Page 21 of The Duke and the Accidental Bride

“Please, enlighten me.”

“So that she would agree to this wedding without argument.” Isabella looked smugly at him. “You were so darn convincing that I am starting to wonder if you are truly as against it as you claim.”

Oh, he does not like that!

Isabella could see the look of fury in his eyes, a subdued temper that she brought out in him with a little too much ease. And where Isabella knew it was not smart to do so... if annoying him such that he cancelled this wedding was her only option, it was one she would gladly take.

And the fact that a small part of her took pleasure in that fury? A pleasure that she did not fully understand but had been unable to stop thinking about since the last time they had spoken... she supposed that was a risk she needed to take.

"I said as I did because I had no choice,” he explained patiently. “As I have already explained to you, but I will do so again because you are even more dense than I expected --”

“--- I am not --”

“-- you are the one who brought this on us,” he spoke over her, a deep growl in the back of his throat, paired with a warning glare that told her interrupting him was not the best of ideas. “All I am doing is making sure that we come out the other side with our names and reputations still in one piece. I am sorry if you were not happy with the way I spun our little tale but if you were not being so obstinate, I would not have had to do so. Now...” He leaned forward and opened the door. “If there is nothing else, I think it is best if you go back inside. As I said, I will write to you once the banns have been confirmed and a date is set. Until then, I see no reason for us to speak.”

The smart thing to do was to take his cue and leave.

What the Duke said made enough sense, and even Isabella did not think that he wished for this marriage any more than she did. She was just trying to bait him! As she had been doing since he first arrived.

Further to that point, Isabella still refused to admit that there was no way out of this – the Duke was just being stubborn, a trait she knew well. Yes, it would be messy. And yes, for it to work, she might have to push the Duke to the very edge of reason until he saw no way forward save for ending this engagement, even if it meant embarrassment and shame.

But if that is what it takes, then that is what it takes.

“I have to say, Your Grace, I am a little bit disappointed.”

His Grace, still leaning forward with one hand on the open door, frowned. “What do you mean?”

Isabella hesitated. She realized suddenly that what she wanted to do and what shecoulddo were two entirely different things. Yes, flirting her way out of this might have been an option, but she did not know what that meant. Or if she had the inane ability to do such things.

He cheeks flushed furiously as she sat herself up and pushed her chest out. “You did not compliment me on my… my dress.” She could not even look at him as she spoke. “I wore it just for you and I had hoped you might notice.”

His eyes dropped to her body but looked away just as quickly. “That is not... the dress is highly inappropriate.”

“Inappropriate. How so?”

He seemed overly careful not to look again. Licking his lips, brow turning red, she could see the effort it was taking him. “I know what you are doing.”

It’s working… I think it is. Surely, this is what flirting looks like?

“An -- and what am I doing, exactly?” She forced herself to meet his eyes, even if she was feeling less than confident about this whole thing.

“And again, I must make it clear...” He cleared his throat. “There is nothing that you can do to change my mind. This marriage will happen.”

“Yes, you have said that. I was just asking for an opinion.”

“Once we are married, you are not to dress this way again. Do I make myself clear?” He spoke those final words in an angered growl which washed over Isabella’s skin like a wave.

She very nearly faltered. She wanted to! Suddenly aware of how alone the two were, this entire plan of hers was becoming more and more foolhardy by the second! A shame then that she was so stubborn.

“Oh...” She bit into her lip as she considered what she might say next. “Should I wear less? I confess, any less than this and I might have to wear nothing. Is that what you are implying?”

It was working. She could see that it was. He was beginning to sweat. He was turning flushed in the face. Body shaking slightly, she could literally see the fight within as he struggled not to rise to anger.

That’s it... let it come... get angry... understand that this is what is in store if you do not change your mind...

He took a deep breath. “I suggest you stop now, Miss Gouldsmith. And I suggest that you do as I ask and leave this carriage, immediately.”

“Or what?” she shot back, dropping the façade and turning her attention back to anger where it belonged. “You wish to know me better? You wish to understand who it is that you are so set to marry? This is me. And if you cannot handle that, well...” She met his eyes and cocked an eyebrow at him as if daring him to bite. “I am sorry to say there is not much you can do now, is there. You saw to that.”

---