A Reckless Promise by Kasey Michaels Page B

lately all come to me via my sweet Clary, I don’t think so. Carry on, Darby, since you will, anyway. Just don’t let on that this betrothal of yours is devoid of affection, or Clary will drive us all into Bedlam attempting to change your mind.”
    â€œI’ll second that,” Gabe said, “tossing in my aunt, as well. Coop?”
    â€œDany and Minerva, putting their heads together with the others? Wasn’t it bad enough while I was dealing with those damn chapbooks? Rigby’s right, Darby. Warn your Sadie. For all our sakes, yours and hers included, don’t let any of them get even so much as a whiff of any idea that yours isn’t a love match.”

CHAPTER SIX
    T HE FIRST OF Sadie’s new gowns had arrived just in time for her initial public appearance with her betrothed. Her soon-to-be husband. Under the law, her lord and master. The love of her life and the father of her future children, or so her new friends had been led to believe.
    Darby had explained that it was important that their friends felt confident the betrothal had been the culmination of a whirlwind courtship, and she’d seen the sense in that. Vivien and Clarice, in particular, were such happy romantics, and wanted everyone to be in love. If they thought for one moment that the marriage would be purely a business arrangement, they’d do their best to fix it .
    So Darby kissed her hand and then held it a little too long when he visited. He brought gifts of flowers and bits of jewelry for her. He always sat beside her on the couches, his arm draped over the back, inches from her shoulders. He whispered sweet nothings in her ear and called her my dear or my darling .
    He called for Marley to be summoned so that he could bounce her on his knee and escorted the pair of them for drives, going so far as to arrange for Norton to meet them there, to take the child for a walk while Darby and Sadie took a more private turn around the park. He always had a twist of licorice in his pocket after learning the treat was Marley’s favorite. And his laugh was genuine when Marley chattered at him like a magpie about the adventures of her days.
    The ladies were delighted.
    Sadie had at first wanted to box his ears, but the attention was flattering, he was witty and fun and she knew her defenses were weakening.
    She also felt certain he was patiently waiting for her to tell him something, something she knew and he didn’t. He gave no hints to that effect, so perhaps it was her own guilt that made her think this way. She only knew that, without her secrets haunting her, eating at her, she would have tumbled deeply into love with the dratted man by now.
    The duchess had chosen carefully from the invitations on the mantel, and Sadie’s entrance into Little Season Society would be that evening, at a small party hosted by one of the duchess’s friends.
    She didn’t know which made her more nervous—the party itself, or being introduced to the curious as the affianced bride of the handsome, wealthy, clearly above her touch viscount.
    Yes, back to thoughts about Darby. Her thoughts always seemed to circle back to him.
    Her new friends had told her how thrilled they were by the match. Just like something out of a fairy tale, Clarice had cooed, clasping her hands to her generous bosom.
    Darby Travers was a fine and loyal friend, Clarice had added, and not one to judge what other people did. Ridiculously popular with the ladies, but didn’t rakes make the best husbands (that from Minerva)?
    He was always the gentleman, the duchess trilled, even when she wasn’t always the lady.
    He saw the humor in most everything, Thea had added, telling her more about “the birds” and how they had all worked together to cheer the duke, who was certain he was dying, but now was nearly as certain he wasn’t.
    Sadie knew she would like to hear more about that, and the duke’s upcoming sixtieth birthday, but Dany