The Heiress - Lynsay Sands [111]
“No, I don’t,” Jeremy acknowledged, and then a cruel smile stretched his mouth. “Imagine, if either of you had just been bright enough to ask to see it, you wouldn’t be in this mess. In fact, that was my one big worry when I approached you at the inn. I knew I could woo you around to the idea of marrying me.” He chuckled and boasted, “Even without money I’m a catch. Wooing was the easy part, but I worried about being asked to present the marker. However, neither of you even thought to ask.” He raised an eyebrow and said dryly, “Now who is the bright one?”
Suzette closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself several times for not thinking of that.
“I’m sorry, Suzie,” Lord Madison said glumly. “I should have thought to ask to see it.”
She blinked her eyes open and shook her head, her gaze searching out her father’s face. Seeing the misery on his expression, she shook her head again. “No. I didn’t think of it either. This is not your fault.”
“Do you want to know what the best part of it all is?” Jeremy asked, practically crowing with glee. “After I’ve married you, claimed your dower, and you’re both dead, I will ride back to London, search Dicky’s office until I find the marker and then make the estate pay up as well. I’ll get both the dower and the money from the marker.”
Suzette watched silently as he laughed at his own cleverness, and waited until he stopped before asking, “So how are we to die?”
“Hmmm.” He frowned. “I suppose another carriage accident would be a bit suspect when we just had one, and then I shot Thompson and will have to claim highwaymen did it, so that’s out too.” He considered for a moment and then shrugged. “I guess a fire would do. Dicky wanted to avoid that because his parents and brother died in fires. He thought it might look suspect. However, I don’t have that problem. Besides, it will be slow and painful for the two of you and I like that idea.”
“I really don’t like you,” Suzette said grimly.
Jeremy smiled. “Such a shame; fortunately, that isn’t a prerequisite to marriage.”
“Speaking of which, how do you intend to force me to marry you now that I know you plan to kill me anyway?” she asked dryly.
“Because you want to live and will do what I say, hoping to be able to save yourself later,” he said with a shrug.
Suzette suspected that was true, but pointed out, “I’m only doing what you say now because you have threatened my father. But you cannot hold a pistol on him when we get to Gretna Green. No one will marry us if they see you wielding the pistol.”
“I have considered that,” Jeremy admitted, not looking terribly concerned and she understood why when he said, “I am going to hide your father somewhere bound and tied while we get married. You’ll marry me if you want to see him again,” he said with certainty.
Suzette stared at him with impotent fury. His plan would work. She would marry him to keep her father safe and in the hopes that they would find a way to save themselves afterward. And that was their only hope, she realized. That Jeremy would make a mistake and they would somehow escape . . . or that Daniel and the others would be waiting at Gretna Green and save them.
“We’ve waited long enough,” Jeremy said suddenly. “Start walking.”
Suzette straightened at once, but Jeremy had to help her father rise as he had each of the other two times they’d stopped. The moment he was on his feet, though, her father was fine and started walking back toward the road.
“No. We will stick to the woods from here on out,” Jeremy said.
Her father hesitated, but then turned back into the trees and continued forward. Suzette followed, aware that Jeremy was at her back.
“We must have missed them between here and the overturned carriage,” Daniel said grimly as he led Robert