The Major's Faux Fiancee Read Free Page A

that looked as though it had been tailored for someone less powerful.
    She’d heard he’d become a rake and a dandy. His more passionate exploits had graced every scandal sheet in the country. As for his sense of fashion… He could not have appeared more handsome if this were his wedding day.
    Despite what must have been an entire day’s journey, his cravat was starched perfection. His greatcoat was similarly pristine and devoid of wrinkles. The buckskin of his breeches looked buttery soft and clung to every muscle of his thighs. His Hessians gleamed, as though they had been freshly polished moments before he walked through the door.
    She blinked. Hessians. Plural. She’d heard he’d lost a leg in the war trying to save the life of his fallen twin, but as far as she could tell, the boy next door looked nothing short of perfect. No wonder he’d cut a swath through the ton as a dashing rake before setting off for war. She doubted a single bosom failed to tremble in his presence.
    Heavens. Daphne wouldn’t have the slightest trouble feigning a betrothal with him. The difficulty would be pretending she wasn’t truly interested. No doubt her flushed cheeks and racing pulse had already given her away.
    She forced herself to meet his gaze.
    His clear blue eyes were staring at her with a mixture of shock and wonder. As if he, too, was having difficulty reconciling the Daphne in his memory with the Daphne standing before him.
    She wished they had weeks, or even a few hours, to sit and discuss everything that had happened since last they’d met. But for this ruse to work, she needed her guardian to believe Bartholomew’s suit was sincere. She glanced over her shoulder.
    If Captain Steele uncovered her deception, Daphne had no doubt his reaction would be swift and merciless. Instead of a false betrothal with Bartholomew, she’d find herself leg-shackled to one of the would-be suitors in the parlor.
    She rushed forward to close the distance between them. She could take no chances. Not with her future, or Bartholomew’s. They mustn’t look like the strangers they now were.
    He took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips as if to kiss it, but paused inches before his mouth touched her fingers.
    “Daphne.” This time, the corners of his eyes finally crinkled, rendering him devastatingly handsome. “You’re…”
    Her hand remained in his. He didn’t kiss it. Nor did he let her go. He looked… mystified. As if he wasn’t certain whether to treat her like a girl or a woman.
    Her heart thudded in dismay. What if Captain Steele found them like this? He would never believe they’d had any sort of courtship.
    Panic began to crowd out her burgeoning sense of hope. “Stop that. You can’t look at me like you’ve never seen me before.”
    “I feel like I haven’t.” As his eyes traveled over her body, every inch of her felt bared to his gaze. “The last time I saw you…”
    “—was mere months ago, if anyone asks,” she whispered desperately. “You received my letter. You’ll play the part?”
    He nodded. “If it comes to that.”
    Her blood ran cold. “What do you mean, if it comes to that? It’s come to that.”
    He shook his head. “I’d like to have a chat with the man first. Perhaps all he needs is for a voice of reason to talk some sense into him—”
    “He would garrote the voice of reason. He’s a pirate . It’s his way or no way at all.”
    Bartholomew dropped her hand. “He’s a what?”
    “A pirate. My father’s cousin. He was a privateer until abiding by law and ethics became too much for him.” She failed to keep the sarcasm from her tone. “During the war, he was known as Captain Gregory Steele, but now he mostly goes by—”
    “Blackheart?”
    Her mouth fell open. “You know him?”
    “I know of him. A friend of mine hired him to abduct his wife’s—it’s a long story, really, and not relevant at the moment.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Captain Steele has a