The Heiress (Madison Sisters 2)

Pushing the door closed, Suzette opened the letter and started to cross to the bed, but paused as she read the contents.

Dear Suzette,

I apologize for the inconvenience of my timing. However, I simply cannot marry you. Your behavior in the stables this morning was, frankly, nothing like what one would expect from a lady of the gentry. It was a base and sordid little incident. You behaved no better than a milkmaid by lifting your skirts for me there amongst the dung and stink of the stables. I find this has raised concerns in me regarding your ability to remain faithful as a wife. I worry that such violent passions combined with your unruly nature and apparent complete lack of control would leave me forever worrying over what lewd behavior you might be getting up to with any man who entered your sphere of influence. I would look at any issue we had and wonder if they truly were my prodigy or that of the footman's, or the stable lads, or any visiting male guests. I do not wish to live that way, so again, I apologize. However I will not be returning to the inn to continue the journey to Gretna Green. I wish you the best of luck for the future, but I shall not be a part of it.

Yours truly,

Daniel

Suzette was reading the letter for the second time when the door opened behind her. She barely heard Christiana's words as her sister said, "Oh, here you are, Suzette. Lisa and I thought to pass the time with a nice walk. The innkeeper has assured us that there is a lovely path leading to a water--Suzette?"

Christiana had reached her side and Suzette turned stunned and wounded eyes to her sister. Her voice was a bare whisper as she got out, "Daniel is not returning."

"What?" Christiana frowned and then glanced to the letter in her now trembling hands and tried to take it, but Suzette pressed it to her chest and moved away, too ashamed to let her read it.

"He doesn't want to marry me," she gasped, finding it suddenly hard to breathe. Her breath was coming in fast, hard pants, but little air seemed to be reaching her tortured lungs, and she wheezed, "My chest hurts."

"Here, sit down." Christiana was at her side at once, urging her to sit. Once Suzette had dropped to the bed, she rushed to the window to open the shutters and let in the breeze. Turning back, she ordered, "Breathe. Deep breaths."

Suzette sucked in air, trying to slow her breathing. After a moment it seemed to work, and her breathing became more regular.

"Let me see the letter, Suzette," her sister said quietly once she was almost back to normal.

"No," she said in a low voice, her hands pressing the paper even tighter to her chest.

"Well then, tell me what it says. I am sure you are just misunderstanding," Christiana said gently.

"Dear Suzette, I apologize for the inconvenience of my timing. However, I simply cannot marry you," she recited dully from memory. Even with only the two reads the words were burned into her brain.

"I suppose there is no misunderstanding that," Christiana said grimly. "Did he say why?"

"I am unruly, my passions too violent, with no self-control, and he fears my ability to be faithful after marriage," Suzette admitted and then burst into tears.

"Oh Suzie," Christiana murmured, hugging her close. She was simply holding and rocking her and allowing her to weep when a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?" Christiana asked, sounding displeased.

"Your husband," came Richard's answer in slightly amused tones.

Christiana hesitated and then snapped, "Come in."

Suzette immediately tried to stop crying and pulled away from her sister to mop at her face as the door opened.

"I just came to see--what's wrong?" Richard had merely poked his head in, but seeing his wife's angry face and Suzette's wet one, stepped into the room and pushed the door closed. He crossed the room asking with concern, "What has happened?"

"Daniel is not returning," Christiana announced, standing to move to his side. "He has decided he doesn't wish to marry Suzette, that she is too unruly, her passions violent and her self-control nonexistent."

Silence reigned briefly and Suzette glanced around to see Richard frowning thoughtfully while Christiana glared, awaiting a response. After another moment, her sister's expression became concerned. "Richard? Why are you not surprised? Surely this is a mistake or--?"

"I don't know," Richard admitted, and then hesitated before saying, "I know Daniel wasn't sure he wanted to marry her at first. But he knew if he said as much she wouldn't spend time with him, so he didn't tell her so that he could get to know her and decide." He frowned. "I was sure he'd decided to marry her though, so--"

"You mean he was lying?" Christiana asked with dismay. "He led Suzette to think he had honorable intentions, but he--"

"He didn't exactly lie," Richard said lamely, and then sighed. "When Suzette caught him in her room that first night she assumed that Daniel was there to tell her yes, and he just didn't correct her."

"What is the difference between that and lying, exactly?" Christiana asked sharply. "He al

lowed her to come to the wrong conclusions and didn't correct her."

Suzette frowned and asked, "If he wasn't there to tell me yes, what was he doing there?"

"We were there to get George's body," Richard answered quietly. "We had just collected George when you girls arrived home. We hid in your room not realizing it was occupied, and then I left him hiding in there with George while I took you and Lisa down to the office. I was trying to keep you busy long enough for him to get out with George, but then you were going to drink the whiskey, and I thought it was how George was poisoned and knocked it out of your hand and you stormed off."

"Oh." Suzette recalled how upset she'd been, thinking he was just trying to stop her drinking his whiskey that night. Richard had been trying to prevent her drinking what he thought was poisoned whiskey. She shook her head. That wasn't important now. Mouth tightening, she said, "Daniel was alone in my room when I entered. George wasn't with him."

"He'd thrown George out the window and was trying to follow when you entered," he explained, looking uncomfortable.

Suzette closed her eyes and turned her head away. "So he never wanted to marry me at all."

"That's not--I don't know," Richard said wearily. "You fascinated him, and he liked you and wanted to get to know you better."

"Well, he certainly did that," Christiana snapped. "I know he's been kissing her and more."

Suzette grimaced and asked, "But what about the dower? I thought he wanted the dower. Why give that up when he so desperately needed it?" The question had barely left her lips when she felt herself flush with shame. The answer was in the letter. Apparently even the chance to gain the dower and save his people was not enough to lure him to marry someone as base and lewd as she. Shaking her head she moaned, "My God, he is disgusted by me so much that he would rather give up the dower he so desperately needs than marry me."

"He doesn't need it," Richard admitted, and added apologetically, "That was a lie."