Page 26 of A Deal with the Duke of Ice

Rosaline knew it was her own fault he had closed himself off. She’d lied to him, not just once, but continually since the moment they’d met.

“What do you want me to say, Your Grace?” Rosaline asked tiredly. “Do you expect sympathy? Solutions?”

“There is no need. I have come up with a solution by myself.”

“Are you going to tell me what it is?”

The Duke grinned, and it sent a shiver down Rosaline’s spine. Had she ever seen him grin like that before? He had pointed eye teeth which gave a wicked look, enhanced by his dark coloring and ice-blue eyes.

“You and I shall court.”

Rosaline stared at him, her breath catching in her throat. “I beg your pardon.”

He sat back in his chair, ignoring a worrying creak from beneath, and waved a careless hand. “You needn’t fret. It shall all be false. Your little deception gave me the idea. If I am known to publicly court a lady, my little crowd of insufferable admirers will dwindle. There will be no need for my grandmother’s endless list. I will be free. I might add that your social standing will also rise.”

Rosaline was struggling to swallow past the lump in her throat. Of course it would all be a pretense. Had she really allowed herself to think, even for an instant, that a duke ofhiscaliber would be interested in seriously courting someone like her?

“That’s all well and good,” she managed, “But I’m not a suitable consort for a duke.”

“The thing about being a duke is that one can do what one likes.”

“People won’t approve.”

He tilted his head to one side. “Now here I was thinking that you did not care what people think.”

Rosaline sighed, shaking her head. “Well, you have more to lose than I, I suppose.”

“Well? What is your answer?”

“Myanswer? My answer is no, of course. I am sorry for your…troubles, Your Grace, but I shall not pretend to court you simply to keep other ladies at bay.”

Amuscle in the Duke’s jaw twitched. Rosaline watched it, fascinated. The manreallywasn’t used to being told no.

Then he sighed, all traces of irritation smoothed neatly away from his expression.

“Very well. I cannot, of course, force you to pretend to court me.”

Rosaline chuckled. “No, you can’t.”

“Isuppose we ought to just get it over with, then. I shall call your parents back into the room and tell them the truth. It might be easier for me to write to Miss Atwood’s parents. An in-person visit might be too awkward. However, since I am already here, I think I shall do your parents the honor of looking them in the eye when I tell them about your deception.”

The smile vanished from Rosaline’s face, and a nasty cold feeling began to swirl in the pit of her stomach.

“You wouldn’t.”

He leaned forward. “I would.”

“It’s ungentlemanly.”

“Almost as unladylike as pretending to be somebody else and making a fool of a man. Listen, Miss Wyre. This arrangement will benefit you, too.”

“If you’re going to try and tempt me with abetter social standingor anything equally as ridiculous…”

“One hundred pounds.”

There was a silence. Rosaline blinked rapidly, sure that she could not have heard right.

“What did you say?”

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