Page 64 of The Duke's Impossible Deal
“What do you want, Tobias?” she asked again.
He could not tell if the thundering in his ears was the sound of her heartbeat or his. He reached for her face, his fingers brushing against her cheek.
I cannot.
The last of his resolve broke like a wave on the shore. “I want?—”
“What do you think you are doing?” a furious voice boomed through the hall.
Tobias whirled around, fury mingling with embarrassment as he prepared to lay into whoever had dared speak to him in that way. But there was no one else around.
The shouting continued, a woman’s voice mingling with a man’s, and he realized that it was coming from the training room.
“That sounds like Miss Harris.” Rowen frowned. “Why on earth is she shouting?”
“Wait here!” Tobias sprinted out of the room.
He did not bother to see if Rowen would obey him. The governess and a man were yelling, and that meant the children could be in danger.
He sprinted towards the sound that was coming from the large training room down the hall from his study.
If anything has happened to them…
Fear lent him an extra burst of speed.
“Not another step, or I will have your hide,” he heard Miss Harris hiss.
“Out of my way, you harl?—”
The words were cut off as he flung open the door and stormed into the room. His heart thudded so violently against his ribs that he was sure it would free itself from his body.
In one glance, he took in the scene. The governess was standing between Georgie and Alistair, who were on the floor behind her, and Mr. Grey, the fencing instructor, was towering over her.
“Georgie, Alistair, are you all right?” Tobias hurried towards the twins as the governess took a step back.
“Your Grace, this woman is disrupting my lesson. I ask that you have her removed. I am only trying to do my job and—” Mr. Grey began.
“Hold your tongue,” Tobias cut him off, his voice cold as he put himself between the children and the instructor. “You have made enough of a scene already, and I will deal with you in a moment. Both of you.”
Mr. Grey’s nostrils flared, and he opened his mouth as though to speak, but Tobias held up a hand.
He looked from the instructor to the governess. “Do not make me ask you again, Mr. Grey.”
Mr. Grey’s mouth snapped shut, and Tobias saw a vein bulge in his head, but he did not care. He turned away from him and looked at the twins.
Alistair was standing in front of Georgie, her hand clutched in his. His face was paler than usual, but Georgie’s was ashen, her eyes wide and red-rimmed.
You have scared them.
Tobias took a deep breath and knelt down so that he was at eye level with them. Alistair looked from him to Georgie, shifting closer to his sister as though to protect her. They looked so alike, in their matching trousers and shirts, both small and innocent. Georgie looked at Tobias with watery eyes that shattered his heart.
“I am sorry, I did not mean to frighten you both,” he spoke in the same tone that he would use to calm a frightened animal. “I heard the shouting, and I feared that you might have been hurt.”
“You did not frighten us.” Georgie tilted her chin up as Alistair nodded.
“That is good.” Tobias let out a breath. “Are you all right?”
The twins nodded, though Tobias thought he saw Alistair’s eyes dart to Mr. Grey and then back. He felt a prickle of unease, but kept it from his face.
