Page 20 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
He made a dismissive gesture, still holding her eyes. “The wait would be too long between the ceremony and the event.”
“Then have the ceremony later.”
“The time is non-negotiable, My Lady.”
“If red wine is too heavy for breakfast, then we should have cider instead.” Rowen changed tack.
You will not disarm me so easily, bride of mine.
He took another step towards her, his nose wrinkling in distaste. “Cider is a foul drink, and I will not have it at my wedding.”
“Ourwedding.” She met him with a step of her own. “And I do not like white wine.”
“Then drink champagne,” Tobias replied smoothly. “We will not have cider—it is common and vulgar, which you are not.”
“In case it escaped your notice, Captain—” Rowen began.
“Colonel, actually.”
To his satisfaction, her nostrils flared with anger. “I am not one of your soldiers, and I have no intention of letting you order me about. I will have a say in my own wedding.”
“No, you want to have your way. And that is not how this agreement will work,” he retorted.
She glared at him. “I have no wish to be married in three days.”
“Why? Do you wish to delay the repairs to your estate? Is it better for the house to crumble into nothing?” Blood thundered in his ears as he closed the distance between them, the corner of his mouth quirking up. “If I did not know any better, I would say it is a clever ploy so that you might remain under my roof longer.”
“You arrogant b?—”
“Would you like to see your rooms, Rowen?” Adele interjected, putting herself between them and lifting David from Tobias’s arms. “I am sure Davey and Fliss are itching to see Georgie and Alistair, and you must be exhausted after your journey.”
The toddler’s eyes were wide, but he did not look alarmed. Tobias felt a surge of relief as the thundering in his ears faded.
“This discussion is not over.” Rowen turned on her heel and stormed out of the room.
“Oh, I beg to differ, bride of mine,” Tobias murmured.
He ran a hand through his hair and realized that one of his fists was clenched tight. His jaw was tight, and every muscle in his body felt like a coiled spring, ready to snap. His eyes narrowed as he watched her leave.
How does she get under my skin so easily?
“Was that really necessary?” Warner had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against a wall.
“She started it.” Tobias knew he sounded petulant, but he did not care.
“And you continued it. You can hardly blame her for being upset at you making decisions for her.” Warner shook his head. “It would not kill you to be a little kinder.”
“She should know what she is getting into. If I give in to her now, I will spend the rest of my life doing it. She is not marrying for love, and she would do well to remember that.” Tobias straightened his cravat.
“I suspect she is more than aware of that, Cousin,” Warner replied drily. “If you keep pushing her like this, it will not end well.”
“I would not need to push her if she did not insist on wrestling for control at every opportunity,” Tobias growled. “I have no wish to spend the rest of my life fighting for power.”
“Then do not do it.” Warner let out an exasperated sigh. “If I did not know any better, I would say you enjoyed it. It is certainly the most animated I have seen you, bar when you play with the children. Honestly, Toby, I do not understand why you behave like this with everyone who is not a child.”
“Children are more tolerable company than adults.”
The children do not know the truth about me. They do not know what kind of man my father was.
