstairs and out to a waiting carriage. He saw D’Arbanville and his wife inside and he cursed and fought as he was shoved inside. D’Arbanville tossed a coin purse to the Duke’s man and the carriage took off. It stopped just out of sight of the manor house. Gerard glared at Andrew as his friend and uncle came to join them.
“Pertwee was correct,” Gerard snapped after he had down the whiskey he was handed. “Ravenhold is up to his ears in this mess. He is holding his own son hostage and plans to drug him to accept Marianne as his wife once I am dead.” He looked at Andrew. “Congratulate us, Uncle. Marianne gave birth to a son and a daughter, both quite healthy.”
Andrew nodded and sent up the signal flare. An hour later, the Duke of Ravenhold was taken into custody and Gerard was back with his family. Robert spent the next half hour showing the authorities the records his father had been keeping on his treasonous activities. Pertwee took the records when he arrived, but no mention was made of the Duke’s involvement. The Duke died of ‘natural causes’ and his eldest son Robert was elevated to his father’s rank. The first thing he did was to go to London and start a hunt for a suitable bride.
Gerard and Marianne took their children to Strathmore and spent the next several years happily ensconced in the family estate. When they finally came out of hiding seven years later, they had two more children, another boy and girl born separately. Despite the fact that she was a mother of four, most of the ton agreed that they had never seen a lovelier woman in their lives. Happiness and motherhood suited her.


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Publication Date: 01-11-2010

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