The Lady and the Highwayman [Proper Romance] by Sarah M. Eden
Author:Sarah M. Eden [Eden, Sarah M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: 2019-09-01T18:30:00+00:00
The master was awake.
You swells sure know how to complicate simple things.â Fletcher eyed his reflection, clad in Hollisâs dress coat.
âYou think attending the opera is a simple thing?â
âAlways is down in the gallery.â He still felt more at ease in the section of the audience where the servants and apprentices and poor folk watched.
Hollis shook his head. âIf you think this is complicated, you should see how my brother prepares for a trip to the theater. It is like watching a performance before the performance.â
The Darby family were termed âold money,â except society didnât realize most of that money was gone. Hollisâs grandfather had begun draining the family coffers back during the brief reign of the Prince Regent. His father had taken up the task shortly after Victoria ascended the throne. Hollisâs older brother had inherited a fortune so small it was hardly worth the effort to spend irresponsibly.
âMaybe itâs for the best King is draining away at my income,â Fletcher said. âBeing well-to-do is a lot of bother.â
âYouâve played uncomfortable roles on behalf of the Dreadfuls before. Why does it rankle so much more this time?â
He flicked a hand, frustration getting the better of him.
âPerhaps because Miss Black will be there?â Hollis asked a little too innocently.
The fact that his nervousness increased at the guess told Fletcher his friend wasnât entirely wrong. Still, admitting as much wasnât on his short list of things he wanted to do. âMiss Black knows my origins.â
âDoes she?â Hollis clearly doubted it. âI doubt even the Dread Master knows all the details of your early life.â
âThe Dread Master values privacy.â
âHeâs certainly convinced you to.â Hollis set his hat atop his head. âI canât convince you to tell me who he is, and I know more of your secrets than anyone.â
âAs I said, this one ainât mine to tell.â
âHis identity impacts everyone in the society, including me. That makes it not entirely his secret.â
This was an old argument between them, one Fletcher knew how to deflect. âAnd the state of your familyâs coffers impacts more than just you, but youâll not hear me whispering about it to anyone.â
Hollis looked the tiniest bit repentant. His brother went to great lengths to hide the situation, in part to save his own pride but also to help assure that his son and daughter would not be rejected outright when they were grown.
âYouâre telling me I canât complain about you keeping othersâ secrets when youâre also keeping mine?â
Fletcher nodded.
âWill you ever tell me who the Dread Master is?â Hollis asked. âMaybe on my deathbed?â
âNot even then.â Fletcher tossed him a grin.
âCruel, Fletch. Youâre cruel.â
âWhatâs cruel is these shoes. They pinch like a pensionerâs pocketbook.â
Hollis laughed. âWhat is an evening at the opera without a little suffering?â
âYou ainât sweetening my opinion of this mad endeavor. Keep flapping your gums and Iâm likely to let Miss Black take herself to the opera.â
Hollis walked with him to the front door of Fletcherâs town house. He didnât live in the grandest area of Town, but his address was nothing to be ashamed of.
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