Read Daring Miss Danvers for Free Online

proposing . . . marriage , are you?”
    “Actually . . .” He drew in a breath and slowly nodded. “Yes. Mostly.”
    And with those words, the driver of her proverbial carriage fled.
    Emma braced herself. “Mostly?” Confused, panicked, she looked to her father.
    His shrug didn’t help. He pointed his pipe at Rathburn as if he were the star attraction of the carnival that her carriage was speeding toward. Downhill. At an alarming rate. There was little hope for survival.
    “A mock-courtship, if you will,” Rathburn said as if this made all the difference. “It would only be for the length of her stay.”
    “Which will be . . .?” Again, she knew she shouldn’t ask.
    “Two months.”
    Two months! “That’s nearly half of the Season.” Her third and final Season before she would be on the shelf.
    Her mother suddenly leaped up from the sofa and wrapped her arms around her, apparently unable to rein in her excitement a moment longer. “Oh, Emma! I’m so proud of you!”
    At last, those words. Not said in disappointment, but with that effervescent joy she’d craved.
    More than anything, she wanted to let the words sink in to repair the frayed strands of their relationship. However, the sensation of tilting end over end as her carriage crashed to bits, kept her from feeling the joy she’s always expected would come at this moment. “For this? For deliberately deceiving the Dowager Duchess of Heathcoat and ruining my chances for a suitable match?”
    Her mother was still smiling, bright tears shining in her eyes as she pressed a kiss to her cheek. “No, my dear girl, for rushing headlong into certain disaster, no matter the consequences.”
    Emma blinked. Was that supposed to make her feel better? Or make any sort of sense at all?
    Before she could ask, her mother released her. Then, together, her mother and father headed toward the door. “We’ll leave you alone to sort out the details,” her father said.
    Her mother wiped away a tear. “You’re finally coming out of your shell. I’m so happy for you.”
    The door closed.
    Coming out of her shell? Coming unglued was more like it.
    Emma made her way to one of the windows that banked the fireplace on the far side of the room.
    “You’ve agreed, then?” Rathburn asked, never sounding less certain to Emma than he did at this moment. “It’s difficult to tell. Your parents seem to think you’ve made up your mind; however, I’m still waiting for a definitive response.”
    “I can’t believe we’re even discussing this,” she said in disbelief, staring outside. A row of daffodils lined the narrow path between the house and the garden wall. New glossy shoots of ivy climbed up the rust-colored brick. The world outside was bright and blooming, not a cloud in the sky. It seemed unfair, really. Her mood all but demanded a rumble of thunder and dark, threatening clouds. “You realize, don’t you, that you’re ruining my chance for a normal, happy marriage?”
    “We’ll make sure it doesn’t go that far.”
    We’ll make sure , as if they were in this together. Ha! She turned to face him. “How?”
    He stared down blankly toward the Axminster carpet, his brow furrowed as if he’d been wondering the same thing. Then suddenly, he looked up, his eyes alive with fresh perspective. “Perhaps we won’t even have to attempt a mock betrothal. We’ll simply have an understanding. Or, at most, be formally engaged for the duration of her stay. Then, after a time, we’ll have a disagreement that separates us.” He brushed his hands together as if the entire ordeal were a pile of crumbs easily dislodged. “Simple as that.”
    Hmph. If only. “Since you seem to have this all figured out, what happens if she wants to wait until after we are married before she hands over your fortune?”
    She expected to see all the color drain from his face at the prospect. Instead, he held up a finger and grinned. “I’ve thought of that, as well. We’ll simply get