Free Johanna Lindsey by Marriage Most Scandalous Page A

of Cecil and my father’s regard for him that I was given the boot, as it were. The estrangement that followed after I left would only have made my father more furious with me.”
    “Or made him come to his senses and realize who was more important,” she suggested.
    He snorted. “You don’t understand how it was with my father and Cecil. They were as close as Giles and I were. When you develop a friendship that deep, it becomes a bond of honor. He had to disown me. I’d killed his best friend’s only son, and after he forbade me to harm him.”
    “Then why did you?”
    “Good God, you don’t really think I meant to, do you? It was a bloody accident.”
    “What I think is you’re trying to find a way out of our bargain,” she said stiffly. “There are any number of ways for you to get back in that house. Think of one.”
    “I have and there aren’t. It’s your turn.”
    She glared at him. “Disguise yourself,” she ordered.
    He raised a brow. “From my own family? I could wear a bloody dress and they’d still recognize these eyes. Try again, Lady Margaret.”
    She started to laugh. “You, in a dress? Good God, that’s priceless. I never would have thought of that.”
    “You can stop thinking of it right now. It isn’t going to happen.”
    “No, no.” She grinned. “Of course not. It wouldn’t do a’tall, anyway. Women just don’t come in your size—” She burst out laughing again. “My God, I can’t get the picture out of my mind now.”
    “Shall I help you?” he growled, not the least bit amused as he stepped closer to her and reached for her arm.
    She leapt back from him. “None of that, now.” She scowled at him, her humor gone. Then she sighed. “Very well, there’s the most obvious way.”
    “What obvious way? There is no obvious way.”
    “Course there is. We could pretend to be married for a while. That would get you in the door.
    Any husband of mine would be as welcome at Edgewood as I am.”
    “Have you quite lost your gourd?”
    “Certainly not. I’ve been away for four months. It’s quite reasonable that I could have married during that time. And I’m not suggesting that we stay married. Heavens no. And I’m certainly not suggesting we really get married. That isn’t necessary a’tall. No one at home will be able to prove or disprove whether we are or aren’t married, since the pretend wedding would have taken place on the Continent. Of course we’d have to pretend to divorce afterward, just as soon as you’ve gotten to the bottom of who or what is causing your father’s accidents and you’ve removed the threat.” He stared at her. Her thought processes quite bowled him over.
    Dryly, he said, “Maggie, m’dear, you’re overlooking one simple fact. The stigma of a divorce would ruin you, real or not.”
    “Rubbish. When people learn why I made the sacrifice, I will be quite the heroine.” Sacrifice. To marry him? Now that hurt, ’deed it did. Unfortunately, she probably had the right of it. Posing as her husband, while it wouldn’t get him back into the bosom of his family, just might get him inside Edgewood for a visit or two. And that could be all that was necessary. The pot would be stirred—
    if her suspicions were correct.
    He wouldn’t care to have her ruined reputation on his conscience, though, so he told her, “It might not be necessary a’tall. I’ll need a few days to investigate to see if it is. However, it’s a serious charade you are proposing, so I suggest you give it more thought in the meantime.” But because that “sacrifice” remark was still fresh in his mind, he needled her further. “Think carefully about whether you’re willing even to pretend to be married to a man like me.”
    She raised a questioning brow. He took a step closer, brushed her cheek with the back of his knuckles. “You’d have to pretend to be in love with me,” he said, “and get used to my touching you, kissing you. Perhaps we should practice to