Page 23 of A Temporary Bride for the Duke

She groaned, then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Going forward, I must keep all my thoughts pertaining to the Duke of Blackvale entirely innocent.

She allowed one eye to pop open. When she saw the way faint crow’s feet crinkled the corners of his eyes, indicating that he smiled readily and often, she amended her oath.

Mostly innocent.

As her other eyelid fluttered, she stared at him openly and saw that his mouth was carved into a fine, sculpted shape. The contours around his upper lip were particularly enticing and…

Drat! Must try harder to be in control of the situation.

She might have gone on in such a manner, cataloging all of the Duke’s glorious attributes and scolding herself for admiring him so, had he not cleared his throat abruptly and said, “I’ve had a notion.”

“Yes?” she said, shoulders straightening instinctively.

“Iwill be your competition partner. I will help you win.”

She gawped at him. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, that had to be the last.

“Why would you do that?”

He shrugged. “Because you saved my son. Because you’re a woman with honor, and I do not wish you to see you lose your integrity. I know full well what desperation can lead a person to do.”

Daisy could not collect her thoughts fast enough to summon an appropriate response. So, she floundered. “I…well…I say…I should…”

He lifted one hand straight in the air and held it up with his palm facing her, as if to quieten her rambling. “My aunt has a…peculiar sense of humor. I’ve seen many of these…games she likes to organize. I feel confident that we can win. You seem to have your wits about you, but you will need a companion who is equally able to match you in each task.” He nodded stoutly. “I am the only gentleman who fits that bill. We could have a good partnership.”

Daisy slowly nodded. “I suppose we could…but what do you gain from this aside from being tremendously inconvenienced?”

He pursed his lips. “Since I lost my wife, my aunt has been determined to find me another. I am quite content with things as they are, and I could use some respite from the constant matchmaking. If you and I were thought to have made a match,she would not feel the need to keep pushing all these ladies at me.”

Daisy considered him closely, wanting to gauge the truthfulness of his words. She would definitely feel much better about the potential success of the enterprise if she thought he was gaining something from it as well.

Try as she might to read any duplicity in his looks, Daisy could only see earnestness when she looked upon the Duke.

“I’m sure if you told your aunt how you felt, she would stop pressuring you,” she said.

He huffed. “You would think so, but she is a stubborn one and has always believed she knows what’s best for me.”

Daisy nodded in understanding. “But then what happens when she thinks you’re engaged to me, and then we go our separate ways? Won’t she be hurt by your deception?”

He smiled. “You see, this is how I know this plan has potential. That veracity of yours. You have not only considered my aunt’s feelings, but have already begun contemplating what will happen after the competition concludes.”

She eyed him shrewdly. “Yes. Well, we ought to consider all the possible outcomes. And I worry that even if we both get what we want, someone, perhaps your aunt, might wind up feeling cheated by our dishonesty.”

He seemed to consider her words deeply before replying, “It is not unusual for betrothed couples to participate in Lady Archworth’s games, then call off their engagement before meeting at the altar. I shall simply do the same. I will tell my aunt, when all is said and done, that while we won the competition, the process showed us how incompatible we truly were, and we thought it best to break the engagement rather than make a marriage that would leave us both miserable.”

“You’ve thought of everything,” she said.

“No, but this is the best solution I could concoct on such short notice.”

Daisy gave a polite smile at that. “Do you really believe this will work?”

“I know it, as long as we are in alignment.”

“Have you thought about what will happen if wedon’twin?” she asked.

“I suppose I should consider it,” he uttered after giving a light laugh.