Page 72 of The Beast's Unwanted Duchess
"I did not-"
"You did-"
Alice was gearing up to continue the argument when he kissed her, promptly emptying her mind of her next line of defense.
She was quite aware that their argument was childish at best, but something about teasing Victor was quite enjoyable, and she could not control it.
When he finally broke the kiss, he looked down at her with a rueful smile.
"That was the only way I could think of to shut you up."
If that was his mission, he had been immensely successful. She was surprised she had not melted into the river surrounding them.
"We both have a temper. Let's agree to disagree," he said, drawing her close till she was hugging his body.
"Well I do hope our child does not inherit that particular trait. If that happens, we will have our hands full in the coming months," she said, a smile in her voice.
She knew when the implications of her words hit him because he stiffened and gently pulled away to peer into her face.
"Are you saying what I think you are saying?"
"And what do you think I am saying, Your Grace?"
"That you are...with child," he said, his voice filled with fragile hope.
Nodding vigorously, she giggled with joy. The giggles turned into loud laughter when he lifted her and proceeded to whirl her around.
" Sto... Stop, we will fall," she sputtered between bouts of laughter.
He carried her out of the water, dropped her to stand on dry ground, and then pulled her into a fierce hug.
"Thank you so much. Thank you. I love you," he said, placing a kiss on her shoulder.
" I think we should return to the manor. I do not fancy standing in wet clothes," she said after some time.
Victor immediately withdrew, then proceeded to sweep her off her feet and carry her bridal style. He ignored her when she insisted she could walk and wanted to walk into the house with her own feet.
"It is my responsibility to take care of you and my unborn daughter," he said as he made his way to the staircase, ignoring the small crowd of servants assembled in the foyer to watch the rare sight of the duke carrying his wife.
"Why do you think the child is a girl? I would have thought you would prefer an heir to solidify your title," she teased.
"No, in case you have not noticed, I am a selfish man. I want a daughter with your eyes who will greet me with sweet smiles."
"A son can do that also."
"No, boys are trouble, little terrors if you will. They are more mischievous than sweet. I would prefer to have a sweet daughter before I have to deal with the trouble of male children."
"With your luck, you just might end up with a daughter who is a hellion."
"Well I will just have to tame her like I tamed her beautiful mother," he said, watching her face closely to see her reaction.
"You think I am tame now?" she replied, a baffled expression on her face.
"Well what do you think?" he said with a mischievous smile.
Instead of answering, she flashed him a wicked smile that promised retribution. A punishment that the Duke was sure to enjoy very much.
The End?
