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He sighed, aware that she was now annoyed with him again, thinking he'd kept more information from her, but he'd assumed Richard had told Christiana about the poison and that she in turn had told Suzette and Lisa when she'd explained everything else. However, he didn't say so, but merely assured her, "That's it."
"And why didn't you tell me yourself before this?" Suzette asked.
Daniel did consider explaining that he'd thought she'd known, but decided that was too much like pushing the blame on to Richard for not telling Christiana when he'd explained everything else, so simply said, "It wasn't my secret to tell."
Suzette didn't take it any better than he'd expected, asking in dry tones, "Where have I heard that before?" She then shifted on his lap to face forward again. On the bright side, it appeared Suzette was now annoyed with him to the point she couldn't even be bothered to torture him anymore. On the not so bright side, it appeared she was now annoyed with him to the point she couldn't even be bothered to torture him anymore . . . and he missed it. Who knew he had this masochistic streak?
"So we have a murderer as well as a blackmailer," Lisa said, drawing his attention away from what Suzette was no longer doing. He glanced to her as she asked, "Or do we think they are the same person?"
When Richard immediately glanced his way, Daniel shrugged helplessly. He was finding it difficult to think at the moment. While Suzette was no longer wiggling about on top of him, she was still on top of him, a firm weight on his semi-erection. On top of that, his hands were at her waist, just inches below her breasts, as well as inches above her bottom too. How was a man to think at a time like that?
"They don't know," Suzette said when neither man spoke.
"Well . . ." Lisa frowned. "Surely it wouldn't be easy for someone to get poison inside the townhouse without being discovered?"
Daniel did try to consider that, but Suzette chose that moment to shift sideways in his lap once more, apparently returning to her original torture. He once again found himself gritting his teeth against the feel of her wiggling about on top of him, and staring at the top curves of her lovely breasts where they rose out of her gown. The conversation going on around him was suddenly a very uninteresting buzz in his ears as he watched Suzette's breasts move with each inhalation of breath. At least it was until he heard his name again as Richard asked, "Do you have any idea, Daniel?"
His gaze shot to Richard, but he hadn't any idea what the man was asking until Suzette ducked her head and whispered, "Do you know who George trusted enough to admit to killing Richard and taking his place?"
Daniel shook his head at once, and then cleared his throat before saying, "I have been stuck at Woodrow since Uncle Henry died last year, trying to bring the estate back up to scratch. I only left just before receiving your letter from America. I didn't even know you--or George pretending to be you--had married. I have no idea what he's been up to this last year or with whom."
"It shouldn't be too difficult to find out," Langley put in. "There's nothing the ton loves more than a good gossip. A question here or there should tell us who George considered a trusted friend."
"So we need to question the staff, as well as nose out any gossip we can about what George was up to this last year and with whom . . . and I need to make arrangements for the money." Richard paused and glanced around at them all. "Can anyone think of anything else we might do to solve matters?"
When no one else spoke up, Daniel said, "I guess we shall have to start with that and hope we uncover some useful information."
When Richard nodded, Christiana suddenly leaned forward on his lap and retrieved a large basket from beneath the bench seat.
"What's that?" Langley asked curiously as she began to dig through its contents
"We had Cook pack some food for the journey while we waited for the carriage to be readied," Christiana answered.
"Food?" Richard asked hopefully.
"Yes." Christiana glanced over her shoulder at her husband. "Did you three not think to have a basket prepared before sneaking off like thieves?"
Watching the pair as he was, Daniel was taken by surprise when Suzette suddenly shifted in his lap and leaned forward to reach for something under their own bench seat. He recovered quickly, however, and under the guise of keeping her from falling off his lap, caught her by the hips, and spread his legs a bit even as he shifted her so that she was on only one knee, riding it astride. An evil smile of his own curved his lips when he heard her gasp, and felt her grab at his calf to balance herself. As she worked to retrieve what turned out to be a second basket, he--again under the guise of preventing her falling--drew her backward along his upper leg, in a completely intentional caress.
Daniel was quite pleased with her breathless and flustered state when she straightened, and was satisfied that he'd just established that two could play at her torture game. Unfortunately, in the next moment that contentment gave way to shock when Suzette proved that she was better at it than he was, by using the basket as cover as she dropped one hand down, slid it beneath her bottom and squeezed him through his trousers.
It was then Daniel acknowledged that the wench was going to drive him mad until he got her wed . . . and probably for the rest of his life. But as she squeezed him again, he admitted that his ride to bedlam would be an enjoyable one.
Chapter Eight
I shall wait in the parlor."
Suzette glanced to Daniel as he said that in response to Richard's announcing he needed to change as they all left the breakfast room. They'd arrived back at the townhouse a little after four that morning and had all thought of little else but finding their beds for the night. Despite a short nap in the carriage, Suzette had been so exhausted on reaching her room, she'd barely responded to the light kiss Daniel had given her at her door before following Langley to the room the two men were to share. She hadn't even bothered to strip before falling on her bed and passing into sleep.
Her poor gown had shown the abuse and been a terrible mass of wrinkles when she'd woke this morning. That being the case, Suzette had been glad, if a little surprised, to find her maid Georgina there with her chest of clothes, ready to help her start the day. Apparently, the maids' carriage had made good time and reached the townhouse directly behind them. Georgina said the Radnor carriage was still in front of the house when theirs had arrived. Suzette supposed they'd managed to catch up because the Radnor carriage had been twice as heavy after taking on the men, so had been forced to travel more slowly. Aside from that they'd had to stop so Daniel could see to his driver and the horses as well as to arrange for his carriage to be collected and seen to.
Suzette watched Daniel turn into the parlor as Richard jogged up the stairs and then she moved up beside Christiana and touched her arm to get her attention.
"When do you want to start interviewing the staff?" she asked, watching Daniel settle on the settee in the parlor. They all had assignments for the day. She and Christiana were to question the staff and see what they could find out about who might have been bribed into poisoning George's whiskey. Lisa and Langley were going to make the social rounds in town and see what gossip they could dig up about George's habits the last year, while Daniel and Richard were supposed to be going to arrange for the money to pay the blackmailer. Richard was hoping to catch the blackmailer rather than pay him, but wanted to be prepared for any eventuality.
"We will wait until everyone leaves," Christiana decided. "Why do you not go keep Daniel company? I want a word with Richard about how he wishes us to proceed with the staff anyway."
Suzette smiled. It was exactly what she'd hoped to hear. She slipped into the parlor, pulling the door closed as she went.
The soft sound drew Daniel's attention at once and his eyes narrowed. "What are you up to?"
"Whatever do you mean, my lord?" she asked innocently as she crossed the room. "I merely thought to keep you company while you wait for Richard."
"Hmm. You don't need to close the door for that. In fact, you should
know better than to close it at all," he pointed out, and stood to move past her to reopen it.
"Wait, I--" Suzette gave up on a sigh as the door opened, revealing Lisa in the hall, hand out as if she'd been reaching to open it herself. Muttering under her breath with irritation, Suzette dropped onto the settee and scowled at her sister and Robert as the trio came to join her. "I thought you two were going to make the social rounds?"
"Yes, but it seems rather early for that," Lisa said with a shrug. "So we thought we'd wait a bit. Besides, you two shouldn't be left unchaperoned in a closed room."
Suzette scowled at the gentle reprimand, and thought that sometimes having a younger sister was truly a pain in the behind. She listened silently as the other three started chatting about their plans for the day. None of them seemed to mind or even notice that she didn't join the conversation, but managed to keep up a steady stream of chatter without her contribution . . . until the sound of banging drew them to a halt and made everyone glance toward the ceiling. The sound appeared to be coming from upstairs, a steady thump thump.
"What on earth could that be?" Lisa asked, her expression mystified as she continued to peer at the ceiling.
"Er . . . perhaps someone is hammering something," Langley muttered, but the glance he exchanged with Daniel said something entirely different.
"Oh, that can't be hammering. It sounds like a piece of furniture hitting the wall." She frowned as the banging began to pick up in speed and stood up. "Perhaps I had best just go see what it is. If--"
"No, no. We have to go," Langley said, sounding panicked as he got to his feet and caught Lisa by the arm. "We really need to start on our inquiries."
"But--"
"Now," Langley insisted, hurrying her toward the parlor door.
Suzette watched them go and then turned to Daniel, who was avoiding her eyes to concentrate on picking imaginary lint off his trousers.
