"Sharon Green - [ebel 01 - Rebel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Green Sharon)

hand on her arm already hurrying her along. тАЬIf you were mine it would have happened a lot sooner, but
the duke makes a more gentle parent than I would. Used to make. You finally put him in a position where
he canтАЩt afford to be gentle anymore, and that will turn out for the best. For both of you.тАЭ
The satisfaction in ZinderтАЩs voice was too obvious to be missed, but Adair still didnтАЩt say anything.
Arguing with the man would have been a waste of time, especially with her father waiting. AdairтАЩs
discussion with him would certainly contain all the arguing anyone could possibly want.
It was the small study Zinder dragged her to, a cozy little room where her father worked when he didnтАЩt
want to be bothered by the presence of others. The walls were all covered with bookshelves, the desk
was on the small side, and there was only a single chair in front of that desk. AdairтАЩs father now sat
behind the desk with a cup of tea in front of him, and when Zinder pushed her into the room and closed
the door behind her, her father looked at her the way he sometimes looked at those who worked for him.
тАЬI want to know right now what idiotic thoughts were in that black-haired head of yours when you ran
away,тАЭ he said, his light gaze locked to her face. тАЬDid you think I was joking when I said a royal
command was involved? When the king issues commands, a duke obeys just like everyone else.тАЭ
тАЬSince IтАЩm not a duke, it wasnтАЩt something I had to worry about,тАЭ Adair pointed out, making no effort to
sit in the chair in front of his desk. тАЬAnd I didnтАЩt run away, I simply left the way IтАЩd been planning to do
for quite some time. You had no right to drag me back here, and I demand to be released to go my own
way again.тАЭ
тАЬGo your own way,тАЭ he echoed, shaking his head as he leaned back. тАЬYou have no more than a limited
amount of gold and silver, took two changes of clothes, and one horse. If you were running away with a
man I could at least understand the effort, but you went alone. Where did you intend to go, and what did
you expect to be able to do to support yourself when you got there? Do you have any idea?тАЭ
тАЬWhere I go and what I do is mine to decide,тАЭ Adair stated, still refusing to be put on the defensive. тАЬI
certainly donтАЩt fit in here, something that was pointed out to me more than once during my life. If I want
to go looking for a place where I do fit in you have no right to stop me.тАЭ
тАЬThere is no such place,тАЭ her father countered, the words slow and deliberate to match his stare.
тАЬWomen are required to be and do certain things in this life, and youтАЩve refused to be and do any of
them. All youтАЩll find elsewhere is the same things you claim to dislike here, and when that happens, then
what? Will you run away again, starve because youтАЩve run out of gold and silver and donтАЩt know how to
earn any more, or simply end up taken to please some lout of an outlaw? What will you do, Adair?тАЭ
Letting the demanding questions simply slide past wasnтАЩt easy for Adair, but somehow she managed it.
SheтАЩd already asked herself the same exact questions, but the answers sheтАЩd come up with werenтАЩt
something she cared to share with her father.
тАЬI canтАЩt ignore a royal command, Adair, and neither can you,тАЭ her father said after taking a deep breath.
HeтАЩd used her silence to calm himself, just the way he usually did. тАЬEvery duke in this kingdom has been
commanded to send a daughter of marriageable age to the palace, and youтАЩre the only daughter I have. If
I sent one of your brothers instead, I think the king and his sons would notice.тАЭ
тАЬSince I donтАЩt ever intend to marry, what would be the point in my going?тАЭ Adair put, tired of waiting for
the threats to start. тАЬBoth you and the king can issue commands until youтАЩre blue in the face, and that still
wonтАЩt mean I have to agree. You can have me executed, but you canтАЩt force me to agree.тАЭ
тАЬWhether or not you mean to marry has nothing to do with the matter,тАЭ her father returned, still much too
far from losing his temper. тАЬThere are six dukes in this realm, and not all of them are as content with their
place in life as I am. Some of them want a more active say in the ruling of the kingdom, and the way they
hope to get that say is by having one of their daughters married to one of the kingтАЩs three sons. Since we
donтАЩt yet know which of the three princes will be named heir, those discontented dukes are willing to
gamble that the prince who marries their daughter will ultimately rule the kingdom.тАЭ
тАЬBut the king refused to simply order his sons to marry,тАЭ Adair added, letting her tone show how bored
she was with hearing something she already knew. тАЬHe also refused to allow just the dukes who want
more power to send daughters. He ordered all the dukes to send daughters, and now the princes get to
choose who theyтАЩll marry. It would have been more interesting, not to mention more fair, if the daughters