The Heiress

by Lynsay Sands

  The difference in the afternoon ride had been very notable. Where the carriage had been filled with a light and chatty atmosphere during the morning's ride with the girls, it had been much more solemn and grim with just the three men. They had mostly discussed George's murder and who might be behind it. Since they were coming to the situation mostly blind, having no idea who George had been dealing with or what he'd been doing this last year, they hadn't really got far on the subject and had finally fallen silent.

  Daniel couldn't help thinking that Christiana might have been able to help more with the matter. Now that she knew everything, she seemed the best prospect for being able to tell them who he had chummed around with this last year and so on. However, she hadn't been there to question.

  Daniel had been relieved to arrive at Radnor as evening fell. It had been a short-lived relief. They'd disembarked to find the women all aflutter. It seemed during the second half of the journey Lisa had recalled a letter a street urchin had given her that morning to pass on to "The Earl." It had happened during all the fuss and bother of loading the carriages, and she'd unfortunately forgotten the letter until they were almost to Radnor, where they planned to leave George in the family vault. Christiana, suspecting it was for George and not Richard, had immediately opened the letter to find it actually was for Richard. Someone knew George was dead and suspected Richard had killed him to reclaim his name and title. The individual was demanding a rather large sum of money to keep their silence. Now, they not only had to find out who had murdered George, but also had to contend with a blackmailer. Things just seemed to be spiraling out of control.

  The one good thing about the letter was that it had forced Christiana to explain all to her sisters and they would no longer be hampered by the need to hide facts or the presence of the dead body from Lisa and Suzette. However, that was somewhat tempered for Daniel by Suzette's annoyance with him. She was upset that he hadn't told her about it himself at some point. She felt sure husbands and wives shouldn't keep secrets like that from each other. Daniel hadn't pointed out that they weren't yet married, but had simply said it wasn't his secret to tell. Suzette hadn't seemed much mollified by the answer.

  The discovery of the letter meant that the trip to Gretna Green had to be put off so that they could return to town at once to deal with the blackmailer. However, they had taken the time to set the chest holding George in the family vault first, and then had been held up when they were discovered by the Radnor minister. If not for the man's catching them in the vault, all three carriages would now be on the way back to town. However, that discovery had led to explanations and then the minister offering to marry Richard and Christiana at once. After all, the man had pointed out, the banns had been read and the license procured a year earlier. The only reason the marriage was invalid was because Richard hadn't attended the ceremony and signed the wedding register himself. Were the minister to marry them, and did Richard and Christiana sign the register before witnesses, the marriage would be legal and unbreakable. So they'd had the ceremony and then Richard had suggested the women go above stairs and refresh themselves while a quick wedding feast was prepared. They would dine with the minister and then return to town, he'd said as he sent the women off.

  However, the moment the sisters were safely upstairs, Richard had taken the minister aside for a word and then begun hustling Daniel and Langley out of the house. He had decided they could travel faster without the women and would prefer to leave them safely here at Radnor rather than drag them back to town. The men could handle the blackmailer and then afterward return to collect the women and continue on to Gretna Green so that Daniel and Suzette could marry.

  Daniel had not been pleased. He knew Suzette would be furious, but he was also rather annoyed himself. There was no way to get to know her better if they weren't even together. However, Richard had insisted on it. He'd argued that it was safer and he didn't wish the women involved with dealing with the blackmailer. He'd also pointed out that it was ridiculous to drag the maids and chests and all three carriages back to town when they would just be returning in a day or two to continue on to Gretna Green. Whether he liked it or not, Daniel had seen the sense in both arguments, so had finally capitulated. While the women were above stairs, the three men had snuck out of Radnor like thieves and ridden off in Daniel's carriage.

  As annoyed as he was at having to leave Suzette behind, Daniel had to admit it was safer. They were also traveling much more swiftly with just the three of them and one carriage. They had stopped three times to change the horses, and it wasn't yet midnight, but he thought they were probably already about three quarters of the way back to London.

  "They will get over their anger," he said now, hoping that was true.

  "Trust me," Langley said dryly. "I have known the Madison sisters all my life. You will not get off easily for this. Either of you," he added, and then glanced to Richard and said, "I was glad to see . . ."

  Daniel didn't hear the rest of what he said, his gaze had slid out the window to the moonlit sky as he wondered what Suzette was doing. He imagined she was still fuming over his defection. He supposed he would have some fence-mending to do when they returned to Radnor to collect the women. He would purchase a gift for her while in town, Daniel decided, and then brightened at the thought as he decided on an engagement ring and wedding band. He hadn't considered the need for either item before this and he was trying to decide if she would prefer something simple like a solitaire or a more elaborate multi-jeweled ring when his thoughts were interrupted by a loud crack and the carriage suddenly pitching to the side.

  Daniel grabbed instinctively for something to hold on to as the night filled with sudden shouts and whinnies, but he was too slow and found himself tumbling about inside the carriage. He crashed into one wall, then another, all the while taking blows from the various body parts of his companions as the three of them banged about inside the vehicle. The carriage seemed to roll several times before it came to a stop, and then everything was suddenly still.

  Silence was a heavy cloak inside the carriage until Daniel found the breath to groan. He had come to rest on his back on a relatively flat surface except for something that was poking him in the lower back. It was damned uncomfortable, but not nearly as discomfiting as the fact that he couldn't breathe. Something heavy had landed on top of him and was squeezing the breath right out of him. Probably one of the men, he thought a little faintly, or both of them, he corrected as the weight on top of him began to shift, stealing even more of his ability to breathe.

  "Lord Woodrow?"

  The darkness enveloping them suddenly gave way to blinding light as the carriage door opened above and his driver leaned in with a lit lantern to peer about. The light showed Daniel that it was indeed both Richard and Langley on top of him, but now Robert scrabbled to remove himself, making Richard grunt on top of Daniel as the other man sat up and then reached for the opening and pulled himself out.

  "Damn, Richard, get off me, I can't breathe," Daniel gasped the moment he could get more air into his lungs, but Richard was already moving and muttering apologies as he inadvertently kneed and elbowed him during his efforts. Richard didn't immediately follow Robert out of the carriage, however, instead shifting his weight to the side to kneel beside Daniel as he asked, "Are you all right?"

  "Battered and bruised, but otherwise fine I think," Daniel decided as he sat up. "You?"

  "The same," Richard said and glanced up.

  Daniel followed his gaze to the opening and the still waiting driver. Robert was now also peering back in at them, but Daniel's eyes sought out his driver.

  "What happened?" he asked as he stood up.

  "I'm not sure, my lord," the driver admitted, sounding unhappy. He and Robert both shifted back to get out of the way as Daniel began to pull himself out through the open carriage door, before he continued, "We were riding along fine and then I heard a crack, and the carriage pitched and began to roll. Fortunately, the carriage body snappe
d just behind the boot and the horses weren't dragged with it or they would have died for certain."

  Moving out of the way on the side of the carriage as Richard began to follow him, Daniel glanced over his driver with concern and asked, "And you weren't hurt?"

  "I was tossed, but landed on a bush. I'm all right," the man assured him, but then added with disgust, "But the coach is a wreck. I don't think it can even be fixed."

  "As long as everyone is all right," Daniel said and glanced to Robert Langley in question.

  "Fine," the other man assured him, easing to the edge of the carriage to leap down. "I got an elbow in the face during one of the rolls and will probably have a black eye, but otherwise seem fine."

  Daniel grunted at this news and moved to inspect the two wheels on the upraised side of the carriage. Richard joined him as he inspected first the front and then back upraised wheel. Both appeared fine, so Daniel jumped to the ground and moved next to inspect the wheels presently lying flat on the ground. He frowned when he found the broken wheel and took note of the break of the spokes. Eyeing them suspiciously, he commented, "That's a rather straight break."

  Richard was at his side at once. "You think they were cut?"

  "Those three spokes certainly look like they could have been," Daniel pointed out a trio of spokes next to each other where the breaks looked as straight as a cut. "The rest are more splintered and natural-looking breaks. They probably snapped under the pressure when those three gave way."

  Richard frowned and glanced around as they both straightened. "I agree. The question is who did it and why? And when?"

  "The why is easy," Daniel pointed out. "As far as George's killer knows, the poison didn't work. As for when . . ." He peered back at the broken wheel. "It couldn't have been done in town. There were four of us in the carriage this morning on the way to Radnor and the wheel would have given out then under that kind of weight had it been cut before we left London. Besides, you weren't even in my carriage on the way out of town."

  "So it was done at Radnor or one of the three stops since we left," Richard reasoned.

  Daniel nodded. Obviously George's killer thought he'd failed and was making renewed efforts to rid the world of the man. A bit callous of the fellow to make the attempt in such a way that he and Langley could have died with Richard, Daniel thought dryly. He glanced to Richard to note that he was peering about again as if expecting the culprit to leap out at them and couldn't blame him. If the spokes had been cut at Radnor or at one of the stops since then, it meant they'd been followed from town. The culprit may actually still be trailing them.

  "Is that a carriage I hear?" Richard asked suddenly.

  Daniel raised an eyebrow and listened for a moment, becoming aware of a faint sound that was definitely that of a distant but approaching carriage. "Yes, and it's moving quickly. We'd best get off the road."

  Richard nodded and started to move. Daniel followed, calling out a warning to his driver as he went. The driver immediately urged the horses he'd been inspecting onto the grassy verge and then moved back to the edge of the road with his lantern and lifted it in the air to swing it back and forth to get the attention of the approaching vehicle.

  "A coach and six," Langley said as a vehicle careened into view on the moonlit lane.

  Daniel nodded, relieved when the oncoming coachmen spotted his driver and swerved to miss the man. The carriage didn't slow, however, but continued past at high speed.

  "Wasn't that--?" Langley began.

  Daniel heard Richard's grim, "Yes" to the unfinished question, but hadn't needed it. He too had recognized the three faces pressed to the window as the coach had sailed past. He shook his head as the Radnor carriage rode out of sight around the next bend. It had been Suzette, Christiana, and Lisa, all gaping out the window at them.

  "I did tell you they would not take our leaving sitting down," Langley pointed out, sounding amused.

  "You didn't say they would follow," Daniel said dryly.

  Langley laughed and shrugged. "Why spoil the surprise?"

  Daniel was shaking his head at the words when he became aware of the sound of another approaching carriage, this time coming from the direction the Radnor carriage had gone. It was no great surprise to see the Radnor coach now returning at a much more sedate pace.

  "Time to face the music," Langley said dryly, heading for the door when it didn't immediately open to allow the women to spill out.

  Daniel merely grunted. He suspected it wasn't a good sign that the women were staying quietly inside the carriage, and not coming out to see that they were all right. Sighing, he turned his attention to his driver and ordered him to tie the leads of their horses to the back of the Radnor carriage and then join the driver on the front. He supposed they'd have to stop at the next inn to leave the horses and his driver. The man would have to arrange for someone to collect the broken carriage and see if it could be fixed before following them back to town.

  "Hello, ladies."

  Daniel glanced back to the carriage at that cheerful greeting from Langley and was in time to see the other man disappear inside the vehicle to a chorus of polite hellos. Silence fell immediately after those were said, however, and Daniel watched as Richard now approached the open door. The man glanced in, sighed at whatever he saw, and offered a more subdued "Hello, ladies," as he entered as well.

  One eyebrow rose on Daniel's forehead at the lack of response this time. Grimacing, he supposed he too would be met with less than pleasure at this point. No doubt Suzette and Christiana would hold him and Richard accountable for dumping them at Radnor. It appeared they weren't holding Robert accountable, however. Shrugging, Daniel decided to get it over with and offered a "hello, ladies" of his own as he reached the door. He wasn't terribly surprised to be met with silence, so merely took a moment to see that Robert, and Richard were on one bench seat with an angry-looking Christiana squeezed between them, leaving a sour-faced Lisa and Suzette on the other. He then got in to settle between the two women.

  The carriage started off at once, jolting them about, and Daniel grunted as he got an unintentional elbow in the stomach from Suzette. She murmured an apology and he nodded, but then, noting that Richard had lifted a protesting Christiana onto his lap to make more room on the opposite bench, decided it was a good idea and caught Suzette by the waist to lift her onto his own lap. He had half expected Suzette to argue the move like her sister, so was pleasantly surprised when she settled comfortably there, simply shifting so that she sat sideways and could place one arm along his shoulders.

  At least it was a pleasant surprise at first, until he found himself staring at her cleavage, which was right in front of his face now. It immediately recalled him to the last occasion on which they'd been in this position and how he'd bared her breasts and made free with them, licking and suckling and--

  A pinch on his earlobe recalled Daniel to where he was and the fact that his face had apparently been swooping toward Suzette's cleavage. At least, he suddenly found himself just inches from the sweet curves of the tops of her breasts. Made aware of it, Daniel straightened at once and glanced around to see if his near slip had been noticed, but everyone else appeared to have their attention on Christiana and Richard as she reprimanded him for leaving the women behind at Radnor . . . Everyone but Suzette, that was, Daniel realized, as he noted the completely evil smile on her face as she watched him and then gave her behind a little wiggle in his lap. It occurred to him then that this was the reason she had not fought his taking her on his lap. Suzette had realized how it would affect him and was using it as punishment for his own part in the defection.

  "Little minx," he whispered.

  Smile widening, Suzette shifted and wiggled about on top of him again, inadvertently leaning her breasts briefly closer to his face as she appeared to try to find a more comfortable position. He suspected the action was more to torture him than out of any true desire to get more comfortable and was proven correct when she murmured, "This reminds
me of the first time we were alone in a carriage together, my lord."

  Daniel closed his eyes against the view of her breasts not even an inch from his face as she twisted her upper body in his lap. Damn, she was so close that if he stuck his tongue out, he could run it across the top curves along the neckline of her gown, he thought. But then his eyes popped open again when she shifted once more and added in almost an undertone, "As I recall, we didn't reach our destination then either."

  They hadn't been headed anywhere that night, though she hadn't realized it. But he still suspected Suzette was speaking of something other than Gretna Green when she said destination. At least, he was thinking of something else and was suddenly recalling kneeling between her legs, rubbing himself against her as he'd prepared to enter her before being recalled to George's presence in the carriage had brought an end to things.

  Damn, the little witch was brutal, Daniel decided as he felt himself growing firm under her bottom. And the rest of the ride to town was going to be complete hell.

  "What? George was poisoned?" Suzette asked suddenly, stiffening in his lap and withdrawing her arm from around his neck to cross both arms on her chest in an annoyed fashion that drew his attention to the conversation taking place around him.

  Apparently they'd been discussing George and the blackmailer as well as the murder, Daniel realized as Christiana explained, "It seems George may have been poisoned. Daniel and Richard smelled bitter almonds by his mouth."

  "Almonds aren't poisonous," Suzette said at once.

  "Bitter almonds are used to make cyanide," Lisa explained. When everyone glanced her way, she shrugged and said, "I read a lot."

  "She does," Suzette said dryly and then turned to Christiana. "What else don't we know?"

  "You know everything I know now. And I only found out about the poison after the wedding. I just hadn't had a chance to tell you," she added apologetically.

  Suzette nodded and then turned a glare on Daniel. "What else?"