Chapter Five
"That is your emergency? You had my valet roust me from a dead slumber to ask me that?" Daniel asked with disbelief. His valet had awoken him only moments ago with the news that the Earl of Radnor was below, insisting he see him on an urgent matter. With all that was going on, that urgent matter could have been just about anything, most of it bad, so Daniel had thrown on his clothes and hurried below in a panic only to find out that the urgent matter was Richard's worry over what he'd done with George's body. The realization was rather annoying since the man hadn't seemed overly concerned the night before when he'd been embracing Christiana in the master bedroom window. Besides, after taking care of George, Daniel had gone to bed, only to lay awake most of the night fretting about what to do about Suzette. He'd only dropped off to sleep a couple of hours ago and was exhausted and cranky at being woken up so early.
"Well you know who's whereabouts is rather important to me," Richard said stiffly, and then pointed out, "And I wouldn't have had to wake you from a dead slumber to find out where he is if you hadn't left without me last night."
Daniel dropped into the nearest seat with disgust. You know who was George, of course. They had been calling him that since this conversation started just in case they were overheard by a servant. Scowling irritably at Richard now, he asked, "Well, what else was I to do? Sit about in my carriage while you gave you know who's wife a tumble."
Richard stiffened. "She is my wife, thank you very much."
Daniel snorted and said dryly, "My, we've changed our tune this morning, have we not? Last night you weren't at all sure you wanted to keep her."
"Yes, well, I hardly have a choice now. I've--" He paused and scowled. "How the devil did you know I tumbled her?"
Daniel raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Was it supposed to be a secret? If so, you shouldn't have done it in the front window for anyone on the street to see."
Richard's eyes widened in horrified realization and he simply stood for the longest time, until Daniel was irritated enough to prompt, "Well?"
Richard blinked as if awaking from a dream and asked, uncertainly, "Well, what?"
"Are you really planning to keep her?" Daniel asked with exasperation.
Richard sighed and moved to settle in a chair himself before confessing, "She was a virgin until last night."
Daniel blew out a silent whistle. "That was very remiss of you know who."
Richard merely grunted. He looked pretty miserable, but Daniel wasn't feeling much sympathy at the moment. Aside from having had to deal with George's body on his own, he'd left the Radnor townhouse with aching balls and an erection that could have been mistaken for a pistol in his pocket. Richard on the other hand, had apparently had a jolly good time with his dead brother's not so legally married wife, or his own not quite wife depending on how you looked at it. A woman, Daniel recalled, who disliked her "husband" intensely and had been obviously soused and, according to Richard, had still been a virgin. Daniel didn't like to think that Richard had taken advantage of the woman; he wasn't the sort to do that. However, he was having trouble seeing how it had come to pass.
"So," Daniel said finally, "after a year of misery with you know who, whom she thought was you, she just forgave all and fell into your arms last night?"
Guilt immediately filled Richard's expression. He scrubbed at his face as if trying to wipe away the feeling, and then sighed and muttered with self-disgust. "I took advantage of an inebriated woman."
Daniel didn't know how to react to that. It just wasn't like Fairgrave to do something of the sort and he suspected there had been extenuating circumstances. Certainly, from what he'd seen, Christiana hadn't appeared to be trying to fight him off. In fact she'd been clinging to him like ivy, and if she was anything like Suzette . . . Daniel grimaced, the Madison women appeared to have strong passions. Even he had forgotten his better intentions and nearly taken Suzette . . . twice. And he didn't have any illusions on the matter. Had Lisa not interrupted them the first time, and Suzette not mentioned how cold his hand was and made him recall George's presence in the carriage the second time, Daniel would have taken Suzette's virginity last night, consequences be damned. He'd also probably be on the way to Gretna Green this morning.
Clearing his throat, he finally said, "Well, at least you are going to do the right thing and stand by the marriage."
"Which isn't even a legal one," Richard pointed out, and then his eyes widened. "What if she is with child from last night's tumblings? Technically, the child would be illegitimate."
Daniel grimaced at the thought, but tried to soothe him. "Well, one time isn't likely to bring about a child."
"True, but it wasn't one time," Richard muttered.
"Well even two . . ." Daniel began, but then noted his expression and instead asked, "Three?"
Richard stared back silently.
"Four?" he asked with disbelief.
Richard remained silent.
"Oh." Daniel sat back in his seat, somewhat impressed, but mostly envious as he imagined having Suzette five times or more, each time in different places and positions and . . . Giving his head a shake, he muttered, "Well, she must be very . . . er . . . inspiring. We must just hope she is not equally fertile." When Richard's shoulders slumped, he added, "Or you could marry her to ensure everything was legal."
"We are already supposed to be married. How the devil do I explain the need to marry again?" Richard asked with disgust.
Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but found he didn't have any suggestions to give. He was tired, and he hadn't even had breakfast or a cup of tea yet. How was he expected to come up with anything useful in this state? Considering sending a servant for at least some tea, he glanced to the door and noted that he'd left it open when he'd entered. Now Daniel stood and moved to it. Unfortunately, a glance out into the hall showed it empty of anyone he could send for the bracing beverage. Sighing, he closed the door and then moved back to his chair. Spotting Richard's distressed expression he realized that they really should have closed the door much earlier and grimaced.
The short walk had helped clear his thoughts somewhat though, and as Daniel reclaimed his seat he suggested, "Rather than present it as a need, perhaps you could suggest to Christiana that you want to do it again, as a sort of fresh start to the marriage to make up for this last very bad year. She will think you are the most romantic bugger alive, and you will be assured that any heirs are legal."
It was a rather good idea and Daniel was both surprised and pleased that he'd managed to come up with it in the state he was in. Still, that didn't prevent his being annoyed that his friend was apparently equally surprised when Richard commented, "That is actually a good idea."
"I have been known to have a good idea or two on occasion," he said with irritation.
When Richard merely grunted, he added blithely, "And then you could travel to Gretna Green with Suzette and I when we head off to do the deed."
"Yes, we could leave--" Richard began and then glanced at him sharply. "You and Suzette?"
Daniel concentrated on his fingernails for a moment, unwilling to meet his gaze. This was the grand plan he'd come up with while lying abed, tossing and turning last night. He wanted Suzette, but wasn't foolish enough just to take her and then possibly regret it. He needed time with her to get to know her better. If he didn't tell her today that he would marry her, Daniel had no doubt Suzette would not give him another second of her time. She'd simply return to her search for a husband and perhaps even run off to Gretna Green with Garrison or one of the other men she'd met last night.
Daniel was positive the only way to ensure he got at least some time with her was if he agreed to the marriage and then delayed it. She had two weeks, and he was hoping he could put her off for a couple of days and then head for Gretna Green at a desultory pace that would assure them several more days to get to know each other before he had to make up his mind. Of course, once at Gretna he'd have to decide for certain one way or
the other. If he thought they would deal well together, his answer would be yes. If not, he would let her down easily and offer to pay the debt himself to prevent her marrying the first likely male she came across.
The only problem Daniel could see with this plan was that he would have to keep his hands to himself. From now on he would have to spend as much time with her as he could, but in the company of others to preserve his honor and her virginity. He didn't just want the woman, he already liked her, and had no desire to harm her person or reputation in any way. Daniel was not a debaucher of young innocents. Last night had been an aberration. For some reason the woman made all his better intentions fly out the window when she was close and he would have to watch out for that over the next couple of weeks.
Richard shifted impatiently in his seat and Daniel glanced to him. Realizing the man was still waiting for some sort of answer, he cleared his throat, and said, "Er . . . yes."
"You're marrying Suzette?" Richard asked slowly and carefully, apparently having trouble believing it.
"I haven't quite made up my mind," Daniel admitted, now picking imaginary lint off his trousers to avoid meeting his gaze, and then admitted on a sigh, "Though I am leaning that way."
When Richard's eyes narrowed suspiciously, Daniel knew exactly where his thoughts had gone. They'd headed directly where Richard's desires had led him last night. No doubt the man was thinking that he and Christiana had done the deed last night, so perhaps Daniel and Suzette had too. The suspicion annoyed him and he snapped, "I haven't tumbled her." To be fair, he followed up with the admission, "But it was damned close, and only you know who's presence prevented it in the end."
Richard appeared surprised at this revelation, not to mention a little confused, and pointed out, "You know who was in the carriage."
"Yes, well, so were Suzette and I at the end," Daniel admitted with disgust, recalling the moment he'd realized Suzette was clasping George's dead hand which she'd thought was his own.
"You had Suzette in the carriage with you and you know who?" Richard asked with dismay. "Did she know you know who was there?"
"Can we not think of another name for him?" Daniel asked with irritation. "This is getting annoying."
"Answer the damned question," Richard insisted.
"Well, of course she didn't know," he said finally. "Hell, I didn't know until I got in. In fact, it was my attempt to distract her from his presence that led to the 'damned close' bit." He sighed and added, "So it's ironic that it was also his presence that brought an end to it."
Richard ran an agitated hand through his hair and asked, "If you haven't bedded her, why consider marrying her? It's rather sudden, isn't it? You hardly know the chit."
Daniel stiffened at the perceived criticism, and snapped, "I know her as well as you know Christiana and you're marrying her."
"Christiana is a special woman and our situation is not a common one."
"Well, Suzette is just as special and our situation is not common either," he shot back, and then frowned as he realized what he'd said. Unfortunately, he couldn't dispute it. Suzette was special. Aside from the fact that he'd never encountered anyone who inspired quite the same depth of passion in him that she did, he found her unbelievably fascinating. Her tendency to just say what she felt was something not done by the majority of the ton, and after a childhood and early manhood spent living a lie to hide his family's poverty, Daniel found that blunt honesty refreshing. He also found her charming and amusing and spirited and . . .
Sighing, he explained, "She proposed to me at the ball, and then when she found me in her room, thought I had come to say yes to her proposal. Rather than explain my real purpose in being there I let her believe it because I couldn't come up with an alternate explanation for my presence. I am still trying to come up with one. But I am also considering her proposal seriously in the meantime."
"Why the devil would she propose to you? She wants a husband in need of money who will agree to her terms," Richard pointed out.
Daniel grimaced. "Yes, well, I may have misled her as to my financial status."
Richard raised his eyebrows. "Why?"
"Because when she asked me about my income and such I assumed she was just another fortune-seeking debutante and lied. You can imagine my surprise when rather than scaring her off, my saying I had no money prompted a proposal." He shook his head and thought wryly that he had rather been hoisted with his own petard. But in his defense, it wasn't uncommon for fortune-seeking mamas and their daughters to chase him. In fact, the idea that Suzette had no interest in his hard-earned wealth made a nice change.
"So rather than just tell her that you have money--"
"I have no intention of telling her that, and you'd best not either," Daniel said grimly. "And don't even think about offering to pay off the father's gambling debts. I shall attend those myself whether I marry her or not."
Richard raised an eyebrow. "Why should I not offer to pay them off? It would remove the pressure the women are under."
Daniel felt his mouth tighten. "Suzette is not enthralled with the idea of marrying after all she's learned about Christiana's experiences this last year. She may very well bury herself in the countryside and eschew marriage altogether should she learn it isn't a necessity, and I can hardly get to know her better if she is at Madison Manor and I am at Woodrow."
"Ah," Richard murmured, and then cleared his throat and said, "Fine, I shall refrain from offering to pay . . . for now."
Daniel nearly slumped with relief. "Thank you."
Richard waved his gratitude away and changed the subject. "The good news is that since I've decided to uphold the marriage to Christiana, we can simply dispose of you know who. I was considering our options on the way here--"
Daniel shook his head and interrupted. "That might not be the best idea."
Richard paused and raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I think perhaps it would be best not to dispose of him at all yet. At least not until we sort out this business of who killed him."
"Why?" Richard asked with apparent surprise, and then reasoned, "It is not as if he can be a witness in his own murder."
"No, but we cannot prove murder without a body," Daniel pointed out. "Whoever poisoned him will soon think they failed, if they don't already. They will try again."
Richard appeared upset at this suggestion, and said grimly, "Then I shall have to be careful about what I eat and drink. But I see no need to keep you know who around until we catch his killer. We can charge whoever it is with attempted murder when they try to kill me."
Daniel was silent for a moment. He was worried. They had enough problems without having to watch out for another murder attempt on Richard. He had been lucky in escaping the plans George had set out for him, but now there was a completely unknown person who had apparently wanted him, or George as him, dead and they had no idea who it was or why this individual wanted to kill him. It seemed to Daniel that it might be smarter to keep George around just in case they needed to prove the first murder attempt, or even the identity business. At this point they simply didn't know what was going on or what might happen. Finally, he just said, "It just seems to me to be smarter to keep you know who around until we have it all sorted out."
"Very well," Richard gave in. "Have you hidden him somewhere safe?"
Daniel grimaced at the question. "Er . . . well, actually no. I placed him in the pavilion in the back garden for the night."
"In the . . . ?" Richard stared at him blankly.
Daniel shrugged. "It was the only place I could think of. I needed somewhere cold, but covered and that was all I could come up with at the time." Besides, it had been late, he had been tired and cranky and really, where did one hide a dead man? The answer to that had been beyond him at the time. Now, he pointed out, "But he shall have to be moved before too much longer."
"Yes," Richard agreed grimly. "He definitely needs to be moved."
"I had an idea about that too."
"Do tell," Richard requested dryly.
Daniel ignored his sarcasm. "I thought it might be best to put him back in the master bedroom."
The suggestion had Richard's eyes bugging out. "What? You--"
"Now hear me out before you protest," Daniel insisted firmly. Really, he'd never known the man to be this excitable, but then they'd never before been in quite this position. "The girls have already seen that "Dicky" is gone and so believe you are you . . . which of course you are. They also know the bed is now in ruins thanks to the ice they packed around who they thought was you. So, we dump him back in the bed, you keep the windows open to cool the room, and then lock off the doors and keep the keys. Then you say you have ordered a bed to replace the ruined one and that no one should bother entering the room until it arrives and the chamber can be set to rights."
Daniel thought it a rather clever idea himself. Basically they would be hiding the body in plain sight. He sat back with a smile, finishing, "That way he is close at hand if we need him for proof of anything, and yet out of the way of being found."
"I suppose that could work," Richard said thoughtfully.
"It will," Daniel assured him, and then admitted, "The only real problem I see is getting him out of here and back to your townhouse in broad daylight."
Richard stiffened and lifted his head, eyebrows rising in question, so Daniel pointed out, "He has to be moved soon. One of the servants might decide to take a turn around the gardens and stumble upon him before the day is out."
"Damn," Richard breathed. He stared at him with horror for a moment and then lowered his head.
When Richard sat staring at his feet for a prolonged period, Daniel sat back to wait, sure the other man would come up with something. He himself wasn't up to the task at the moment. He was exhausted, his eyes gritty and a yawn threatening to force his jaws open. What Daniel really wanted to do was go back to bed. However now that he had recalled the problem with his choice of hiding spot for the body, he knew he wouldn't rest until it was moved. It had seemed a perfectly fine place to put the body at the time, but the moment he'd admitted where he'd put George he'd recognized the dangers in leaving it there. Daniel supposed he'd just been too tired and out of sorts last night to think of these problems.