Make-Believe Wife by Anne Herries Page B

mine.’
    â€˜Yes, well, we shall see what happens,’ he said and his eyes were thoughtful, as if wondering how much he could believe of what she’d told him. ‘Do not worry about it, Roxanne. I think Grandfather seemed pleased with life this evening, do you not agree?’
    He had pocketed the ruby and Roxanne was glad to see it in his safekeeping. She did not wish to be responsible for such a jewel and felt she would not mind if she never saw it again—and yet, according to Sofia, as a young girl, she had been determined not to give it up.
    â€˜I hope he will be as pleased with me in a few weeks. I am doing my best, Luke, but he is bound to discover gaps in my education. Sofia taught me so much about the world, and I read plays and poetry, but I know little of the things most young ladies learn.’
    â€˜And your mind is all the better for it,’ Luke said. ‘You cannot imagine how boring some of them are, Roxanne. I would swear you could discuss Shakespeare in more depth than most.’
    â€˜Yes, at least the roles I have played,’ she said and dimpled. ‘I shall not mind if the earl employs tutors to rectify my lack. It will pass the time and give me something to strive for.’
    â€˜Have you thought about what happens in three months?’
    â€˜It is a long time,’ Roxanne said. ‘I dare say he will have discovered I am a fraud and declare me unsuitable to be the mistress of a house like this long before that, and if he does not…well, that is up to you, I think.’
    â€˜Would you go through with the wedding if I asked it?’
    â€˜On the terms you offered before?’ He inclined his head and Roxanne was silent for a moment. ‘If we are both of the same mind in three months, I think I might.’
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    Why on earth had she agreed to marry him in three months if he should ask her? Roxanne wondered what had got into her head. A sham engagement was as far as she had been prepared to go initially, but, oddly enough, she had begun to find the idea of marriage to Luke Clarendon more and more appealing.
    What else could she do with her life that would bring her comfort and safety? A woman alone in her position would be prey to rogues and predators, men who would trick her and seduce her for their pleasure. As Luke’s fiancée, and perhaps his make-believe wife, she would have respect and a settled income. Surely that was enough for any woman?
    Yet there was something inside her that wanted more. How foolish she was! Luke had never intended more than a temporary arrangement, but now the earl was insisting on a marriage after three months. No doubt he wanted to know a grandchild was on its way before he died.
    Luke’s child. For a moment the thought sent a warm spiral curling through her and she smiled. How pleasant the picture was, though quite impossible, of course. They must try to please the earl in his last months, but a child would be too much. She frowned as she recalled her first meeting with the earl. He looked frail, but he did not look particularly unwell.
    Could Luke have overreacted to the earl’s illness? Was he truly as sick as his grandson believed?
    What would she feel if Luke expected her to provide the heir?
    The questions went round and round in her head as her maid helped her prepare for bed. When she was in her nightgown, Roxanne sent the girl away and curled up on the deep window seat to gaze down at the gardens. She was already beginning to feel more at home here and she could not help but think it might be nice to live in a house such as this, not just for a visit, but as the mistress.
    â€˜Foolish,’ she murmured aloud as she twirled a strand of red hair over her finger. ‘It is not poss…’
    The words trailed away as she saw the shadow of a man reflected on the lawn in the moonlight. He appeared to be trying to hide in the shrubbery, but the moon was at his back and cast a shadow for a few