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"You don't happen to have an old rug you don't mind getting rid of?" Richard asked suddenly, and Daniel glanced his way to see that the horror that had been on his face had now been replaced with a smile. Richard obviously had an idea.
"Why, you're still abed."
Suzette shifted her eyes from the window she'd been staring at, the window Daniel had entered through the night before, and glanced to the door as Lisa entered and moved toward her.
"You're always up with the birds. Are you not feeling well this morning?" Lisa asked with concern.
Suzette grimaced and turned her gaze back to the window with a small shrug. She wasn't exactly sick, unless it was sick with worry. She had been lying here for quite a while now, simply allowing the events of the night before to replay in her head. The more she recalled them, the more concerned she was. When she'd found Daniel in her room, she'd been positive things would be all right. He had come to agree to her proposal. They'd marry, she'd pay off the gambling debts and all would be well.
The two passionate encounters they'd shared--first here in her room and then in the carriage--had only solidified her certainty in her mind. But the end of the night had left her in turmoil. Daniel had been so cold and curt at the end as he'd set her down, straightened her clothes and said they should leave things until today as agreed. After that he'd fled as if the hounds of hell were on his heels and she couldn't help fearing he'd had second thoughts, that perhaps she'd done something wrong and he'd reconsidered.
Perhaps she shouldn't have been so responsive to his kisses, Suzette thought with a frown. Perhaps he now feared she may be free with her favors. Or perhaps he was one of those men who expected women to dislike participating in such carnal delights and was disgusted by the pleasure she'd taken in his caresses and kisses. And she had taken pleasure in them. Suzette had never before experienced such raw and powerful need in her life. In fact, she'd never even come close. She'd never even been kissed before Daniel.
Suzette didn't know what she would do if he returned today with the news that he had decided not to accept her proposal. She supposed she would have to find another man to replace him, but the problem was that she wasn't sure that was possible. She couldn't imagine any of the other men she'd met last night drawing such pleasure and passion from her. The very idea of allowing any of them to touch and caress her as Daniel had done last night left her cold. It didn't bode well for the future if she was married to a man who couldn't stir her passion as Daniel had. Especially now that she'd tasted that pleasure.
"Suzy?" Lisa asked uncertainly, settling on the edge of her bed.
Sighing, she glanced to her and forced a smile. "I am fine. I just felt lazy this morning."
"Oh." Lisa smiled with relief. "Well, I came to tell you that Robert is here."
"Oh," Suzette murmured, not really caring that Lord Langley was visiting. A family friend and neighbor, Robert had spent a good deal of time at Madison over the years. In truth, he had been at Madison more than away from it and was like a big brother to them all. An annoying big brother who liked to tease and harass them like any true brother did.
Shortly after Christiana had married Dicky and moved to the Fairgrave townhouse in London which Dicky apparently preferred to the family seat, Robert himself had moved to town, abandoning them in the country for the lure of London life. Apparently, he had kept track of Christiana however, since it was his letters that had their father come to town where he'd wound up landing them in trouble again with his gambling.
"I thought perhaps you might want to ask him about Lord Woodrow," Lisa persisted. "I thought perhaps he could tell us if he is honorable and what he thought of him as a man."
That caught her attention and Suzette was suddenly sitting up. "That's a good idea," she announced, slipping her feet to the floor to rise. Perhaps she could learn enough to understand if she had erred horribly in her behavior last night, and how she might fix it if she had. Besides, she'd like to know more about Daniel, everything about him really. He was to be her husband after all. Well, at least she hoped he would be.
"I shall send Georgina up to you," Lisa announced, rising and heading for the door.
"Thank you," Suzette called, but didn't wait for the maid to arrive. Now eager to get below, she slipped from bed and began searching for clothes to wear. She had selected an outfit and was brushing her hair when Georgina arrived with a basin of water. Suzette smiled at the maid, and listened absently to her chatter as she quickly washed herself. She then dressed with the woman's help and stood patiently as Georgina again brushed her hair. The moment she was done, however, Suzette rushed out of the room and headed downstairs, eager to question Langley. She considered him a good judge of character and was curious to hear what he thought of Daniel.
The parlor door was closed when Suzette stepped off the stairs. She almost stopped to look in, but then spotted Lisa in the breakfast room and headed there instead.
"Oh, that was fast." Lisa rose as Suzette entered, but then hesitated and asked reluctantly, "Did you want to break your fast before we join Christiana and Robert?"
Suzette glanced toward the food on the sideboard, but shook her head. "I shall eat something after we talk to Robert."
Lisa didn't hide her relief and Suzette wasn't surprised. While Suzette and Christiana had always looked on Robert as a brotherly figure, she suspected Lisa had developed something of a tender for the fellow the last couple of years. The girl had the tendency to watch him with calf eyes and trail him about like an adoring puppy. So far, Suzette didn't think Robert was really aware of her feelings, but then men could be incredibly obtuse at times.
"Shall we go join them in the parlor then?" Lisa hurried around the table toward her.
Suzette nodded and moved back into the hall, curious as to why the parlor door was closed. It really wasn't proper behavior for a married lady to be alone in a room with a man who was not her husband. But she knew nothing untoward would be going on in there. Now, had Lisa been alone in a closed room with Robert, Suzette might have worried the girl was attacking the man, but she didn't worry about that with Christiana. However, she wasn't terribly surprised when Lisa hurried to the door, opened it and strode right in declaring, "There you are!" in a high trill, before finishing with a scowl. "Haversham said Langley was here. Why was the door closed?"
Suzette bit her lip with amusement as she followed Lisa inside and noted the startled expressions on Robert and Christiana's faces. It seemed obvious they'd been discussing something serious, but now appeared more surprised by Lisa's attack than anything.
It was Christiana who said soothingly, "I'm afraid I closed it without thinking when I entered." Managing a smile, their older sister added, "Come sit down. I was just about to ask Langley if there are any balls we should attend tonight."
"I thought we were attending the Hammonds' ball tonight," Suzette murmured as she and Lisa moved to take up seats on the settee with Robert. She noted the exchange of glances between Robert and Christiana and wondered what they'd been talking about before she and Lisa had arrived.
"Yes, of course," Robert said easily. "I think Christiana meant what other balls there are after it."
Suzette glanced to Christiana to see her nodding in agreement, but then turned her attention back to Robert as he began to list the coming events and balls over the next few days. Suzette waited patiently, listening with half an ear in case she needed to attend any of the events to find a replacement for Daniel, but finally interrupted him to ask, "Do you know Lord Woodrow?"
Robert paused, appearing surprised by the question. Obviously, Christiana had not revealed Suzette's plans or that she'd proposed to Daniel. Finally, he said, "I--Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do. We were at school together. He is good friends with Richard Fairgrave."
Suzette shook her head at once. "No, he isn't. In fact he doesn't like Dicky at all."
"Really?" Robert asked with interest, and then glanced meaningfully to Christiana and said, "They used to be th
e best of chums in school."
Suzette hadn't a clue what the silent message was, but was too concerned with finding out what she could about Daniel to worry about it for now, and said, "What can you tell me about him?"
"His family is an old and respected one. He was the only child. His father was a second son, but Woodrow's uncle died about a year ago without issue and Daniel inherited the Woodrow estates and earldom."
"Oh Suzy, he's an earl!" Lisa squealed with excitement.
Suzette merely frowned, wondering why he hadn't mentioned as much, and what that might mean for her. Noting the way Robert was now glancing from her to Lisa curiously, she grimaced and gestured for him to continue.
Robert shrugged. "What else do you want to know?"
"What do you think of him?" she asked at once. Langley was usually a very good judge of character, though he'd rather fallen short on Dicky. But then his father had been ill at the time, and had in fact died shortly after Christiana and Dicky's wedding. Attending to his father, Robert hadn't spent much time at Madison when Dicky was courting Christiana, and when he had been there he'd been distracted and anxious over his father's health. Suzette suspected his father's death was the reason he had suddenly taken himself off to London. It seemed likely he'd been avoiding the family home full of such sad memories.
"What do I think of him," Robert murmured thoughtfully, his eyes slipping toward the ceiling briefly, before he glanced back and said with a small shrug, "I always liked him. He was smart, with a good sense of humor. He tended to stand up for the downtrodden, defending anyone some of the nastier fellows picked on. We do not move in the same crowds now, but I've never heard a bad word against him since that time either. He seems a fine fellow." He paused and raised his eyebrows. "Now why do you ask?"
