Page 65 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
“I would like you two to tell me what happened.” He swallowed. “Can you do that for me?”
“It was my fault.” Georgie shifted his weight from one foot to another. “If you are going to punish anyone, you should punish me.”
The tremor in her voice broke something inside him, and he fought the urge to pull her to him.
Georgie seemed so small, so vulnerable, and though her brother stood staunchly by her side, Tobias could see his youth just as plainly.
“I am not going to punish you, I promise. I just want to understand what has happened.” Tobias’s eyes flitted to Miss Harris, who had moved slightly but not spoken.
He could sense that the woman was itching to have her say, but she could wait.
“You promise no one will be in trouble?” Alistair looked again at the other adults before looking back at Tobias.
“I promise that you will not be in trouble.” Tobias did not want to lie to them. “I will need to talk to Miss Harris and Mr. Grey—they should not have behaved like that in front of you. But I promise I will be fair.”
“My form was wrong, and Mr. Grey was correcting me, and—” Georgie began.
“He is always correcting her,” Alistair spoke over her. “He criticizes her all the time and tells her that she is doing it wrong and?—”
The twins began talking over one another, and Tobias struggled to piece together their conversation.
“I do not want the lessons to stop. I have to be?—”
“He barely ever corrects me?—”
“I have to learn?—”
“He shouted.”
“I do not want to be treated differently. I want to learn to fence. I want to be strong enough to do it. I have to be.” Georgie’s lip trembled even as she cut her brother off. “Please, don’t stop my lessons. I will be good, I promise.”
Alistair looked from Georgie to Tobias, chewing on his lip. Tobias could tell the boy wanted to say more, but as a tear rolled down Georgie’s cheek, Alistair moved closer to her, comforting her.
Out of the corner of his eye, Tobias saw Miss Harris make a subtle gesture, as though pulling up the sleeves of her dress and then flicking her fingers towards Georgie.
His heart sank. “Georgie, may I see your arms, please?”
When her eyes widened, his whole body tensed.
I must not scare her.
“You do not have to show me if you do not want to. But Georgie, if you are hurt, I need to see them.”
Georgie shook and looked at Alistair, whose own shirt sleeves were rolled up. Tobias thought he heard the shuffle of footsteps behind him, but he ignored it. He gave Georgie an encouraging nod.
Wincing slightly, she rolled up her sleeves. Tobias gritted his teeth as he saw the welts that lined her forearms. He recognized the marks instantly. After all, his father had given him plenty with the end of his sabre when he had been learning to fence.
“Did Mr. Grey do this to you?” Tobias already knew the answer, but he needed the confirmation.
I will make him pay for this.
Alistair nodded while Georgie said, “It is my fault. I am not good or fast or strong, and I?—”
“No.” Tobias’s voice was firm but gentle.
How dare he do this to her?
“You could have been the worst fencer in the world, the most obstinate student, and still you would not have deserved this. No one deserves this. No one.”
