Page 87 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
Had that all been just to spend time together?His chest ached.How did I not realize it sooner?
Tobias knelt in front of the boy. “You and Georgie have different strengths, different interests, different thoughts. And I value both of you immensely. I am always happy to talk to both of you, even if it is simply to hear about your day. You do not need to make excuses.”
“But maybe you’ll like Alistair more than me because he’s a boy and…” Georgie wrung her hands, panic clear on her face.
“You are both wonderful,” Tobias assured her. “And there is enough room in my life for you.” He looked between the twins, reading their faces. “It is not a competition.”
Alistair swallowed. “You promise?”
“I swear it.” Tobias nodded solemnly. “If you want to spend time with me, you just have to ask. There will be times when I might be busy, but if I can, I will do as you ask.”
“All right.” Georgie nodded, as did Alistair. “If Alistair can share, so can I. As long as you promise not to like him more than me just because he’s a boy.”
“I promise.” Tobias put a hand over his heart and glanced at the clock. “It is nearly time for dinner, and we all need to get ready. If you want to spend some time together after, Alistair, we can do that, and tomorrow we can all go out for a ride. How does that sound?”
“It sounds good to me.” Alistair looked at Georgie.
“If I can spend some time with you, then it sounds good for me too,” she added.
“Of course,” Tobias said.
Georgie let out a squeal and sprinted out of the room, tugging her brother after her.
Tobias could feel Rowen’s gaze on him as he watched the children leave. He expected her to ask what he had been thinking, but she did not. Instead, she moved towards the door and gently brushed her hand against his.
“You should really get changed—I would not want you to be late for dinner.” And then she left without another word.
Tobias glanced at his brother’s portrait. “She did not correct them.”
What does it mean?
The tightness in his chest grew, even as he felt a smile stretch across his face.
“She did not correct them.”
Twenty-Five
“It is not as though you have not done this before,” Rowen murmured to herself as she crept down the secret passage.
A cold rush of air sent a shiver through her, and gooseflesh covered her body. She tugged her dressing gown around her.
On any other night, she would have chosen more practical nightclothes, ones that offered her some warmth, but tonight was not a normal night.
The thought of her plan gave her pause. Her heart sped up, and she stumbled, catching herself on the wall. She swore softly.
She glanced over her shoulder and then back towards the door at the end of the passage.
She could change her mind. It was not too late. She could simply go back the way she had come, and no one would be the wiser.
“After all, there is every chance that this endeavor is simply an opportunity to make a fool of myself.” Rowen clenched her fist.
She looked back in the direction she had come, but she could not make her feet move towards it. She thought of everything that had happened, all the things that had changed over the past few days.
“I have to know for certain.” She swallowed. “And I am tired of hiding from this. One way or another, I will have an answer tonight.” She rolled her shoulders back and moved forward. “Besides, he might not even be awake.”
She was not sure if the thought was comforting or disappointing. She suspected it was a little of both.
The door loomed ahead of her. Was that a faint flicker of light?
