She gave a little pooh! of indignation, but relaxed. Braddon pulled her against his chest, enjoying the way Madeleine’s soft curves felt against his legs.

“You’re going to ruin your garments.”

“Practical Maddie,” Braddon whispered into her hair.

Practical Maddie’s heart felt as if it were being squeezed.

“Why don’t you pretend to break your leg?” The minute she said it, she cursed herself. What was she doing, showing interest in his marital plans?

“Break my leg? What d’you mean?”

“If you had a broken leg, you couldn’t climb up a ladder,” she explained brusquely.

Braddon slowly thought it through.

“Damned if you’re not right, Maddie m’girl! I’ll write Lady Sophie a note and tell her I broke my leg, and that will give her time to get over this odd start of hers.”

“Was she really hysterical?”

He frowned. “Close enough.”

“Well, then she probably won’t believe your note,” Madeleine said. “I wouldn’t. I would think that you were just trying to beg off, and that you were too stuffy to elope.”

Appalled, she listened to her own voice. Was there a note of rancor in her tone? She had no right even to think about marrying an Earl of the Realm! For goodness’ sake, it was clear enough that the idea of marrying her, Maddie, had never crossed Braddon’s mind.

“You think Lady Sophie won’t believe my note?”

“She might break off your engagement.”

Madeleine ignored the small voice in her heart that rejoiced at the idea of a broken engagement.

“Break off my engagement?” Braddon was clearly appalled. He clutched Maddie a little closer, thinking of his mother’s wrath. Then he sat up.

“I have it! I need to really break my leg! I’ll fall off a horse. Then all I have to do is get someone to fetch Sophie off that damned ladder and bring her over to my house, and she’ll see the plaster. She can’t blame me once she sees the evidence.”

Madeleine sighed. Truly, her English lord needed someone to take care of him.

“Don’t be such a bumble-brain! You can’t break your leg as easily as all that.”

“Yes, I can,” Braddon retorted. “I broke my left leg when I was a young nipper, and the doctor told me to go easy, because it would break again as easy as look at it. I reckon all I’d have to do is fall off a horse on the left, and keep that leg under me, and I’d be sure to break it again.”

Madeleine’s heart chilled. “It would probably not heal properly, and you’d be left with a permanent limp. Then Lady Sophie wouldn’t want you anyway.”

“You think so?”