Page 7 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
“And what makes you think that?” Tobias arched an eyebrow at her and straightened. “Do you think I could not afford such a thing?”
“It is not a matter of means, Your Grace, but propriety.” Lady Rowen made a placating gesture as she resumed pacing. “While I have pushed the boundaries, I suspect that it would raise more than a few eyebrows if anyone found out that you were sendingme any amount of money, let alone what James was sending me.”
Tobias’s eyes followed her movement. The slight sway of her hips contrasted with the tension in her shoulders. “I have no intention of providing less than what Jenkins gave you.”
“Which makes this whole situation even more ridiculous! I cannot imagine your wife—when you take one—will be particularly happy about you sending us money. I know few women who would be happy that their husbands were funding other families.”
Her fingers twitched as though closing around an invisible object, and Tobias had the sense that, to her, the situation was more than hypothetical.
Before he could say anything else, she continued, “And even fewer who would put up with the kind of rumors that it would trigger.”
“Then it seems to me that I will have to marry an exceptional woman.” He shrugged.
She shook her head. “That kind of woman is in short supply.”
“Then it is lucky that I have already found her.” The corners of his lips quirked upward as her eyes widened and then narrowed.
“You are engaged?” The furrow between her eyebrows deepened.
“I think you mean,weare engaged, Lady Rowen.” He canted his head towards her. “After all, you are to be my wife.”
It is our only choice.
Three
“Ibeg your pardon?” Rowen’s jaw was practically on the floor as she stared at the Duke.
She was sure she had misheard him. He had not even recognized her, and yet he said she would be his wife as if it were a foregone conclusion.
Rowen shook her head, eyes searching the Duke’s face.
His green eyes glittered in the firelight, and one corner of his mouth quirked into a half-smile. For all the world, he might have been talking about the weather.
“You will marry me. That is the solution to all of your problems.” He arched an eyebrow at her. “After all, I have more than enough to provide for you and your family, and though the repairs to this house will be extensive, it will be well within my means to arrange them.”
“And at what point in our conversation did I agree to marry you?” Rowen narrowed her eyes, her arms folded across her chest.
The Duke gave a languid shrug, the movement making his wet clothes cling to his body in a way that made it nearly impossible not to stare at the thick muscles beneath the fabric. “Why would you not? I am a duke. I am told that I am rather easy on the eyes, and you will want for nothing once we are wed.”
You will want for nothing once we are wed.
In her mind, the Duke’s face was replaced with her late husband’s. Anger roared to life within her, and she clung to it like a life raft. The heat in her cheeks cooled, and she tore her gaze from the Duke’s body.
“I have been stung by such promises before. They are easy enough to make and far easier to break.” She met his sparkling green eyes and tilted her chin up.
She saw a flash of something dark and fiery in his gaze, but ploughed on before he could say anything.
“I shall be perfectly candid, lest we confuse the matter in politeness and subtlety. I have no wish to be married ever again. Not to you nor to any man.”
In truth, after the day she had just had, she doubted she would have been able to be anything but candid.
“Allow me to be just as forthright. Marriage to me is your only option. It is the only thing that will allow you to keep your dignity, your estate, and your children safe.” His voice was calm and devoid of emotion, and it only stoked her anger.
“And what exactly do you mean by that?” She stiffened, clenching her fingers into the fabric of her dress as she took a step towards him. “If you are threatening my children, I will?—”
“As admirable as I find your fire, it will not save you now,” he cut her off and gave her a pointed look. “You are clearly an intelligent woman. If you were not, you would not have been able to keep your household afloat for so long. But you are still a woman.”
She let out a low growl.
