Page 31 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
“Clearly, you are a woman of taste.” Tobias grinned at her. “I’ll make sure you have a scotch or two.”
She folded her arms across her chest, arching an eyebrow at him. “Are you trying to get me drunk, dear husband?”
“And why would I do that?” He leaned towards her.
“Why do men do such things?”
“I am not that kind of man.” His hand brushed her cheek as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, his voice barely above a whisper. “Why rely on tricks when it is so much more delightful to be a choice?”
Rowen swallowed, the scent of cedar and pine washing over her. Her heart sped up, thundering in her chest as her stomach twisted and turned. She could feel the heat rise in her cheeks.
I will not give him the satisfaction.
“Only if you are chosen.” She met his gaze, ignoring the thundering of her heart. “And that is not a guarantee.”
He looked at her, his gaze so intense it felt like she might drown in it. “And that is the point. How dull to play a game that you always win. It’s far more exhilarating to play when there is a chance you may fail.”
“I would not know.” She put a hand on his chest, triumph blazing in her as his eyes widened. “I only play to win.”
Grinning, she stepped away from him and left without another word.
Ten
“Oh! I thought this was the library,” a small voice called as Tobias peered at the ledger in front of him. “Sorry, Mama told me I should not disturb you.”
He was sitting in his study at Kidlington House, triple-checking the accounts and struggling to stay awake while doing it. It was the most loathsome task, but it had to be done and done well.
He blinked up and found himself looking at Georgia.
Her cheeks flushed as her grey eyes met his. She shifted her weight from foot to foot, holding the corner of her light yellow skirt as though she was not sure if she should curtsey or not. Her eyes were wide, her lips pursed.
“You are not disturbing me, so you do not need to apologize.” Tobias rose from the desk and gestured around them, gettingdown on his knee so that they were at eye level. “Is there something I can help you with?”
Georgia bit her lip, her eyes darting from him to the bookshelves, lingering on the wall of swords across from them before returning to him. “I wanted to find something to read.”
“Well, you are welcome to take anything you see on these shelves. Though I will warn you, you may find them rather tedious.” He straightened and indicated the bookshelves, leaning against his desk so that he would not dwarf her with his height.
Her eyes narrowed, and her chin tilted up in such a perfect impression of her mother’s disapproving look that it was all he could do not to laugh.
“Would you say that if Alistair asked to read them?” she demanded.
“I would say that if anyone asked to read them. I myself find them so dull that I read them when I cannot sleep.” He gave her an ingratiating smile and then grimaced. “It takes a rather odd person to find books on farming and accounting interesting.”
She relaxed and then frowned. “Are they all about that?”
“Not all of them. There are philosophy books, some religious texts, and a few books in Latin and Greek, and even German.”He leaned towards her and added in a stage whisper, “If I were you, I would avoid those. They are the most boring of the lot.”
The girl appeared to ponder this as she took another step into the study. The tension in her had not eased entirely, but her steps were more sure.
She nodded seriously. “My German is not good enough to read yet. And I haven’t learned any Latin or Greek. Well, I’ve learned some, but it’s so boring!”
She knows German?
Tobias kept the surprise from his face, trying to work out just what gaps remained in her education and her brother’s.
“Latin and Greek can be rather dull. When I was your age, I was far more interested in reading about far-off lands and daring adventures. Though I did not get to read about such things often.” He clenched his hand into a fist, forcing his eyes not to drift to the bare stretch of wall where his father’s portrait had once hung.
Georgia stopped looking through the books and canted her head towards him. “Why not?”
