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“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.

“Perhaps I should go check then,” Suzette said, getting to her feet as the banging increased in speed.

Daniel glanced at her sharply, but something in her expression made him relax and shrug. “If you like.”

Suzette grimaced. She’d rather hoped he’d try to prevent it and give her the opportunity to kiss him. She was sure that was all it would take before this prim attitude of his crumbled. She didn’t understand the need for it anyway, they would marry soon. Besides, she would like their wedding night to be a pleasant memory in her mind, not the pain-wracked and blood-soaked event she’d read about. But for that to happen she had to ensure they got her maidenhead out of the way before they reached Gretna Green.

Of course, the parlor was no place for that, but Suzette had rather hoped to convince him to slip away from the room he shared with Langley and join her in hers that night to tend the matter. She’d only hoped to gain a kiss or two from him first to bolster her courage so she could make the suggestion. It appeared, however, Daniel was not going to indulge her. She would have to just blurt it out to him, Suzette realized, and almost did right then, but recalled that the door was still open. She quickly moved to close it and then returned to sit beside him, rolling her eyes when he immediately stiffened and shifted to put more space between them.

“Really, my lord, there is no need to act the frightened virgin. I am not going to attack you,” she said with exasperation.

“Act the what?” he asked with amazement and then scowled. “I—”

“I should like our wedding night to be a pleasant one,” Suzette interrupted before he could get too angry.

Daniel blinked, and then smiled faintly. “Well, so would I, and I promise I will do all I can to ensure it is pleasant for you.”

“Good, then come to my room tonight and—”

“No,” Daniel interrupted firmly.

“Please,” Suzette begged. “I don’t want my memory of our wedding night to be that of streams of blood and enough pain to make me faint.”

“Streams of blood?” he asked with dismay. “Who told you there would be streams of blood and so much pain you would faint?”

“I read,” she reminded him dryly. This time it didn’t silence him, however.

“Yes, well I think it’s high time you explain just what it is you are reading that you talk about maypoles and the breaching,” he said grimly.

Suzette shifted with irritation. “I do not recall the name of the book. It was Lisa’s.”

“Sweet little Lisa?” Daniel asked with horror, and then muttered, “I definitely have to talk to Richard about the girl.”

“Someone gave it to her,” Suzette said with exasperation. “Actually, it was one of several books she got from someone passing through the village, but I have only read the one and it was about a young country girl who comes to London and through tragic circumstances is sort of tricked into becoming a prostitute. She tells all about her life during that time before she is reunited with her love, who was also her first lover.” She frowned. “The first time for her was a wounding and she actually fainted and when she woke she was so sore she could not walk. Her name is—”

“Fanny,” Daniel snapped.

“Oh, you’ve read it too,” Suzette said with surprise.

“No, I haven’t, I just recognize the description from someone else who did read it,” he assured her firmly. “It is a banned book. How the devil did Lisa get her hands on it?”

“I told you, someone gave it to her,” she said impatiently.

“Who?”

Suzette frowned. She had known it was a banned book, but that had just made her more curious to read it. Lisa had refused to say who gave it to her, probably because it was banned and she hadn’t wished the person to get into trouble. Suzette suspected she knew who it was, but for the same reason was reluctant