The Heiress (Madison Sisters 2)

"But the letter," Christiana said sharply. "I read it, my lord, there was no misunderstanding. You flat-out said you would not marry Suzette and as good as called her little better than a light skirt."

Daniel cursed under his breath, and then glanced to his mother as she took his arm to urge him past the women toward the tables.

"You need to eat," Lady Woodrow reminded him firmly. "You promised you would eat as soon as we arrived at the inn. It is the only reason I agreed to leave Woodrow without insisting you eat first and you shall keep that promise."

"But I need to speak to Suzette." Daniel glanced toward the stairs, sure she must be up in her room. Probably crying her heart out. Poor thing, he thought.

"You can speak to her while you eat. Now sit down and eat before you fall down."

"Why would he fall down?" Lisa asked, moving closer to get a better look. "He's so pale. What's wrong with him?"

"He was shot on his way to Woodrow," Richard answered. "And he didn't send the letter."

"What?" Christiana asked with horror.

Daniel started to turn around, intending to insist they tell him where Suzette was, but a shaft of pain as he twisted his upper body made him freeze and suck in a bit of air.

"Sit," his mother said firmly. Once she had him on the bench, she moved away saying, "Richard, go speak to the innkeeper and arrange for broth and a hearty meal."

Daniel, recalling what happened the last time he tried to turn, simply stood up and moved around the table to the opposite side so that he could see what was going on as Richard hurried over to the innkeeper and his mother turned her attention to Suzette's sisters.

"Now, you must be Christiana and Lisa," she greeted, taking each girl by one hand.

"Yes. How did you know?" Christiana asked.

Rather than point out that they had just been attacking Daniel on their sister's behalf and so were easily identifiable as relatives, she simply said, "Because I knew neither of you could be Suzette."

"Why not?" Daniel asked with a frown. He hadn't described her looks to his mother, just her personality and actions.

Lady Woodrow frowned when she saw that he'd moved, but merely shook her head and said calmly, "Because no doubt she is on the way to Gretna Green right now with what she thinks is merely some bachelor in need of coin who just happened to show up in her hour of need."

"What?" Daniel asked with disbelief and wondered where she could have come up with such a ridiculous idea. Suzette was upstairs, her heart broken and sobbing over the loss of him. At least that's what he'd thought, so was startled when Lisa nodded with wide eyes.

"Yes, Lord Danvers arrived and offered to marry her in exchange for Father's markers and she accepted. How did you know?" Lisa asked with surprise.

Daniel was so stunned by this news that he almost didn't catch his mother's reply as she said, "Really, what else was the letter for but to ensure she thought there was no hope for her love for Daniel and would be willing to leave here promptly with another?"

"Damn, she's smart," Robert muttered to Daniel as he settled at the table next to him. "That hadn't occurred to me."

"Me neither," Daniel said grimly, getting to his feet. So much for her being upstairs nursing her supposedly broken heart.

"Sit, Daniel," Lady Woodrow said without even glancing around to see him on his feet.

The woman always had seemed to have eyes in the back of her head when it came to him, he thought grimly, and sat back down. He didn't know why he'd got up anyway. Suzette didn't love him. She'd cared so little she'd run off with the first man who offered for her. She hadn't even waited a full bloody day. He really had just been the first handy bloke to suit her needs and, apparently, any man would do. It was damned lowering after what they'd shared in the stables. If Suzette thought she would experience that kind of pleasure with just any man, she had a sorry disappointment coming . . . and it served her right, he decided.

"How long ago did they leave?" Robert asked as Richard rejoined them.

Despite his suddenly glum mood, Daniel found himself waiting tensely for the response.

"No more than an hour ago," Christiana murmured. "Father insisted on going with them and made them take the time to eat first. He also dallied as long as he could over packing though I'm sure he never unpacked here. I think he hoped you'd return with news before they left."

"Bless him," his mother said and then glanced to Richard in question, "How long until the food will be ready?"

"The innkeeper assured me it would be out right away. His wife has a stew on the hob and some left-over roast beef from last night. She's going to bring the juice of the stew and a roast-beef dinner for him right away."

"Good, good." Lady Woodrow ushered Christiana and Lisa to the table, and then suggested, "Perhaps we should all eat then."

When Richard hesitated and glanced uncertainly toward Daniel, Lady Woodrow waved her hand in a dismissing gesture and said, "Never mind him, he is sulking. His nose is out of joint because Suzette has run off to marry another. It's for the best anyway. This way we need not fight to get him to keep his promise to eat and he does need to eat."

"I am not sulking," Daniel said through gritted teeth as Richard moved off to let the innkeeper know they would all be eating. "And stop talking about me like that. I am sitting right here."

"I notice you don't deny your nose is out of joint," Lady Woodrow said easily as she settled on the bench next to him with Christiana and Lisa on her other side.

"My nose is not out of joint," he said now, and then raised his chin and added, "She has done me a favor. If she cares so little for me that she would run off with the first man who came along, then she has saved me future heartache."

"Oh but--" Lisa began, but was shushed by his mother.

"After he eats," she said gently, and explained, "Daniel can be terribly bullheaded when he wishes. It is better he eats before he rushes off to rescue her."

"Rescue who?" Daniel asked with a frown. "She went willingly, did she not?"

"I wonder why you cannot now even speak her name?" his mother said pensively, and then glanced around as Richard and the innkeeper and his wife approached, each carrying a platter. "Oh, here is the food. Wonderful."

Daniel scowled but kept his tongue. He wasn't saying her name because he didn't wish to, and he had no intention of rushing off to rescue her, he thought, as he grimly worked his way through the broth that had been set before him. She was getting married, not murdered. If he could be replaced that easily . . . He swallowed a spoonful of broth, and managed not to choke on either it or his anger. She had disappointed him, first by accepting without question that some letter he hadn't written could be from him, and second by accepting this other man's proposal. It was not at all like Suzette. He would have expected her to come hunt him down and demand answers. Especially after what they had shared in the stables.

At least she would have had she cared for him, Daniel thought as he pushed the empty bowl aside and pulled the plate with beef and rumbledethumps on it in front of himself. Rumbledethumps was a combination of potatoes, onion and cabbage that was common along the Scottish border. Daniel generally enjoyed them. He hardly tasted it this time though; his mind was on Suzette and her betrayal. Did she really think he could be so callous as to take her innocence and then break off their engagement?

"So, from what you boys told me at the house, there have been a couple of accidents this last week," his mother said suddenly into the silence as they ate.

Richard nodded. "It looked as if someone had cut three quarters of the way through three of the spokes of one wheel on the carriage we men were traveling in, and then Daniel and I were nearly trampled in town."

"You thought those accidents were not accidents at all, but murder attempts on you, Richard?" Lady Woodrow queried.

"Yes, but we decided they might be accidents after all when it turned out that wasn't the case," he said evasively.

She didn't press him to find out how he knew

that, but merely said, "However, Daniel was also nearly a victim of both accidents?"

"Well, yes," Richard said slowly, obviously not following her.

"Considering his being shot today, I would guess he was really the intended victim of the other two incidents, wouldn't you?" she asked gently.

Richard's eyes widened and he glanced toward Daniel with surprise, but got no reaction.

"And these attacks only started once Daniel agreed, or seemed to agree, to marry Suzette?" his mother asked next.

"It did occur to me that the friend of Dicky's who was supposed to marry her may be behind the accidents," Daniel admitted quietly.

"Why didn't you say something?" Richard asked with amazement.